Nowadays, a person is subject to stressful conditions more than ever, and we are accustomed to perceive stress as a strictly negative phenomenon, which should be avoided. But in fact, it is only a reaction to the adaptation of the organism to the events of the surrounding reality.
There is also a physiological stress caused by factors such as changes in the climate, burns or injuries, diets, constant noise. The cause of the same psychological stress can serve even such moments of life as a change of activity, success at work, a wedding or the birth of a child.
Types and stages of stress
There are two types of stress: eustress (positive) and distress (negative). There are no objective sources of stress (stressors), as each person reacts differently to different situations. Similarly, the inclination to the first or second type of stress is just the result of your purely attitude to the event and further behavior.
In psychology, three stages of development of stress are recorded:
- Anxiety. This stage can last as several minutes, and several weeks. It is accompanied by discomfort, anxiety, fear of the current problem.
- Resistance. At this stage, the person is looking for a solution to the problem. With eustress, resistance is accompanied by increased concentration, activity, and quick reaction. At distress - reflection, inattention, lack of organization, inability to make any decision. Usually, at this stage, a stressful situation should be eliminated, but with the further impact of the stressor, the third stage comes.
- Exhaustion. At this stage of stress, all the energy resources of the body have already been exhausted. A person experiences fatigue, a sense of hopelessness, apathy .
Significantly reduced appetite , a person suffers from insomnia, loses weight and can feel chills. Even a nervous breakdown is possible.
If the stress flows into a chronic form, it leads to violations in the work of the cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and neuroses.
Hormones of stress, like the rest, are also necessary for the body, but their overabundance acts destructively. Therefore, it is better to consider stressful situations as a push to development and try to solve the problem before the stage of exhaustion occurs. Take care of yourself and do not forget the familiar phrase: "If you can not change the situation - change your attitude to it."