Keynotes: Reasons for Stress. What Signs of Stress Are There? Suggestions for Handling Stress. How Does Stress Impact Your Well-Being? When Should I Get Stress Help?
Stress is a natural aspect of life. There are a plethora of stressors and responses to them. Living a healthy life is about learning how to control how we react to things.
Reasons for Stress
Put simply, stress is the term used to describe the various demands and pressures that we all face on a daily basis, to varying degrees. These requirements can be of a chemical, mental, emotional, or physical character. The term “stress” refers to both the stressful event, also referred to as the stressor, and the reactions you have to stress, which are the symptoms you feel.
The issue with stress is that it triggers the release of stress hormones throughout your body by activating your sympathetic nervous system. These hormones offer you an abundance of energy and alter your body in various ways, including triggering the “fight or flight” reaction.
The “fight or flight” reaction quickens heart rate. You may experience severe anxiety that interferes with breathing. In the short term, the “fight or flight” response modifies your body to better cope with unexpected stressful situations. Your body is brought to a high state of arousal when you experience fear or even just think back on a stressful or terrifying experience in the past. This is due to the hormonal changes that occur. This gets you ready to go.
However, chronic stress can be especially challenging. The body undergoes a slow and constant stream of detrimental alterations when stress hormone levels remain high. Prolonged stress can weaken the immune system, which can cause illnesses to arise.
Depending on the circumstances, stress can be either positive or detrimental. Eustress, or positive stresses, might include things like a forthcoming wedding, the holidays, or becoming pregnant. However, negative stress, sometimes referred to as anguish, triggers the full-blown stress response. Negative stress can cause fatigue, health issues, and a loss of productivity if it persists.
What Signs of Stress Are There?
Although the symptoms of stress differ widely from person to person, feeling under pressure or overburdened is the most common indicator of stress. Additional signs and symptoms consist of:
Physical complaints (stomach-aches, headaches, chest pains, nausea, and diarrhea, and a sensation of numbness or tingling in your hands, arms, and face.)
Problems getting along with family members, friends, and teachers.
Changes in behaviour at home (short temper, unexplained anger, crying for no reason).
Regression – behaviour that is not age-appropriate.
Dysfunctional sleep patterns, including nightmares, too little sleep, difficulty falling asleep, or even oversleeping.
Communication difficulty or personality changes, such as becoming withdrawn or requiring much more attention than usual.
Impatience
It’s likely that you are under a lot of stress if you are exhibiting a couple of these symptoms.
Note: If you have any chest pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in your arms or legs, get medical attention right once. Don’t assume that stress is the reason behind it.
How Does Stress Impact Your Well-Being?
Stress is problematic because it builds up over time. In other words, your body becomes overloaded with stress hormones if you don’t have a good coping mechanism for handling stress or a strategy to balance the “fight or flight” reaction.
Hormone fluctuations brought on by ongoing stress might be detrimental to your health. Stress hormones are overproduced when stress levels rise, which compromises the immune system. Physical and psychological issues may result from this.
Long-term, or chronic, stress can cause gastrointestinal issues, melancholy, anxiety, sleeplessness, and even drug and alcohol dependency—a self-medication that exacerbates an already serious condition. Numerous studies have demonstrated a connection between elevated belly fat and the hormones linked to long-term stress. This raises the chance of developing a chronic and dangerous condition like diabetes as a result.
When Should I Get Stress Help?
Speak with your main healthcare provider if stress starts to interfere with your life, creating sleep issues or uncontrollably nervous feelings. They may suggest that you see a licenced therapist who can provide you with encouragement and useful lifestyle advice on how to control stress without allowing it to take over your life.