Aides for both Bush and Gore aides have said the candidates were prepared to contest the Florida results if they felt votes had been improperly invalidated. Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a strong Bush supporter, plans to certify Florida's election Sunday night. This will be done publicly regardless of the outcome, which is, of course, unknown at this time. The Supreme Court's decision to take the Bush appeal was a surprise in some quarters because elections are often seen as state business and an earlier Bush challenge had been turned back to the state by a federal circuit court. With this newfound knowledge comes new methods for alleviating stress in today's rushed society.
Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive action.
The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles. Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. But the effects of job stress on chronic diseases are more difficult to see because chronic diseases take a long time to develop and can be influenced by many factors other than stress.