What is Stress?
Martin Boland
Recruitment Consultant @ Zodiac Recruitment | Management Consulting, 360 Recruitment
Stress is our body’s response to pressure. Many different situations or life events can cause stress. It is often triggered when we experience something new or unexpected that threatens our sense of self or when we feel we have little control over a situation.
We all deal with stress differently. Our ability to cope can depend on our genetics, early life events, personality and social and economic circumstances.
When we encounter stress, our body produces stress hormones that trigger a fight or flight response and activate our immune system. This helps us respond quickly to dangerous situations.
Sometimes, this stress response can be helpful. It can help us push through fear or pain so we can run a marathon or deliver a speech, for example. Our stress hormones usually return to normal quickly once the stressful event is over, and there won’t be any lasting effects.
However, too much stress can cause adverse effects. It can leave us in a permanent stage of fight or flight, leaving us overwhelmed or unable to cope. Long term, this can affect our physical and mental health.
What makes us stressed?
Many things can lead to stress:?bereavement, divorce or separation, losing a job or unexpected money problems. Work-related stress?can also have a negative impact on your mental health. People affected by work-related stress lose an average of 24 days of work due to ill health.
Even positive life changes, such as moving to a bigger house, gaining a job promotion or going on holiday, can be sources of stress. If you feel stressed in these situations, you may struggle to understand why or be unwilling to share your feelings with others.
What are the signs of stress?
How you might feel:
These feelings can sometimes produce physical symptoms, making you feel even worse.
How your body might react:
How you might behave:
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If the stress is long-lasting, you may notice your sleep and memory are affected, your eating habits change, or you feel less inclined to exercise.
Some research has also linked long-term stress to gastrointestinal conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or stomach ulcers and conditions like cardiovascular disease.
Who is affected by stress?
All of us can probably recognise some of the feelings described above. Some people seem to be more affected by stress than others. For some people, getting out of the door on time each morning can be a very stressful experience, whereas others may be less affected by a great deal of pressure.
Some people are more likely to experience stressful situations than others. For example:
How can you help yourself?
If you're feeling stressed, there are some things you can try to feel less tense and overwhelmed.
Get professional help
If you continue to feel overwhelmed by stress, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Getting help as soon as possible is important so you can start feeling better.
Talk to your doctor about how you’re feeling. They should be able to advise you on treatment and may refer you for further help. They may suggest talking therapies such as:
If you feel comfortable,?talk?to your manager or HR team about how you're feeling to see if they can make changes to your workload or hours. You could contact your workplace for confidential support or counselling if your workplace has an Employee Assistance Scheme.