Stress: What Actually Is It.??

Hola Amigos, hope all are doing fine and healthy.. Here's another useful write up for you all.. Relax & Read up.. Give your feedbacks in the comments.. And Don't take STRESS at all..!! (pun intended)😄

Stress is a very known and widely used term in our daily life. We often talk about having a stressful situation/life or having stress related issues. We use this term so colloquially that anything difficult becomes a stress to us. Stress is actually a huge term for a mechanism happens in our body and mind which affects our daily, social, personal and occupational life. So let's see what stress actually is.. Is it just a mere office work or assignment what makes us irritable? Or much more than that..??

What Is Stress?

Stress is a term used, to various mental and bodily pressures experienced or felt by people throughout their lives. Stress is defined as "a state of psychological and physiological imbalance resulting from the disparity between situational demand and the individual's ability and motivation to meet those needs."

Dr. Hans Selye, the main proponent of stress theory and concept of stress, described stress as "the rate of all wear and tear caused by life."

According to Lazarus, stress is “a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceeds the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize".

According to Folkman “stress is an internal state which can be caused by physical demand or by environmental and social situations which are evaluated as potentially harmful, uncontrollable or exceeding our resources for coping."

Stress can be positive or negative in nature. Stress acts as a good facilitator when the situation gives an opportunity to the person. It acts as a motivator for our 100% performance. Stress acts as a negative facilitator when that very particular person faces social, physical, organizational and emotional issues and not able to cope with those on hi/her own.

Stress again can only be sensibly defined as a perceptual phenomenon which arises from a comparison between the demand on the person by his/her environment and his/her capability to cope those. An imbalance in this mechanism, when coping is important, gives rise to the experience of stress, and to the stress response described by T. Cox in 1978. This thought was also supported by other researchers like, R.S. Lazarus and S. Folkman (1984), they said stress results from an imbalance between demands and resources.

A simple definition that can be used is: Stress occurs when pressure exceeds your perceived ability to cope.

Types of Stress:

There are 4 types of stress that people experience-

1) Eustress: The term used with ‘stress’ is from the Greek ‘Eu’ which means ‘Good’. It is a type of stress that provide immediate strength. It arises at points of increased physical activity, creativity and enthusiasm. It is a positive stress that arises when motivation and inspiration are needed. Example: A gymnast experiences eustress before a competition.

2) Distress: It’s a negative stress brought about by constant readjustment or alteration in a routine. It creates feeling of discomfort and unfamiliarity. There are two types of distress-

·    --Acute stress: Acute stress is the most regular form of stress in our everyday life. Acute stress deals with the pressures of the near future or dealing with the very recent past. It is a very intense stress phenomenon that arrives and disappears very fast but able to do some amount of damage in one's life. Acute stress is a short-term stress and as a result, does not result into a prolonged damage that long term stress causes.

·    --Chronic stress: Chronic stress is not like acute stress. It is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks, months or even years. It has a dangerous effect on people that can become a very serious health risk if it continues over a long period of time. Researches showed that, chronic stress can lead to memory loss, damage in spatial recognition and decrease appetite. The severity of the affects varies from person to person. In researches it has been seen that, women are able to take longer durations of stress than men without showing the same symptoms and affects. Men can deal with shorter stress duration better but it's been seen that once males hit a certain threshold, the chances of them developing mental health issues increases dramatically.

3) Hyper stress: It occurs when an individual is pushed beyond what he/she can handle. Hyper stress results from being overloaded or overworked. When someone is hyper stressed, even little things go wrong in their life can trigger a strong emotional reaction. 

4) Hypo stress: It is the opposite of hyper stress. It occurs when an individual is bored and unchallenged. People who experience hypo stress are often restless and uninspired. A factory worker who perform repetitive task, might experience hypo stress.

What Is A Stressor?

A stressor is a chemical, biological, or environmental condition, an external stimulus or an event due to which stressful reactions are caused to an organism. Stressors have physical, chemical and mental responses inside our body. Physical stressors produce stresses on skin, bones, muscles and nerves. Chemical stresses also produce biomechanical responses in the body metabolism and tissue repair. Physical stressors may produce pain and impair our work performance.

Stressors may also affect brain functions. One brain mechanism involves stimulation of the hypothalamus, CRF (corticotropin release factor) which activates pituitary gland and releases ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) then the adrenal cortex secretes various stress hormones (e.g., cortisol). There are various stress hormones travel in the blood stream to relevant organs leads to our flight-or-fight response. In this flow there is an alternative path that can be taken after the stressor is transferred to the hypothalamus, which leads to the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). After which the adrenal medulla secretes epinephrine. 

Mental and social stressors may also affect behavior and how individuals respond to these stressors. Because of stressors one can have a mental breakdown or can adopt an unhealthy living or start using alcohol/drugs.

What is GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome)?

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), is a term used to describe the body's short-term and long-term reactions to stress. Physical stressors are like, starvation, being hit by a car, or suffering through severe weather. Emotional or mental stressors like, loss of a loved one, the inability to solve a problem, or even having a difficult day at work.

Originally described by Hans Selye (1907-1982), an Austrian born physician who gave the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), a three-stage reaction to stress. Selye explained his choice of terminology as follows: "I call this syndrome general because it is produced only by agents which have a general effect upon large portions of the body. I call it adaptive because it stimulates defense.... I call it a syndrome because its individual manifestations are coordinated and even partly dependent upon each other."

Hans Selye thought that the general adaptation syndrome involved two major systems of the body, the nervous system and the endocrine (or hormonal) system. He then explained what he considered as three distinctive stages in the syndrome's evolution. He named these three stages the alarm reaction (AR), the stage of resistance (SR), and the stage of exhaustion (SE).

Stage 1: Alarm Reaction (AR)

The first stage of the GAS model is, the alarm reaction, is the immediate reaction to a stressor. In the initial phase of stress, we generally exhibit a "fight or flight" response, and prepares our body for physical activity. This initial response can also decrease the effectiveness of the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness during this phase.

Stage 2: Stage of Resistance (SR)

This stage can also be named as the stage of adaptation. During this phase, if the stressful situation continues, the body adapts to the stressors and the situation it is exposed. Changes at many levels may take place in order to reduce the effect of the stressor. For example, if the stressor is starvation (possibly due to anorexia), the person might experience reduced desire for physical activity to conserve energy, and the absorption of nutrients from food might be maximized.

Stage 3: Stage of Exhaustion (SE)

As, the stress has continued for a longer period of time, the body's resistance to the stress may gradually be reduced, or may collapse quickly. Generally, this means the immune system is failing, and the body's ability to resist diseases are almost eliminated. Patients who experience long term stress may have risks of having heart attacks or severe infection due to their reduced immunity. For example, a person with a very stressful job may experience long term chronic stress that might lead towards having high blood pressure and an eventual heart attack.

What Is Burnout?

Burnout is a syndrome of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion coupled with feelings of low self-esteem or low self-efficacy caused by excessive and prolonged stress. When you are overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet the demands. As the period of stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. 

The term 'burnout' is a relatively new and first coined by, Herbert Freudenberger in 1974 in his book, Burnout: The High Cost Of High Achievement. He originally defined burnout as, "the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one's devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired result".

It is characterized by three main domains:

• Exhaustion
• Cynicism
• Feelings of reduced professional ability

Burnout reduces our productivity and exhausts our energy, leaving us feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, we tend to feel we have nothing more to give. The negative effects of burnout also affects our home, work, and social life. Burnout can also cause long-term changes to our body that makes us vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu as well as mental health issues. Burnout is a gradual process. The signs and symptoms get worse as time goes on. Burnout now has been officially included as a medical condition, which needs professional attention. Due to burnout there are many other underlined mental health issues resides.

Symptoms of Stress:

Physical signs and symptoms of stress

• Feeling tired and drained most of the time
• Lowered immunity, getting sick a lot
• Frequent headaches or muscle pain
• Change in appetite or sleep habits

Emotional signs and symptoms of stress

• Sense of failure and self-doubt
• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated
• Detachment, feeling alone in the world
• Loss of motivation
• Increasingly cynical and negative outlook
• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

Behavioral signs and symptoms of stress

• Withdrawing from responsibilities
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done
• Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope
• Taking out your frustrations on others
• Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early

So these are the small description of the symptoms of stress. I'll be posting about stress related disorders and will also explain Psychological Distress and Occupational Stress in my next post..

**Here's a little suggestion, If after reading this if you feel like you're having stress related or burnout related symptoms, then please do seek help from a mental health professional.. Never ignore your mental health issues... You are not alone, we are there to help.. 

Hope you liked this post and understood about stress and what happens when you are encountered with stressed.. Stay tuned for further posts.. And if you like our write ups then do follow our blog and give your feedback.. Also if you have any questions, you are always welcome to ask in the comment section.. Will be happy to help..

Till then take care and thank you for reading..

See you in the next post..!!😃

~ Angira Gupta