What is Stress?

Meaning


Stress is a general term applied to various mental and physiological pressures experienced by people feel in their lives.

Definition of Stress


Stress may be defined as "a state of psychological and / or physiological imbalance resulting from the disparity between situational demand and the
individual's ability and / or motivation to meet those demands."
Dr. Hans Selye, one of the leading authorities on the concept of stress, described stress as "the rate of all wear and tear caused by life."
Stress can be positive or negative. Stress can be positive when the situation offers an opportunity for a person to gain something. It acts as a motivator
for peak performance. Stress can be negative when a person faces social, physical, organisational and emotional problems.

Factors that cause stress are called "Stressors." The following are the sources or causes of an organisational and non-organisational stress.


1. Causes of an Organisational Stress


The main sources or causes of an organisational stress are :-
1. Career Concern : If an employee feels that he is very much behind in corporate ladder, then he may experience stress and if he feels that there are
no opportunities for self-growth he may experience stress. Hence unfulfilled career expectations are a major source of stress.
2. Role Ambiguity : It occurs when the person does not known what he is supposed to do on the job. His tasks and responsibilities are not clear. The
employee is not sure what he is expected to do. This creates confusion in the minds of the worker and results in stress.
3. Rotating Shifts : Stress may occur to those individuals who work in different shifts. Employees may be expected to work in day shift for some days
and then in the night shift. This may create problems in adjusting to the shift timings, and it can affect not only personal life but also family life of the
employee.
4. Role Conflict : It takes place when different people have different expectations from a person performing a particular role. It can also occur if the job
is not as per the expectation or when a job demands a certain type of behaviour that is against the person's moral values.
5. Occupational Demands : Some jobs are more stressful than others. Jobs that involve risk and danger are more stressful. Research findings indicate
that jobs that are more stressful usually requires constant monitoring of equipments and devices, unpleasant physical conditions, making decisions,
etc.
6. Lack of Participation in Decision Making : Many experienced employees feel that management should consult them on matters affecting their jobs. In
reality, the superiors hardly consult the concerned employees before taking a decision. This develops a feeling of being neglected, which may lead
to stress.
7. Work Overload : Excessive work load leads to stress as it puts a person under tremendous pressure. Work overload may take two different forms :-
i. Qualitative work overload implies performing a job that is complicated or beyond the employee's capacity.
ii. Quantitative work overload arises when number of activities to be performed in the prescribed time are many.
8. Work Underload : In this case, very little work or too simple work is expected on the part of the employee. Doing less work or jobs of routine and
simple nature would lead to monotony and boredom, which can lead to stress.
9. Working Conditions : Employees may be subject to poor working conditions. It would include poor lighting and ventilations, unhygienic sanitation
facilities, excessive noise and dust, presence of toxic gases and fumes, inadequate safety measures, etc. All these unpleasant conditions create
physiological and psychological imbalance in humans thereby causing stress.
10. Lack of Group Cohesiveness : Every group is characterised by its cohesiveness although they differ widely in degree of cohesiveness. Individuals
experience stress when there is no unity among the members of work group. There is mistrust, jealously, frequent quarrels, etc., in groups and this
lead to stress to employees.
11. Interpersonal and Intergroup Conflict : Interpersonal and intergroup conflict takes place due to differences in perceptions, attitudes, values and
beliefs between two or more individuals and groups. Such conflicts can be a source of stress to group members.
12. Organisational Changes : When changes occur, people have to adapt to those changes and this may cause stress. Stress is higher when changes
are major or unusual like transfer or adaption of new technology.
13. Lack of Social Support : When individuals believe that they have the friendship and support of others at work, their ability to cope with the effects of
stress increases. If this kind of social support is not available then an employee experiences more stress.

2. Causes of Non-Organisational Stress


Certain factors outside the scope of an organisation also cause stress.
These main sources or causes of non-organisational stress are :-
1. Civic Amenities : Poor civic amenities in the area in which one lives can be a cause of stress. Inadequate or lack of civic facilities like improper water
supply, excessive noise or air pollution, lack of proper transport facility can be quite stressful.
2. Life Changes : Life changes can bring stress to a person. Life changes can be slow or sudden. Slow life changes include getting older and sudden
life changes include death or accident of a loved one. Sudden life changes are highly stressful and very difficult to cope.
3. Frustration : Frustration is another cause of stress. Frustration arises when goal directed behaviour is blocked. Management should attempt to
remove barriers and help the employees to reach their goals.
4. Caste and Religion Conflicts : Employees living in areas which are subject to caste and religious conflicts do suffer from stress. In case of religion,
the minorities and lower-caste people (seen especially in India) are subject to more stress.
5. Personality : People are broadly classified as 'Type A' and 'Type B'.
i. Feels guilty while relaxing.
ii. Gets irritated by minor mistakes of self and others.
iii. Feels impatient and dislikes waiting.
iv. Does several things at one time.
While the 'Type B' people are exactly opposite and hence are less affected by stress due to above mentioned factors.
6. Technological Changes : When there are any changes in technological field, employees are under the constant stress of fear of losing jobs, or need
to adjust to new technologies. This can be a source of stress.
7. Career Changes : When a person suddenly switches over a new job, he is under stress to shoulder new responsibilities properly. Under promotion,
over promotion, demotion and transfers can also cause stress.

What is stress
The word stress is derived from the Latin word "stringi", which means, "to be drawn tight". Stress can be defined as follows:
1. In medical terms stress is described as, "a physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological reactions that may
lead to illness." When you are under stress, your adrenal gland releases corticosteroids, which are converted to cortisol in the blood stream. Cortisol
have an immune suppressive effect in your body.
2. According to Richard S Lazarus, stress is a feeling experienced when a person thinks that "the demands exceed the personal and social resources
the individual is able to mobilize."
Your body tries to adjust to different circumstances or continually changing environment around you. In this process, the body is put to extra work
resulting in "wear and tear". In other words, your body is stressed. Stress disturbs the body's normal way of functioning
Without stress, there would be no life. However, excessive or prolonged stress can be harmful. Stress is unique and personal. A situation may be
stressful for someone but the same situation may be challenging for others. For example, arranging a world level symposium may be challenging for
one person but stressful to another. Some persons have habit of worrying unnecessarily.
Stress is not always necessarily harmful. Hans Selye said in 1956, "stress is not necessarily something bad, it all depends on how you take it. The
stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental." Stress can be therefore
negative, positive or neutral. Passing in an examination can be just stressful as failing.
Sometime we know in advance that doing a certain thing will be stressful, but we are willing to doing that. For example, while planning a vacation to a
hill station you know that it would be stressful at certain times. But you are willing to face those challenges.
People often work well under certain stress leading to increased productivity. Many times you do not know in advance and the stress periods may be
sudden. The situation may not be under your control. Too much stress is harmful. You should know your level of stress that allows you to perform
optimally in your life.
Stress Types
Three types of stress may be distinguished:
1. Acute stress
Acute stress is usually for short time and may be due to work pressure, meeting deadlines pressure or minor accident, over exertion, increased
physical activity, searching something but you misplaced it, or similar things.
Actue Stress Symptoms
are headaches, back pain, stomach problems, rapid heartbeat, muscle aches or body pain.
Acute stress is common in people who take too many responsibilities and are overloaded or overworked, disorganized, always in a hurry and never
in time. These people are generally in positions of importance at their workplace and stressful lifestyle is inherent in them.
2. Chronic Stress
This type of stress is the most serious of all the 3 stress types. Chronic stress is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks, months, or even years.
This stress is due to poverty, broken or stressed families and marriages, chronic illness and successive failures in life. People suffering from this
type of stress get used to it and may even not realize that they are under chronic stress. It is very harmful to their health.
Causes of Stress
Whenever our body feels something not favorable, then it tries to defend itself. If this situation continues for a long time, then our body is working
overtime.
There are several causes of stress. For example, you are under stress when you are worried about something, worried about your children, worried
about the illness of your father, worried about your job security, or worried about your loans or similar things.
You may be under stress due to several causes. Look at the following causes of stress.
1. Stress at Home
o Death of spouse, family, near relative or friend.
o Injury or illness of any family member.
o Marriage of self or son or daughter or brother or sister.
o Separation or divorce from partner.
o Pregnancy or birth of a new baby.
o Children's behavior or disobedience.
o Children's educational performance.
o Hyperactive children.
o Sexual molestation.
o Argument or heated conversations with spouse, family members or friends or neighbors.
o Not sufficient money to meet out daily expenses or unexpected expenditure.
o Not sufficient money to raise your standard of living.
o Loss of money in burglary, pick-pocketed or share market.
o Moving house.
o Change of place or change of city or change of country.
2. Stress at Work
o To meet out the demands of the job.
o Your relationship with colleagues.
o To control staff under you.
o To train your staff and take work from them.
o Support you receive from your boss, colleagues and juniors.
o Excessive work pressure.
o To meet out deadlines.
o To give new results.
o To produce new publications if you are in research area.
o Working overtime and on holidays.
o New work hours.
o Promotion or you have not been promoted or your junior has superseded you.
o Argument or heated conversations with co-workers or boss.
o Change of job.
o Work against will.
o Harassment.
o Sexual molestation.
3. Other Causes of Stress
o Fear, intermittent or continuous.
o Threats: physical threats, social threats, financial threat, other threats.
o Uncertainty.
o Lack of sleep.
o Somebody misunderstands you.
o Setback to your position in society.
If you are under stress, then you should know how you can get stress relief.
Effects of Stress
Most of the times you know that you are under stress. But many times you don't know even if you are under stress. Your body constantly tries to tell
you about stressful conditions through symptoms such as tension in your shoulders and neck, palpitation, headaches and body aches. You should take
note of these conditions and try to deal with them. Continued stress can have behavioral, physical, emotional and psychological effects such as heart
disease, diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders.
You may find some of the following symptoms when you are under stress. Note that some of the symptoms (signs) of stress (effects of stress on the
body) only appear when you are under stress for a prolonged time.
At the first signs of stressing alarm, the pituitary and adrenal glands release chemicals triggering automatically the physical reactions to stress.
When the stressor goes away, the brain signals an all clear sign to the pituitary and adrenal garlands to stop producing the chemicals that caused the
physical reaction, and the body gradually returns to normal. But if the brain fails to give the all clear signal, and as a consequence of this the alarm
state stays for a longer time creating stress problems. Unrelieved stress can lead to many health problems.
1. Behavioral symptoms of stress
o Increased drinking
o Increased drug addiction or intake
o Increased smoking
o Irresponsible driving
o Irritating behavior
o Negligence of self-care
o Not interested in social activities
o Too much tea or coffee intake.
2. Physical symptoms of stress (Stress related illness) : What stress to the body
o Anxiety
o Back pain
o Constipation
o Decreased resistance to infections
o Dilated pupils
o Loose motions Diarrhea
o Dry mouth
o Excessive sweating
o Feeling nauseous
o Gastrointestinal disorders
o Headaches
o Heart disease
o High blood pressure
o Increased breathing rate
o Increased bowel movements
o Increased perspiration
o Indigestion
o Insomnia
o Itchy skin rashes
o Numbness of hands and feet
o Palpitations
o Poor appetite
o Shortness of breath
o Slow digestion
o Stiff neck
o Tightness of chest
o Weight gain
o Weight loss
3. Emotional symptoms of stress
o Depression
o Irritability
o Suspiciousness
o Lack of confidence
o Helplessness
4. Psychological Symptoms of stress
o Bad dreams
o Fatigue
o Indecisiveness
o Negative thoughts
o Poor attention
o Poor concentration, Poor memory
o Suicidal thoughts
Signs of Stress : Stress Test
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize your stress. The early signs of stress are:
1. Headache
2. Stiff neck
3. Backache
4. Rapid breathing
5. Too much sweat on palms
6. Upset stomach
7. Becoming irritable
8. Loss of concentration
9. Increased pulse rate
Managing stress is very important for health. If you can practice the stress management, reduction and relief techniques, you can get rid of stress.
Stress Management Tips
Following are the stress reduction tips that will tell you how to relieve stress.
1. Take deep breath for instant stress relief
Breathe deeply slowly and exhale out slowly. Deep breath helps you get plenty of oxygen and may give you instant stress relief. For better results,
as you breathe out, speak "rel-a-a-a-a-a-x" in your mind very slowly. You can speak anything like 1-2-3-4-5 or Om or 5-4-3-2-1 or any God. Do it 10
times, you will feel stress relief immediately. Slow and deep breathing will bring your heart rate back to normal and will reduce your muscle tension.
You can do it at any place, any time; on your desk, on your bed, while sitting, in a queue, on your computer chair, in office, in toilet, etc. This stress
management technique isw very effective.Make it a habit to do it 4-5 times daily.
Follow the relaxation and meditation techniques to get relief from stress.
1. Breathing guru Andrew Weil, MD clinical Professor of medicine at the University of Arizona gives the following technique of breathing to relieve
stress.
1. Sit with your back straight.
2. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your front teeth.
3. Inhale through your nose with your mouth closed to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
4. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
5. Inhale again and repeat the exercise three times for a total of four breaths.
If you have trouble holding your breath, speed up but stick to the four-seven-eight count. Practice twice a day, but don?t do more than four breaths
at a time for the first month; later you can work up to eight breaths. You may feel a little light-headed, but it will pass.
2. Be organized. Manage time
One of the main causes of stress is poor time management. If you are organized, you can manage things in proper ways without putting pressure on
you. Plan ahead. Make a schedule for the day, week and month. Include time for stress reduction as a part of your schedule.
3. Know your stressors
Determine what events distress you. Try to avoid, eliminate or reduce these stressors, if possible. Determine how your body responds to the stress.
See if you can reduce the intensity of your stressors. Plan your strategies to overcome these stressors. Remove your cause of stress or worries. If
the reason is your office, discuss the problem with your colleagues and seniors. Don't keep the problem with you. Cconsider going on vacation for
some days. If you are stressed due to non completion of tasks in time, then time management techniques may be helpful.
Change your perception of physical danger or emotional danger. Don't think and worry about things which may not happen at all.
4. Talk to others
Involve yourself with others. Talk to your friends, family member, teacher, neighbor, or counselor. This will reduce sadness, loneliness, frustration
and stress. Consider to offer your services to neighborhood or volunteer organizations.
5. Be physically active
Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. When you feel nervous, angry or upset, release the pressure
through exercise or physical activity. Take a walk for example. Or do any activity that you like most. Consider gardening, jogging, swimming, cycling,
dancing, playing table tennis, mowing grass, playing with your dog or cat, or similar activities. Such activities can relieve your tension. Exercising
with stress balls is good stress reduction technique.
6. Eat healthy food
Eat healthy nutritious food daily.
Prunes are high in magnesium which releases happy hormones such as serotonin and can help reduce stress. Do not skip meals. Avoid smoking,
caffeine and other stimulants. Always get enough sleep. Maintain your sleep times. Healthy eating and adequate sleep fuels your mind and body to
cope with stress.
Aromatherapy & Stress
Many flowers have calming effects on the central nervous system, thereby relieving you of stress and increasing concentration levels. Some of these
are also helpful in loss of memory, anxiety, creativity and lethargy. Some of the aroma oils that work best to relieve stress include Lavender oil,
Neroli oil, Geranium oil, Basil oil, Fennel Sweet Oil, Rosemary oil

Put 1 or 2 drops of one essential oil, Lavender oil, Fennel Sweet Oil, Rosemary oil, etc on a cotton bud or tissue paper and place it near you.

Warning from Dr. Naresh Arora from Chase Aroma Therapy, "Taking care of the quantity is extremely important. If the right quantity can help you
relieving the stress, an excess of a particular oil can affect BP levels - the person can go into depression, or can feel dizzy and can even faint at
times. Less usage of these oils has a remedial effect while excess can be poisonous."
1. Stress Foods To Avoid
You should stop eating foods which can aggravate the stress. These high stress foods are: alcohol, butter, cheese, coffee, cocoa, coconut oil, egg
yolks, junk foods, nuts, sugar, soft drinks, shrimps, tea, etc.
Stress Foods To Eat
Some foods are beneficial for stress. The anti stress foods include vegetables and fruits, prunes, Sprouted beans, soups, skimmed milk and yogurt,
etc.
2. Have a good cry
A good cry can bring relief to your stress. Crying is a part of the emotional healing process.
3. Avoid alcohol, drugs and cigarettes
Smoking, alcohol and drugs do not remove the conditions that cause stress. They may give you only temporary relief. If you find yourself dependent
on any of these, look up for some drug rehab facilites to give you the help you deserve.
4. Laughter therapy is the best for stress! Laugh heartily with your friends or family members. Read jokes on the internet or from books.
5. Hugging is good for stress relief.
Give a good hug to your beloved one; to your spouse, children grand children or pet. This melts away your stress.
6. Know your capabilities & limits
You should be aware of your capabilities and limits. If a problem is beyond your control, don't try to do it. Do not want the things to happen your way
that are not in your control. A major cause of stress is to control events on whom you have little or no power.
Also do not think that you are always right and you are the supreme. And do not think that other people also think your way. Your way of thinking
may not always be right. Discuss the things in a friendly manner or in a compromising way. This will definitely reduce your stress.
7. Negative thinking does not help
Negative thinking never pays. Do not think that the whole world is against you and all the people are making a conspiracy against you.
What is stress?
Stress is simply a fact of nature -- forces from the inside or outside world affecting the individual. The individual responds to stress in ways
that affect the individual as well as their environment. Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress
as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience.
In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your
relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you're confronted with on a daily basis.
Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which
influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health andfitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount
of sleep and rest you get.
Stress has driven evolutionary change (the development and natural selection of species over time). Thus, the species that adapted best to
the causes of stress (stressors) have survived and evolved into the plant and animal kingdoms we now observe.
A brief history of stress
A key to the understanding of the negative aspects of stress is the concept of milieu interieur (the internal environment of the body), which
was first advanced by the French physiologist Claude Bernard. In this concept, he described the principles of dynamic equilibrium. In
dynamic equilibrium, constancy, a steady state (situation) in the internal bodily environment, is essential to survival. Therefore, external
changes in the environment or external forces that change the internal balance must be reacted to and compensated for if the organism is to
survive. Examples of such external forces include temperature, oxygen concentration in the air, the expenditure of energy, and the presence
of predators. In addition, diseases were also stressors that threatened the constancy of the milieu interieur.
The neurologist Walter Cannon coined the term homeostasis to further define the dynamic equilibrium that Bernard had described. He also
was the first credited with recognizing that stressors could be emotional as well as physical. Through his experiments, he demonstrated the
"fight or flight" response that man and other animals share when threatened. Further, Cannon traced these reactions to the release of
powerful neurotransmitters from a part of the adrenal gland, the medulla. (Neurotransmitters are the body's chemicals that carry messages to
and from the nerves.) The adrenal medulla secretes two neurotransmitters, epinephrine (also called adrenaline) and norepinephrine
(noradrenaline), in the response to stress. The release of these neurotransmitters leads to the physiologic effects seen in the fight or flight
response, for example, a rapid heart rate, increased alertness, etc.
Hans Selye, another early scientist who is known to have studied stress, extended Cannon's observations. He included, as part of the body's
stress response system, the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain. He described the control by this gland of the secretion of
hormones (for example, cortisol) that are important in the physiological response to stress by the other part of the adrenal gland known as
the cortex. Additionally, Selye actually introduced the term stress from physics and engineering and defined it as "mutual actions of forces
that take place across any section of the body, physical or psychological."
In his experiments, Selye induced stress in rats in a variety of ways. He found typical and constant psychological and physical responses to
the adverse situations that were imposed on the rats. In rats exposed to constant stress, he observed enlargement of the adrenal glands,
gastrointestinal ulcers, and a wasting away (atrophy) of the immune (defense) system. He called these responses to stress the general
adaptation (adjustment) or stress syndrome. He discovered that these processes, which were adaptive (healthy, appropriate adjustment) and
normal for the organism in warding off stress, could become much like illnesses. That is, the adaptive processes, if they were excessive,
could damage the body. This observation, then, was the beginning of an understanding of why stress, really overstress, can be harmful, and
why the word stress has earned such a bad name.
Stress: The different kinds of stress
Stress management can be complicated and confusing because there are different types of stress--acute stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress -- each
with its own characteristics, symptoms, duration, and treatment approaches. Let's look at each one.
Acute Stress
Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It comes from demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near
future. Acute stress is thrilling and exciting in small doses, but too much is exhausting. A fast run down a challenging ski slope, for example, is exhilarating early in
the day. That same ski run late in the day is taxing and wearing. Skiing beyond your limits can lead to falls and broken bones. By the same token, overdoing on
short-term stress can lead to psychological distress, tension headaches, upset stomach, and other symptoms.
Fortunately, acute stress symptoms are recognized by most people. It's a laundry list of what has gone awry in their lives: the auto accident that crumpled the car
fender, the loss of an important contract, a deadline they're rushing to meet, their child's occasional problems at school, and so on.
Because it is short term, acute stress doesn't have enough time to do the extensive damage associated with long-term stress. The most common symptoms are:
emotional distress--some combination of anger or irritability, anxiety, and depression, the three stress emotions;
muscular problems including tension headache, back pain, jaw pain, and the muscular tensions that lead to pulled muscles and tendon and ligament problems;
stomach, gut and bowel problems such as heartburn, acid stomach, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome;
transient over arousal leads to elevation in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet,
shortness of breath, and chest pain.
Acute stress can crop up in anyone's life, and it is highly treatable and manageable.

Chronic Stress
While acute stress can be thrilling and exciting, chronic stress is not. This is the grinding stress that wears people away day after day, year after year. Chronic
stress destroys bodies, minds and lives. It wreaks havoc through long-term attrition. It's the stress of poverty, of dysfunctional families, of being trapped in an
unhappy marriage or in a despised job or career. It's the stress that the never-ending "troubles" have brought to the people of Northern Ireland, the tensions of the
Middle East have brought to the Arab and Jew, and the endless ethnic rivalries that have been brought to the people of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union.
Chronic stress comes when a person never sees a way out of a miserable situation. It's the stress of unrelenting demands and pressures for seemingly
interminable periods of time. With no hope, the individual gives up searching for solutions.
Some chronic stresses stem from traumatic, early childhood experiences that become internalized and remain forever painful and present. Some experiences
profoundly affect personality. A view of the world, or a belief system, is created that causes unending stress for the individual (e.g., the world is a threatening place,
people will find out you are a pretender, you must be perfect at all times). When personality or deep-seated convictions and beliefs must be reformulated, recovery
requires active self-examination, often with professional help.
The worst aspect of chronic stress is that people get used to it. They forget it's there. People are immediately aware of acute stress because it is new; they ignore
chronic stress because it is old, familiar, and sometimes, almost comfortable.
Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke, and, perhaps, even cancer. People wear down to a final, fatal breakdown. Because physical and
mental resources are depleted through long-term attrition, the symptoms of chronic stress are difficult to treat and may require extended medical as well as
behavioral treatment and stress management.

Types of Stress: Good and Bad
In psychological perspective, there is "good" stress and "bad" stress.
Good stress: Eustress
Eustress (pronounced YOU-stress) can be fun, exciting and energizing, especially in the short-term. Face a sudden danger and resolve the situation
safely, and you'll get pumpted and excited; like when we are racing to meet an exciting deadline, getting dressed for our wedding, or flying down a
ski slope. It keeps our juices flowing.
Just the right amount of stress is stimulating and healthy. We perform tasks faster and better. Our muscles strengthen. Heart function improves.
Stamina increases. Thinking sharpens. Some experts say eustress even helps our bodies resist infection!
Bad stress: Distress
Ah! But then there isthe bad stress. When we think of types of stress, distress is what we have in mind. In fact we usually call it "stress," plain and
simple.
Here are some examples of situations that create distress.
A truck swerves into your lane.
A lost job reduces your income.
You or a loved one is injured.
When we are under distress, we usually change and can even break inside. It hurts! Here are symptoms of distress that prove such a change is
happening inside .

Emotional distress symptoms.
o anger
o irritability and frustration
o anxiety and panic
o fear
Physical distress symptoms.
o headache
o back pain
o neck pain
Intestinal or gut distress symptoms.
o heartburn
o flatulence
o diarrhea or constipation
o stomach cramping
o acid reflux
o nausea
Arousal distress symptoms.
o sudden rise in blood pressure
o rapid heartbeat and palpitations
o dizziness
o shortness of breath
o chest pain
Acute and Chronic:
Types of Stress on a Timeline
Distress can come - and end - suddenly, or it can linger. Types of stress - or more properly, distress - are listed below according to how they come
on and how long they last.
Acute distress is the most common of the types of stress. It comes on quickly and is usually short-lived. It is the most intense stress.
When it's all over - and we are safe - we can stop and take some deep breaths, put a hand over our racing heart, and say "Phew! THAT was
exciting!" Then we move on with a thrilling story to share.
Acute Episodic Distress refers to a situation where acute stress seems to be a way of life. Life is constantly filled with one stressful event after
another after another. Chaos and crisis reign along with Murphy's Law.
If you have acute episodic distress you may have a never-ending to-do list, may have trouble saying no, and may seem to be always in a hurry while
seldom being on time. You may come across as abrupt, insensitive, and irritable with other people at home, at work, at the grocery store, even in
purely social situations.
You may have the worry habit and engage in blaming. You believe the world is a scary, mean, and dangerous place. And you really suffer because
of that belief. Just take a look back at that list of symptoms above.
Acute episodic stress response can actually become a habit that is difficult that is difficult to break. A Life and Wellness Coach starts a process to
get relief from the pain of that type of stress. Some sufferers may even need help from a therapist or a medical professional to begin recovery.
Chronic Distress is the type of stress that arises out of long-lasting events and circumstances beyond your control. According to Monika Fleshner, a
neuroimmunophysiologist at the University of Boulder, Colo. who has studied stress and the immune system. She says "Its only under the
circumstances of chronic stress or extreme, severe stress that we suffer negative effects."
Here are some examples of situations that cause chronic distress.
Living with constant relational conflict.
Feeling trapped in poverty.
Caring for someone with significant illness or disabilities.
Being overwhelmed by a job or feeling trapped in a career that doesn't feel right.
Living with unresolved childhood trauma.
Chronic distress often results in feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and misery. You feel there is no way out.
Besides the list of symptoms above, you may suffer from the conditions below related to distress in your life.
high blood pressure
a weight problem
cancer
ulcers
sexual dysfunction
allergies
suicidal thoughts
stoke anorexia
heart disease
If you suffer from chronic distress, you may need medical and behavioral professionals in addition to a stress management professional such as a
life coach.
Perhaps the hardest part of chronic distress is that people just get used to it. They think that is the way life is supposed to be. But being used to
a situation doesn't make the symptoms any less dangerous to the person, in fact it becomes even more difficult to be a healthy happy person and
live up to everything that is possible for you when the stress goes underground.
Types or Kinds of stress

For the best explanation and research, we have the four main types of stress:
Eustress ( good stress ) , Distress ( bad stress ) , Acute ( arise Iast ) , Chronic ( long term ) .


( ) kind oI stress that provides immediate strength: won a game or race,
be with partner, child birth,... Helps us to improve our perIormance. Prepare us to meet
problems, challenges, situations which need an extra push and sometimes necessary Ior survival
and prosperity in many parts oI liIe. Occurs for a short period of time and it is still stress and it is
not good to be so strong or act too often.

(" - ") - Without control, stress becomes bad stress or distress. Bring out the
weakness to us and make us vulnerable to illness.

( ) The most common Iorm oI stress. Usually immediate and intense reaction oI
body and mind to a signiIicant threat, challenge, scare or other stressors. Also acute stress can be
acute eustress mostly in small doses ( pleasant, cheerIul, thrilling, exciting stress ) and acute
distress mostly too much ( cause oI mental health problems and physical diIIiculties, tension
headaches, upset stomach, exhausting ) . Symptoms of this stress are recognized by most people
and it is highly treatable and manageable stress. Fortunately most people can recognize acute
stress, and it is highly treatable and manageable stress.

( ) . Stressor is present around Ior a longer time. Chronic stress is dangerous,
because people get used to it ( ignore chronic stress ) . Persistent oI chronic stress can lead to
health problems, especially iI people do not know that and do not treat, chronic stress can be
more and more problematic. Patients are trapped in an unhappiness and never-ending " troubles " ,
can not Iind a way out oI a desperate situations.

There are a lot of stress types like:

Hypo-stress ( monotony, unchallenged, drone, ... ) ,
( overload, overwork, ... ) ,
( rapid heartbeat, headache, chest pains, nausea, pain,... )
( Iear, anxiety, conIusion, insomnia, worry, ... )
( poor relationships, loneliness, sadness, loss oI sense oI humor, ... )
( career, money problems, other people opinion, ... )
Traumatic ( surgery, inIections, extreme temperatures,... )
- ( nicotine, alcohol, caIIeine, remedies, drugs, pesticides,... )
( problematic metabolism, fast food, eating disorder,... )
Phobias ( agoraphobia, claustrophobia, ... )
and many more.
The Four Stress Quadrants

Glossary of Terms
The four main types of stress can be best explained through the following "Four Quadrant Stress Grid."
Chronic
adjective: being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering ("Chronic indigestion")
adjective: having a habit of long standing ("A chronic smoker")
Acute
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course ("Acute appendicitis")
adjective: extremely sharp or intense ("Acute pain")
Eustress (Good Stress)
stress that is deemed healthful or giving one the feeling of fulfillment
Distress (Bad Stress)
great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.
a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

The "Four Quadrant Stress Grid" uses a simple, well-known color-coding system to rate the four main types of stress. Green means good or
go, yellow means proceed with caution and red means stop or bad.

Quadrant One: Chronic Eustress
Quadrant One is known as Chronic Eustress or long lasting, recurrent good stress. This is by far, the very best of the types of stress out
there.
This quadrant should be every person's goal in life. To achieve total and permanent health and wellness, we should all work as hard as
possible to stay in this quadrant. Be creative, be aggressive and be consistent because this is the quadrant where "real" quality of life exists.
If things happen, in life, that temporarily take you out of this quadrant, then that is OK, but every effort should be made to deal with the
problem and get back to quadrant one as soon as possible.
Words like fun, happiness, peace, joy, laughter, spirit, and love exist in this quadrant. When we are in a state of chronic eustress, our bodies
have very high levels of the feel good hormones like Dopamine and Oxytocin. These hormones make it possible for us to have high levels of
self-esteem and to have really strong relationships in all areas of your life, whether they be romantic, parental or work-related.
If you have been married a long time and the shiny newness has worn off, all you need to do is get into this quadrant again and it will feel like
a honeymoon all over again.

Quadrant Two: Acute Eustress
Quadrant Two is known as Acute Eustress or rapid onset, short, intense good stress. On a 'types of stress' scale of 1-10, with 1 being bad
and 10 being good, this quadrant sits at about 6-7.
When you get some really fantastic news or you are engaged in a feel great workout or when something really wonderful happens to you, you
experience this kind of stress. The body is temporarily, intensely and quickly flooded with feel good hormones like Dopamine and Oxytocin.
This type of stress is desirable and it does a body good to experience this type of stress often.

Quadrant Three: Acute Distress
Quadrant Three is known as Acute Distress or rapid onset, short, intense bad stress. As far as types of stress go, this one is no fun but is not
terribly dangerous and in fact it can save your life.
This type of stress happens when we feel shocked or threatened and our fight or flight stress response system kicks into gear. Our bodies are
flooded with emergency response hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones allow us to be alert and have increased
strength, endurance and energy, thereby allowing us to respond to imminent danger.
This type of stress comes from things like a car accident or if you are attacked or if you feel extreme fear. While this type of stress is classified
as a bad stress, it is not dangerous because it does not last a long time and the body will wash away these extra hormones when the danger or
threat has passed. This stress helps us to survive.

Quadrant Four: Chronic Distress
Quadrant Four is known as Chronic Distress or long lasting, recurrent bad stress. This is by far the worst of the types of stress in our lives.
Chronic distress is the cause of most peoples' problems. With this kind of stress, your body is constantly flooded with emergency response
hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline. When your Endocrine System is over-used to this extent, things begin to malfunction.
It's just like your Pancreas, which becomes worn out when we constantly over use it by spiking our blood sugar several times each day. Your
Pancreas was never intended to process that much sugar and your Endocrine System was never intended to process that much hormonal
activity.
When we stay in a state of chronic distress all the time, we overproduce the emergency response hormones and we, significantly, under-
produce the feel good hormones.
Every effort should be made to get out and stay out of this quadrant at all cost. Do whatever you have to do. Change your expectations, change
your job, get out of a bad relationship, ask for help, pray to a higher power if you need to, but get out of this quadrant NOW!
If you stay here for long, you will develop Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and a whole host of
other illnesses. Oh and by the way - you will very likely gain a lot of weight and get very fat. All these diseases and problems come from a
messed up Endocrine System just the same as Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome come from a messed up Pancreas.
Staying here will kill you and long before this quadrant gets around to that, it will more than steal your quality of life. So get out now, while
you still can and stay out.
Acute stress
Acute stress is the type of stress that throws you off-balance momentarily. This is the type of stress that comes on quickly and often
unexpectedly and doesnt last too long, but requires a response and shakes you up a bit, like an argument with someone in your life, or an
exam for which you dont feel adequately prepared. These stress relievers can help you to relax and more quickly recover from acute stress.
Breathing Exercises
Cognitive Reframing
Quick Bursts of Exercise
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Mini-Meditation

Chronic stress
Chronic stress is the type of stress that tends to occur on a regular basis. This type of stress may leave you feeling drained, and can lead to
burnout if its not effectively managed. This is because, when the stress response is chronically triggered and the body is not brought back to
a relaxed state before the next wave of stress hits, the body can stay triggered indefinitely. This can lead to the host of health issues that are
generally associated with stress, including cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal issues, anxiety, depression, and a host of other conditions.
(Here is a list of stress-related health issues.) This is why it is important to effectively manage chronic stress. Managing this type of stress
often requires a combination approach, with some short-term stress relievers (like those for acute stress), and some long-term stress relief
habits that relieve overall stress. (Different emotion-focused coping techniques and solution-focused coping techniques are important as well.)
The following long-term habits can help you to better manage general stress that you may feel from the chronic stressors in your life.
Exercise Regularly
Maintain A Healthy Diet
Cultivate Supportive Relationships
Meditate Regularly
Listen To Music

Emotional stress
The pain of emotional stress can hit harder than some other types of stress. For example, the stress that comes from a conflicted relationship
tends to bring a greater physical reaction and a stronger sense of distress than the stress that comes from being busy at work. (cite this)
Therefore, it is important to be able to manage emotional stress in effective ways. Strategies that help you to process, diffuse, and build
resilience toward emotional stress can all work well, and different approaches can work in different situations. Here are some ways to manage
emotional stress.
Write In A Journal
Talk To A Friend
Listen To Music
Practice Mindfulness
Talk To A Therapist

Battling Burnout
Burnout is the result of the prolonged chronic stress of situations that leave people feeling a lack of control in their lives. Certain conditions of
a job can create a greater risk of burnout, including not only a high level of demands, but also unclear expectations, lack of recognition for
achievements, and a high level of risk of negative consequences when mistakes are made. (Does your job put you at risk for job burnout?
Take the job burnout quiz to find out!) Once you reach a state of burnout, it is difficult to maintain motivation to work and accomplish what
you need to accomplish, and you can feel chronically overwhelmed. In addition to the strategies that work well for chronic stress and
emotional stress, the following strategies can help you to come back from a state of burnoutor prevent it entirely.
Take Some Time Off
Get More Laughter Into Your Life
Indulge In Hobbies
Get More Enjoyment Out Of Your Current Job
Make Your Weekends Count

Albrecht's Four Types of Stress
Managing Common Pressures


Imagine that you work in human resources, and that you've recently been dealing with a lot of people problems. It's been another long day. You're now meeting
with your last "client" before you go home.
As you listen to this person's story, you start to get tense. You find yourself avoiding making direct eye contact with her, and you feel yourself shutting down
emotionally. You don't want to listen to her complaints at all; instead, you just want to finish.
Rather than taking your frustrations out on this person, however, you apologize and ask for a five-minute break. You go for a quick walk outside, breathe deeply,
and then stop for some water. When you go back into your office, you're smiling, refreshed, and ready to help.
Most people experience some degree of stress in their jobs. But if you understand the most common types of stress and know how to spot them, you can manage
your stress much better. This, in turn, helps you to work productively, build better relationships, and live a healthier life.
In this article, we'll examine four common types of stress, and we'll discuss how you can manage each of them more effectively.
The Four Common Types of Stress
Dr Karl Albrecht, a management consultant and conference speaker based in California, is a pioneer in the development of stress-reduction training for
businesspeople. He defined four common types of stress in his 1979 book, "Stress and the Manager."
Albrecht's four common types of stress are:
1. Time stress.
2. Anticipatory stress.
3. Situational stress.
4. Encounter stress.
Let's look at each of these types of stress in detail, and discuss how you can identify and deal with each one.
1. Time Stress
You experience time stress when you worry about time, or the lack thereof. You worry about the number of things that you have to do, and you fear that you'll fail
to achieve something important. You might feel trapped, unhappy, or even hopeless.
Common examples of time stress include worrying about deadlines or rushing to avoid being late for a meeting.
Managing Time Stress
Time stress is one of the most common types of stress that we experience today. It is essential to learn how to manage this type of stress if you're going to work
productively in a busy organization.
First, learn good time management skills. This can include using To-Do Lists or, if you have to manage many simultaneous projects, Action Programs.
Next, make sure that you're devoting enough time to your important priorities. Unfortunately, it's easy to get caught up in seemingly urgent tasks which actually
have little impact on your overall objectives. This can leave you feeling exhausted, or feeling that you worked a full day yet accomplished nothing meaningful.
Your important tasks are usually the ones that will help you reach your goals, and working on these projects is a better use of your time. Our article on The
Urgent/Important Matrix explains how to balance urgent and important tasks, and our article on prioritization helps you separate tasks that you need to focus on
from those you can safely put off.
If you often feel that you don't have enough time to complete all of your tasks, learn how to create more time in your day. This might mean coming in early or
working late, so that you have quiet time to focus. You should also use your peak working time to concentrate on your most important tasks because you're
working more efficiently, this helps you do more with the time you have.
For instance, if you're a morning person, schedule the tasks that need the greatest concentration during this time. Our article "Is This a Morning Task" helps you
learn how to prioritize your tasks and schedule them during your most productive times of day. You can leave less important tasks, like checking email, for times
when your energy levels drop.
Also, make sure that you're polite but assertive about saying "no" to tasks that you don't have the capacity to do.
2. Anticipatory Stress
Anticipatory stress describes stress that you experience concerning the future. Sometimes this stress can be focused on a specific event, such as an upcoming
presentation that you're going to give. However, anticipatory stress can also be vague and undefined, such as an overall sense of dread about the future, or a
worry that "something will go wrong."
Managing Anticipatory Stress
Because anticipatory stress is future based, start by recognizing that the event you're dreading doesn't have to play out as you imagine. Use positive visualization
techniques to imagine the situation going right.
Research shows that your mind often can't tell the difference, on a basic neurological level, between a situation that you've visualized going well repeatedly and one
that's actually happened.
Other techniques like meditation will help you develop focus and the ability to concentrate on what's happening right now, rather than on an imagined future.
Consider setting aside time daily even if it's only five minutes to meditate.
Anticipatory stress can result from a lack of confidence. For example, you might be stressing over a presentation that you're giving next week, because you're
afraid that your presentation won't be interesting. Often, addressing these personal fears directly will lower your stress. In this example, if you put in extra time to
practice and prepare for tough questions, you'll likely feel more prepared for the event.
Last, learn how to overcome a fear of failure: by making contingency plans and analyzing all of the possible outcomes, you'll get a clearer idea of what could
happen in the future. This can help diminish your fear of failure and give you a greater sense of control over events.
3. Situational Stress
You experience situational stress when you're in a scary situation that you have no control over. This could be an emergency. More commonly, however, it's a
situation that involves conflict, or a loss of status or acceptance in the eyes of your group. For instance, getting laid off or making a major mistake in front of your
team are examples of events that can cause situational stress.
Managing Situational Stress
Situational stress often appears suddenly, for example, you might get caught in a situation that you completely failed to anticipate. To manage situational stress
better, learn to be more self-aware. This means recognizing the "automatic" physical and emotional signals that your body sends out when you're under pressure.
For example, imagine that the meeting you're in suddenly dissolves into a shouting match between team members. Your automatic response is to feel a surge of
anxiety. Your stomach knots and feels bloated. You withdraw into yourself and, if someone asks for your input, you have a difficult time knowing what to say.
Conflict is a major source of situational stress. Learn effective conflict resolution skills, so that you're well-prepared to handle the stress of conflict when it arises.
It's also important to learn how to manage conflict in meetings, since resolving group conflict can be different from resolving individual issues.
Everyone reacts to situational stress differently, and it's essential that you understand both the physical and emotional symptoms of this stress, so that you can
manage them appropriately. For instance, if your natural tendency is to withdraw emotionally, then learn how to think on your feet and communicate better during
these situations. If your natural response is to get angry and shout, then learn how tomanage your emotions.
4. Encounter Stress
Encounter stress revolves around people. You experience encounter stress when you worry about interacting with a certain person or group of people you may
not like them, or you might think that they're unpredictable.
Encounter stress can also occur if your role involves a lot of personal interactions with customers or clients, especially if those groups are in distress. For instance,
physicians and social workers have high rates of encounter stress, because the people they work with routinely don't feel well, or are deeply upset.
This type of stress also occurs from "contact overload": when you feel overwhelmed or drained from interacting with too many people.
Managing Encounter Stress
Because encounter stress is focused entirely on people, you'll manage this type of stress better by working on your people skills. To find out how good your people
skills are, take our quiz, and discover the areas that you need to develop.
A good place to start is to develop greater emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize the emotions, wants, and needs of yourself and of
others. This is an important skill in interacting with others and in building good relationships.
It's also important to know when you're about to reach your limit for interactions in the day. Everyone has different symptoms for encounter stress, but a common
one is withdrawing psychologically from others and working mechanically. Another common symptom is getting cranky, cold, or impersonal with others in your
interactions. When you start to experience these symptoms, do whatever you can to take a break. Go for a walk, drink water, and practice deep breathing exercises.
Empathy is a valuable skill for coping with this type of stress, because it allows you to see the situation from the other person's perspective. This gives you greater
understanding and helps you to structure your communications so that you address the other person's feelings, wants, and needs.

Note 1:
Crankiness and remoteness can also be symptoms of burnout. If you're an enthusiastic, hard-working, committed person, make sure that you monitor yourself for this, and that
you take action to avoid it.
Note 2:
The techniques that we mention in this article are intended to help you manage and overcome stress. However, stress can cause severe health problems and should be taken
seriously. You should visit a qualified healthcare professional if you're concerned that your stress levels are affecting your health.


Key Points
Dr Karl Albrecht published his model of the four common types of stress in his 1979 book, "Stress and the Manager." These are:
1. Time stress.
2. Anticipatory stress.
3. Situational stress.
4. Encounter stress.
While everyone experiences different physical and emotional symptoms of stress, it's important to understand how you respond to each one. When you can recognize the type of
stress you're experiencing, you can take steps to manage it more effectively.