Recognization of Stress

How does it feel like to have stress? It usually comes with fear and irritability where a person keeps himself burdened with the workload. A person might feel tired, lethargic, and strained but still not able to cope with stress. Although it is not everyone’s cup of tea to highlight stress but by observing some indicators the stress can be identified. Sometimes the minor stressor like having a bad day at work or an issue in school or in a friend group can have a lot of bad impressions on your mental health. Stress might get triggered by any obvious reason.

There are some indicators that can tell if a person is suffering from significant stress:

1. Psychological symptoms: problems in focusing, worrying, feeling anxious, and having trouble remembering

2. Emotional indicators: such as being enraged, annoyed, grumpy, or upset
3. Physical symptoms: such as high blood pressure, weight fluctuations, recurrent infections or colds, and adjustments to the menstrual cycle.
4. Behavioral factors: Poor self-care, not having enough time for your hobbies, or turning to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism are all behavioral indicators.

Types of Stress

Not every form of stress is destructive or even negative. There are four types of stress that are following.

Acute stress

It is the kind of stress we experience most frequently in day-to-day living. As the name suggested it is a short-term stress that can be helpful or cause more distress. Because unresolved acute stress has the potential to turn itself into a chronic one.

Chronic stress

Stress that feels never ending and unavoidable comes under the chronic stress. Most of the physical and mental health issues are driven by this type of stress. Unhappy marriage, divorce, sexual abuse, or loss of a job are some examples of chronic stress. Childhood abuse or any traumatic event also comes under chronic stress.

Episodic stress

Acute stress that appears to be prevalent and a way of life is known as episodic acute stress. It causes a life of constant distress.

Eustress

Eustress is joyful and entertaining. This type of stress also considers a healthy one because of its competitive spirit. This form of stress keeps you motivated as it is associated with the adrenal rush.

Acute stress, chronic stress, and episodic acute stress are the three main hazardous forms of stress. While chronic stress lasts a long time, acute stress is often short-lived yet occurs frequently. Eustress, sometimes known as enjoyable stress, can be demanding but can also have negative effects.

 The bodily reaction to stress

The fight-or-flight response has activated the situation of stress. When the body perceives a threat or danger hormones like adrenaline are released under the reaction. Because of this in stressful situations, our heart rate increases, and the pupil of the eye contracts so the more light comes into the eye, the seating of the hand starts, and more blood supply to the major organs of the body and a number of other neurological activities happen. Systems are built to function normally once the apparent threat has passed because of the relaxation reaction. But when there is persistent stress, the relaxation reaction doesn’t happen frequently enough, and the body can become damaged by being in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight.

Treatment of stress:

There is no specific, effective treatment for stress, nor is it has separate diagnostic criteria. treatment can include Change in the environment, the acquisition of coping mechanisms, the use of relaxation techniques, and the treatment of symptoms or problems that may have been triggered by chronic stress.

Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works best for stress as it works on basically thoughts and logical reasoning is the only way to cope with stress. So, for those matters, CBT is very effective. Other than that mindfulness-based stress reduction is the second type of therapy that may be very useful in reducing stress symptoms. This therapy talks about mindfulness focused on the evaluating present time with a more open mind and finding a solution.

Medication

In some cases when the doctor considers that the person’s body is declining and he cannot cope better in this situation, he prescribes some anti-depressant or sedative so that the body can do some rest and the mind that is so clouded can be clear and the best solution could able to find.

Substitute and Complementary Medicine

Massage, running, meditation and yoga are some of the alternatives that are highly suggested stress to calm oneself down.

Managing Stress

Despite being unavoidable, stress can still be controlled. The best thing in stress to do is to avoid those things that can worsen your mental health, and always know what are your strengths and weak points so that you work accordingly.  

Recognize the symptoms of burnout.        

You may be at a greater risk of burnout if you are under a lot of stress. You may feel unmotivated and become uninterested in your work. Whenever you experience such symptoms always interact with some friend who understands you well.

Try to exercise frequently.

The effects of physical activity on the body and the mind are remarkable. Exercise relieves stress and helps with many symptoms connected to mental illness, whether you prefer Tai Chi or wish to start running.