The little teaching of stress

We all know the feeling: Everything becomes too much, you feel overwhelmed or exhausted. You're restless inside and wish you could freeze time or sleep for 20 hours straight. Stress has become a widespread disease, yet everyone experiences it differently.

Find out what you should know about stress.

Definition: What exactly is stress?

There are now numerous definitions of stress. Many of them relate to psychological stress, or rather, what we understand as stress today. From a medical perspective, stress is a physical reaction that is intended to make the body particularly efficient in a short period of time and by no means causes illness (more on this in a moment). Today, I would like to focus particularly on the biopsychological understanding of stress, as this combines the medical/physical component with the subjective perception of stress (stress as we know it today).

Stress is a process that consists of three components:

1. The stress phenomenon consists of a stimulus, the stressor,
2. one subjective Experience component (usually with coping action) and
3. one Stress reaction, which is manifested by a deflection from the physical balance.

Let me illustrate this with an example. Let's say I'm visiting friends who have dogs. And let's also assume I don't like dogs and am afraid of them. At the front door, my friend's dog jumps up at me to greet me (Stressor). The fact that the dog comes so close to me annoys me and makes me afraid (subjective experience component), I assess the stressor as aversive. I recoil slightly and try to hold the dog a little away from me with my hands (Coping behavior). My body reacts to the situation by getting warm, my heart beating faster and I notice my hands getting sweaty. This is the Stress reaction.

This example makes it clear that stress can mean something different for everyone. If I were a total dog lover, such a situation wouldn't bother me; I might even be very happy about this warm greeting, and no stress would arise. The stimulus itself (the dog jumps on me) remains the same, but the subjective experience component is different, and the stress reaction doesn't occur.

Evolution: Why does my body react to stress?

From an evolutionary perspective, our body's response to stress is a rational response to stressors that pose an immediate threat. For our early ancestors, such threats were primarily predators. This wasn't a matter of personal preference, but of life and death. If our ancestor had to deal with, say, a saber-toothed tiger, he could either fight or flee. In stress research, this "fight-flight response" is considered largely identical to the body's stress response.

Nowadays, fortunately, we are no longer exposed to such threats, or are hardly exposed to them at all.Therefore, any type of stress that forces the organism to adapt is considered stress. This can range from working under time pressure and emotional stress, to forced decision-making, to food deprivation and extreme temperature fluctuations. If we lack the appropriate coping mechanisms for these situations, stress occurs.

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The problem is that cultural and civilizational demands change repeatedly and quite rapidly. Our genetic makeup, including our bodies and brains, can't keep up. They couldn't adapt quickly enough to the changing conditions. This means that all internal organ systems are activated when a stressor requires a response – even though fight-or-flight behavior would rarely be appropriate.

Stress response: How does my body react to stress?

As described above, the body must first perceive a stressor, i.e., a "threatening" stimulus. This stimulus usually appears suddenly (a dog jumping on me/a car honking/the boss showing up in my office/etc.).

The sympathetic nervous system, part of the autonomic nervous system, kicks in and primarily controls activation processes necessary for the fight-or-flight response: It increases blood pressure, increases cardiac output, and dilates the bronchi. Norepinephrine, adrenaline, and cortisol are also released. Cortisol, in particular, serves to provide energy in the body. Muscles tense.

In this state of heightened alertness, the body is ready to face the “dangerous situation”.

Now you can react to the stressor and manage the situation. Then the physical stress reaction subsides, and the body returns to its normal state.

So far we have spoken about acute threatening stimuli. But what happens in the body when we are constantly stressed? This is common, especially in our modern world.

The adrenal cortex, which produces and releases stress hormones, is then permanently active. This is very strenuous and exhausting for our bodies. Because the production of stress hormones requires a lot of nutrients and a lot of energy, which eventually runs out. The body can no longer react appropriately and sooner or later enters a state of exhaustion.

Types of stress: Is there “good” stress?

We automatically associate stress with negativity. As we saw at the beginning, stress is actually "just" a sensible reaction of our body to protect us from danger. It needs to create an imbalance to provide us with sufficient energy and resources. For example, the birth of a child or a surprise party is also a type of stress... There are basically two types of stress:

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Eustress

Eustress refers to the type of stress that briefly throws you off balance, but in the long run is beneficial and helps you move forward. To use the example from just now, this could be the birth of a child, a personal challenge, fasting, an exam, or even exercise.In these situations we become excited; our body is full of energy.

Distress

Eustress's counterpart is distress. This type of stress also throws us off balance and even harms us in the long run. It includes demands and situations that we perceive as negative and that we often cannot handle satisfactorily. Distress usually lasts longer or becomes a permanent condition. Typical examples of distress in today's society include constant availability due to digitalization, anxiety about the future, time pressure, or the constant stress of raising children and working. When we experience distress, we feel overwhelmed and consumed.

Distress, on the other hand, includes all demands and situations that one perceives as negative. Often, one cannot handle them to one's satisfaction. The result: one feels overworked and consumed. Typical factors that cause distress in today's society include constant availability due to digitalization, the double burden of childcare and work, and fears about the future due to insecure employment.

Stress management: How do I deal with stress?

Some people love exercise to really burn off energy. Others would rather do anything than go for a jog. This just goes to show that the same stimulus can cause eustress for some people and distress for others.

Essentially, we can determine for ourselves what stress means to us. Stress is very subjective. Therefore, stress management aims not only at reducing the stress itself, but also at adapting or changing our own way of thinking. Of course, some stress cannot be avoided or simply disappears overnight. Nevertheless, we can always choose how we deal with stress.

There are professional stress management programs, and psychotherapy can also help you learn how to cope with stress. Chronic stress can have devastating effects on your physical and mental health. To name just a few consequences: cardiovascular disease, stomach ulcers, brain cell death, depression...

That sounds quite frightening and shows once again why it's important to lead a balanced life and treat yourself to breaks every now and then. Especially in today's society, many people suffer from chronic stress. And that really shouldn't be underestimated.

In this blog post I'll present some ways to reduce stress that don't require much effort. Maybe there's something there for you, too!

If you would like to learn more about mindfulness, healthy eating or sustainability, take a look here over.

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