Simply Mental Health - Stress



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What is stress?

 

Stress is a biological reaction to anything the brain perceives as a challenge or threat. This can include quick responses, like needing to run away from something or from persistent demands and pressure in day to day life.

The exact causes of stress are predominantly dependant on what you perceive as stressful. However, common causes include, physical, social or financial threats where the individual has low control. Pressure at home, work or school, especially if it is persistent and makes you feel out of control, can lead to chronic stress.

Fears and uncertainty may cause worrying and negative thinking, or cognitive dissonance, where your beliefs and actions do not match up. For example, if you believe that helping others is good, but you cannot help someone due to other circumstances, you may feel guilt, which can result in stress. Additionally, conflict with others can make you feel frustrated and out of control if things are not going your way, which can cause stress.

 

What are the causes of stress?

 

Internal causes such as personality, your individual thought and feelings can have a huge impact on how you experience stressors. This can impact psychological issues such as worrying and anxiety, negative health behaviours and not taking time for appropriate self-care, like relaxing and engaging in enjoyable activities.
Diet and exercise have also been shown to play a part in stress and likewise, stress can impact your ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Poor rest and sleep are also contributors to your ability to cope with stressors and may affect your emotional state and wellbeing.

External causes like environmental issues can also have an effect on how you experience stress. This includes factors such as poor housing or working environments. Along with financial issues, relationship problems, and pressures from responsibilities at home or work. The one thing that all these environmental factors have in common it that they are usually circumstances outside of your control, and being faced with uncertainty and low control can send the brain into stress mode.

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How stress can be both useful and harmful

Eustress or useful stress is a biological response that helps protect you. It is useful to arouse you when danger is present. Stress prepares you for fight or flight, to increase arousal or  enhance performance, like at school or during challenging events. If stress is not chronic, it can also enhance memory and support your immune system.

Distress or harmful stress on the other hand, is supposed to be a short term response to help you escape danger and increase survival. However, today people are presented with constant stressors, which can cause the stress response to remain activated over a long period of time. This can have detrimental affects to your health and wellbeing. This is because persistent high levels of cortisol causes physical damage to the body, and can weaken your immune system, cause high blood pressure, heart disease and psychological issues such as anxiety and depression.
 

 

Am I stressed?

 

When the brain perceives stress, it releases a mixture of chemicals that prepare the body for fight or flight. This causes the body to divert energy and blood flow to the heart and muscles and away from other systems. This causes stress to present physically with increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating and increased blood pressure. Aches and pains may become an issue along with nausea and indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea. Additionally, you may develop sleeping problems and sexual difficulties.

Chronic stress can have a negative impact on you and symptoms can include, migraines, nausea, diarrhoea or constipation. Along with an increase in symptoms of allergies, asthma or eczema. In prolonged and bad periods of stress, you may develop chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, IBS, stomach ulcers or in extreme cases stress can even cause heart disease, strokes and heart attacks.

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms it is important that you go and visit your GP who can diagnose any underlying issues and signpost you appropriate services, like psychological interventions, to help you manage stress.

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Managing stress

There are many healthy strategies that you could use to reduce or manage the stress in your life. It is important to first identify any symptoms and what could be causing them. Why not try keeping a diary to record your mood, physical symptoms and anything external that triggered them? Doing this will help you understand your stress triggers and then you can develop healthy coping strategies to manage them better. 
Next, develop strategies to help prevent and control your stress triggers where you can. This could be simply adding in more time for self-care or speaking to your manager for help. Make sure that you always make time to relax and engage in enjoyable activities no matter how busy you are. This is something that I learnt the hard way, but life is too short to miss out on the things you love, so make it a priority! Spend time with loved ones and people that can support and encourage you. Make sure that you are engaging in a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise. This doesn't mean you have to go to the gym, but just be mindful of living more actively by walking to work or taking the stairs once in a while. Look after you mental health by managing worries and adopting a positive thinking style. Meditation and breathing exercises can help you manage your thoughts and reduce any symptoms of stress. Finally, reach our to people who can help you like a line manager or your GP, who can help you access psychological support if needed.

Getting support

 

Stress counselling or support groups chelp you work through any problems and develop better thinking and coping strategies with interventions such as CBT. They can also support you by providing reassurance and just by allowing you to express you needs and feelings in a safe space. You can find a therapist in your local area online or through the NHS where you can now self-refer to psychological therapy.

 

If your health (mental or physical) is suffering it is important to visit your GP. They can provide information and access to local forms of support like local authorities and citizens advice, who can provide further physical assistance and information. In extreme circumstances the GP may also be able to help you access psychological support or medication.

 

 

 

Do you have any other strategies for how do you cope and manage with your own stressors? Feel free to leave a comment, you never know, it may help someone else too!

 

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