Causes and Effects of Stress
According to Han Selye, stress can be defined as the response of the body when there is a certain excessive demand for change (McEvoy, 2004). From Selye’s definition it becomes obvious that the environment is the main instigator of stress. Notably, there are a plethora of causes of stress just likes there are several effects of stress.
According to Glehill (2007) causes of stress can be categorized into various groups such as internal and external causes of stress. Internal causes of stress encompass factors like illnesses and psychological factors. While talking about illnesses, Glehill (2007) refers the various diseases that a human being has the propensity of suffering from; in most cases when one falls ill, the person becomes so concerned about his life and inability to do the various things he or she use to do while not sick. Psychological factors that might cause stress include factors like not having enough sleep, anxiety, and being excessively critical of one’s self (Glehill, 2007). External causes of stress as highlighted by Glehill (2007) comprehends factors like negative social interaction, major life events like death of a friend or a close relative, daily hustles, for instance looking for a job that has proved evasive for quite long, and lack of money (Glehill, 2007). Other groups of the cause of stress personal causes, occupation causes and somatic sources, among others.
The effects of stress are equally numerous. It should be noted that that human body is designed in way that it supposed to contain any stressor. The major effects of stress include, developing of negative attitude towards something, impairment of one’s ability to perform various tasks, interference with one’s cognitive abilities, physical and emotional exhaustion, psychological disorders for instance post traumatic stress disorder (Weiten, Dunn, & Hammer, 2009).
References
Gledhill, A. (2007). Sport & exercise sciences. Oxford: Heinemann.
McEvoy, M. (2004). Straight talk about stress: A guide for emergency responders. Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association.
Weiten, W., Dunn, D. S., Hammer, E. Y. (2009). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
