What is stress? What is he like? In the scientific literature, such a condition is described as a mental and physical reaction of the body to annoying or frightening situations that occasionally arise in life. Stress is also called the protective mechanism given to us by nature. However, sadly, in our life, he is increasingly working not for the benefit, but against us, and can do gigantic harm to both the psychological and physical health of a person.
Stress power
So, we already know that stress is a universal reaction of the body, which, if necessary, serves as a kind of switch of the necessary protective abilities of the human body. However, the stimulus must have great strength so that the body, in addition to the main defense mechanisms, decides to connect several reactions, which are combined under the general name "stress". Today it is proved that severe stress is not only negative, but also positive for the body, neutralizing the effects caused by exposure to strong irritants. By the way, the stress response is inherent not only to man, but also to other living beings. But since the social factor matters here, people are most susceptible to stress.
The effect of stress on humans
Doctors have proven that stress is one of the main causes of diseases of a psychosomatic nature. Regardless of age, gender, profession, all population groups are subject to stressful conditions. At the same time, its long-term effect leads to such disorders as increased pressure, failure of the heart rhythm and digestion, gastritis and colitis, to headaches, decreased libido, etc.
Stress by Hans Selye
Canadian physiologist Hans Selye in 1936 for the first time in the world defined the concept of stress. According to him, stress is a reaction of a living organism to internal or external strong irritation, while it must exceed the permissible endurance limit. Thus, the body through stress struggles with any threats. This concept has been approved by many scientists and laid the foundation for the doctrine of this. Threats in this concept began to be called stressors, which are divided into two main types: physical and psychological. The first include pain, heat or cold, any damage accompanied by pain, etc. And the psychological ones include resentment, fear, anger, etc.
Stress and distress
According to many scientists, not every stress is evil. It can have a positive effect on the body. Based on this, Hans Selye decided to subdivide this phenomenon into two types: stress and distress. The latter is harmful to us. It is precisely as a result of this that sometimes irreversible changes occur in the body. For example, stress has been shown to double the risk of a heart attack.
Stages of Stress
Naturally, the Canadian scientist Hans Selye also made the first and main contribution to the study of the stages of stress. In 1926, while still studying at the medical institute, he discovered that the symptoms of illness in patients with different diagnoses are very similar. This led Selye to the idea that organisms, faced with the same powerful load, begin to respond to it the same way. So, for example, symptoms such as weight loss, weakness and apathy, loss of appetite, were observed with serious diseases such as cancer, various infectious diseases, blood loss, etc. Naturally, the scientist began to torment the question of what it's related. For 10 years he worked in this direction, a lot of research was carried out. The results were very interesting, but medicine did not want to recognize them. According to Selye, the body, no matter how adaptive it may be, refuses to adapt under extremely strong influence. In addition, the scientist was able to find out that different stimuli lead to the same biochemical changes in organ systems. Despite the skepticism of doctors, Selye did not stop there and soon managed to prove that in this case it is hormones that play a crucial role. They are the ones that cause stress. The stages of this phenomenon, according to Selye, are divided into the following stages: anxiety, resistance and exhaustion.
Features of stress at each of the three stages
The first is the preparatory phase, which is called anxiety. At this stage, special hormones of the adrenal glands (noradrenaline and adrenaline) are released, which prepare the body for either protection or flight. As a result of this, its resistance to infections and diseases is sharply reduced. During this period, appetite is also disturbed (decreased or increased), digestion failures are observed, etc. If troubles are quickly resolved due to any physical activity, then these changes will soon pass without a trace. And in the case of a long-term stressful situation, the body is depleted. Some extremely powerful stressors can even be fatal. By the way, this can be both physical and psycho-emotional stress. The stages of this phenomenon, if there is soil for this, quickly succeed each other.
The second stage is the stage of resistance (resistance). This happens when adaptive capabilities allow fighting. At this stage, a person feels rather well, almost the same as in a healthy state. However, he may show aggressiveness and excitability.
The third stage of stress is exhaustion. She is in nature closer to the first. The body after a long exposure to stress is no longer able to mobilize its reserves. All symptoms at this stage are like a “cry for help”. In the body, various psychosomatic disorders are observed . If you do not fight this, then at this stage severe diseases can develop, sometimes even fatal. In the event that the causes of stress are psychological in nature, that is, there is emotional stress, then decompensation can lead to deep depression or a nervous breakdown. At this stage, the patient will in no way be able to help himself, he will need the help of a specialist.
The main types of stress
Let us recall what stress is. This is a general (non-specific) reaction of the body to physiological and physical effects. It manifests itself most often in changing the functions of various organ systems. The main types of stress are: physical (injuries, infections, etc.) and emotional (nervous disorders, feelings, etc.). In modern life, professional stress is also distinguished. Its stages proceed in the same way as in the case of other species.
Types of Occupational Stress
So, let's discuss what characterizes this state of stress. As you know, often people involved in any activity and performing their work are in constant tension, which is caused by various extreme and emotionally negative factors. This is professional stress. There are several varieties of it, namely: informational, communicative and emotional.
In the first case, stress arises due to the fact that a person does not have time to cope with the task assigned to him or make the right decision due to lack of time. The reasons for this are many: uncertainty, lack of information, suddenness, etc.
Communicative stress is caused by specific problems associated with business communication. Its manifestations are increased irritability due to the inability to protect oneself from someone else's communicative aggression, the inability to express their dissatisfaction or to defend themselves from manipulation. In addition, one of the important factors is the mismatch of style and pace of communication.
Well, emotional stress, as a rule, arises from a fear of real or even perceived danger, from strong experiences of a different nature, as well as from feelings of humiliation, guilt, resentment or anger, leading to a breakdown in business relations with colleagues and a conflict situation with management.
The positive and negative effects of stress
When we talk about this phenomenon, we mean something bad, negative. However, this is not entirely true. After all, stress is a protective mechanism, an attempt by the body to adapt, that is, adapt to unusual and new conditions for it. Of course, in this case we are talking about emotional stress, and it turns out that it can be both “bad” and, conversely, “good”. In science, good stress is called eustress. If it is not strong, this condition contributes to the mobilization of the body. Positive is also stress caused by good emotions. For example, a big win in the lotto, a victory of your favorite sports team, the joy of meeting a person who has not been seen for ages, etc. Yes, joy is, although positive, but still stress. The stages of its development, of course, are not the same as described above. However, even positive stress can have negative consequences for some people, for example, hypertensive patients, even such pleasant emotions are contraindicated. Such stress, as you know, in most cases is short-term, short-lived. As for the negative, they call them a condition caused by negative emotions. In science, it is denoted by the word "distress." It negatively affects not only the nervous, but also the immune system. If the stressors are very strong, then the body will not be able to cope on its own, and specialist intervention will be needed here.
How to protect yourself from stress: treatment and prevention
In our dynamically developing world, it is difficult to deal with the negative manifestations of stress. And to avoid them is almost impossible. Emotional stress is most often observed in minor people who like to feel sorry for themselves, gossip, gossip, see bad things. To avoid this, a person should control his thoughts, tune himself to good. You can engage in any socially useful activity, have an interesting hobby, go to the gym or pool, read interesting literature and visit museums, exhibitions, etc. However, situations arise in life when people are simply unable to cope with the emotional load and its negative effects on the body. What to do in this case? Of course, here medications should come to the rescue: potions and pills for nerves and stress. Many of them are made from various herbs. The substances contained in their composition have a beneficial effect on the nervous and immune systems. Such plants include hawthorn, heather, valerian, oregano, passionflower, lemon balm, peony, hops, motherwort, etc. Therefore, tinctures of these medicinal herbs, as well as pills based on them, will help a person. When buying pills for nerves and stress, look at their packaging. Here, for sure, some of these plants will be indicated in the composition. However, before taking them, it is better to consult a doctor. He will prescribe you a comprehensive treatment using various means - both medication and psycho-emotional.
Stress Relievers
Drugs that can calm in a stressful situation are called tranquilizers in pharmacology. They relieve anxiety, allow a person to get rid of obsessive negative thoughts, relax and soothe. It can be sleeping pills or muscle relaxants. Also in these cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - benzodiazepines - help. They are usually fast-acting. Within 30 minutes can bring relief. These medications are ideal for many nervous conditions and panic attacks. Other medications that help in stressful situations and are used to treat stress are beta-blockers, antidepressants, etc. Nowadays, Novo-Passit, Persen, Tenaten, Nodepress and others are recognized as the best drugs.
Stress and our smaller brothers
Not only people, but also animals are subject to stress. For pets, various drugs have also been invented that help them in a stressful situation and relieve discomfort. Pills for cats “Stop stress” will help your pets feel great and not feel anxiety and other unpleasant sensations. There are similar drugs for dogs.
Many tetrapods are prone to various phobias, and Stop-stress tablets are the best remedy for this. Reviews of dog owners say that after several days of admission, the pets will behave like silk and will again delight you with their gentle behavior.