What is stress? This is a question that more and more people are asking in these modern times. We do acknowledge that are lives are stressful, and on any given day we hear of people that are suffering from some condition caused by stress. But what is stress exactly, and why does it seem to cause so many more problems now than in the past?
The word stress is a relatively new term, and that’s why we tend to hear more in our times. The word stress has been included among psychological and biological terms since the 1930s. Before then, it was only used when talking about physics and engineering. So that is why we do not see the word appearing in literature from one hundred years ago or more.
Stress is considered an inadequate response of the body to a demand or situation. So technically, stress is not the situation, but our response to it. The situation or demand causing the stress is called the stressor.
When we are under stress, our bodies respond in the same way they would in a situation of danger. The heart rate increases, adrenaline is pumped through the blood stream to empower all muscles and organs, and we prepare to fight or run off.
But, today that kind of response is not adequate. If your boss comes at you with a request that’s impossible to honor, your first response would be to hit him or to run away, but most likely you won’t do either.
Because of this, adrenaline is not used and it lingers in the body longer than it should. That is why stress is called an inappropriate response: we don’t need all of that adrenalin to handle our boss.
As well as obviously stressful situations like that, there are many other stressors in our lives that we don’t even notice. Noise can be a stressor, too. Conflict is another. Even if we are used to them, and might even enjoy them, they are primal triggers for our bodies to create a response.
The physical result of living like this is that we may have high levels of adrenalin circulating in the body all of the time. And that low level of stress can cause many of the ailments that affect people today, such as digestive problems, chest pains, and headaches.
But does stress mean in psychological terms? Roughly speaking, it means that we live our lives never feeling really at peace. And we live the doors open for insomnia, depression, irritability and mood swings.
We may withdraw from friends and family, neglect our responsibilities, procrastinate, and become more dependent on substances like alcohol, cigarettes or drugs (prescribed or recreational). Stress also affects ones eating habits, and most people under stress either gain or lose weight.
Sadly enough, the effects themselves cause even more stress. Withdrawing from friends makes us feel more isolated and depressed. Not performing well at work makes us worry about our job. So we can easily find ourselves in a vicious circle. Knowing what stress is can be helpful, but in order to conquer it we need to work out ways to overcome it.
Author bio: Frederick Baker is an expert in cabin living and decorating. This log furniture is some of the most attractive rustic furniture you will find anywhere.
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