Stress 101: Causes, Effects, And Prevention
Life today is full of everyday hassles, deadlines, frustrations, demands and hurdles which can lead to stress. People react to stress in many different ways. For some people, stress is unbearable and can take a toll on them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Other people use the stress from pressure as a form of motivation to complete a certain task. However, if one is constantly stressed, it can take a huge toll on one’s body and overall health.
What is Stress?
Stress, according to Merriam-Websiter, is “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation .” There are three forms of stress: Acute Stress, Acute Episodic Stress, and Chronic Stress. Acute Stress is a low level stress that occurs commonly in people. It can arise quickly and can occur at anytime from remembering something in the past to the exhilaration of a roller coaster. Symptoms of Acute Stress are usually goosebumps, shaking limbs, or stuttering. Acute Episodic Stress is more serious than Acute Stress. One can get this stress by being living a disorganized live-style, and it can hit on a frequent occasion, or episodes. The third and final stage of stress is Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress is the most commonly diagnosed. It arises from long-term situations such as a bad relationship, a traumatic past, or financial struggles. This form of stress has been related with major physical illnesses such as cancer, mood-swings such as violence and depression, and even suicide.
What Causes Stress?
Life causes many stressful situations for us everyday. The general causes of stress are threat, fear, uncertainty, and cognitive dissonance. One of the most common factors in Americans today is work. This includes poor communication, unemployment, lack of training or experience, deadlines, long hours, and overwhelming demands. Another common cause of stress is difficulty in letting go of a traumatic past such as a death of a loved one, an accident, and being a victim of abuse and other crimes. Bad relations in friends, family, and loved ones can also cause stress. An argument, divorce, separation, re-marriage, or long-term family feuds are examples. The feeling of being alone can cause uncertainty and even social anxiety. Many resort to online relationships that are easier to maintain, while others resort to becoming reclusive all together.. Certain health situations can also lead to stress such as a pregnancy, injury, or a long-term illness such as cancer.
What are the Effects of Stress?
Along with the causes of stress, come the effects of it: physical, mental, and emotional. The human body itself is designed to experience and react to stress. It keeps the body prepared and aware of the current situation. There are many physical effects such as shaking, nail biting, acne, lack of sleep, sweating, and tension. There are also more serious effects of stress such as bleeding stomach ulcers, loss of appetite, dizziness, lack of sleep, fatigue, body aches, migraines, and even a weaker immune system, which makes one more vulnerable to colds and the flu. Stress can also cause problems with asthma, weight gain, and even heart disease.
Stress can also effect one’s mental health. One might experience loss of memory, negative thinking, impaired judgment, racing thoughts, and the inability to focus on tasks at hand such as work or school. This can make one perform poorly, and even prone to accidents and injuries, if not careful.
How to Relieve and Prevent Stress
Stress also effects people emotionally. Signs of emotional stress symptoms are mood-swings, anger, anxiety, sudden outbursts of violence, lack of motivation, constantly worried, loss of humor, seclusion, depression, and even thoughts of suicide. When stress takes a toll on one’s emotions, it effects not only the person, but everyone else surrounding that person. Emotional stress can hinder existing relationships, prevent new relationships, and make one feel secluded from others.
As stressful as the world may be, there are many ways to relive and prevent stress. Some may find relief from stress by confiding in someone close to them, a therapist, group therapy, or faith in a religion. Others may find relief from different forms of meditation such as yoga. Tai Chi, Mantra (sound meditation), and prayer. Others may find a more physical approach of relieving stress such as running, weight lifting, swimming, kick boxing, progressive muscle relaxation, and other physical exercises. Another way to relieve stress is by living a more organized and carefree life-style. Being organized and knowing where one’s priorities lie can help prevent one from being overwhelmed. Being able to prevent and relieve stress will help one to live a healthy and happy life-style.
Sources:
“Job Stress” American Institute of Stress – www.stress.org
“Understanding Stress” Melinda Smith, M.A., Ellen Jaffe–Gill, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D Helping Guide – http://www.helpingguide.org
“The Effects of Stress on Your Body” WebMD – http://www.webmd.com
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