What is Stress, Really?

In the area of Good Health, individuals are generally engaged with living, and manage their relationships, home and work lives with ease as they are able to deal with stresses as they arise.

In the Alarm phase, the flight or fight response occurs. The heart races to give oxygen to the muscles and brain, and the nervous system is on high alert. Emotionally one can experience rage, fear, agitation, or intense crying. Some people even go numb and shut down.

If the stress is not resolved, the Resistance stage may find the person becoming disillusioned and overwhelmed. They may be irritable, frustrated, and start to avoid certain people or tasks with a loss of satisfaction in a variety of areas in their life. They can experience insomnia, headaches, and gastrointestinal disturbances. As the Resistance stage continues, the person finds themselves withdrawing even more, and finds both home and work life draining and in conflict. Addictions and compulsive coping patterns such as substance use, gambling and risky behaviors can begin to occur or increase in frequency.

Finally, the Exhaustion stage involves burnout and complete disengagement. People often have a complete disdain for many people and tasks and are no longer able to cope with the demands of everyday life. They feel drained physically, mentally, and emotionally, and feel hopelessness. This is where depression, anxiety and chronic illness can begin to set in.

Chronic Stress

Cumulative stress is insidious, and for most of us, low levels of chronic stress have unfortunately become an accepted way of life. Chronic stress can be real or imagined, and have physical, emotional, mental and/or psychosocial components. It can be linked to work stressors, troubled relationships, having negative social interactions, and feeling lonely for example. Numerous studies have been done on how persistent low-grade stress can adversely affect regular lifestyle routines, causing us to exercise and sleep less, and eat, drink and smoke more.^{[8] [9]} Too much of the stress hormones and neurotransmitters circulating in our bodies over time makes higher cognitive functions suffer, impairing concentration, planning and decision making.^[10]

Chronic stress also can lead to persistent low-grade inflammation.^[11] The effectiveness of cortisol is decreased over time because tissues and the immune system become desensitized to it as they are constantly being bombarded with it. In addition, the body’s antibody response becomes impaired due to disruption of the cytokine balance, which results in the decrease of the number of  B lymphocytes that become antibody producing cells, and decreased phagocytes that assist in neutralizing pathogens.^{[12] [13]}

Numerous studies have shown that people who had experienced chronic stress during the previous year were more likely to develop a cold after being exposed to viruses.^{[14] [15]} With decreased lymphocytes and immune resources, our body has a harder time combatting bacterial and viral antigens, resulting in increased susceptibility to infectious illnesses.^[16] Chronic stress has been shown to activate latent viruses such as Varicella Zoster (shingles), Herpes Virus I and II (cold sores and genital warts) and Epstein-Barr Virus (mononucleosis) ^{[17] [18] [19] [20]}. Chronic stress has also been associated with delayed wound healing, and development of chronic disease conditions including arthritis, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, and allergies. ^{[21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]} High stress levels also can cause depression and anxiety which in turn exacerbates the cycle. ^[27]

Have you ever been angry and thought “my head is going to explode” or “my blood is boiling”?  Our blood pressure rises during a stressful event. After the acute stress response is resolved, our blood pressure generally returns to normal. However, even momentary spikes in blood pressure can harm the blood vessels, heart, and kidneys.^[28] In addition, chronically elevated cortisol levels also place strain on the cardiovascular system.^{[29] [30]}

Everyone has varying perceptions of stress and different ways of responding to and coping with it. Stress management requires self-awareness. Recognizing that you are approaching that tipping point and intentionally stepping back from the edge is a sign of managing your stress well. Of course, making a commitment to yourself to decrease your stress is only helpful if you have some idea of how to do that. Reading this Stress Survival Guide is a great first step!

There is a plethora of information about specific stress management strategies, from mind/body practices to time management, fitness programs and nutritional strategies. For an in-depth review of some of these approaches and more, refer to the various chapters available in the Resiliency and Self-Care section.