Stress levels are very in society high today, in part due to changing working conditions and personal finances as the global economy is still in the process of recovery, technology and the new plugged in lifestyles, or a range of other issues.
While there are many reasons for stress, it may be that today’s fast paced lifestyles leave little room to stop and smell the roses and decompress to recover from stressful situations. Prolonged stress can wreak havoc on our bodies, increasing the risk of numerous health conditions.
While there are many reasons for stress, it may be that today’s fast paced lifestyles leave little room to stop and smell the roses and decompress to recover from stressful situations. Prolonged stress can wreak havoc on our bodies, increasing the risk of numerous health conditions.
Stress levels are high
Many Americans lead a fast paced lifestyle with access to information from anywhere we may be. The ‘plugged in’ lifestyle allows us to check email while lying on the couch, explore the internet from the coffee shop, and chat with friends on the go. Unfortunately, it means that people never really leave the office and take a moment to just relax. Meghan Neal of the New York Daily Newsexplains that stress levels have increased by 30% in the past three decades, and it is attributed to financial pressure and not being able to turn off all the information (Neal, 2012). It can be extremely difficult to ease stress when exposed to all kinds of information throughout the day.
In addition to information overload, the economy has been a roller coaster over the last few years with many ups and downs. This has left many without work, others with lower pay, and put companies in the position of setting the bar extremely high for employees. According to the Huffington Post, 8 out of 10 employed individuals are stressed out about their job, worried about pay, long hours, layoffs, and a higher workload (Huffington Post, 2013). Even though unemployment is leveling off, workers are expected to do more with less in order for companies to remain competitive. These higher expectations, coupled with lower pay, exert plenty of stress on those with a job. Those left behind in the recession are left with their own financial burdens and the stress of unemployment.
What is Stress
Stress is commonly thought of as a negative situation in our lives, but it really is more than just a negative situation. Psychology lecturer Saul McLeod explains that “stress is a biological and psychological response experienced on encountering a threat that we feel we do not have the resources to deal with”(McLeod, 2010). Essentially, stress is a reaction to some event that occurs, called the stressor, and not the event itself. Because stress is based on a perceived threat and not a realized threat, it can be caused by different things for different people. If someone is deathly afraid of a spider, then spiders are stressors that will cause stress when experienced. Conversely, a shy, introverted individual may endure stress in large social gatherings, while others find them fun and relaxing.
The biological response that Saul McLeod mentions has been wired into the human body through evolution. When a stressor is encountered, the body jumps into action to respond by generating an acute stress response, which involves producing many different hormones. The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland causing it to produce the adrenocorticotropic hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands so they produce corticosteroid. In addition, the adrenal medulla is stimulated causing it to produce adrenaline, which helps prepare for a fight or flight response (McLeod, 2010). These hormones, and many others, help divert all resources to address the threat, increasing blood pressure, increasing our heart rate, increasing our alertness and giving us more strength. This gives the body the optimal chances at survival, and is perfectly normal and healthy.
If stress is a biological trait that is hard coded into our DNA, why does it affect so many people? The reason is that stress is a reaction to a perceived threat, not a live threatening threat. Even in the most peaceful situations, a person may endure stress when encountering something that will change our current situation. Stress can result from a negative event which causes distress, or a positive event which causes eustress (Psychologists World, 2013). A car accident and getting a huge promotion and raise can both cause a similar biological response and be stressors, even though both are not bad. This is contrary to what most people think of when stress is discussed.
Harmful Health Consequences
While stress is a perfectly normal and healthy short term phenomena, prolonged stress experienced over long periods of time can have devastating health consequences. Neil Schneiderman of the University of Miami explains that stressful situations and stress are linked with depression and often prompt other unhealthy behaviors such as smoking or drinking (Schneiderman, Ironson, & Siegel, 2005). It is not uncommon to see someone smoke or drink after a stressful or traumatic event, and these behaviors have their own health consequences. Stress can also have more direct health implications when endured for long periods of time.
The acute stress response associated with stress can take its toll on the body, especially when stress is frequent and persistent. The Mayo Clinic argues that the disruption to bodily function and activities caused by hormones such as cortisol pose numerous health issues, including heart disease, sleep disorders, digestive disorders, depression, obesity, memory impairment, and some skin diseases (Mayo Clinic, 2013). During the acute stress response, blood pressure rises and heart rate increases to prepare the body to handle a threat. Over long periods of time, this can lead to high blood pressure which can cause numerous other heart problems and heart disease. Also, according to The World Heart Federation, stress can reduce blood flow to the heart, cause an irregular heartbeat, and increase the likelihood of blood clots (World Heart Federation, 2013). The short term implications of these are not serious at all, but over the long term, these can take their toll on the heart. Overeating associated with stress can cause obesity, which in turn poses a risk to the heart as well. Stress itself is a risk factor for heart disease, but other activities associated with stress are also risk factors increasing the risk of heart issues further.
How to Reduce Stress
Because stress is a completely natural part of life, there is not a cure or magic bullet that can solve some of the issues generated from stress. What can be done is limiting the amount of stress in one’s life and focusing on stress reduction techniques to limit the impact that stressors have. The Mayo Clinic suggests identifying stress triggers as the first step to managing stress (Mayo Clinic, 2013). The idea is to figure out what causes an individual’s stress so that stress management techniques can be considered. This makes some good logical sense, it would be difficult to advise a treatment before diagnosing the condition.
Once stressors have been identified, considering ways to limit their effect on life is the next important step in stress management. If politics is a stressor, it would be a good idea to limit the exposure to political discussion. That may mean less radio, TV, or general news, but doing so will reduce the stress that is introduced into life. If stress is caused by a fixed environmental factor that cannot simply be turned off such as the daily commute, then the solution is to find ways to reduce the impact or scale of the stress it imposes. For instance, starting an audiobook can reduce the stress caused by traffic without removing the stressor at all. While these are simple solutions to simple stressors, often larger more traumatic events contribute to stress. When this is the case, talking to someone may really help reduce the hold that trauma has on enjoying life and get issues out into the open. Whatever the stressor, it is important to develop a plan to eliminate the stressor or manage the stress it causes.
Conclusion
Stress is a major issue in today’s fast paced society and affects every person in the world. Everyone’s stress is different, but equally harmful to enjoying life and potentially harmful to health as well. It is critical to evaluate the cause of stress in life and find ways to reduce those stressors or manage the stress they cause. Stress is a completely natural part of life, there is no reason to let get in the way of living and enjoying life.
References
Huffington Post. (2013, April 10). Work stress on the rise: 8 in 10 Americans are stressed about their jobs, survey finds. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/work-stress-jobs-americans_n_3053428.html
Mayo Clinic. (2013). Stress: constant stress puts your health at risk. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001
Mayo Clinic. (2013). Stress management. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-management/MY00435/DSECTION=stress-relief
McLeod, S. A. (2010). What is the Stress Response. Simple Pschology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-biology.html
Neal, M. (2012, June 16). Stress levels soar in America by up to 30% in 30 years.New York Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/stress-levels-soar-america-30-30-years-article-1.1096918
Psychologists World. (2013). What is stress? Retrieved from http://www.psychologistworld.com/stress/whatis.php
Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G. & Siegel, S. (2005, April). Stress and health: psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 607-628. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144141 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2568977/
World Heart Federation. (2013). Stress and Cardiovascular Disease. Retrieved from http://www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/cardiovascular-disease-risk-factors/stress/
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