What is Stress?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your to-do-list seems endless, work deadlines are fast approaching and you find yourself saying "OMG! I'm so stressed?" But what is stress really, and how does it affect us?
Firstly, let's bust one myth: Stress is not necessarily a 'bad thing.' Without the ability to feel stress, we wouldn't have survived all these centuries, and our caveman ancestors, for example, wouldn't have identified the onset of stress to alert them to a potential danger, such as a sabre-tooth tiger.
Stress is primarily a physical response, it's your body's way of reacting to a challenge, situation or event that causes you discomfort or distress. Stress is often described as a feeling of being worried, tense, wound-up tight, or overloaded.
When stressed, the body feels that it is under attack and switches to 'fight or flight mode', releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals to prepare the body for physical action. Unlike our caveman ancestors we no longer have the need to fight off or run away from a sabre tooth tiger, but in today's modern world the 'fight or flight' mode can still help survive dangerous situations, such as reacting swiftly to a person running in front of our car by slamming on the brakes.
The challenge is when our body goes into a state of stress in inappropriate situations. When blood flow is going only to the most important muscles needed to fight or flee, brain function is minimised. This can lead to an inability to 'think straight'; a state that can be very detrimental to both our work and home lives. If we are kept in a state of stress for prolonged periods of time, it can be very detrimental to our physical and mental health.
Firstly, let's bust one myth: Stress is not necessarily a 'bad thing.' Without the ability to feel stress, we wouldn't have survived all these centuries, and our caveman ancestors, for example, wouldn't have identified the onset of stress to alert them to a potential danger, such as a sabre-tooth tiger.
Stress is primarily a physical response, it's your body's way of reacting to a challenge, situation or event that causes you discomfort or distress. Stress is often described as a feeling of being worried, tense, wound-up tight, or overloaded.
When stressed, the body feels that it is under attack and switches to 'fight or flight mode', releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals to prepare the body for physical action. Unlike our caveman ancestors we no longer have the need to fight off or run away from a sabre tooth tiger, but in today's modern world the 'fight or flight' mode can still help survive dangerous situations, such as reacting swiftly to a person running in front of our car by slamming on the brakes.
The challenge is when our body goes into a state of stress in inappropriate situations. When blood flow is going only to the most important muscles needed to fight or flee, brain function is minimised. This can lead to an inability to 'think straight'; a state that can be very detrimental to both our work and home lives. If we are kept in a state of stress for prolonged periods of time, it can be very detrimental to our physical and mental health.
More About Stress:
If stress is causing you physical reactions contact Samantha at AQUA Psychology today on 1300 811 499