People say that all diseases are from nerves. And this statement is partly true. The impact of stress on human he alth is one of the most serious and pressing issues today. The fast rhythm of life, psychological stress and the desire to do everything make themselves felt. People often get sick, referring to overwork or stress. What is it and what are the causes of stress?
What do we know about stress?
Stress has long been an integral part of life, perhaps, of every person. Psychologists under this word mean a special condition, physical and neuropsychic stress. In modern conditions, it is almost impossible to avoid it. At the same time, different people have different reactions to the same loads. So, for example, one group reacts actively, that is, their work productivity continues to grow to the maximum possible limit (psychologists call this type "lion stress"). Another group of people shows a passive reaction, i.e. their workingproductivity immediately drops (it's a "stress rabbit").
In addition, stress can be acute. That is, it occurs once and is characterized by severe physical and mental shock. An example of such a form would be accidents. A person once gets into extreme conditions, then comes rehabilitation. However, there is a long-term form, when stress gradually accumulates, overwhelming a person. It could be extended family conflicts or a typical workload.
Stress and he alth are interconnected components. To find the key to recovery from illness, you need to understand the causes that cause stress.
Reasons
The causes of stress are external stimuli, or stressors. These are uncomfortable situations that a person finds himself in at work, at home, at school, etc. They have a different nature, degree of impact, consequences.
Stressors include any changes in a person's life. But not all situations can be regarded as negative, pressing, constraining. The severity of stress is deeply individual. And its root lies in uncertainty and loss of control over the situation. In many ways, the impact of stressors depends on a person's awareness of personal responsibility and the establishment of personal participation in the established state of affairs.
Classification
Specialists divide the factors that cause stress into two main groups: physiological and psychological. This classification is based on the nature of stressors. According to the degree of manifestation of stressors - this is theirkind of restriction. They can be actual and possible (or potential).
Types of stressors of the second category depend on psychological attitudes and individual abilities of a person. Simply put, is he able to adequately assess the degree of load and correctly distribute it without harming his he alth.
However, stressors are not always external stimuli. Sometimes stress arises due to a discrepancy between the desired and the actual. That is, the stress factor focuses on the very collision of the inner and outer worlds of a person. From this position, stressors are divided into subjective and objective. The first correspond to the incompatibility of genetic programs with modern conditions, incorrect implementation of conditioned reflexes, incorrect communication and personal attitudes, etc. Objective stressors include housing and working conditions, emergencies, and interaction with people.
As you can see, the boundaries between all categories can be called conditional. The stressors of the first category are of the greatest interest for consideration.
Physiological
Physiological factors that cause stress include:
- Unacceptable physical activity
- Pain effects
- Extreme temperatures, noise and light exposure
- Using excessive amounts of certain drugs (such as caffeine or amphetamines), etc.
Into the group of physiological stressorscan be attributed to hunger, thirst, isolation. Depending on the degree and duration of exposure, these stressors can cause significant or minor harm to he alth.
Typical responses to physiological stress include increased heart rate, muscle tension, tremors in the limbs, and increased blood pressure.
Psychological
According to experts, psychological stressors are the most destructive for the human body. They are conditionally divided into informational and emotional:
- Information load (competition).
- Threat to self-esteem or immediate environment.
- Immediate decision needed.
- Too much responsibility for someone or something.
- Conflict situations (various motives).
- Danger signal, etc.
Emotional stressors are known to be the most profound in their impact. They form resentments and fears in a person, which over time, without an adequate assessment of the situation, like a weed, will only grow. Thus, stress and he alth will become a single whole, a destructive mechanism.
Professional
Occupational stressors are a mixed group. They combine psychological and physiological stressors. These are external irritants and loads that each person experiences at work. Consider the example of a rescue worker. It most clearly accumulates the maximum level of stressors. Namelyextreme situations with high responsibility, mental stress of readiness, negative environmental factors, information uncertainty, lack of time for decision-making and danger to life.
It is noteworthy that stressors tend to "infect" the masses with themselves. Using the same example of an employee of the rescue service, one can see that not only the performer of the task is subjected to stress, but also the team and family of the employee. This is due to the psychological factors of interaction, trust, solidarity in society. Thus, when distributing the internal load and reserves, a person gets rid of the accumulated stress.
The effects of stress
The impact of stress on human he alth, regardless of its degree of impact, is a negative phenomenon and has a fairly wide range of psychological, physical and social consequences. All of them can be divided into:
- Primary - appear on the psychological and intellectual level in connection with the occurrence of extreme situations (loss of attention, fatigue, psychoneurotic states).
- Secondary - arise as a result of unsuccessful attempts to overcome a maladaptive state. Among these consequences are emotional "burnout", abuse of nicotine, alcohol or sedatives, decreased performance, aggressive or depressive states.
- Tertiary - combine the psychological, social, intellectual and physical aspects. They can be expressed in deformationpersonality, increased conflicts with other people due to internal disorder, breaking family and work ties, loss of work, education, pessimism and social apathy. The extreme degree of tertiary consequences are suicides.
