Psychology
Stress is an inevitable part of everybody’s life. There is no such person that has never experienced stress. In this essay, we are going to talk about types of stress and try to explain why it emerges. In addition, we are going to discuss the ways of coping with it.
Definition of stress
We often meet with this concept in our lives. We often say to ourselves, our life is a series of certain stress. It is important to understand that everything that is new can cause stress in our lives. So what is stress itself? Stress is a feeling of anxiety, which causes mental or physical tension. It can be caused by problems, in school, family, work, or life in general (Merriam-Webster).
‘Stress is a nonspecific reaction of the body to any presentation of the demand. In terms of stress reaction, it does not matter, pleasant or unpleasant the situation that we face. All that matters is the intensity of the need for restructuring and adaptation’ wrote Hans Selye, in his book The Stress of Life. He described stress as anything like lack of food or a glut of food, need for money. Stress does not mean only mental nervousness. Stress is human’s reaction to anything (Selye, 3).
It turns out that because of exposure to certain stressors it is important for our body to restructure and adapt to new situations. Hans Selye (Canadian physiologist, a founder of the theory of stress) for the first time described physiological stress as the general adaptation syndrome.
General Adaptation Syndrome is a set of defensive reactions of a person under stress. The adaptation syndrome can be distinguished as:
Alarm stage (mobilization of defense forces). It is a stage of the first reaction of the body to the danger or threat. On this stage organism release adrenaline, blood pressure rise, which can become a cause for brain and damage and heart attack;
The adaptation to a difficult situation (resistance stage). After the first stage (react to the stress), stress commonly is reduced. However, body defense becomes less strong. It needs the energy to recover from stress still, it remains on guard;
Exhaustion stage. Stress becomes persistent and as a result, the body stops to deal with its harmful impact because of the lack of energy (Selye, book 1, p. 1).
Hans Selye said that stress provide people with indelible mark and after every stressful situation, a person becomes older (Sincero, 2012).
There are manmade, neuropsychiatric, heat, light and other stresses, as well as positive and negative forms of stress. Eustress - positive nonspecific response of a living organism to any pressures on him (Merriam-Webster). The concept has two meanings:
- the stress caused by positive emotions;
- not strong stress, which mobilizes the body.
Distress - a negative nonspecific response of a living organism to any external influence. The most severe form of distress is a shock. The negative type of stress with which the body is unable to cope. It destroys a person's health and can lead to serious diseases.
Moreover, if a person body cannot cope and cannot adapt to the new situation (this is the second stage of stress), then the body goes into a stage of exhaustion (the third stage).
Reasons for stress
Non-organized - life events, socio-economic and political situation;
Organized - organizational structure, strategy, etc.;
Group - the lack of group cohesion and mutual support, interpersonal conflicts, and others;
Individual - temperament and character, social role;
Workplace - extreme conditions, monotony.
In fact, the cause of the stress state can become absolutely any situation that could have a profound effect on a person. For example, for many the loss of gloves is considered a trifle, easy annoyance, but there are people who regard such a loss on the other hand - anxiety, frustration, a real tragedy. Very large impact on a person emotional background and have external stimuli such as the death of a loved one, constant scandals at work. If we talk about the internal stimuli, causes, we are talking about revising some attitudes, beliefs, and a person’s self-esteem. Stress exposed to both men and women of all ages, regardless of their social status and financial well-being. Moreover, if even a small amount of stress useful for the body, the permanent residence in this state will lead to serious pathological changes. In some cases, the term stress is used for the definition of a particular stimulus - for example, to physical stimuli include prolonged exposure to cold or heat. In general, there are three main types of state under consideration:
Chemical Stress - a reaction to the impact of various toxic substances;
Psychological - effects on the positive/negative emotions;
Biological - provoke overload muscle injuries, various types of diseases;
Environmental (Lovallo, 3).
Dealing with stress
Stress Management is a way of an individual to adapt to the stressful situation.
At the individual level, a stress management is a process of learning how to deal with stress individually using special ways to neutralize the stress. Everyone has his or her own level of stress. Stress resistance a person - the ability to overcome difficulties, to cope with their emotions, understand human sentiments, showing restraint and tact.
American Psychological Associations propose such ways of dealing with stress:
Active social life. Interaction with people and helping them will provide a positive influence on a person. It will give him or her a new sense of existence and reduce stress.
Exercising. It is important to take care of your body. When a person sees changes that are caused by his or her daily sports activities, it provides positive physical and mental improvements.
Hobbies. Except work that brings person money it is important to do what provides you calm and happiness. It is important to have time for yourself. Read a book, learn a new language, and take up dancing lessons. It will also benefit your brain.
Positivity. The most harmful thing people do to themselves is negative thinking. You are that good. You are right. You can do this. You are not too old. If your thoughts are negative, you will feel exactly the same. Instead of doubting yourself try to accomplish things.
Relatives and friends. It is of a vital importance to stay in touch with people who will always support you and love you. Of course, you can become tired of failures but your friends and relatives are those people who will always believe in your success.
Challenges. Do not be afraid of taking up challenges. Try yourself in new things and stay positive about them. Stop feeling helpless and deal with obstacles (“Coping With Stress and Anxiety”, 4).
Works cited
"Eustress." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
"Stress." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
“Coping With Stress and Anxiety”. American Psychological Association. . Web. 10 Jan. 2017. www.apa.org/pi/aging/09-33-coping-with-stress-fin.pdf
Lovallo, William R. Stress & Health: Biological And Psychological Interactions (Stress And Health). 2nd ed. Sage Publications, 2005. Print.
Selye, Hans. The Stress Of Life. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978. Print.
Sincero, Sarah Mae. "General Adaptation Syndrome By Hans Selye". Explorable.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
