What really is Stress?

Describes what stress is, what could bring it on, and how it might manifest itself in your life. It contains information about how you may assist yourself as well as how to seek support for your efforts.

Just what exactly is stress?

One’s reaction to being put under duress or feeling threatened is called stress. This is common when we feel helpless or powerless over our circumstances.

Stress may manifest in a variety of ways.

A person, such as when they are overburdened with work and need help juggling it all.

Belong to a group if you and your loved ones are going through a challenging moment, such as a death in the family or financial difficulties.

Someone who is a part of your community, such as if you are a member of a religious minority that is being persecuted.

An individual, like in the case of calamities or epidemics like the recent coronavirus outbreak

If you’re stressed out about being part of a larger group, you may not all react the same way to it. That’s possible even if your stressors are the same.

How can you know whether stress is a problem?

We can get more done and feel more energized with just a little bit of stress now and again. However, prolonged or severe stress might cause health issues. Our physical and emotional well-being may be negatively impacted by stress. Stress may be either “acute” or “chronic,” depending on whether it is short-term or long-term in nature, and healthcare practitioners may use both terms interchangeably:

Acute stress

Acute stress occurs quickly after a stressful incident, often between minutes to hours. It is pretty intense for a brief duration, usually shorter than a few weeks. It’s possible to experience this when something terrible or unexpected has occurred. An unexpected death in the family, an attack, or a natural catastrophe are all examples of such events.

Long-term or recurrent stress

Long-term or recurrent stress is known as chronic stress. If you’re always under intense strain, this might happen to you. If you have a challenging daily existence, such as being a caretaker or living in poverty, you may also experience chronic stress.

Could stress be considered a psychological disorder?

In most cases, stress isn’t seen as a psychological issue. However, there are several connections to our emotional well-being:

Mental Health Mental Strain

Mental iHealth/ Strain  is a potential side effect of stress. Worse, it may exacerbate preexisting issues. Stress may contribute to the onset of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. Alternatively, a really stressful event might trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Stress may exacerbate mental health issues. Maintaining daily functioning while dealing with the effects of a mental health condition may be complicated. Medication, doctor’s visits, and other therapies might add to an already stressful life.

Using intoxicants for stress relief

As a means of relieving pressure, you can experiment with intoxicants. This may also affect your mental health and add stress to an already difficult situation.