Stress

Stress . State of tension that according to experts has become the Disease of the century , since rarely anyone can escape its consequences. It is an experience of Psychological Instability in response to External Environmental Factors; This disease is a source of Pathology and produces short, medium and long term effects.
Summary
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- 1 History
- 2 Symptoms
- 3 Combat stress overload
- 4 Responses of the organism
- 5 Types of stress
- 1 Normal stress
- 2 Pathological Stress
- 2.1 Causes of pathological stress
- 2.1.1 Examples
- 2.2 Symptoms of pathological stress
- 2.1 Causes of pathological stress
- 3 Chronic stress
- 3.1 Side effects of chronic stress situations
- 4 Acute stress
- 5 Positive stress
- 6 Negative stress
- 6 anti-stress methods
- 7 Stress Triggers
- 8 Self-control
- 9 Sources
History
Since Hans Selye introduced the term “stress” into the health field in the 1920s and 1930s, this has become one of the most used terms by different health professionals , and also in the colloquial language of the man in his daily life .
Although Selye has traditionally been considered “the father of stress studies”, the merit of conceiving this phenomenon and developing current knowledge in very diverse directions must be shared with many other authors.
In fact, it was the Greek philosopher Hippocrates who first raised the relevance of this phenomenon in the life of man.
The English philosopher Claude Bernard introduced it into medicine in the 19th century , referring to the stability of the internal environment regardless of changes in the external environment. W. Osler , a well-known British doctor , generalized equivalences between “stress and “overexertion” ( strain ) as well as ” hard work ” and “worry”, indicating that these conditions facilitated the installation of cardiovascular diseases in doctors. The physiologist American W. Cannon related it in 1932 , with the process of homeostasis , referring to the coordinated physiological processes that maintain most of the constant states of the organism.
Highly influenced by the ideas of Bernard and Cannon, Selye referred to stress as a general response of the organism to any demand, that is, to any stressful stimulus or stressful situation, in his conception of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
Symptoms
It is a change that your body experiences in response to internal or external stimuli. You can have “good” stress that keeps you alert without alterations, and “bad” stress that prevents the body from responding in a good way to certain challenges or difficult situations that arise in daily life.
Everyone feels stress differently. Some become angry, behaving inappropriately and taking it out on others; Others hide it and begin to suffer from eating problems or abuse of illegal substances. Those who suffer from a Chronic Illness notice that the symptoms of their illness increase more day by day.
But stress is not always a reaction to immediate or momentary things. There are situations in which the presence of progressive or long-term events; such as a divorce or moving to a new neighborhood or school , can cause stress. Long-term situations can produce low-intensity stress, but this will last, causing difficulties for the person. The nervous system , however, feels continuous tension and remains relatively active in order to continue releasing additional hormones over a prolonged period of time . This can deplete the body’s reserves, making the person feel exhausted or overwhelmed, weakening the body’s immune system , and causing other problems.
Although a sufficient amount of stress can be good, an overload is something else; no one benefits from too much stress. For example, having a little stress because of an exam can motivate you to study more, but when the exam causes a lot of stress, the person concentrates less on the subject they need to learn.
Combat stress overload
Various methods are presented for stress: the best way to deal with stress is to learn to manage it that accompanies any challenge ; whether good or bad. The art of handling it is perfected if it is used regularly, not only when under pressure. Knowing how to de-stress and doing so during calm situations can help you get through difficult circumstances that may arise. Learn to think that challenges are opportunities and difficult situations are not disasters, but momentary problems. Ask for help and advice from other people, instead of complaining and allowing stress to build up, set your own goals and keep track of your progress, take time to relax.
Body responses
Stressed people have a lower immune index than optimistic and stress-free people. It is known that sad emotions can affect health , while positive ones can protect; A person who is stressed or depressed is more likely to contract a disease, since their immune system has been in decline.
Stress can damage the Brain at a Molecular Level and from there, spread its damage through Hormones to the rest of the body. Therefore, the best treatment is to prevent it and once you suffer from it, try to overcome it as soon as possible. This is what leading specialists in the field consider, including researchers from the Mental Health Network Biomedical Research Center ( Cibersam ).
Thus, when the brain detects danger, a series of Brain Structures — Hypothalamus , Amygdala and Pituitary Gland — go on alert, exchanging information with each other, sending hormones and nerve impulses to the rest of the body in order to prepare us to fight or flee. .
The body discharges a series of hormones, that is, the Adrenal Glands discharge (Adrenaline ), which causes the Heart to pump more quickly and the Lungs to function at full capacity to flood the body and the Muscles with oxygen . Additionally, the glands release extra Cortisol and other Glucocorticoids that help the body convert sugars into Energy .
Nerve Cells release Norepinephrine , which tenses the Muscles and sharpens the senses, preparing them for immediate action; in fact, Digestion is paralyzed. The above can cause significant damage to the body, since when the danger passes, the levels of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine fall, but if the danger that triggers this entire process is repeated very often, it can cause damage to the Arteries .
Physical manifestations include the sensation of suffocation, muscle rigidity , dilated pupils, high blood pressure, ulcers , and headaches . As for the physiological consequences, they vary from having the brain permanently activated for action, alert senses, hormones, accelerated pulse, deeper breathing and tense muscles, among others. This can lead to an anxiety disorder .
Stress can vary depending on the environment that causes it, its duration, its intensity and its clinical consequences. Due to the nature of the environment, it is possible to distinguish the “ burnout syndrome ” or mobbing in the work context; having elderly, chronically ill parents or problematic children in the family environment; having high expectations, inability, abuse, harassment, excess responsibility or busy schedules; and there are also the classic economic problems or problems with neighbors, for example, in the social sphere .
Depending on the clinical consequences, stress can cause, trigger or perpetuate acute pathologies . In these situations, symptoms of anxiety, depression, behavioral or mixed symptoms occur, which are mild and brief in time and do not last more than a few months. But it can also cause stronger pathologies, such as post-traumatic stress disorders and affective disorders. Finally, stress can give rise to chronic pathologies, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia and somatoform disorders , in which the stressor is chronic and the symptoms remain for a long time.
On the other hand, stress can trigger some mental disorders (depressive, manic and psychotic episodes), autoimmune diseases (lupus, ankylopoietic spondylitis and ulcerative colitis) and dermatological diseases (psoriasis and dermatitis in general), as well as degenerative diseases such as dementia. .
Types of stress
normal stress
Normal stress cannot be eliminated, because it is a part of our lives, it can even be positive if we know how to manage it effectively.
Pathological Stress
When stress becomes a prolonged and intense reaction, it is very possible that it triggers serious physical and psychological problems. If the body is not freed from these changes that occur during the phase of recognition and consideration of the threat, it enters a state of chronic stress. When you feel stressed and add even more stress, the brain’s regulatory centers tend to overreact causing physical exhaustion , crying spells , and potentially depression .
Causes of pathological stress
External threats produce stressful changes in our body. Thus, our way of reacting to problems, demands and dangers is determined by an innate aptitude for fight or flight, when the stimuli that reach us are interpreted as threatening. Incomplete reactions to stimuli, not adequately resolved.
Examples
- At work
Excess or lack of work, speed in completing the task, need to make decisions, fatigue due to significant physical effort, long and numerous trips, excessive number of work hours, changes in work, individual who has insufficient responsibility, lack of participation in decision making, lack of support from management, technological changes that must be adapted to, lack of job security, inconsistency or lack of equity in insufficient or excessive promotion, awareness of having reached one’s ceiling .
- In social relationships
Lack of relationships, hypocritical relationships, distant relationship.
*Normal life situations. Speaking in public, making a declaration of love, performing or taking exams, these stimuli can produce Biochemical or Electrical Substances that can produce stress such as; Cold – Heat – Noise – Coffee – Tobacco .
Symptoms of pathological stress
Stress, especially pathological stress, usually presents with obvious physical symptoms: Pupils enlarge to improve vision, hearing becomes sharper, muscles tense to respond to the challenge, Blood is pumped to the brain to increase the arrival of Oxygen. to the cells and promote mental processes, heart and respiratory rates increase, and as blood is preferably diverted to the Head and trunk, the extremities and especially the Hands and Feet , feel cold and sweaty.
chronic stress
Chronic stress, which millions of people suffer from simply facing the daily vicissitudes of life, keeps Glucocorticoids in Circulation , leading the body to a low level of Immunity , and a certain loss of bone mass , suppression of the immune system. reproductive and memory problems .
Side effects of chronic stress situations
Chronic stress can cause: Increased susceptibility to colds, increases the risk of heart problems , high blood pressure , diabetes , asthma , ulcers , colitis and cancer , increases in blood sugar, increases cholesterol , there is a release of Fatty acids in the blood, increases the levels of Corticosteroids , decreases peripheral blood flow , decreases the digestive system , stress is often associated with psychological disorders such as Anxiety and Depression , secondarily it produces an inability to make decisions, a feeling of confusion , inability to concentrate, difficulty directing attention, disorientation, frequent forgetfulness, mental blocks.
Our body is much more than a machine, separately each piece seems like the component of a mechanical device, pump, filters, purifier, control systems, but together they link together a living being with the ability to understand itself and its environment. This being is capable of developing a conscious and calm state, or giving in to social pressure and living in a sea of stress, there is an inner sea of calm or tension.
acute stress
Acute stress, a response to imminent danger, “loads” the system with powerful hormones that can immediately damage the cardiovascular system . Secondly, we have chronic stress, caused by intense emotional pressure that the victim cannot control. It usually produces hormones that can depress the immune system and damage bone.
positive stress
Eustress : capable of filling our lives with energy and vigor, allowing us to experience existence as the best of gifts, allowing the activation of all our systems so that their processes are carried out in the most harmonious way possible, resulting in a healthy and sublime life.
negative stress
Distress , capable of turning our life into the anteroom of hell, of ruining our internal organs and our entire existence, of breaking our body and our soul.
Anti-stress methods
According to experts, to overcome stress the best thing is to avoid it with healthy lifestyles, communicate it, resist it by believing in yourself, limit it and treat it with professional help. Once you suffer from it, you must try to overcome it as soon as possible, because the longer it lasts, the more pathologies it can trigger and perpetuate them.
We have all been able to verify, from time to time, that in moments of tension, anguish or any other strong emotional circumstance, if we breathe deeply we will feel generalized relief throughout our body, in our nerves and emotions.
Like its cousin, depression, stress is as damaging to the body as it is to the mind. This has two ways of acting, each with its associated biochemistry and certainly different.
It is not a surprise, then, that the strategies that have existed for centuries — Yoga , Taichi , Meditation — to reduce stress are also very beneficial for the physical body; However, measuring the influence or level of stress in our lives is not an easy task. Thus, some studies carried out suggest that there have been cases of Psoriasis improved by meditation—in addition to appropriate medication—by “disconnecting” the victim from her life the influence of a very aggressive mother-in-law in the common home, as well as believing people who who pray regularly tend to live longer and better than other patients affected by this scourge of modern societies.
In the long run, these practices outside of conventional medical science (prayer, meditation, tai chi, yoga and relaxation exercises) can and do help relieve one’s stress, which will take some of the pressure off the immune system , thus improving our response to the social and family environment in which we have had to live.
Stress triggers
Stress triggers include information overload, harm, isolation, group pressure, and frustration. Its presence can manifest itself in several stages, from the first alarm symptoms derived from muscular tension , to the resistance stage with the symptom of psychological tension . If it persists over time, it can degenerate into exhaustion, with somatic physical symptoms . Among the psychological symptoms of stress are nervousness, alertness, insomnia , lack of concentration and memory, irritability, sadness, lack of energy , decreased sociability and demotivation .
Self-control
When the mind remains calm, performance is optimal but when the alarm goes off, complex thinking, creative intuition and long-term planning are lost. The focus is on the immediate problem, issue or threat. The brain circuit is responsible for dealing with emergencies and shows their effects: fear, anxiety attacks , panic , frustration , irritation, anger and rage.
From our body’s point of view, there is no difference between our home and work because stress is built on stress regardless of the cause, so the smallest setback can trigger a response that releases stress hormones . When stress is acute it can temporarily incapacitate us and when it is chronic it can affect organic functions and permanently hinder our intellect.
Impulsivity decreases the learning capacity because it decreases the attention span; when we are worried, the working memory has fewer opportunities to pay attention to the teacher, remember homework, books and therefore academic or work performance will decrease.
Emotion self-regulation has to do with the ability to reduce stress and deliberately provoke an emotion even if it is unpleasant. Self-control does not mean denying or repressing our true feelings. A bad mood, for example, also has its uses; anger, sadness, melancholy or fear can be a source of creativity, energy and communication; Anger can be a source of motivation, especially when it arises from the need to repair an injustice or share sadness, it makes people feel more united.
When we talk about control, it is not about extinguishing feelings, what this ability implies is being able to choose the way to express feelings, being able to adequately manage our conflicting emotions and impulses, remaining balanced even in the most critical moments, thinking with clarity and staying focused despite pressures, being honest and sincere, responsibly fulfilling obligations, facing changes and new challenges and remaining open to new ideas, perspectives and information.
It is nothing new that working mothers, in addition to the physiological burden of their daily work, add the emotional tension that comes with waiting for some unexpected family problem.
American researchers have proven that they have a high level of the hormone -cortisol-stress hormone, which does not occur in working women who do not have children in their care. This hormone in normal amounts helps the body fight against viruses , but in excess it ends up damaging the immune system .
Self-control is valued in all activities in life, for parents, for any professional or athlete. There is no more regrettable spectacle than seeing a player full of anger for having made a mistake by hitting his racket against the ground or verbally attacking his opponent or the match referee.