Stress: stages. Stress condition: causes, treatment, prevention

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

What is stress? What does he represent? In the scientific literature, this condition is described as a mental and physical reaction of the body to annoying or frightening situations that arise from time to time in life. Stress is also called a defense mechanism given to us by nature. However, sadly, in our life it is increasingly working not for our benefit, but against us, and can bring enormous harm to both the psychological and physical he alth of a person.

Power of stress

So, we already know that stress is a universal reaction of the body, which, if necessary, serves as a kind of switch on 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 united by the common name "stress". Today it has been proven that severe stress has not only a negative, but also a positive value for the body, neutralizing the consequences caused by exposure to the strongest stimuli. By the way, stressreaction is inherent not only to man, but also to other living beings. But since the social factor is important here, people are most susceptible to stress.

The effect of stress on a person

Doctors have proved that stress is one of the main causes of psychosomatic diseases. Regardless of age, gender, profession, all groups of the population are prone to stress. At the same time, its prolonged exposure leads to such disorders as increased pressure, heart rhythm and digestion failure, gastritis and colitis, headaches, decreased libido, etc.

Stress according to 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 an internal or external strong irritation, while it must exceed the permissible endurance limit. Thus, the body fights against any threats through stress. This concept has been approved by many scientists and is the basis of the doctrine of this. Threats in this concept began to be called stressors, which are divided into two main types: physical and psychological. The former include pain, heat or cold, any injuries accompanied by pain, etc. And the psychological ones include resentment, fear, anger, etc.

Stress and Distress

According to many scientists, not all stress is evil. It can also have a positive effect on the body. Based on this, Hans Selye decided to divide this phenomenon into two types: stress and distress. Lastand is harmful to us. As a result, sometimes irreversible changes occur in the body. For example, stress has been shown to nearly double the risk of a heart attack.

Stages of development of stress

Naturally, the first and main contribution to the study of the stages of stress was also made by the Canadian scientist Hans Selye. In 1926, while still in medical school, he discovered that the symptoms of diseases of patients with different diagnoses are largely similar. This led Selye to the idea that organisms, faced with the same powerful load, begin to respond to it in the same way. For example, symptoms such as weight loss, weakness and apathy, loss of appetite were observed in such serious diseases as cancer, various infectious diseases, blood loss, etc. Naturally, the scientist began to be tormented by the question of what It's connected. For 10 years he worked in this direction, many studies were carried out. The results were very interesting, but medicine did not want to recognize them. According to Selye, an organism, no matter how adaptable it may be, refuses to adapt when exposed to an extremely strong impact. 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 hormones play a crucial role in this case. 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 stage, which is called anxiety. At this stage, special adrenal hormones (norepinephrine and adrenaline) are released, which prepare the body either for defense or for flight. As a result of this, its resistance to infections and diseases is sharply reduced. During this period, appetite is also disturbed (decreases or increases), there are malfunctions in the process of digestion, etc. If the troubles are quickly resolved due to any physical activity, then these changes will soon disappear 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, it can be both physical and psycho-emotional stress. The stages of this phenomenon, if there is ground for this, quickly replace each other.

The second stage is the stage of resistance (resistance). This happens when adaptive capabilities allow you to fight. At this stage, a person feels quite well, almost the same as in a he althy state. However, he may become aggressive and excitable.

The third stage of stress is exhaustion. It is closer in character to the former. 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". Various psychosomatic disorders are observed in the body. If this is not de alt with, then at this stageserious illness, 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.

Main types of stress

Remember again what stress is. This is a general (non-specific) reaction of the body to physiological and physical effects. It manifests itself most often in a change in the functions of certain organ systems. The main types of stress are: physical (injuries, infections, etc.) and emotional (nervous disorders, experiences, etc.). In modern life, there is also professional stress. 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, the cause of which is 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 from 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. There are many reasons for this: uncertainty, lack ofinformation, surprise, etc.

Professional stress of a communicative nature 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 one's dissatisfaction or protect oneself from manipulation. In addition, one of the important factors is the discrepancy between the style and pace of communication.

Well, emotional stress, as a rule, arises from fear of a real or even perceived danger, from strong feelings of a different nature, as well as from feelings of humiliation, guilt, resentment or anger, leading to a break in business relations with colleagues and conflict management situations.

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, to 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 state contributes to the mobilization of the body. Positive is also the stress caused by good emotions. For example, a big win in the lotto, the victory of your favorite sports team, the joy of meeting a person who has not been seen for ages, etc. Yes, joy is, althoughpositive, but still stressful. 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, for hypertensive patients, even such pleasant excitement is contraindicated. Such stress, as you know, in most cases is short-term, short-lived. As for the negative, they call the state caused by negative emotions. In science, it is denoted by the word "distress". It has a negative effect not only on the nervous system, but also on 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 it's almost impossible to avoid them. Emotional stress is most often observed in minor people who like to feel sorry for themselves, slander, gossip, see the bad in everything. To avoid this, a person must control his thoughts, set himself up for good. You can engage in any socially useful activity, have an interesting hobby, go to the gym or swimming pool, read interesting literature and visit museums, exhibitions, etc. However, situations arise in life when people are simply unable to cope with emotional stress and its negative impact on the body. What to do in this case? Of course, medications should come to the rescue here: potions and pills for nerves and stress. Many ofthey are made from various herbs. The substances contained in their composition have a beneficial effect on the nervous and immune systems. These plants include hawthorn, heather, valerian, oregano, passionflower, lemon balm, peony, hops, motherwort, etc. This means that 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 Remedies

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. These may 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 drugs are ideal during many nervous conditions and panic attacks. Other medicines that help in stressful situations and are used to treat stress are beta-blockers, antidepressants, etc. To date, Novo-Passit, Persen, Tenaten, Nodepress andothers.

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 situations of stress and relieve discomfort. Stop Stress Cat Tablets will help your pets feel great and not experience anxiety and other unpleasant sensations. There are similar preparations for dogs.

Many four-legged animals are prone to various phobias, and Stop Stress pills are the best remedy for this. Reviews from dog owners say that after a few days of taking the pets, they will behave like silk and begin to please you with their affectionate behavior again.