What is Stress?
For early man, the biggest challenge was survival. the dangers they had to face were many- extreme weather,wild animals, hostile clansmen and so on.when faced with a given situation, the choice was either “fight” or ‘flight”.a cocktail of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol are released into the blood stream,preparing the body to respond to the threat and take immediate action by increasing the blood pressure, heartbeat,breathing speed,muscle tension,and sharpness of the senses. these bodily changes were vital to keep oneself alive in those harsh scenarios long ago.
Thousands of years of progress has made the world a much safer place to in. the dangers that we face now are much milder in nature.however, the “fight” or “flight” response that enabled our ancestors to survive are so deeply ingrained in us that we find ourselves responding in the same manner to situations that we perceive as threatening. our bodies react in the same manner even though the challenges thrown at us are more emotional or cerebral in nature.
Thus,stress is the body’s way of responding to any demand or threat that if faces.even as this response is helpful in facing dangerous situations, when the body start responding in such a manner repeatedly,stress becomes harmful and causes damage to your health,career,relationships,personality,and quality of life.
Reasons for stress
*Academic or workplace
*Hectic schedules
*Major life changes
*Financial problems
*Family problems
*pessimism
*Uncertainty
*Negative self-talk
*perfectionism
identifying stress
stress itself is not easy to identify as the response to different stressors may seems quite natural. however, stress manifests itself in several forms. the symptoms of stress may be categorized as cognitive, emotional, physical,and behavioral symptoms.
Cognitive stress includes : problems with memory and concentration,anxious thoughts,and continuous worrying.
Emotional effects include :feeling unhappy or depressed,anxiety, irritable behavior ,loneliness,isolation, and feeling overwhelmed
physical effects include : unexplained pain, digestive problems,nausea, chest pain, increased heart beat, and frequent illness.
Excess stress may also lead to behavioral issues such as disrupted appetite and sleep, reduced social interaction,procrastination,substance abuse,and repetitive behavior like nail biting.
stress management
while it is near impossible to completely avoid stressors in our life, it is possible to regulate our response to these. thus , we can ensure that the stress that we are subject to stays within tolerable limits.
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