In this article: Evaluate for stress Ask Dr. Tedd Mitchell a health question

Stressed out?

Adrenaline may have saved my brother. But, usually, it creates unhealthy tension. Here's how to cope.

One recent afternoon, my brother's house burned down. Luckily, his wife and children were at school. My brother, on the other hand, was asleep in bed when the fire broke out. Having worked an overnight shift, he was catching a few winks before his family came home. A passerby noticed the flames, yelled, got no response and kicked in the front door. My brother, a firefighter, had awakened by this time, and he furiously flew through his home, making sure it was cleared of pets and people. The house was a total loss, but my brother, the pets and the good samaritan all were fine.

Like anyone who faces an immediate threat, these two fellows had something powerful working for them: their stress hormones. Nearly a century ago, Harvard scientist Walter Cannon described this as the "fight or flight" syndrome. When placed under extreme stress, the body prepares itself to face danger through the release of hormones from the adrenal glands (hence, the term adrenaline). Increased heart rate, dilation of the lungs' airways for deeper breathing, redirection of blood flow from the digestive organs to the large muscle groups of the body -- these changes occur immediately when the human body is placed under extreme duress. It's a wonderful system that gives us the capacity to do extraordinary things under extraordinarily stressful circumstances. It is rapid, intense and short-lived, and it comes in real handy when the house is on fire.

Unfortunately, that same system is activated, to a lesser degree, when we face the day-to-day dramas of life. This is when the system really begins to work against us.

The problem with stress reactions is that they sneak up on you. The tensions of daily life don't sound alarms in the body like a house fire does. Symptoms of chronic stress often masquerade as other things: headaches, insomnia, heartburn, chest pain, sexual issues -- the list goes on and on. These symptoms need to be addressed appropriately because many medical problems have stress as a common denominator. And if stress isn't even on our radar screen as a possible contributor to our problems, then we'll never get the help we need.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. And what's stressful to one person may not be for someone else. That's why it's important for you to evaluate yourself and your reaction to the things in your life that may cause you chronic stress. Understanding where your stresses come from and how they affect you will help you to develop your own coping mechanisms.

Don't wait until you have health problems to address your stress. After all, the source of your stress may not be as easy to spot as a house fire.

Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president and medical director of Dallas' Cooper Clinic, writes HealthSmart every week.

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Evaluate yourself for stress:

On the job. Do you work in a stressful environment? Do you get along with co-workers and your boss? Do you enjoy coming in to work each day? And do you feel like your contributions count to the success of the organization?

At home. Is your household hectic, or is it calm? Do you get the support you need from family members to help you accomplish tasks that need completion, such as chores?

In relationships. Are the most important relationships in your life positive, or are they negative? I saw a term years ago describing the "energy vampire" -- a person whose negativity can suck the energy out of the room when he's there. Don't let those people pull you down, and certainly don't let yourself become one.

During downtime. How you spend your "alone time" affects how your body handles stress. Reading, writing, singing, listening to music, praying, meditating and exercising all are positive ways to cope. Overeating, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, using mood-altering drugs, criticizing yourself or others and driving aggressively all are examples of negative ways to cope.