Stress is our friend
It is a natural and adaptive response of the body to changing conditions.
It gives us energy to cope with challenges and return to balance.
It manifests itself in the mind, emotions and body – these may be unpleasant feelings and reactions.
It can lead to emotional and physical agitation and activity at the highest speed, often exceeding the body’s capabilities, for an extended period of time.
How stress works
A stressor (situation, event) triggers a reaction depending on how we interpret it.
Examples of reactions:
- thoughts (e.g. racing thoughts, assessments, analysis, scenarios, plans),
- emotions (e.g. fear, anger, frustration, excitement),
- body (e.g. tension, pain, faster heartbeat, warmth, butterflies in the stomach) .
The stress reaction can occur very quickly and some mechanisms are activated without the participation of consciousness. It is possible to activate different reaction modes to a stressor:
- task: mobilization -> action -> task completion (activation level sufficient to complete the task)
- threat: fight/flight/freeze (highest level of activation)
When stress becomes a problem
When stress is repeated over a long period of time (chronic stress). Possible causes:
- Recurring stressor
- No time to regain balance,
- Ineffective actions or habits.
When we interpret a task as a threat, which causes an overly strong reaction:
- The threat response limits creativity and choice options (fight, flight, freeze),
- It leads to inappropriate behaviour that may worsen the problem.
What can chronic or excessive stress lead to?
It may lead, for example, to low mood, insomnia, appetite problems, fatigue, weakness, various physical ailments or diseases.
Chronic stress may lead to the development of dysfunctional habits (e.g. stimulants), which in the long run deepen the state of chronic stress.
How can we help ourselves when stress becomes a problem?
Please visit the Stress Reduction subpage
The information presented above is a shortened description of selected issues related to stress. If you want to deepen your knowledge about stress, please read the literature.
Recommended literature:
- Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress, 2016
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living, 2013
- Bruce McEwen, The End of Stress as we know it, 2002