Everyone can relate to stress.

It can create good and complicated situations in a person’s life.

Whether external physical demands or psychological pressures at home or work overcome your daily opportunities for peace, identify with the factors that create the symptoms and develop proactive methods for relieving unwarranted stress.

External physical demands can be associated with noise, air pollution, elevators, flights and even facelifts. These factors cause people to feel tense if they are afraid of heights or drastic changes. In some situations, two or more intense pressures could be happening at the same time, which really elevates the heart rate and makes you feel quite anxious or uneasy.

External psychosocial pressures and demands revolve around family, environmental, financial, and social problems. Pressures tend to compete with each other in a sense that people sometimes have difficulty thinking clearly or making rational decisions when feeling overwhelmed and burdened by factors that they feel are out of their control.

For some people, thinking about five things at one time is normal. Yet, for others, three stressful decisions occurring at the same time can allow someone to feel as though he is drowning. At some point in the process, he begins to feel as though something has to give.

When feeling exhausted by recurring pressures, people tend to set priorities as to what they will pay attention to and at what point in time. When trying to prioritize, make sure that different demands are not in conflict with each other, such as work versus leisure or family time.

Physiological needs — which include hunger, fatigue or pain — also create a problem with thinking clearly. Yet, psychologically, many people spend quality time reflecting on who they wish to be and who they think others view them to be.

Too often, people will say to each other, “When I get time, I will….” This thought process unfortunately allows the burdens to sit on your shoulders and creates more unnecessary stress.

Under this circumstance, many pressures can spin out of control. As a result, your energy level becomes depreciated and there becomes an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Then, adrenaline will start to flow and people generally develop the “fight or flight” mentality.

Unfortunately, if a person pushes himself to an extreme, the body and mind can exceed their limitations and he will experience a sense of breakdown.

As a result, this can create health problems.

Therefore, it is wise to meter your demands and keep a regular check on what is healthy and what is not.

Dr. Sonya Rogers is a certified counselor who lives in Daphne.

Her column regularly appears in The Bulletin.