Stress is a natural phenomenon that is quite now a day. Stress can also be defined as "strain" and "arousal" . Some people see it as internal reaction to external events. When one goes through a feeling of apprehension, frustration , resentment, and worry one often tends to portray oneself as feeling "bothered" "under duress" , "edgy" , "hurried" , " hassled" or "clogged" . Whatever vocabulary or word one chooses to describe oneself , one feels pressurized within.
When a person passes through a period of stress, he initially experiences an abnormal amount of pressure . A certain amount of pressure is important , as it help us to meet life's challenges , discharges our creativity and energizes our continued personal growth . Once this pressure falls outside the range of our comfort level , then it can lead to unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms associated with distress.
Different people tend to cope up with different amount of pressure in their own way . It varies from person to person and even from time to time . Sometimes , we may feel totally calm and relaxed , able to cope with everything coming along our way , while on the other hand even a slight amount of pressure will overwhelm us , making us feel paralyzed , careful , or wrecked out.
Stress , can also be defined as a reaction to something and also as a flight of fight response we might have seen people under stress utter phrases like , "My nerves feel at edge . " I feel run down ." " I cannot concentrate ." , "I have aches and pains all over my body. " , "I'm not sleeping well." etc. Apart from these phrases , the symptom exhibited from the behavior show pacing and fidgeting , restlessness , teeth grinding , eating too much or too little , increased smoking and drinking , rapid speech , indecisiveness, etc.
Once the stress is controlled , it generates feelings of challenge , exhilaration , and inspiration . When uncontrolled , however it bring out extreme physical and emotional discomfort , bizarre behavior , serious disease and ultimately premature death . Keeping this in mind , it is very essential to maintain a balance under stress . It is usually said that finding the appropriate balance is like adjusting the strings of a musical instrument : too loose and the tune will be spoiled . If too tight the strings will break . Just balanced , and the instrument will sign with a unique and lovely tune that fills our mind , body and soul.
Stress has been apart and parcel of our lives since time in memorial . The ability to cope up with stress is extremely important for continued survival . Stress also depends upon our perception i . e . how we perceive an event and the meaning we attach to it . sometimes , it is noted that extreme stress can lead to serious condition like cancer , diabetes , ulcers and also affects the immune system , which in turn makes are body more vulnerable and open to infection . It is known that stress weakens the immune response. Headaches and and migraines are also most common symptoms of stress.
Irritable bowel syndrome and stress are also closely related . It is not the solely caused by stress but stress can make symptoms worst , and can trigger and attack in those who already suffer from this condition . Therefore , this can be a sign of extreme stress in those who are affected .
How we respond to stress depends upon a person's personality even . Every person has a unique way in responding to stress . Some people in built mechanism are such that will always feel tense , no matter whatever the circumstances might be . This may be due to his personality as it comprises of a behavior . When in stressful situations , all personality types display symptoms that are disadvantageous to others and unproductive for themselves . The kinds of circumstances that induce stress also varies from type . Although any type can display any symptom from time to time , different types specialize in specific behaviors .
psychologists believe personality to be of two types : Type A and Type B . Type A people are more prone to experiencing high levels of stress and to have unpleasant effect as a result . People comprising of these traits are highly complicated , always setting deadlines for themselves and continually engaged in efforts to get ahead , even in the minute of the smallest thing of life . They are usually tense and destructive - often with hair , awry from running their hands over their head . These types of people are more prone to heart attacks and are likely to suffer infections and are 80 percent more prone to hypertension than B's .
Type B , they are unhurried , relaxed , patient , and quietly self-assured , with little desire to prove themselves . They pace themselves in their work well and perhaps lack a little in drive . They are not as susceptible to heart disease , but have higher incidents of depression as compare to type A.
Let me quote the example of a client who suffered from extreme stress and because of that she developed irritable Bowel Syndrome . 'She was a very sensitive person . If anyone said something to her she would take it personally and become sensitive about the issue . Apart from this , she was very paranoid . She would constantly think that she was seriously ill and would develop some sort of illness if not taken care of . This negative attitude of her was killing her . Her sensitivity was growing day by day and she did not know what to do . Her stress increased such a lot that life felt like living hell to her . She went to so many doctors but no one was able to guide her . Then she realized that she needs psychological help if she want to spend a healthy life style . She was a very good client . Every thing i told her she went home and did it . It took a while to change her sensitive nature . She became a very +ve person with a lot of effort . Today she is able to control her feeling and cope with them in a positive way . She is living a healthy life now .
Therefore it is very important to realize that stress is something alarming and should be taken care of in the beginning . If we keep on living with it , it will lead to several illnesses like hypertension , allergies , asthma , anxiety , depression etc . Remember monitoring the stress levels is important as it guides us about our mental state.
