Posted On: 2021-12-03 15:18:05
Stress can be defined as any type of change that creates physical, emotional, or psychological pressure or strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or effort.
Everyone experiences stress to some degree depending on person to person. The way a person responds to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being.
When you feel vulnerable, your body releases stress hormones which prepare the body to respond in a certain way. This is called the “fight or flight” response.
Stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, make your:
- heartbeat faster
- muscles tighter
- breathing faster
- blood pressure higher
- senses sharper
Sometimes a pressurised situation triggers a stress hormone which reflects the way you deal with stressful situations. The situation may not put you in danger or it may not be that stressful, but your body may react as if it does. A stress response can be helpful in some situations, it can increase your production and improve the quality of your performance. But sometimes it can be detrimental and disturbing to your mental health. Acquiring a clear understanding of how stress impacts your physical and mental health is important. It is also important to recognize how your mental and physical health affects your stress level.
Stress can be short-term or long-term. Both can point to a variety of symptoms, but stress can take a serious toll on the body over time and have long-lasting health effects.
Some common signs of stress include:
- Changes in mood
- Clammy or sweaty palms
- Decreased sex drive
- Diarrhoea
- Difficulty sleeping
- Digestive problems
- Dizziness
- Feeling anxious
- Frequent sickness
- Grinding teeth
- Headaches
- Low energy
- Muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulders
- Physical aches and pains
- Racing heartbeat
- Trembling
There are three main types of stress. These are acute, episodic acute, and chronic stress. We explore each type of stress below.
The most typical type of stress, acute stress, can be helpful in short measures. It is the body’s response to a recent or anticipated challenge or unexpected event.
Common symptoms of acute stress include:
- emotional distress
- muscle tension
- headache, back pain, or jaw ache
- stomach upset
- rapid heartbeat
- raised blood pressure
Sometimes acute stress is more critical. For example, if you witness a crime or accident. Tyrannical acute stress can lead to acute stress disorder or PTSD.
Occasional, moderate acute stress tends not to cause mental health problems. But if it starts to happen more often it may cause issues. This is called episodic acute stress which our second type of stress
Episodic acute stress is when a person undergoes acute stress frequently.
If you have episodic acute stress, you may feel like you are always under pressure and a load of tension or that things are always going wrong. This can be exhausting, both physically and mentally.
Experiencing episodic acute stress symptoms may affect the way you function towards others. Left untreated, episodic acute stress can lead to:
- irritability
- unintended hostility
- relationship problems
Experiencing episodic acute stress may indicate the need to make some lifestyle changes. You may need to reduce the demands you make of yourself, or that others make of you.
If you think you may be experiencing episodic acute stress, speak to your doctor. The doctor can help you to find ways to manage this.
Chronic stress is continuing stress resulting from long-term emotional pressure. For example, a stressful job, an unhappy family situation, or money problems.
If you have chronic stress, your body undergoes the fight or flight to respond too repeatedly to recover between episodes. This means your nervous system is constantly aroused, which is not good for your wellness.Left untreated, chronic stress can affect physical health problems. Up to 43 per cent of adults experience ill health effects from stress.
Depending on your situation, you may not be able to reduce what’s creating your chronic stress. But it is possible to find ways to control the impacts chronic stress has on your health.
If you think you may have chronic stress, speak to your doctor. The doctor can help you find methods to manage stressors and symptoms. Taking help to manage chronic stress will decrease the likelihood of affecting your physical health.
Several things in life can cause stress. Some of the main sources of stress include work, finances, relationships, parenting, and day-to-day difficulties.
During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released. This speeds the heart rate, slows metabolism, shunts blood flow to major muscle groups, and changes various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength.
Stress can also lead to some toxic habits that hurt your health. For example, many people cope with stress by eating too much or by smoking. These unhealthy habits destroy the body and create bigger problems in the long course.
When your brain experiences high degrees of stress, your body reacts accordingly. Health problems, whether you are dealing with high blood pressure or you have diabetes, will also be affected by your stress level and your mental health.
Serious acute stress, like being involved in a natural disaster or getting into a verbal altercation, can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias, and even unexpected death. However, this happens mostly in individuals who already have heart attacks.
Stress also takes an emotional toll. While some stress may produce feelings of mild anxiety or frustration, prolonged stress can also lead to burnout, anxiety disorders, and depression.
Depression has many possible causes, such as heredity, brain chemicals and your life circumstances. Chronic stressful life situations can increase the risk of increasing depression if you aren't coping with the stress well. There's also increasing proof of links among poor coping, stress and physical illness.
If you're having trouble coping, chronic stress can carry you down and overwhelm you and can constantly change your mood swings. You may frequently be in a bad mood, your productivity may decrease, your relationships may suffer, you may develop insomnia, and you might even find it difficult to live a normal daily routine.
You can try some self-help stress relievers to get your stress under control, such as:
- Trying meditation, yoga or deep breathing
- Getting regular physical activity
- Getting enough sleep
- Eating a healthy diet
- Managing your time
- Cutting back on obligations
If your stress management efforts aren't working and are not enough, see your doctor. If you've developed depression, you and your doctor can consider therapy/ treatment options.
Talking to a counsellor, therapist, or another mental health professional can be a useful way to deal with stress and depression as they can help you manage it. Talk therapy alone or combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) or medication is a verified solution for both depression and chronic stress.
Below are the mentioned resources for people dealing with Stress.
*There are many more available on the internet.
NIMHANS
Call: 080-46110007
Visit: Nimhans.ac.in/pssmhs-helpline
Call: 080-47092334
Visit: Peakmind.in
Call: 011-23389090, 09315767849
Visit: Sumaitri.net
Call: 044-24640050, 044-24640060
Visit: Snehaindia.org/new
Call: 08376804102
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Author : Lubdha Dhanopia
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