What is stress?
According to WHO, "Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree."
Others define it as, “a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.”
But not all stress is harmful, in fact, small daily stressors are helpful to help us perform. Too much stress on a daily basis and/or longer term or chronic stresses can have negative impact on our physical and mental well-being though.
While everyone responds to stress in different ways, it is important to learn ways to manage your stress and coping mechanisms to help you maintain a healthy state.
Types of Stress:
Acute Stress i.e. fight or flight. In the case of an emergency, or a moment when you need to react quickly (this can also be trigged by being startled), your body activates the 'fight or flight' nervous system sending a surge of adrenaline through the body to help you prioritize your reaction. Unnecessary bodily functions, such as digestion slow down, and needed functions to react are increased, such as elevated heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and tension in the muscles. It takes up to 90 minutes to the body to settle back down after the response is over. -> However, this can be triggered by daily stresses, such as running late, realizing you forgot something, a meeting you forgot to prepare for at work, etc.
Eustress or 'good stressors'. Those life stresses that have a positive connotation - graduation, moving, marriage, new job or promotion, etc.
Distress. Life stresses with a negative connotation - injury, work difficulties, relationship difficulties or break-up/divorce, sickness, etc.
Chronic Stress. This is a the category of daily stresses that are allowed to 'pile up' - a constant stream of small stressors that keep the body in an elevated state of 'fight or flight'. All those daily stress points we try to ignore - work, financial, housing, kids, responsibilities, caretaking, on and on. Left unmanaged, this stress can take a toll on your mental well-being and physical health.
How Stress Effects the Body:
The graphic below from The American Institute of Stress and Healthline shows an overview of how the various areas of the body are affected when under stress.
In immediate short-term situations, stress is a natural, healthy function in the body. It's when we allow a continuous stream of those small stressors to keep the body in an elevated state of stress far longer than is necessary when we'll begin to see the effects on the body, and put your health at risk.
Common Signs or Effects of Stress:
Just to name a few...
Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or pain
Gritting, grinding teeth
Neck ache, back pain, muscle spasms
Chest pain, palpitations, rapid pulse
Difficulty breathing, frequent sighing
Overreaction to petty annoyances
Excess anxiety, worry, guilt, nervousness
Increased anger, frustration, hostility
Depression, frequent or wild mood swings
Increased or decreased appetite
Increased frustration, irritability, edginess
Constant tiredness, weakness, fatigue
Insomnia, nightmares, disturbing dreams
Sources:
The American Institute of Stress "What is Stress" and "Stress Effects"
World Health Organization "Stress Q&A's"
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