What is Stress? How to Manage Stress?
Stress is a problem that is frequently encountered in daily life and significantly affects the quality of life when not managed correctly. Stress, which is a natural defense reflex developed by the body against the difficulties encountered in daily life, is a situation that everyone encounters at some point in their lives. Getting information from clinical psychologists about stress reduction and coping methods can help you protect and improve your mental health.
What is Stress?
Stress is the body's natural response to changes and challenges in life. The human body develops various defense mechanisms to adapt to internal and external stimuli. Stress is one of the defense mechanisms that the body develops in the face of stimuli. However, the processes by which people adapt to the events and situations they encounter in daily life are different from each other. Therefore, the way of experiencing and combating stress may also vary from person to person.
Hans Selye, an endocrinologist who conducted the first scientific studies on stress in the literature, considers stress as an adaptation process consisting of three stages, which he calls the General Adaptation Syndrome. According to Selye, when under stress, the human body first goes into an alarm phase and develops a “fight” or “flight” response. In this process, physiological reactions such as an increase in blood pressure and heart rhythm can be seen with the effect of adrenaline and cortisol hormones secreted from the adrenal glands. If people manage to adapt to the alarm phase, they enter the stress resistance phase. In the resistance phase, blood pressure and heart rate gradually return to normal. However, if this process takes a long time and the person fails to cope with the stress, the so-called burnout phase begins and the person becomes vulnerable to other physical symptoms such as headaches and muscle pain.
The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not just the absence of disease and infirmity. As scientists have studied stress, it is a condition that has physical as well as mental effects on the human body. In some cases, stress helps people to fulfill certain tasks in everyday life, such as doing well in exams. This type of stress is called good stress. This type of stress, also known as eustress, can make people more prepared to face life's challenges. However, bad stress, which persists for a long time and which people have difficulty coping with, can cause deterioration in a person's overall health and well-being in the long run. For this reason, in our Prime Health Program, you can talk in detail with our competent health experts and get help on ways to cope with stress and get information about the services and products you want to buy for healthy living.
What are the Causes of Stress?
People have different reactions to the challenges they face in life. Therefore, the causes of stress may also differ from person to person. Accordingly, the main causes of stress can be listed as follows:
Health Problems: The natural aging process, having a health problem or suddenly encountering a health problem can cause people to experience intense stress. There are also some studies showing that many people who have to take care of patients for a long time are under stress.
Social Relationships: Problems that people have with people close to them, such as their spouse, children and parents, can be a cause of stress.
Financial Problems: One of the main causes of stress is having financial responsibilities and feeling that one cannot support oneself or one's family financially.
Emotional Problems: Emotionally closed people who cannot express themselves sufficiently to others are more likely to experience stress. Especially people who want to maintain their status and prestige may be more hesitant to talk about their feelings.
Work Life Challenges: Various studies show that the challenges of professional life are one of the main causes of stress. For example, people who take on a lot of responsibility at work may be more prone to experiencing intense stress.
In addition to the aforementioned stressors, traumatic events in life such as the loss of a loved one and separation are among the personal causes of stress. In addition, stress can also be caused by environmental factors. For example, being subjected to discrimination or having security concerns about the environment can be a cause of stress for people.
What are the Symptoms of Stress?
Although stress is considered a mental problem, when under stress, the adrenal glands are stimulated and begin to secrete some hormones. With the change in the level of stress hormones in the blood, people begin to feel the physical effects of stress as well as the mental effects of stress. In other words, stress can manifest itself with mental and spiritual symptoms as well as physical symptoms. According to various studies, the symptoms of stress are as follows:
Aching and aching sensations in various parts of the body,
Heart palpitations
Feeling tired all the time,
Sleep problems
Headache and dizziness,
High blood pressure (hypertension),
Jaw clenching behavior,
Digestive system problems such as stomach pain, nausea, constipation,
Sexual aversion,
Weakened immune system,
Intense anxiety,
Depression
Panic attacks or panic disorder,
Addiction to harmful substances such as alcohol and cigarettes,
Overeating or loss of appetite.
Although the above are common symptoms of stress, everyone reacts differently to stress. Especially those who are knowledgeable about ways to cope with stress and learn stress management techniques can manage to control these symptoms.
How to Deal with Stress?
It is recommended that those who are in search of how to cope with stress seek help from experts. First of all, it is important to be aware of the physical symptoms such as muscle pain, stomach pain, headache that stress causes in the body and to take steps to control them. After this, the factors that cause stress should be identified. Some of these factors can be changed in their own way, while others may require help.
In addition, the main ways to overcome stress are as follows:
Regular and Healthy Nutrition: There are many scientific studies showing that the foods consumed affect mental health. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals essential for a healthy life can help manage stress.
Avoiding Addictive Habits: People often mistakenly believe that the use of harmful substances such as cigarettes and alcohol is one of the ways to reduce stress. However, contrary to popular belief, smoking and drinking alcohol can worsen the effects of stress.
Exercise: Exercise, especially in the fresh air, can help overcome stress.
Regular Sleep: Sleep problems can be common when under stress. However, regular and adequate sleep is important to combat stress. It is recommended that those who have difficulty sleeping seek professional help if necessary.
Being Kind to Yourself: The vast majority of people can be cruel to themselves in times of stress. However, it is important to remember that every person can have bad moments and to realize that these moments are temporary.
With our Prime Health expert staff who will be assigned to you, we not only treat the existing problems that arise due to stress, but also work to teach you ways to cope with stress and prepare a personalized road map for you. With the Prime Health Program, we are with you at all times with our team of experts to maintain your lifelong health.
Bibliography:
