Andrew
Tomkinson, August 28 2008
Essential Information about Stress
Stress is the ‘wear and tear’ our minds and
bodies experience as we attempt to cope with
our continually changing environment. People
often tend to think of pressure at work,
queuing for services or rush hour traffic.
These events may well be triggers but stress is
actually the body’s reaction to such factors
and is activated by adrenaline and other stress
hormones, which stimulate a variety of
physiological changes. These changes include
increased heart rate, blood pressure, faster
breathing, muscle tension, dilated pupils, dry
mouth and increased blood sugar. Stress is the
state of increased stimulation that the body
needs in order to defend itself when faced with
danger.
Whenever we feel tired, anxious, tense and
frightened, depressed or elated, we are
undergoing stress. Stress has become an
acceptable and also avoidable part of normal
everyday existence. Contrary to established
opinion stress is not an exclusively modern
phenomenon; it has always been part of human
existence and life without stress would be
difficult to endure. Certain types of stress,
such as physical and mental exercise, sex and
intense creativity are desirable. It is only
when real or perceived change overwhelms the
body’s ability to cope, that stress becomes
harmful, leaving us prone to unwanted physical,
emotional or mental reactions and
illnesses.
The causes of stress are varied and multiplied
but they can be divided into two general
categories, which are external and internal.
External stress includes physical environment,
social interaction, organisational, major life
events and daily hassles. Internal stress
includes lifestyle choices, stressful
personality traits, mind traps and negative
self-talk. These factors generate various
symptoms of emotional and mental stress, the
most common including anger, anxiety, worry,
fear and depression.
Excessive, prolonged and emotional stress may
have a harmful effect on mental, physical and
spiritual health. If left alone, the feelings
of anger, frustration, fear and depression
generated by stress can set off a number of
illnesses. It is estimated that stress is the
most common cause of ill health in modern
society. Stress is a contributory factor in
relatively minor conditions such as headache,
digestive problems, skin complaints, insomnia
and ulcers. It also plays an important role in
the leading causes of death in the western
world, which are cancer, suicide,
cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver,
respiratory disorders and accidental
injuries.
Stress can also have a positive effect. It is
essential for motivation and awareness,
providing the stimulation that is required for
us to cope with challenging situations. Tension
and arousal are necessary for the enjoyment of
many aspects of life and without them existence
would be extremely boring. Stress also provides
the sense of alertness and urgency needed for
survival when confronting threatening
situations.
There is no single level of stress that is
optimal for all people. Everyone is different
with regard to their perceptions of and
reactions to events; what is distressing to one
person will be the complete opposite to
another. Even when we agree that a particular
event is distressing, we are likely to differ
in our physiological and psychological
approaches to it. Some individuals are more
sensitive to stress than others, owing to the
experiences in childhood and the influence of
teachers, parents and religion. It is also
important to bear in mind that most of the
stress that we experience is actually self
generated. How we perceive life depends to a
large extent on how we perceive ourselves. Self
generated stress is something of a paradox
because so many people think of external causes
when they are depressed. Recognising that we
create most of our own depression is an
important first step towards coping with
it.
This article is part one of the article
series What is Stress?. It is written in order
to introduce you to the types and causes of
stress and suggest possible cures.
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