Index
When tensions undermine our mental and physical health, it is terrible for us.
What is stress?
We generally use the word “stress” when we feel that everything seems to have been too much: we are overburdened, and we wonder if we can cope with the pressures that are imposed on us.
Anything that represents a challenge or a threat to our well-being is stress. Some tensions set you in motion and are suitable for you; Without any stress at all, many say that our lives would be boring and that you would probably feel meaningless.
What are good stress and bad stress?
Good stress: good stress helps us carry out our daily tasks and reach those hard-to-reach goals. This stress, called eustress, helps us learn new things, adapt to change, and participate in creative thinking. Everyone experiences good stress every day.
Another form of good stress is the one that allows us to survive in times of trauma. This stress makes us aware of the danger and will enable us to escape when we need it.
Lousy stress: destructive forms of stress do not help us achieve goals or tasks but inhibit our ability to function daily. Stress occurs when too much pressure builds up around us.
Once the body feels too much stress, it will begin to decompose, causing symptoms such as sweating, anxiety, headaches, and rapid breathing. This Type of stress can have a high cost on your physical and mental well-being.
Types of Stress
Acute stress
The most common form is acute stress. It manifests from recent events or with the expectation of upcoming events (i.e., pressure in advance). Acute stress causes the release of chemicals that, in small doses, can be very useful and can even save lives.
When the amount of acute stress has a limited duration, it can cause excitement or euphoria. However, large doses of acute stress are not stimulants. On the contrary, it can cause physical and mental fatigue.
Episodic acute stress
Acute episodic stress occurs in people who suffer frequent episodes of acute stress. People in this category are often referred to as having lives full of chaos and crisis. Always in a hurry. I was always worried about what could go wrong—always in a chaotic environment.
A high level of demand on them (by others or by their expectations) can be attributed to episodic acute stress.
Imagine a person in a boisterous, bright, cold, or windy environment. Repeated and prolonged exposure to these elements will generate stress.
Individuals repeatedly exposed to lights and sirens, hostile environments, and psychological traumas may experience acute episodic stress due to repetitive and prolonged exposures.
Episodic acute stress may be aggravated by the personality traits of ‘Type A.’ Type As is often characterized by being highly competitive, impatient, and having a sense of urgency always present for everything; Type A can sometimes be aggressive and seemingly hostile, sometimes mildly, sometimes not.
Research on the cardiac impact of stress suggests that types A may be more prone to develop coronary artery disease compared to the more docile, relaxed, and Type B homologs.
For better or for worse, the public safety environment that encourages action, dizzying pace, and high adrenaline is a magnet for people with Type A personalities.
Episodic acute stress can also manifest itself from chronic worry. Individuals can lull themselves and worry about the unfavorable results of everyday situations because they are repeatedly exposed to people experiencing adverse effects in their daily lives.
Chronic stress
Chronic stress is never exciting. It devours you every day, year after year, and can be tremendously destructive.
Chronic stress occurs when a person is in a repetitively stressful environment and can not see any way out of their situation. They feel trapped, hopeless, and defenseless that they will give up trying to find a solution.
Chronic undiagnosed and untreated stress leads to depression and suicide. Sometimes there are signs and symptoms; many times, there are not.
Sadly, a person can become so accustomed to chronic stress that they will feel uncomfortable when not in their stressful environment.
Other Types of Stress
Physical stress
A common type of stress is physical stress, which refers to actual physical activities and events that wreak havoc on the human body. A good example is traveling. Traveling frequently can send you to different time zones, making sleep and wakefulness difficult.
Physical stress also includes stress caused by sleeping too much, not getting enough sleep, spending too many hours standing, or working long hours.
If you’ve ever spent a day chasing your children at an amusement park or stuck at an airport and dealing with flight delays, you’ve probably experienced physical stress.
Emotional stress
Of all the different types of stress, emotional stress is the most common. This can happen after an intense break or a divorce, losing a loved one, fighting with your spouse, or experiencing any other problem that makes you feel depressed or anxious.
Emotional stress often manifests in the same way as depression. You may experience weight changes, changes in how you sleep or how much you sleep, feelings of isolation, and mood swings. Emotional stress can also occur when you feel overwhelmed at home or work.
Traumatic stress
When thinking about the types of stress, many people do not think about traumatic stress. Traumatic stress is a type of stress that occurs due to some trauma in the human body and can cause intense pain, coma, or even death. It is often related to some physical change that occurs.
If you went through an operation, your body might experience stress until it recovers from that surgery. A car accident, second or third-degree burns, or even a case of pneumonia can cause traumatic stress.
Who is more vulnerable to stress?
Stress comes in many forms and affects people of all ages and lifestyles. External standards can not be applied to predict stress levels in people.
To generalize, people without adequate social support report a high-stress level.
People who are poorly nourished, who sleep inadequately, or who are physically ill also have a reduced ability to handle the pressures and stress of everyday life and may report higher stress levels.
Causes
Common external causes of stress
- Necessary life changes.
- Relationship complexities
- Children and family
- Financial problems.
- Work or school.
- Be too busy
Common internal causes of stress
- Pessimism.
- Constant worry.
- Unpractical expectations
- Rigid thinking
- Lack of flexibility
- The attitude of all or nothing.
Signs and symptoms
The physical symptoms of stress include:
- Headaches.
- Low energy.
- Insomnia .
- The stomach of anguish that is, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea.
- Pain in the chest and accelerated heart rate.
- Aches in the body and stressed muscles.
- Recurrent infections and colds.
- Loss of sexual desire
- Sensation of restlessness and chills, cold and sweaty hands and feet, and buzzing in the ear.
- Dry mouth.
- Jaw blocked and teeth grinding.
The emotional symptoms of stress include:
- Temperamental.
- Frustrated easily
- Feeling that you need to take control or lose control.
- Restless mind.
- Feeling bad about yourself
- Low self-esteem.
- Lonely.
- Depressed.
- Isolation.
Cognitive symptoms of stress include:
- Common concern.
- Fighting with thoughts.
- Lack of attention and ineffectiveness.
- The lack of ability to focus.
- Lack of criteria.
- Be negative.
Behavioral symptoms of stress include:
- Alterations in the appetite.
- Defer and avoid responsibilities.
- Increase in the intake of drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes.
- Show more nervous manners, such as restlessness and nail bites.
Consequences
Slight stress sometimes is not something to worry about. However, constant and everlasting stress may be the reason for or worsen severe several health problems, such as:
In health:
- Mental health problems
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Gastrointestinal disorders.
- Eating disorders and obesity .
- Sexual dysfunction
- Menstrual problems
- Hair and skin problems
In relationships:
- Poor quality of marriage.
- Recurring feelings of anger, frustration, and irritability.
- Low communication quality
- Confidence problems
- Intimacy problems.
- Decrease in marital satisfaction.
At work, stress affects your ability to retain information, process new data, and apply both to critical circumstances and to a physical job that requires concentration.
Control stress and anxiety
How to manage stress and anxiety?
When you are anxious or stressed, these tips will surely help you deal with them:
- Have a rest, learn yoga, meditate, listen to soft music, experience a body massage, or practice relaxation techniques. These activities will calm you down and clear your mind.
- Eat nutritious foods. Do not skip meals.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake because they can increase anxiety.
- Sleep well. This will relax your mind and body.
- Exercise daily.
- Take deep breaths slowly.
- Be optimistic at all times.
- Smile often. Learn to appreciate small things.
- Accept the fact that you can not control all the things around you.
- Do not look for perfection because it is impossible. Unsatisfied expectations will lead to disappointment and then stress.
- Participate and be active in your community; This will give you a break from everyday stress.
- Talk to a close friend or a member of your family. You can also seek help from a counselor.
- You can take antidepressants because it helps control the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. This, in turn, improves your moods.
What is work stress?
Work stress is defined as the stress that is generated due to conflicting demands at work. The amount of control that employees have over their workflow can affect the importance of work stress.
While all work has an element of stress, the natural work stress is harmful, as an employee has emotional and physical reactions to the demands of work that are difficult to control.
Multiple sources of work stress
Work stress comes from many sources. Some of the most common sources of work-related stress include:
Environmental stress: some of the factors that people experience in the workplace are related to the physical environment in which they work.
This Type of stress can be associated with safety problems in the workplace, the configuration of one’s work area, the kind of furniture or equipment that should be used to perform work functions, and other variables.
Uncertainty: People who are not sure of their position in their jobs often experience a high degree of work stress. This problem may be related to the fear of losing a job, the expectation of recognition or promotion, or the lack of feedback on the performance of one or other problems.
Problems with people: a lot of stress in the workplace is related to people’s issues, such as dealing with difficult co-workers, dealing with a hostile or uncommunicative supervisor, peer pressure, and more.
Performance pressure: pressure to produce a certain quality or quantity of work can be a stressor in the workplace. This can be linked to sales or production quotas, manufacturing standards, impending deadlines, etc.
What is oxidative stress?
Just as an apple turns brown when exposed to air, our cells can “oxidize” when we breathe due to oxidative stress caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage or “oxidize” cells throughout the body in a process called oxidative stress. Over time, oxidative stress can leave our cells and tissues unable to function correctly.
What is PTSD?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder related to trauma and stress that may develop after exposure to an event or ordeal in which death, serious physical harm, or violence occurred or were threatened.
Traumatic events that can trigger posttraumatic stress disorder include violent personal aggressions, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, or military combat.
PTSD affects approximately 8 million American adults and can occur at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop the disorder than men, and there is some evidence that it can be hereditary.
PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders. When other conditions are diagnosed and treated appropriately, the likelihood of successful treatment increases.
When symptoms develop immediately after exposure and persist for up to a month, the condition can be called acute stress disorder.
PTSD is diagnosed when stress symptoms persist for more than a month after exposure. Delayed expression of PTSD can occur if symptoms appear six months or more after the onset of trauma.
symptom
Many people with posttraumatic stress disorder tend to re-experience aspects of the traumatic event, especially when exposed to events or objects that recall the trauma.
The anniversaries of the event and the similarities in person, place, or circumstance can also trigger symptoms.
People with PTSD also experience intrusive memories or retrospective memories, emotional numbness, sleep disturbances, anxiety, intense guilt, sadness, irritability or outbursts of anger, and dissociative experiences.
Many people with PTSD may try to avoid situations that remind them of the ordeal. When the symptoms last more than a month, a diagnosis of PTSD may be relevant.
Symptoms associated with reliving the traumatic event:
- Have bad dreams or anguished memories about the event.
- Behave or feel like the event happened again (known as flashbacks).
- Dissociative reactions or loss of awareness of the current environment.
- Have many emotional feelings when the event is remembered.
- When the event is remembered, I have many physical sensations (the heartbeats or loss of a moment, sweats, difficulty breathing, feeling weak, feeling a loss of control).
Symptoms related to the prevention of reminders of the traumatic event:
- Avoid thoughts, conversations, or feelings about the event.
- Avoid people, activities, or places associated with the event.
Symptoms related to adverse changes in thinking or mood:
- Having difficulty remembering an essential part of the original trauma.
- Feeling numb or separated from things.
- Lack of interest in social activities.
- Inability to experience positive moods.
- Pessimism about the future.
Symptoms of excitation and reactivity:
- Difficulty sleeping, including problems falling asleep or staying asleep.
- Irritability and outbursts of anger.
- Difficult to focus.
- Sensation easily startled.
- Excess of conscience ( hypervigilance ).
Other symptoms related to depersonalization (feeling like an observer of the body and thoughts/feelings) or derealization (experiencing the unreality of the environment) may also exist for some people.
Treatment
Treatment for PTSD usually begins with a detailed evaluation and the development of a treatment plan that meets the unique needs of the survivor. The main treatments for people with PTSD are psychotherapy, medication, or both.
Due to differences in experience and consequences of trauma, treatment varies and adapts to the individual’s symptoms and needs. Treatment by a mental health care provider with expertise in PTSD allows people to lead a more balanced and functional life.
Some people with PTSD may need to try different treatments to see what works for their symptoms.
If someone with PTSD goes through ongoing trauma, such as being in an abusive relationship, treatment may include helping to find safety.
Specific treatment for PTSD can begin only when the survivor safely withdraws from the crisis. People who experience other symptoms of a panic disorder, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal feelings may need treatment to focus on those problems.
Medication
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two medications for the treatment of adults with PTSD, sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Both medications are antidepressants, which are also used to treat depression.
They can help control the symptoms of PTSD, such as sadness, worry, anger, and the feeling of insensibility inside. Using medications in conjunction with therapy or before starting therapy may facilitate effective treatment use.
If an antidepressant is prescribed, it may have to be taken for several days or weeks before noticing a significant improvement.
It is important not to get discouraged and stop taking medications prematurely before they have had the opportunity to work. A setting in the dosage or changing to another SSRI can help solve these problems.
Occasionally, people who take these medications have side effects. The effects can be annoying, but they usually disappear. However, drugs affect everyone differently. Any side effect or unusual reaction should be reported to a doctor immediately.
Psychotherapy
Therapy is well considered in the treatment of PTSD. It involves talking with a mental health professional to work through the experience and its impact on the individual. Psychotherapy can occur individually or in a group format.
Therapy for PTSD usually lasts until the individual has learned to manage and cope with their experience and can be more functional.
