Ravi Speaks: –
The present-day situations and the response to such situations by the man may be depicting his level of adaptation. However, there is a very thin line of demarcation in the man’s behaving normally to such situations and at the same time some of stressful conditioned not behaving normally to the same situations. Uncertainty-which has somehow become the “new-normal” nowadays especially during the pandemic, has given rise to such major changes in human behavior. Even the word stress has become a very complex word to understand.
What is Stress?
Let us try to understand what “Stress” means: – One of the most recent definitions of stress has been proposed by Bruce McEwen (2000): “Stress can be defined as a real or supposed threat to the physiological or psychological integrity of an individual that results in physiological response and/or behavioral. In medicine, stress is referred to as a situation in which the levels of glucocorticoids and catecholamines in circulation are elevated”. According to the definition of ‘Chrousos and Gold’ (1992) “stress can be defined as a state of disharmony or a threat to homeostasis. The adaptive response can be specific, or generalized, and nonspecific. Thus, a disturbance in homeostasis results in a cascade of physiological and behavioral responses to restore the ideal homeostatic balance”. Thus arises a concept that is important to define: homeostasis. The idea is that the body has an ideal level of oxygen in the blood, as well as acidity and body temperature, among many other variables. All of these are maintained at these values through a homeostatic balance, a state in which all values remain within the optimal ranges. The brain has evolved mechanisms to maintain homeostasis.
10 main indications that you are under stress.
We all have some stress in our daily lives – and who can claim to be 100 percent stress-free in this modern world? However, if stress and worries exceed a certain level, our physical and mental health can be seriously affected, and not acting could have serious consequences. Experts classify stress symptoms into four categories: cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral. These are the main signs that indicate that it is time to slow down a little and regain inner peace at any cost.
1. You feel tired all the time. Be it morning, afternoon, or night, the feeling of fatigue never leaves your body. Even if you go to bed early and feel like you slept well, you wake up the next day and still feel tired. Stress is one of the main energies’ vampires.
2. You get sick frequently. First, you get a fatal attack of the flu; when you recover, tremendous gastritis takes over you. Suffering illness after illness is a sure sign that your body is under a lot of stress. This happens because you do not sleep well, surely you eat poorly, and you have acquired unhealthy habits. According to various studies, the protection capacity of your immune system is reduced by 30 percent when you are stressed. You get very sick when you’re stressed because you don’t sleep well, you probably eat poorly and have acquired unhealthy habits.
3. Has it ever happened to you that you toss and turn in bed and just can’t fall asleep? Even if you feel incredibly tired, you can’t sleep. The moment you lay your head back on the pillow, your mind begins to fill with to-dos. Take a break from your hectic life if you don’t want your health to be seriously affected.
4. Your mind is scattered.Your head is everywhere, and at the same time, nowhere. You have so much in mind that you forget simple things, like where you left the keys or some important date. Also, you feel unable to concentrate.
5. Your head hurts. If you have a headache or are dizzy all the time, you may need to take a few days away from work and city stress to regain your quality of life. Also, an exercise routine will help you combat this condition. To find out more: Could stress be the reason you feel ‘off the hook’?
6. You are irritable. When you’re very stressed, your brain stem – the primitive part of your brain – takes over, and the part that allows you to plan gives up part of it. For this reason, you can explode for practically anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem.
7. You drink (or smoke) more than before. After a hard day at work, all you want to do is get home, open a bottle of beer, and drink while watching TV. There’s nothing wrong with having a beer or two after work, but if you feel like this is an escape method, pay attention.
8. You lose your appetite or overeat. Due to anxiety, you eat all the time – and not exactly healthy things – or, outright, you lose all desire to eat. This can be seen reflected, among many other things, in your weight. After a hard day at work, all you want is to get home, open a bottle of beer and drink while watching TV.
9. You become negative. Negative thoughts have taken over you: whatever happens, everything is wrong. Seeing the negative side of all things is a sign that you are not enjoying what you do and that your daily activities are overwhelming you.
10. You are anxious. Even if it is the weekend and you are away from the office, you feel anxious and worried. This is reflected in the adoption of hobbies such as biting your nails or even nervous tics.
5 ways how stress affects your body.
When a person is under pressure, he is usually more irascible. Everyone experiences stress at some point in their life. The death of a loved one, a job change, and even any day-to-day responsibility can trigger a period of stress. And although many scientific studies endorse stress in the short term as a key element in survival, in the long term the consequences it brings to the body can be devastating if we do not remedy it. Why does stress make you fat? Irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches, and insomnia are among the consequences most cited by specialists, all of them referring to symptoms related to behavior or mental state. But adrenaline and cortisol can also affect and weaken different organs or parts of the body, explains the American Institute of Stress (AIS), a nonprofit organization that offers information on the role of stress in health and disease. “There is growing evidence of links between poor stress management and physical illness,” says Dr. Daniel K. Hall.
1. Immune system The rush of hormones that stress releases reduce the body’s response to outside invaders. Viruses, bacteria, and other agents harmful to health have it easier to penetrate our bodies. People with chronic stress tend to have more colds and are more exposed to viruses. The psychologist Kristin Hadfield tells that “stress has a lot of negative effects on our body. When you are stressed, you are more susceptible to contracting viral diseases.” The common cold and flu, as well as other infections, are the most common, but stress can also increase the time it takes to recover from an illness or injury.
2. Sexuality and the reproductive system If there is one thing that experts agree on, it is that stress is exhausting on both the body and the mind. That’s why, says the American Institute of Stress, it’s not uncommon to lose your sex drive during times of high stress. If stress goes on for a long time, a man’s testosterone levels can start to drop. This can interfere with sperm production and cause erectile dysfunction or impotence. Stress not only lowers desire, but it can also lead to impotence. Chronic stress can also increase the risk of infection for male reproductive organs such as the prostate and testicles. For women, stress can affect the menstrual cycle. It can lead to irregular, heavier, or more painful periods. Chronic stress can also magnify the physical symptoms of menopause.
3. Digestive system Heartburn, reflux, bloating, or constipation are some of the most uncomfortable long-term effects when stress becomes chronic. Also, in response to this situation, the liver produces sugar that goes directly into the bloodstream. What to do to relieve uncomfortable irritable bowel symptoms This is another surprising cause of type 2 diabetes that you may never have thought about Long-term stressors may not be able to cope with this extra glucose spike. This implies an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Stress can affect digestion and how nutrients are absorbed in the gut. The higher amount of glucose in the blood increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. “It can lead to poor mental health, memory and learning, and poorer metabolic regulation,” says Kristin Hadfield.
4. Heart and respiratory system If you already have a breathing problem like asthma or emphysema, stress can make breathing more difficult. In stressful situations, the heart also pumps faster. Hormones cause blood vessels to contract and divert more oxygen to muscles, which increases blood pressure. Higher blood pressure increases the risk of having a heart attack. As a result, frequent stress makes the heart work too hard for too long. When blood pressure rises, so does the risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
5. The muscles ‘Muscle tension’ from stress can cause headaches, back and shoulder pain, and body aches. It is difficult to think of any illness in which stress cannot play an aggravating role. But if all these internal symptoms weren’t enough, chronic stress favors the appearance of behavioral imbalances, such as eating disorders or drug or alcohol abuse. “It is difficult to think of any disease in which stress cannot play an aggravating role or in any part of the body that is not affected,” explains the American Institute of Stress.
It is because of many causative factors responsible for a particular person’s surroundings and happenings to him-which have made his behavioral changes accordingly. I have tried to elaborate on various causative factors and the reaction by a particular person undergoing within him. As a matter of logic, those reactions are reflecting in his peculiar behavior.
Complexities arising out of Stress & How to go ahead with them: –
It is because of many causative factors responsible for a particular person’s surroundings and happenings to him-which have made his behavioral changes accordingly. I have tried to elaborate on various causative factors and the reaction by a particular person undergoing within him. As a matter of logic, those reactions are reflecting in his peculiar behavior.
Let us go ahead and try to co-relate these complexities to human behavior as against coping with such stressful situations. In these, extremely stressful situations-those with warning signs should be treated by a healthcare professional as soon as possible.
1. If the person is violent, it may be necessary to notify the police.
2. When there are no red flags, see a doctor in a day or two if the personality or behavior change is recent.
3. If the change occurred gradually over some time, a doctor should be seen as soon as is practical, although a delay of about a week is not harmful.
4. Doctor’s performance: – First, the doctor asks about the patient’s symptoms and her medical history. Doctors perform a clinical examination, including a neurological examination with a mental status examination (which assesses the ability to pay attention, memory, mood, and the ability to think abstractly, follow commands, and use language, among other things). What they find during the history and physical examination often suggests a possible cause for the changes and the tests that may need to be done. Then according to the diagnosis, the treatment would start on various indications diagnosed accordingly. Let us leave it here and the Medical approach is the recourse for such adversely complex people who because of one or the other stressful condition enter such a complexity. Let us all remain always jolly and try to inculcate this happiness in everybody whomsoever we come in contact. That is why let us follow the following: –
An easy remedy to all & for all of us: –
Let us adopt the following in our day-to-day functioning: –
“More smiling, less worrying.
“You must learn to let go.
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
“We must have a pie.
“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.
Finally, I would conclude by saying: –
“It Is Not Stress That Kills You-It Is Our Reaction To It”.