An Overview of Stress

Every day in our life has factors and events that can be stressful. We are constantly surrounded by stressors. In this chapter, you will learn more about stress. This will give you a deeper understanding of this issue.

• What does it mean to be stressed?
• What brings about stress?
• How can I know that I am stressed?

If you are constantly ill, unhappy or feeling frustrated, you could be stressed. Stress can occur even when you least expect it. Understanding this issue will help you know to avoid it or abolish it from your life.

Stress

Life is so full of ups and downs which make it very difficult for a person to always be upbeat all the time. There are events or circumstances that can make one feel overwhelmed or stressed out. All areas of life present opportunities of stress. However, not all stress is bad. There is stress that is normally good. It helps one to get motivated and better prepared to effectively handle different tasks.

Stress may easily occur if a person is pushing themselves too bad. It doesn’t matter whether they are doing this mentally or physically. The strain can bring about a feeling an unhappiness and of being overwhelmed by responsibilities. People who find they are not getting enough rest due to any given factors are very likely to be stressed.

Pushing yourself too hard can cause you to breakdown in stress. To avoid getting overwhelmed by stress, you need to learn the symptoms that can alert you about being stressed out. These symptoms will alert you that you need to take action to alleviate the stress in your life.

You also need to learn how stress occurs. This will help you learn how to avoid stressful situations. There are many people who are living with stress; they have come to accept this as the norm. However, this is very dangerous. Stress can harm a person and greatly have a negative impact on the quality of their lives.

Understanding stress

Stress signals are normally send to the brain by the nervous system. These signals may be as a result of a stressor such as fear or even a threat. These signals alert the brain that something is amiss. These signals or hormones will then be transmitted to the body. They will present themselves in form of high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat rate and breathing, tightening of muscles and heightened alertness.

Stress can easily occur at anytime, sometimes you may not even be able to tell when a stressor is about to happen. For instance, receiving bad news such as the death of a loved one can be very stressful. This may happen unexpectedly and therefore cause you instant acute stress. This is the body’s way of responding to the event.

You may also get a threat that can get you stressed out. The threat may be real or even perceived. However, your body will naturally react to this, telling you something is amiss. This is commonly referred to as the, stress response. Stress response is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it helps a person stay upbeat about life.

It can also help a person to get motivated and give their best performance in a given task. It can also help a person to get their defense’s up in case of danger. For instance, when being attacked a person will be able to react faster and get themselves away from the attacker. However, this only happens when it is working well. Negative stress response works in the opposite. It can get a person feeling very down and overwhelmed by life.

You always have to keep your stress levels in check. If you let the stress overwhelm you then this can definitely be dangerous. Sometimes, stress can get into your life without you even realizing it. You will only be aware of it when things get out of hand. In other instances, it can get into your life and without realizing it you accept it and therefore make it part of your daily routine. This is how people end up living with chronic stress for a lifetime.

Common responses to stress

Stress can get someone on edge. There are people who react to stress by being very angry. They will be overly frustrated to the point of being unable to do anything else. This will affect how they relate to their family members and even to their friends and colleagues. This people will seem highly irritable and sensitivity.

They will have a very strong emotional reaction even with just a little provocation. One of the most common responses to stress is angry outbursts. There are also people who react to stress by becoming very withdrawn. This is sometimes referred to as, “feeling down”. A person will no longer be excited about anything in their lives.

They may even stop doing the things that they used to previously enjoy. Such a person may appear to be sad and gloomy. They will not open up about their problems and instead they may actually alienate themselves from other people. Other people react to stress seemingly very calmly on the surface. They may seem quiet and not really doing anything out of the ordinary.

However, inside there is no calmness. This is like a combination of the above two responses. They shut down and at the same time, experience turmoil internally. Their minds may be restless although this may not show in their actions.

Symptoms of stress

1. Psychological symptoms. These may include forgetfulness. It may also include the inability to concentrate on any given task even for a short period of time. A person may also start making irrational judgment and poor choices in life. This can happen to even the people who normally appear to be very level headed. A person may also appear to be constantly worrying and sad. They will have a very negative attitude and may be pessimistic about life. This person will also be constantly in thought. The mind will not be getting much rest due to the racing thoughts.
2. Emotional symptoms. Stress will also affect person’s emotions. They may start having regular mood swings, being quick tempered and very irritable. They may also be constantly agitated and un-relaxed. A person will start feeling overwhelmed by life and their responsibilities. This person may also start feeling lonely even if they aren’t. They will also feel like other people have alienated them. A stressed person will be very unhappy. They are also likely to be depressed. Being constantly irritable can be a symptom that you are stressed out.
3. Physical symptoms. Stress usually takes a toll on someone’s body. Some of the likely physical symptoms include random or chronic pains and aches. It can also bring about frequent common colds. A person may also have constipations and diarrhea. They are also likely to experience dizziness and nausea. Stress can also make the heart beat much faster and make someone experience some chest pains. Stress makes a person lose interest in sex.
4. Behavioral symptoms. Stress will definitely bring changes in a person’s behaviours. It may make them loose or gain appetite. It can also bring about insomnia although other people tend to sleep a lot when stressed. A person may consciously or unconsciously start isolating themselves from others. Stress may make a person start neglecting their responsibilities either at work or even at home.

A person may also turn to drugs, alcohol or cigarette smoking as an escapism strategy. Stress can also cause nervousness and anxiety making a person paranoid or unable to sit still.

Excerpted from the book Stress Soothers.

This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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https://boostlane.com/p/boostlane/987/stress-soothers/