To date, doctors and scientists were able to determine a few causes that induce psoriasis, but these causes are way too general to represent a main cause and hence be treated. For example, two of the factors confirmed to induce or aggravate psoriasis signs or symptoms are genes and stress; however, these two reasons are also contributors of hundreds of other disorders. It is extremely tough – if not impossible – to create a cure for psoriasis unless more precise contributing factors are identified. Infection is generally thought to be another reason for psoriasis trigger as it can expedite psoriasis formation. Dry skin and skin wounds are also proven to worsen the disease, but all of these factors are also too general in order to be regarded as actual causes. And unless the experts find out the real, scientific cause of this skin illness, the ultimate treatment will always evade us all.

The only other option left at this moment would be to target the symptoms of psoriasis and attempt to heal them using certain alternative treatment options or home remedies for psoriasis. Systemic and metabolic medications, light therapy and many organic components are used to heal the symptoms. The main trouble here is that even though the symptoms are fully remedied, the disease can relapse at any time due to several different reasons.

In addition to those two difficulties, several psoriasis patients claim and complain they are sometimes being considered contagious disease carriers. This situation is mostly due to the ignorance of some people. Even if it’s a disturbing disease that decreases the affected individual’s quality of life, psoriasis is certainly not contagious and cannot be contracted in any way. It is not infectious because it has nothing to do with viruses or bacteria; it’s just the result of faster skin cell regeneration. You don’t have to be ashamed of your condition; if there’s a shame, it’s on those people for their ignorance! While the reasons for psoriasis remain a mystery, it should not prevent you from living your life.

• A husband and wife are both working full time while their parents are dependent on them for help with shopping due to health conditions.
• Someone is living paycheck to paycheck and is denied a raise. They can barely make ends meet and save any money.
• Divorced parents sharing custody of their children are arguing with each other on matters concerning the children. These arguments tend to arise out of nowhere and happen frequently.
• Ever increasing competition at work makes you feel pressure and for survival you work day in and day out. You may take on more work than you can handle. Working very early, staying up too late to complete your job.

Types of stresses

1. Survival stress

It is a common response to fight danger or run away from it, depending on the situation. If you feel that someone is trying to hit you, you’ll react by hitting them before they hit you, or you’ll get clear and avoid getting hit. There is a sudden burst of energy in you enabling you to survive this physical danger.

2. Internal stress

You must have come across a crossroad in your life where you felt that you were not capable of handling the situation, or you started worrying for no reason at all. This kind of stress is very difficult to understand and manage. This happens when we put ourselves in stressful situations and start worrying about things irrelevant to the issue.

3. Environmental stress

Responding to the situations which surround you is natural. For example, when passing by a noisy area, we tend to cover our ears. We react differently to noise, pressure from family, friends and work. Identifying environmental stress and getting control over them will help reduce stress level a great deal.

4. Stress due to fatigue and overwork

Working hard throughout the day takes a heavy toll on the body. One of the common reasons for such stress is the inability to manage time properly. Find ways to relax when you are uncomfortable, and stressed out.

What is stress? Our body’s natural response to external events. Some stress is good but we need to learn new strategies for managing it when it gets to be too much.

Stress is a silent killer, and being anxious is not good for your health or social status. People often torture themselves with thoughts and feelings. Self-induced stress can be avoided by utilizing your time working out ways to tackle problems rather than thinking obsessing about them.

If you do not plan well in advance, you may get into trouble or fall short of achieving what you had set out for. You could find yourself in the middle of nowhere if you travel to an unknown place for the first time without a set of clear instructions or a map or guide. If you plan and organize properly, you can save time, money and unwanted stress.

Another reason for stressing out in our daily lives is not organizing our desks, work spaces, closets, etc. These things if properly organized could save a lot of time and stress. If your desk is organized, you won’t have to look for a pen amidst papers and files; you could just pick it up from the pen stand or pen holder.

It is very common to misplace your car keys every day. The previous night you could have left them in your pocket and then put the jacket in the cleaners. Taking time out and organizing yourself and your surroundings will help prevent self-induced stress.

A poor mind set will not help you overcome self-induced stress. Learn to forgive yourself when you make a mistake, after all you are just a human being, and are bound to make mistakes. You cannot be flawless all the time. Learning from mistakes will help you stop stressing yourself out.

Here are ways to avoid self-induced stress:

1. Eliminate stress inducing thoughts from your mind

Self-induced stress is something that you create by choice. It has nothing to do with the outside world. You can fix the problem. Set your mind to overcome the issue, and reduce this cause of self-induced stress.

2. Look at the brighter side

Learn to find the positives when you make a mistake and correct what can be corrected.

3. Combat self-induced pressure

Laugh out loud and forget those things which you cannot change. Take a break and find peace. Keep yourself occupied with things that you like to do.

All sources of stress are not easy to ignore, but trying to avoid the external stressors and taking care not to saddle yourself with self-induced stress will improve your life.

When you experience stress, there is a dramatic change in your mind and body. Stress affects us physically, mentally and emotionally, and 90% of all health problems can be traced back to stress. Stress can literally make you feel ill. Some common problems women experience associated with stress are:

• Difficulty conceiving (infertility)
• Sleeping difficulties
• Headaches
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Nervous breakdown
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Stroke
• Weakness or lack of energy
• Irritation
• Inability to concentrate
• Erratic eating habits; eating too much or eating nothing at all
• Feeling sad and deprived
• Being short-tempered
• Asthma
• Tension
• Stomach cramps
• Anxiety
• Weight gain (Obesity)
• Weight loss
• Heart problems
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Pain at joints
• Reduced sex drive
• Hair loss
• Hyperthyroidism
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Tooth aches and gum diseases
• Ulcers
• PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
• Migraine
• Auto-Immune diseases
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Oral and genital herpes
  • Crohn’s disease (also known as granulomatous colitis and regional enteritis)
• And more

Some facts about stress that concern your health

People who don’t learn to manage their stress are more likely to die from cancer or cardiovascular diseases. A study has revealed that people who managed stress ineffectively had a 40% higher death rate than people who were not stressed out. People who have had a heart attack and get angry during emotional arguments double their risk of subsequent attacks.

When stresses are handled positively, they are beneficial to us and help keep us alert and energetic. Too much stress turns into distress, and when we handle them negatively, it affects every part of life. Poor handling of stress affects you physically, mentally and emotionally.  Unfortunately this stress sometimes leads people to try to manage their stress through alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Initially these things make us feel better but it is a temporary fix and the stress does not go away.  If you are stressed out take the time and give yourself proper attention and emotional support. Stress affects your health and does much of its damage silently and over a period of time. Don’t ignore situations that can have a negative effect.

There are several physical symptoms of stress in women that you should be aware of.  They include:

1. Palpitations – Heart beating harder, faster or pounding

Palpitations can be felt in the throat, chest or neck. They may be felt during emotions such as excitement or fear. Normally a person is unaware of heartbeats, but due to anxiety, a person can sense his own heart beating.

2. Sweating – severe perspiration

Sweating is natural for human bodies especially when subjected to hot weather or when carrying out heavy jobs or exercises. Emotional activities like anger and embarrassment can also cause sweating. Stress and anxiety trigger the brain to make you sweat. You can prevent this by relaxing and taking control of your stress.

3. Trembling or shaking

Tremors in your body making your arms, feet or entire body feel shaky.

4. Shortness of breath – breathlessness – breathing difficulties

Feeling uncomfortable while breathing, feeling suffocated due to lack of oxygen to the brain, muscles and other organs of the body. This will make you feel dizzy and you may faint.

5. Unable to swallow food

We may feel that food particles are stuck in the throat or upper region of the abdomen. The fear of choking is the main cause when you are under stress. You may feel that you are choking or that a lump has stuck in your throat. Eating becomes a challenge for anxiety sufferers.

6. Chest Pains

People tend to feel that chest pains are caused due to heart attacks, especially if the person has been hurt emotionally. After ruling out heart attack, most people with chest pain are usually having a panic or anxiety attack

7. Stomach pain

It is a common symptom of anxiety, but there are several other possibilities for stomach pain. Before presuming that the pain is due to stress, visit a doctor.

8. Nausea and vomiting

Nausea is caused by involuntary bodily functions, but vomiting could be caused by taste, smell, pain, anxiety etc. Keep drinking water when you are vomiting for prolonged durations, so that you will not get dehydrated.

9. Dizziness or faintness

A feeling of lightheadedness makes it difficult to keep your balance whether you are sitting or standing. If you experience this often you should visit a doctor to determine if the cause is stress or something more serious.

10. Hot and cold sensations

Sweaty palms, feeling hot even when seated in an air conditioned room are all due to anxiety.

These physical symptoms of stress in women may be your first sign that you have a problem. If you are experiencing several of these symptoms regularly related to job or personal stress, you may want to start a stress management program.

To be able to manage stress, you must first be able to identify the cause of your stress. Without finding the reason for feeling stressed out, you cannot fix the situation. It is like roaming aimlessly when trying to find your way home. People who feel stressed out try many options for relieving their stress, but fail because they don’t figure out what is causing the stress. If you are determined and really want to you can find the stressors. Once you have identified the stressors, you can easily do what is required to remove these from your life.

Stress is something which refuses to be ignored, and it adversely affects the mind and body. Stress is the cause of headaches, muscle aches, migraines, digestive disorders and many more illnesses. Doctors believe stress can cause serious health problems like cancer and heart problems. So removing the causes of your stress from your life as soon as possible is important.

So where do these stressors come from? You can divide stressors into external and internal categories. External stress comes from your work and the pressures of performing, from relationships with family and friends, and even from the atmosphere you live in. If you feel that these are not your sources of stress, look internally for the cause. Examine your state of mind, sleeping and eating habits, and any emotional trauma you’ve been through.

Real families are not perfect like the families we see on TV or in movies. Yes, pressure from family members can stress you out. The pressure may not be directly from them, but you may worry about your kids’ futures, your parents’ health, or the happiness of all your family members. You may have to miss a family event due to work demands and then you worry about not being there for your family. It will help to prioritize and learn to strike a balance in your life. This same theory can be applied to your relationships with friends.

Once you have identified the stressors, create a plan to get rid of them. For instance, if you are stressed because of your job, you may consider quitting that job and finding a better one, or making a complete career change. You can even decide to start your own business. While these situations are not easy, they may make you feel more relaxed because you will be making proactive changes.

If you are unable to determine the cause of your stress, make a note of some possibilities whenever you feel stressed. Over a period of time, you should be able to find a few causes, and eventually pinpoint one or two main stressors. Locating stressors is not easy, but to get rid of stress from your life, you have to manage stress properly so that you can move forward comfortably.