As the result of a recently concluded study out of Tel Aviv University, scientists now believe it will be possible to one day determine a person’s stress level with a simple blood test. While we tend to think of stress as a psychological phenomenon, it has a number of physiological effects as well. Through a combination of genetic research and magnetic imaging, researchers were able to understand how stress manifests itself biologically. Researchers were also able to determine that there are certain biological factors that indicate a person’s risk factor for contracting a chronic stress related condition such as PTSD.

Since the stress test is not yet available for public use, we all have to make an effort to realize when we become stressed out. For some people, stress will manifest itself in the form of chronic fatigue or powerful cravings for junk foods. In others, it will manifest psychologically, in the form of mild depression or persistent irritability. As many other ailments, the key to managing stress is in prevention. If you’ve had an unusually difficult time at work or have gone through an emotional loss recently, you should engage in relaxing activities like listening to soothing music, getting more aerobic exercise or booking a massage session.

Read the full article here: Targeting the mind/body connection in stress