life events/stress

• A lifestyle choice is a decision you make that affects your health and wellbeing. These choices are influenced by our friends, family, values, culture and income.
• Many people never actively choose a lifestyle, it happens because of stress of life events or economic pressure and it can be difficult to change without support.
• Some events are predictable and may be chosen or be part of the natural course of life. Others may be unpredictable that happen when they are least expected.
• Both predictable and unpredictable life events can have a positive or negative affect on an individual.
• Stress is an automatic response to dealing with challenging situations or life events. If stress is prolonged it can become a serious psychological and physical problem.
• Stress can be short term and may be a positive motivational force, or it may be longer term, with negative effects on an individual’s health.
• Stress can cause an individual to become irritable, fatigued, have headaches, lack motivation and be unable to concentrate. This can lead to over/under eating, smoking or drinking too much alcohol.
• High levels of stress hormones over a period of time can affect many of the body’s systems causing a variety of health problems
• People who are stressed can be indecisive, have impaired judgement, muddled thinking and make errors.
• Stress can affect an individual’s emotions, especially self-esteem and self-image.
• Immune system– susceptibility to infections and colds, especially if unhealthy behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption are used to deal with the stress.
• Cardiovascular system– high blood pressure, heart attacks, arrhythmias and sudden death


  Respiratory system – breathlessness, asthma
• Musculoskeletal system– muscle tension, back pain, arthritis, muscle twitches.
• Digestive system– indigestion, ulcers, constipation, diarrhoea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Endocrine system– diabetes, loss of sex drive, absence of menstruation