Stress Awareness

 Whether we like it or not, stress is a part of our daily lives. We should take time to recognize this and increase our awareness on this very important concern. What better time to do this than now, during Stress Awareness Month. So, let’s talk about stress!
What is Stress?
What do we mean when we say: “I am so stressed out “or That was so stressful”!  We have all heard these commonly used phrases and expressions related to feelings of stress. But what exactly are we talking about?  Actually, stress can be a normal feeling. It is our physical and emotional reaction to an interaction, occurrence, or thought which results in feelings of frustration, fear or nervousness. That makes sense, we encounter something uncomfortable, or that we perceive as a threat, and we react to it. What happens to our body when we react to it is more complex.
Stress falls into two categories: Acute and Chronic. Acute stress is short term and can sometimes be a positive thing, alerting us to a situation that may be unsavory or dangerous. However, if the situation results in more intense feelings, an acute stress response may be triggered. The acute stress response, otherwise known as the fight-or-flight response, could result in an increase in heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and rapid breathing. In cases of an acute stress response, the symptoms tend to dissolve as the threat or perceived danger lessens or disappears. This is not the case for chronic stress.
Chronic stress is complex, and just does not seem to go away. Chronic stress can be a result of long-term financial problems, a troublesome relationship, or any number of stressors that are present for weeks, months, or longer. While acute stress can be troubling, chronic stress has the potential to cause serious physical and emotional problems.
What causes stress?
The causes of stress are very individualized and can result from a sizable list of reasons. Some of the common stressors include relationships, losing or starting a job, loss of a spouse or partner, financial concerns, moving, problems at school, work or home, and illness. As mentioned previously, it is important to remember that everyone is different, and everyone reacts to stress in a different way.
How do we deal with stress?
Stress is recognized as a chronic and pervasive condition in the United States. We need to do a better job recognizing when we have stress and why we are experiencing stress. Especially chronic stress. Acknowledging the presence of stress is important in the development of strategies to cope with stressors.
Developing strategies to initiate your relaxation response can be an important part of dealing with stressors. What exactly is a relaxation response?  The relaxation response consists of relaxation techniques which can decrease the symptoms of stress. Some relaxation techniques include biofeedback, deep breathing, guided imagery, and meditation. Also, there are multiple studies supporting mindfulness and a reduction in stress and anxiety.
Is there a difference between stress and anxiety?
How do we know if we are stressed out or if we are experiencing anxiety. While the two have very similar symptoms, there are significant differences, and it is important to be able to differentiate them. A very significant difference is stress usually has a cause or stressor. When the stressor is gone, the feelings of stress decrease and disappear. Anxiety, on the other hand, tends to be more persistent and is the feeling that something bad is going to happen, or that something is going to go wrong. Anxiety has been described as feelings of dread and these feelings tend to linger on. While there are certainly more aspects to anxiety than this, remembering this difference between stress and anxiety can be helpful.
On a positive note.
We have covered some of the key factors of stress here. But certainly there is a lot more that contributes to this issue. On a positive note, there seems to be growing awareness of the importance of recognizing stress and the impact stress has on our physical and emotional health. This is demonstrated by the number of studies completed related to stress. Significant research has been done on stress and the brain. Such research could possibly lead to more effective treatments in the future.
                                                                                                       - Peggy Fossen
So take some time to initiate your relaxation response, take a deep breath, and increase your awareness and knowledge about stress. Get started by checking out some of these resources!

https://hr.nih.gov/working-nih/civil/national-stress-awareness-month
 
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/current-events/observing-stress-awareness-month-2022-what-should-you-know-about-stress/
 
https://www.stress.org/april-is-stress-awareness-month
 
https://www.stress.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-month/


Additional References
Life Events, Emotions, and Immune Function: Evidence from Whitehall II Cohort Study - PubMed (nih.gov)
Morgan, K. & Townsend, M. (2021). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (10th ed). F.A. Davis
https://news.uga.edu/some-stress-is-good-for-brain-function/
 
Stress (who.int)