What is Stress? A Closer Look

Thanks to its emerging presence in daily life, stress has become a modern day buzzword with mostly negative connotations. With its prevalence on the rise, you may find yourself thinking, “What is stress, exactly?” In short bursts, stress can be useful, helping you avoid danger or concentrate on an important deadline. But ongoing stress may be harmful to your health and wellbeing, causing physical ailments such as high blood pressure or heart disease, as well as emotional issues, such as anxiety or unhappiness.

Understanding what causes stress and how it affects you can help with managing it better.

What is Stress?

Stress is the body’s reaction to a challenge or demand. It refers to feelings of emotional or physical tension, and sources of stress could include any thoughts or events that generate feelings of frustration, anger, apprehension or nervousness.

How Long Does Stress Last?

When asking a healthcare practitioner “What is stress?” they may refer to both acute and chronic forms of stress.

Acute: This type of stress occurs within a few minutes or hours of a certain event. It is usually intense and lasts for a short period of time.

Chronic: This type of stress lasts for longer periods of time or may keep recurring. If you are regularly under a lot of pressure or find daily life difficult, this is what stress type you may be experiencing.

Is Stress Normal?

When considering the question, “What is stress?” you may be wondering what stress experiences constitute as normal. Stress is fundamentally a normal human reaction that everyone has from time to time. The human body has been designed to tolerate stress and react to it accordingly. Small amounts of stress can be positive, helping us to complete tasks or feel more energized. However, stress can become problematic when it is very intense or symptoms are ongoing.

There are two commonly acknowledged categories of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress refers to stress that has a positive effect on you, helping energize and motivate you towards making a change. Certain stress responses can help your body to adjust to new situations, or alert you to danger to help you stay safe. Distress, on the other hand, refers to stress that has a negative impact on your wellbeing. This type of stress is usually intense or persistent with no relief.

What Causes Stress?

A natural follow-up question to “What is stress?” is “What causes stress?” There are many circumstances that may contribute to stress, whether it is one larger event or a build-up of smaller issues. Pinpointing what stressors are troubling you may therefore be difficult.

Some contributors may include:

• Feeling under a lot of pressure
• Facing big changes in your life e.g. divorce or bereavement
• Not feeling as if you have control over certain situations
• Having overwhelming responsibilities
• Worrying about things/something
• Experiencing periods of uncertainty
• Not having enough activities, work or change in your life

What Stress Responses Does the Body Have?

When taking a closer look at what stress is, we need to observe the autonomic nervous system. This is responsible for controlling functions such as your breathing, heart rate and changes in vision. It has a built-in “fight or flight” response that helps the body handle stressful situations. This response is helpful when activated appropriately for short periods of time. However, prolonged activation can lead to wear and tear on the body. And the hormones that the body produces to react to stress may result in negative emotional, behavioral and physical stress symptoms.

Physical stress symptoms include:

• Chest pain
• Racing heart
• Trouble breathing
• Aches and pains
• Exhaustion or difficulty sleeping
• Blurred vision or sore eyes
• Shaking or trembling
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Sexual issues
• Indigestion or heart burn
• Digestive problems
• Jaw clenching or muscle tension
• High blood pressure
• Feeling sick or nauseous
• Changes to your menstrual cycle
• Sweating
• Rashes or itchy skin
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• A weakened immune system
• Exacerbation of existing physical conditions
• Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (“broken heart” syndrome)

Emotional stress responses may include:

• Irritability or impatience
• Anxiety or depression
• Panic attacks
• Feelings of overwhelm
• Nervousness and fear
• Racing thoughts
• Indecision
• Lack of concentration or brain fog
• Nail biting
• General disinterest in life
• Low sex drive
• Restlessness
• Crying or feeling tearful
• A lack of humor
• Worry and tension
• A sense of dread
• Exacerbation of existing mental conditions
• Suicidal thoughts

And behavioral symptoms of stress may include:

• Alcohol abuse
• Gambling
• Overeating or developing an eating disorder
• Compulsive sex, shopping or internet browsing
• Smoking or drug abuse
• Lack of exercise or over-exercising
• Withdrawing from social interactions

When seeking to gain a better understanding of what stress is, it’s important to understand that short patches of stress are normal, but long-term stressors can lead to the emotional, behavioral and physical stress symptoms described above. There are different strategies to help you manage your stress better, including medication, certain products or lifestyle changes, but you should reach out to your doctor if you are feeling overwhelmed by your symptoms.