Stress is a crazy thing that more and more people seem to be encountering in their every day lives. For some people, it's normal for them to experience stress often. For others, it's not so common and can really effect their life. For a long time, I really wondered what stress was. What is it? What causes it? What can stress cause? How can we help overcome it? I've done some research to answer these questions for you.
What is stress?
Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Another way of seeing stress is that it's your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat.
What causes stress?
Everyone has different stress triggers. There are different types of stress triggers: work stress, life stress, and inside stress. When you are in a stressful situation, your body launches a physical response. Your nervous system springs into action, releasing hormones that prepare you to either fight or take off. It's called the "fight or flight" response, and it's why, when you're in a stressful situation, you may notice that your heartbeat speeds up, your breathing gets faster, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat.
Work stress includes:
- being unhappy in a job
- having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
- working long hours
- having poor management
- feeling insecure about possible advancement or possible termination
Life stress includes:
- the death of a loved one
- loss of a job
- increase in financial obligations
- emotional problems
Inside stress includes:
- fear and uncertainty
- attitudes and perceptions
- unrealistic expectations
- change
What can stress cause?
If your stress system stays activated over a long period of time (chronic stress), it can lead to more serious health problems. The constant rush of stress hormones can put a lot of wear and tear on your body, causing it to age more quickly and making it more prone to illness. Stress causes effects on your body, mood, and behavior.
Effects on the body:
- headache
- muscle tension
- chest pain
- fatigue
- upset stomach
- sleep problems
- high blood pressure
Effects on your mood:
- anxiety
- restlessness
- lack of motivation
- lack of focus
- irritability or anger
- sadness
Effects on your behavior:
- over-eating or under-eating
- angry outbursts
- excessive drug, alcohol, or tobacco use
- social withdrawal
How can we overcome stress?
There are many ways that we can help overcome the stress in our lives. The first step is to identify what is stressing us out. The next step is to figure out a healthy way to cope with the stress. Some options include: starting a journal, start exercising, connect with others, and avoid unnecessary stress as much as possible.
Other ways we can avoid stress:
- use self-compassion
- remove something stressful from your life
- simplify your schedule
- keep yourself organized
- take time in your day to do something you like/find interesting
- do something creative
- have a calming activity planned in your day (yoga, a bath, meditation)
Everyone feels stressed from time to time, and that's okay, but if it's chronic and is causing the people around you to worry about you, check out the websites linked in this article and start taking the first step to helping overcome your stress.
