(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Excessive stress is associated with serious health issues such as lifestyle illnesses and depression, but that it can be dealt with effectively, say experts.
Two leading medical health professionals gave advice on how to deal with stress in the latest edition of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar's (WCMC-Q) Ask the Expert talk series.
In an interactive question and answer session, Dr Ziad Kronfol, Professor of Psychiatry at WCMC-Q, and Mariana Barrancos, Psychologist at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), explained the physiological effects of stress on the body, discussed the common sources of stress and suggested a variety of techniques that can be used to mitigate its negative effects, such as meditation, taking regular exercise and learning to evaluate problems in a calm and systematic manner.
Dr Kronfol explained that stress in small doses is not detrimental, but excessive stress is associated with serious health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and depression, but said that it can be dealt with effectively.
He said, "In moderation, stress is not harmful and actually helps to drive us on to achieve good things and to make valuable contributions to our families, our workplace and our community. However, if stress builds up to the point that it becomes overwhelming, it can have serious negative effects on health.
"It is important to acknowledge that stress is real and has real physiological effects on our bodies - it is not something that is imagined or that we can just disregard. Fortunately, once we acknowledge that stress is real, we can identify the causes of stress in our lives and take steps to deal with them."
The Ask the Expert series is part of WCMC-Q's Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First campaign, a five-year initiative that aims to encourage members of both the expatriate and Qatari communities to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Dr Kronfol and Barrancos explained that sources of stress can be external, such as family problems, financial difficulties, job or school pressure, and relationship problems, and how we appraise reality has a major impact on how we deal with stress.
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