Stress is defined as emotional and physical tension. Any event or thing that makes you irritated, angry, anxious and depressed, etc. are the symptoms of stress. Stresses vary from person to person. It depends on how a person perceives and interprets anxiousness.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
When we’re in a stress state, our body reacts to it in a “flight or fight” response. It is an acute psychological response that triggers due to the kick of adrenaline hormone such as cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, occurring in the presence of threat physically or mentally. For example, a person who has cynophobia encounters a dog during walking back home, he/she will experience the symptoms of an acute stress response. Her/his heartbeat and breathing will become fast and rapid, gets pale and flushed skin, dilated pupil, excessive sweating and shivering, etc.
WHAT CAUSES STRESS?
There are a plethora of causes of stresses but here we will the most common ones which are as follows:
- Work and personal pressure
- Change in the pattern of life
- Uncertainty
- Overburden work
- Depression or anxiety
- Insomnia
- Anger and restlessness
- Making bad decisions
- Financial instability
- Unhealthy lifestyle
- Injury or chronic illness
TYPES OF STRESS:
There are two types of stress:
DISTRESS:
Distress is negative stress which can be precarious to health if it is taken prolonged such as obesity, heart diseases, stroke, anxiety and depression, etc. The most common symptoms are misery and poignancies which temporarily cause great physical and mental pain.
For example, a person who is facing financial problems must be facing distress and long term stress can cause further chronic illnesses.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), Distress is further divided into three types which are as follows:
1. Acute Stress:
The word acute means “less precarious” or “short period”.
Acute stress refers to everyday stress which includes deadlines, any conflict or argument, losing your things or being called for complaint reasons, etc.
This stress doesn’t stay long and might cause acute symptoms such as high blood pressure, rapid pulses, headache, sadness, fatigue and anxiety, etc.
2. Episodic Acute Stress:
The word Episodic means “constant” or “series of events”.
Episodic Acute stress refers to the acute stress which a person is constantly facing for a particular period of time. In this type of stress, a person takes outsized stress from the external stimuli which aren’t really dangerous. It varies from person to person especially the ones who are overly sensitive. The emotions are intense but this stress is not chronic. For example, a person has missed the deadline, now he would overly stress it thinking about how the boss would fire him and he would panic thinking about being homeless and poor. More specifically, the person takes the pressure as a life or death situation.
The patient may suffer symptoms such as uncontrollable anger, irritability, heartburn or gastrointestinal issues, hypertension, unconsiousness, muscular pain and tightness and depression.
3. Chronic Stress:
The word Chronic means “Immedicable” or “Long-term”.
Chronic stress is a response to highly emotional pressure and grieves that is being suffered for a long period of time such as losing a loved one or any shocking experience that changes your life.
Due to prolonged stress, a person may develop huge complications in their body or mind such as losing memory, cardiovascular disease, stroke, weight gain, digestive disorders, coma and anxiety disorders, etc.
EUSTRESS:
Eustress is the opposite of distress. It is a positive stress that promotes motivation, determination, gaining performance, competitiveness, etc. It helps us achieve our aims and goals.
For example, the stress in exams helps us taking our studies seriously and we work hard for it in order to get a degree.
Eustress produces positive feelings, satisfaction, well being and also promotes brainstorming innovative and creative ideas.
According to clinical psychologists, Eustress helps us stay motivated, work towards goals and feel good about life.
According to this study led by psychologist Salvatore R. Maddi, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Chicago, using stress in an effective way can lead to productive progress in personal as well as your professional life. Using stress in a positive way and the ability to endure minor to major obstacles is termed as hardiness.
HOW TO OVERCOME STRESS?
We cannot get rid of stress however how happy and contented a person maybe but we can reduce it to some extent through the following ways:
- Prefer doing meditation and yoga for relaxation.
- Exercise is the best way to keep yourself positive and releasing your stress.
- Share feelings with someone. Talking and sharing your feelings with close ones
causes the release of oxytocin which helps in reducing stress. - Working on hobbies such as painting, singing, reading books, etc
- Being punctual and organized in every task.
- Giving me time to yourselves and take rest.
- Learning new skills to overcome stress.
- Keep a healthy lifestyle.
- Get enough rest and sleep.
- Seek professional help if needed and look for stress management training and techniques.
CONCLUSION:
Stress is a necessity evil. However, how dangerous it may be but without stress, it is impossible for us and for our body to work effectively. It shapes our personality and skills. It makes us stand to the peaks of success. So, in the end, it all matters how we perceive stress.