What is Stress?
The National Institute of Mental Health defines stress as “how the brain and body respond to any demands.” This suggests that the cause of stress is probably not your significant other, not your job, not your family, not your pet, not the clerk in the grocery store or the person who cut you off in traffic.
It’s how your brain and body respond. How are you responding?
How do the brain and body respond to stress?
Stress is not always bad! You and I would not be here if we had no response to danger! You are alert and your body prepares to fight or run for dear life. Those who froze when predators were around were not preserved 🙁
Stress affects you and I differently. You might have negative fearful thoughts, have headaches, feel frazzled, easily irritated etc.
You might become more vigilant, your heart rate increases, your muscle tense up and you might sweat more. You might develop gut issues (loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea).
Some others are unable to sleep well. Some turn to alcohol or other substances for stress relief.
If the brain and body continue to respond as if they were stressed for whatever reasons stay in hyper vigilance day after day after day then you might begin to notice lasting negative changes.These changes might be physical, emotional, or behavioral in varying combinations.
Some of these include high stress hormones (cortisol levels remain high). High blood pressure, depression, and chronic fatigue might set in. Chronic stress has also been shown to affect reproduction, gene production literally the chromosomes are affected. Your immune system is weakened (more colds).Your health, relationships, work and more suffer.
The 4 Types of Stress
In the book “Stress and the Manager: How to Make it Work for You,” Karl Albrecht identified 4 Types of Stress. My acronym for recalling them is EAST.
- Encounter Stress (often related to people)
- Anticipatory Stress (dread or stress about the future (test, meeting, some event).
- Situational Stress (related to specific situation, work, home, relationships, natural disaster, transitions).
- Time Stress (Lack of time to complete what you would like to)
What’s Your Stress Type? Do share
Stay Tuned for stress coping tips!