{"id":26593,"date":"2017-04-17T10:41:19","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nmc.edu\/?p=26593"},"modified":"2017-04-17T10:41:19","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:41:19","slug":"wellness-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nmc.edu\/?p=26593","title":{"rendered":"Wellness"},"content":{"rendered":"

April is Stress Awareness Month. Stress is an important part of our lives \u2014 without it, we couldn\u2019t survive. Stress is a natural response to stimuli. When you work out, you\u2019re placing stress on different systems within your body. The stress you place on your nervous system during a bicep curl helps it adapt and learn how much effort is needed to contract your muscles. But what happens if you experience too much mental stress?<\/p>\n

Symptoms of stress:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Tension and irritability<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Difficulty making decisions<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Loss of appetite<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Feeling powerless<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Sleep disruption<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Headaches, back pain and stomach problems<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

As you can see, left unchecked, too much stress can lead to some pretty disruptive symptoms. If you\u2019re experiencing these or any other symptoms of excessive stress, you should start taking action to lower your stress. Our Blue Cross\u00ae Blue Shield\u00ae of Michigan wellness coordinator has a few recommendations. The first is start tracking your stress level each day, Monday through Sunday. What trends do you notice?<\/p>\n

You can easily track your stress using a Health Tracker within the Blue Cross\u00ae Health & Wellness website, powered by WebMD\u00ae. The trackers are located under the Health Record <\/em>tab. You can also access Health Trackers through the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan mobile app. Contact our Blue Cross wellness coordinator, Chris Barr, for assistance. He can be reached at cbarr@nmc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Be Well!<\/p>\n

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