Stress
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We experience different types of stresses in daily living. Stress can be positive experience. It can motivate us to focus on a task or take action and solve a problem. Positive stress is manageable and helpful when it is motivating, feels exciting, improves performance, and focuses energy. Positive stress can refresh our batteries and result in satisfaction and rewards.
Distress or negative stress occurs when we think that the demands of the situation are greater than our resources to deal with that situation.
For example, someone who feels comfortable speaking in public may not worry about giving a presentation, while someone who isn't confident in their skills may feel a lot of stress about an upcoming presentation. Common sources of stress may include major life events, like moving or changing jobs. Long-term worries, like a long-term illness or parenting, can also feel stressful. Even daily hassles like dealing with traffic can be a source of stress. Stress is unhelpful, when people may feel overwhelmed or feel like they can't possibly fix the problem. In these cases, some people avoid dealing with the original problem altogether, which may make the problem—and stress—worse. It can be very hard to concentrate, make decisions, and feel confident when a person experiences a lot of stress. Many people experience physical sensations like sweating, a racing heart, or tense muscles. Over time, stress can also have a big impact on physical health. Sleep difficulties and headaches are common problems related to stress. People are also more likely to get sick when they're experiencing a lot of stress. ~ Canadian Association for Mental Health
Distress can increase one's risk for chronic disease and be a factor that affects a broad range of health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer and infectious disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome, substance abuse, chronic pain, and psychiatric distress. Stress is a common reason patients seek help from general physicians and specialists.
Stress can be defined as the brain's response to any demand. Many things can trigger this response, including change. Changes can be positive or negative, as well as real or perceived. They may be recurring, short-term, or long-term and may include things like commuting to and from work every day, moving to another home…or dealing with chronic pain.
Positive vs. Negative Stress
Examples of positive personal stress include:
Examples of negative personal stress include:
- Unemployment
- The death of a loved one
- Filing for divorce
- Money problems
- Sleep problems
- Losing contact with loved ones
- Hospitalization, injury or illness (self or loved one)
- Being abused or neglected
- Separation from a spouse or partner
- Conflict in interpersonal relationships
- Children's problems at school
- Legal problems
Other employment concerns can also be causes of distress:
- Making presentations
- Conflicts with colleagues and supervisors
- Excessive job demands
- Job insecurity
- Inadequate authority necessary to carry out tasks
- Lack of training necessary to do the job
- Unproductive and time-consuming meetings
- Commuting and travel schedules
Internal Stressors
Stressors are not always limited to situations where an external situation creates a problem. Internal situations such as feelings and thoughts and behaviors can also cause negative stress.
Some internal common causes of distress include:
- Fears (eg. fears of flying, public speaking, chatting with strangers in social situations)
- Catastrophizing (e.g. predicting a worst case result)
- Worrying about the future (eg. job restructuring or medical test results)
- Unrealistic, perfectionist expectations
- Repetitive thought patterns
Habitual behaviors that can lead to stress include:
- Procrastination or failing to plan ahead
- Overscheduling
- Failing to be assertive
How Much Is Too Much Stress
Signs that you are over-stressed may include:
- Feelings of irritability, sadness or guilt
- Change in sleep patterns
- Change in weight or appetite
- Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
- Negative thinking
- Loss of interest, enjoyment or energy in something you used to enjoy
- Restlessness
Stress is considered to be a risk factor in a great many diseases. Yet there are many ways of dealing with stress that can reduce your risk. Explore the stress reduction tools and resources below.
Mental Wellbeing
Improving your overall mental wellbeing may help. There are five evidence-based stepswe can all take to improve our mental wellbeing:
- Get active
- Connect with others
- Keep learning
- Be aware of yourself and the world
- Give to others
Evidence-Based Overviews
