Stress is a huge problem especially for people in western societies. There are three types of stressors:

- Physical
- Psychological
- Environmental or Social.
The first group of stressors affect physically, for example : hunger ,hot and cold, illness, pain and injury, viruses, lack of sleep.

The Psychological affects your mind. Examples are : loneliness, fear, death of a relative or friend, threats to security, rejection, depression.

The Social occurs on your environment and they are such as: unpleasant work, extreme weather, economic depression, family environment and friends.

The Job stress is the most important that dominates our lives. It’s high unlikely to find someone without stress.
Some of the symptoms of stress are :

Tension, anxiety and confusion.
Withdrawal and depression.
Feelings of isolation and alienation.
Boredom and job dissatisfaction.
Low self-esteem.

So how you can reduce your stress?
One factor which is diminished is the nutrition. Most of us eat junk food, like fast food , snacks , refreshments which contain a lot of sugar e.t.c. That kind of food will cause illness sooner or later and there is no way you can reduce your stress.

Another factor is smoking especially when is compined with caffeine. These two triggers the stress response.

Medical research has proved that during the stress situations particular vitamins are needed to maintain proper functioning nervous and endocrine systems.

Deficiencies of vitamins B-1, B-5 and B-6, can lead to anxiety reactions, depression, insomnia, and cardiovascular weaknesses, while vitamins B-2 and niacin deficiencies have been known to cause stomach irritability and muscular weakness. Their depletion lowers your tolerance to, and ability to cope with stressors.

One widely popular theory is that the body's need for vitamin C increases when under stress.

The reasons are two:
Vitamin C is stored in the adrenal gland. After the gland releases adrenal hormones as part of the stress response, the supply needs to be replenished. The production of adrenal hormones is accelerated by vitamin C.

Vitamin C is also needed for the synthesis of the thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone production regulates the body's metabolism. Thus, when the metabolic rate increases under stress, so does the need for vitamin C.

Where do you find these vitamins, particularly B and C?
The B vitamins are amply supplied in protein rich foods.
Vitamin C is found in : citrus fruits, broccoli ,strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers

You may want to give special attention to foods that provide those vitamins affected by stress, but not to the extent that you neglect other important nutrients.

Relaxation is the best tool you could use in order to reduce stress. You can achive relaxation by following the techniques below:

- meditation
- yoga
- hypnosis
- deep breathing
- Progressive relaxation

Relaxation essentially means paying attention to something calming. For example, you can concentrate on your breath and your body. Your aim is to calm your mind and lower your metabolism.

Stress management is a lifelong process. With a successful stress management program, you'll note positive changes:

-In your own health and well-being .
-In your relations with family, friends and coworkers .
-In your performance your energy your concentration your ability to cope your efficiency

Christos Varsamis
www.settinglifegoals.com