Element E-Zine
What Is Stress?
Welcome to Element E-Zine! This week we’ll be discussing stress, what it is and how it can affect us. This is the first part of a 3-part series on how to manage stress.
Many people underestimate the effect that stress can have on their lives, and are often unaware of the connection between stress and the physical and psychological impact it has on their well-being.
Stress is as varied as each individual’s ability to cope with it. Have you ever felt completely stressed out about an assignment, or exam, and yet other people around you seem perfectly calm and relaxed about the same thing that’s stressing you out? Everyone copes differently with stress and reacts differently to the stressors we face in our lives.
What is the difference between stress and stressors?
Stress is a pattern of physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses to real or imagined stimuli. It is a product of natural selection; that is, it is a behavioural adaptation that helps us to confront or escape threatening situations.
Stressors are the generally aversive stimuli which cause the stress response. They can come in numerous forms, and aren’t necessarily always bad. For example, a positive stressor can affect behaviour in positive ways, such as competing in an athletic competition or doing an exam. Negative stressors affect behaviour in negative ways. They may include catastrophic events such as natural disasters, or may be relatively trivial such as being late for an important appointment.
Other positive stressors may be giving a speech, having a due date for an assignment, nerves when going for an interview, intense physical exercise, or doing a test.
Other negative stressors may be having a pet die, close family move away, high study pressure, or spending time with people you do not get along with.
When experiencing stress, we experience a range of physical and emotional responses, which in the long-term can have adverse effects on our health.
Some biological changes that may occur when under stress include heart rate increasing, blood pressure rising, digestion stops and perspiration increases. This happens to prepare the body to deal with the stressor, providing a heightened psychological and physical state of alertness and readiness for action. Our bodies respond in the same way to both positive and negative stressors.
Stress is perceived as an emotion. It isn’t the stressor itself that causes the stress, but our emotional response to it, which in turn impacts the nervous system. Many of the harmful effects of long-term stress are caused by our own beliefs and reactions to the stressor.
There are many ways to deal with stress, but it is important to have an understanding of what stress is before you can really start to manage it. Next week, look out for valuable tips on how to effectively manage your stress.
For more info about how personal or group life coaching can help you develop skills in stress management, visit Element Coaching at http://www.elementcoaching.com.
Regards from Marryam
