"STRESS - A Terrible Artificial or Psycological disorder within people Nowadays"

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”

Stress is often defined as a bodily response to the demands of life. But there are also emotional and mental aspects of stress. It is experienced as thoughts and feelings as well as in the body. Another way to define stress could be as an internal and conditioned response to external pressures. 

Mental health professionals often help people reduce and manage their stress. They can also help people work through other mental health issues that have developed while coping with high levels of stress over a period of time.

Fast facts on stress:

Here are some key points about stress. More detail is in the main article.

· Stress helps the body prepare to face danger.

· The symptoms can be both physical and psychological.

· Short-term stress can be helpful, but long-term stress is linked to various health conditions.

· We can prepare for stress by learning some self-management tips.

WHAT IS STRESS?

The American Institute of Stress calls stress “America’s leading health problem.” In many cases, the stress Americans experience today is a response to psychological threats. Some of these threats might be losing a job or looking for employment, the death of a loved one, or relationship issues. Any of these can occur more than once in the course of a life.

Stress evolved in the form of a fight or flight response. This response was a reaction to physical threats on one’s life. The fight or flight response causes the physical aspects of stress, which appear when adrenaline and cortisol are released into the bloodstream. These hormones cause increased blood flow, clotting, and elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

The stress response is immediate and uncontrollable. Someone with high stress levels may experience these physical aspects several times throughout the day. Consistently high levels of stress can cause people to develop conditions such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes, chronic pain, and heart attacks.

WHAT CAUSES STRESS?

Stress is not always caused by a negative event. Some positive life experiences can be just as stress-inducing as negative ones. 

We all react differently to stressful situations. What is stressful to one person may not be stressful to another. Almost anything can cause stress. For some people, just thinking about something or several small things can cause stress.

Common major life events that can trigger stress include:

•  job issues or retirement

•   lack of time or money

•   bereavement 

•   family problems

•   illness

•   moving home

•   relationships, marriage, and divorce

Other commonly reported causes of stress are:

• abortion or miscarriage

• driving in heavy traffic or fear of an accident

• fear of crime or problems with neighbors

• pregnancy and becoming a parent

• excessive noise, overcrowding, and pollution
• uncertainty or waiting for an important outcome

Some situations will affect some people and not others. Past experience can impact how a person will react.

Sometimes, there is no identifiable cause. Mental health issues, such as depression, or an accumulated sense of frustration and anxiety, can make some people feel stressed more easily than others.

Some people experience ongoing stress after a traumatic event, such as an accident or some kind of abuse. This is known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who work in stressful jobs, such as the military or the emergency services, will have a debriefing session following a major incident, and they will be monitored for PTSD.

Changes to the body

        Stress slows normal bodily functions, such as the digestive and immune systems. All resources can then be concentrated on rapid breathing, blood flow, alertness, and muscle use.

The body changes in the following ways during stress:

• blood pressure and pulse rate rise

• breathing is faster

• the digestive system slows down

• immune activity decreases

• the muscles become tense

• a heightened state of alertness prevents sleep.

How we react to a difficult situation will affect how stress affects us and our health. A person who feels they do not have enough resources to cope will be more likely to have a stronger reaction, and one that can trigger health problems. Stressors affect individuals in different ways.

Some experiences that are generally considered positive can lead to stress, such as having a baby, going on a trip, moving to a nicer house, and being promoted.

This is because they often involve a major change, extra effort, new responsibilities, and a need for adaptation. They are also steps into the unknown. The person wonders if they will cope.

A persistently negative response to challenges can have a detrimental effect on health and happiness. However, being aware of how you react to stressors can help reduce the negative feelings and effects of stress, and to manage it more effectively.

Types : 

The APA recognizes three different types of stress that require different levels of management.

Acute stress

This type of stress is short-term and is the most common way that stress occurs. Acute stress is often caused by thinking about the pressures of events that have recently occurred, or upcoming demands in the near future.

For example, if you have recently been involved in an argument that has caused upset or have an upcoming deadline, you may feel stress about these triggers. However, the stress will be reduced or removed once these are resolved.

It does not cause the same amount of damage as long-term, chronic stress. Short-term effects include tension headaches and an upset stomach, as well as a moderate amount of distress.

However, repeated instances of acute stress over a long period can become chronic and harmful.

Episodic acute stress

People who frequently experience acute stress, or whose lives present frequent triggers of stress, have episodic acute stress.

A person with too many commitments and poor organization can find themselves displaying episodic stress symptoms. These include a tendency to be irritable and tense, and this irritability can affect relationships. Individuals that worry too much on a constant basis can also find themselves facing this type of stress.

This type of stress can also lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Chronic stress

This is the most harmful type of stress and grinds away over a long period.

Ongoing poverty, a dysfunctional family, or an unhappy marriage can cause chronic stress. It occurs when a person never sees an escape from the cause of stress and stops seeking solutions. Sometimes, it can be caused by a traumatic experience early in life.

Chronic stress can continue unnoticed, as people can become used to it, unlike acute stress that is new and often has an immediate solution. It can become part of an individual's personality, making them constantly prone to the effects of stress regardless of the scenarios they come up against.

People with chronic stress are likely to have a final breakdown that can lead to suicide, violent actions, heart attacks, and strokes.

UNHEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS FOR STRESS

          People may also develop methods for coping with stress. A coping mechanism is a response that develops over time to help someone deal with an overwhelming external force, like stress. Some coping mechanisms work as healthy tools for managing stress. Many others are unhealthy and can magnify the negative effects of stress instead of reducing them. 

A few examples of potentially harmful coping mechanisms for stress include:

• Drinking alcohol to excess

• Smoking

• Emotional eating

• Illicit drug use

• Gambling

• Shopping

• Self-harm

        Therapy can help people identify an unhealthy coping mechanism for stress and develop a healthy one to use instead. If a person uses an unhealthy coping mechanism for dealing with long-term stress, they can end up with a secondary mental health issue.

     Individuals may start using an unhealthy coping mechanism to lessen physical, mental, or emotional pain caused by stress. However, continued self-medication or self-soothing using the method may then lead to a reliance on it for coping with stress. In the case of addiction, this can lead to more stressful life events, like physical illness or unemployment. Other unhealthy coping mechanisms may cause people to develop mental health issues as a result of feeling hopeless, isolated, or ashamed.       

Symptoms:

The physical effects of stress include:

• sweating

• pain in the back or chest

• cramps or muscle spasms

• erectile dysfunction and loss of libido

• fainting

• headache

• heart disease

• high blood pressure

• lower immunity against diseases

• muscular aches

• nervous twitches

• pins and needles

• sleeping difficulties

• stomach upset

A 2012 study suggested that the stressors experienced by parents, such as financial troubles or managing a single-parent household, can lead to obesity in their children.

Emotional reactions can include:

• anger

• anxiety

• burnout

• concentration issues

• depression

• fatigue

• a feeling of insecurity

• forgetfulness

• irritability

• nail biting

• restlessness

• Sadness

Behaviors linked to stress include:

• food cravings and eating too much or too little

• sudden angry outbursts

• drug and alcohol abuse

• higher tobacco consumption

• social withdrawal

• frequent crying

• relationship problems

HOW STRESS AFFECTS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

          Few people will deny they have been stressed at least once in their life. But for many, stress can be ongoing and unbearable. Chronic stress can contribute to numerous mental health and physical health issues. Research has linked high stress levels to:

• Insomnia or hypersomnia

• Feeling more or less hungry than usual

• Self-soothing with drugs or alcohol

• Changes in mood or mental health

• Less productivity and enjoyment at work

• Intimacy problems

• Migraine headaches

• Chronic pain

• Anger issues

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Loss of enjoyment in social activities.

When these complaints occur as a result of stress, they may clear up when the stressful situation is resolved. But they can also become serious if present long-term. Treatment from a doctor or mental health professional may be necessary, especially if stress persists.

Diagnosis
A doctor will normally diagnose stress by asking the patient about symptoms and life events.

Diagnosis is complex. It depends on many factors. Questionnaires, biochemical measures, and physiological techniques have been used, but these may not be objective or effective.

The most direct way to diagnose stress and its effects on a person is through a comprehensive, stress-oriented, face-to-face interview.

Treatment
Treatment includes self-help and, in instances where the stress is caused by an underlying condition, certain medications.

Therapies that may help to induce relaxation include aromatherapy or reflexology.

Some insurance providers cover this type of treatment, but be sure to check before pursuing this treatment.

Medicines : 
Doctors will not usually prescribe medications for coping with stress, unless the patient has an underlying illness, such as depression or a type of anxiety.

In that case, the doctor is treating a mental illness and not the stress.


In such cases, an antidepressant may be prescribed. However, there is a risk that the medication will only mask the stress, rather than help you deal and cope with it. Antidepressants can also have adverse effects.


Developing some coping strategies before stress hits can help an individual manage new situations and maintain physical and mental health. If you are already experiencing overwhelming stress, seek medical help.