What is Stress?

Stress is tension…

Elastic band analogy- look at an elastic band for example; until it’s pulled taught there is no tension, once tension is applied it can be defined as stressed! This is simplistic. In human terms stress can be defined as an event, circumstance, thought that causes us to feel anxious, depressed, anguished, excited, longing, apprehensive, it can take many forms some good and others bad along a spectrum.

Stress causes a reaction, when there is no perceived action/reaction to take then depressive or anxious stress due to not being able to change an event, circumstance, situation can become a mood, habit or temporary part of the personality.

Circumstantial Stress 

This is stress caused by something within a circumstance not meeting a fundamental need (see meeting needs article) this can be immediate, short-term, medium-term or long-term (chronic) for example,

Intense: Not having enough income/ unsuitable accommodation/ poor food habits (circumstantial/compromised sanitary situation/ lack of physical movement / no connection or community/ loneliness/ isolation can be immediate, short-term or chronic. This affects our behaviour, personality, health and well-being, communication and relationships as it becomes chronic. In medium periods this will be temporary, the longer the struggle the deeper the change. The less we have control over external parameters the more exhausting this gets. This stress takes us to living in stress response which can take a physiological response that changes our health and behaviour.

Event Stress

Event stress is usually immediate or short-term this can be a temporary traumatic or excited state. They feel very different which is why we label good and bad stress. Traumatic stress will physiologically impact our sympathetic nervous system as a danger warning letting us know whether to fight, flee, fawn, freeze in order to re-gain control or safety.

Excited stress will feel safe, may have apprehension but it generally wanted or feels good and doesn't require a parasympathetic response to return to safety.

Can Stress Be A Habit?

If we look at circumstantial stress we can see that while stress is not the habit, it can cause us to look for habits to help us manage the stress we face, stress is therefore not a habit but a potential cause for habits. When we look for coping mechanism or strategies we are looking to manage stress through habit. Stress both good and bad can be overwhelming is believed to have addictive qualities so it becomes something we look to reduce. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have any stress however. Stress is known to build resilience that comes from testing resources and engaging in problem solving activities which help us prepare for real-life events. It is important to note however when resources are low and options are limited no amount of problem-solving skills will change that. We are community beings and without even a small community where we can build trust and relationships we are susceptible to overwhelming stress.

`No man is an island`

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of they friends or of thine own were.
Any man`s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne (1572 - 1631)

Managing Stress

Managing stress can look very different for us all, there is no one fixed route to managing stress. What worked for you once may not work for you again, or may work for you forever but never work for a friend. When it comes to solutions it’s a good idea to explore options, choose a couple that sit well with you and try them for a realistic period to see if they are effective.

Because stress is a physiological response finding management habits that help you negate that knee-jerk, immediate threat can be very useful in the moment, but you may find over periods of time relatively ineffective. Choosing management strategies that deal with different stress responses can be useful.

A lot of work and can feel overwhelming on top of the stress you are already feeling - take it easy and approach management from a place of calm. Embrace Life UK has a board on Pinterest we are building to help support people in their well-being it’s free so need to add more financial stress if for you this is a thing.

If financial stress is not a thing we have an e-book available to download from our shop for £9.99 to help you get started and keep a point of reference, we appreciate your support it helps us to keep on researching and creating content to support both those who are financially well off and those who aren’t. Well-being is about more than income, but income helps to stabilise most people enough to be able to re-gain balance in other areas.

I hope you enjoyed this article and took some useable knowledge from it to help you understand your biology and meet your needs in relation to your goals. Please leave a comment, press the heart button and share it to help more people take control of their health, well-being and fitness.

Samantha