What is stress and how is it caused?
What is stress?It’s a PHYSICAL response in your body.The body thinks it is under attack and switches to “fight, flight, freeze, or fawn” mode.Chemicals and hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine are released.In small doses, it can be useful at work, sports, etc. Long-term stress is toxic.Is it really stress?The “Perceived Stress Scale” or “Heart-rate Variability” may give insight into your stress patterns. Someone could look relaxed on the outside, but their internal environment is chaos.If a child or teenager says, “I’m feeling stressed” - BELIEVE THEM. I’ve seen parents invalidate their children’s stress, saying that children don’t they don’t know what stress is, and refusing therapy or a chance for the child to take a break from work / school / volunteering. Those children learn to disconnect and ignore their physiological signals, which can be disastrous in adulthood with chronic disease.How does stress feel in your body?your heart beats fastermuscles get tight (tense)your stomach feels tight or you feel sickyour breathing gets fasteryou sweat moreit’s hard to fall asleep, or you wake up feeling like you didn’t sleep because you’re still tiredit’s hard to concentrate on one thingyour head hurtsyou may not feel like eating, unless you’re a stress eater and associate food with comfortyou crave sugary and fatty foodsHow is stress caused?Stress is caused by situations or pressures. Of course, your perception of it matters. One person thrives under pressure and performs best with tight deadlines, while others shut down while work demands escalate. One person might enjoy caregiving their elderly parents, while another finds the demands overwhelming.External stressors: major life changes, being too busy, children, family, financial problems, relationship difficulties, work, school, death, separation, illness, retirementInternal stressors: perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, negative self-talk, lack of flexibility, rigid thinking, unable to accept uncertainty, pessimismThere are 5 stages of stress: fight or flight, damage control, recovery, adaption, burn-out.Learning to relax is a very important skill. It can be particularly difficult for traumatized persons, as they are in a hyper-vigilant state.
What are the different stages of love?
To me, I used to believe there were no stages.. 'it just happened' but now my belief system has spiralled into oblivion and in my personal and updated opinions believe falling in love occurs in five simple stages...Starting with the simple attraction. Without this starting attraction the relationship will go no where as it cannot be forced, fixed or altered- it is a natural and oh so good feeling that is either there or not there. The second stage is the emotional build up of luscious 'lovey dovey' feelings.. secrets are shared, trust is built, you begin feeling comfortable. It is a honeymoon stage.. all is good physically and emotionally life is dandy and you picture marriage, babies and old age with this person. They're 'the one'....The third stage leads us into that emotional attachment. This is almost a sad stage because you realise 'this is it'. It is no longer a game, sh*t just got real and you realise it. Every rocky bump in this stage leaves you feeling deprived, uneasy and anxious. You are both dependent on each other and although turmoil may life ahead in other areas of your life.. the love you share is more important to you right now. The forth is the fight, with out this fight who knows whether you can deal with it in the future. Whether one of you has a 'flight' personality and will go running into the hills when any conflict comes up or whether they are a 'fighter' and will hold on and do anything to keep it going. And finally the fifth... if you have lasted to this stage well done. This is the comfortability stage- no you aren't getting married next week.. but you don't need to put a ring on it just yet. You are comfortable and happy and the early stages of stress, fighting and 'lovey dovey' feeling talking is out of the picture. This stage focus's on the concept of not needing to be with this person 24/7 but wanting them more than anything else..After reaching stage five, who knows what will happen.. the love may have die or you may last till death do you part. Having children or finance issues may keep you together or rip you apart but no matter what the comfortability and love you shared in stage five will be the constant and lifelong reminder of your own little love story..All the best x
Can you get heartburn from the stress of going through grief?
I'm very sorry for you grief...it is a very devastating part of life which we all must pass through at one time or another.... You have several stages of grief,,and yes the stress of grief can cause heart burn, not sure whether or not ulcers play apart in this...it might be a normal body reaction...it will take time to pass through the different stages...I hope you are seeing a grief counselor or a support group or a therapist...do not hold it in. In the mean time, I suggest you seek advice from your family doctor-- sip on some ginger tea--unless you are taking other medicine which this will interact with.... Be patient--this, in time will become a bit easier for you to deal with.... God Bless, for I know all about the grieving process.....and what it can do to ones thought process & body. Take car & good luck.
What are the three stages of General Adaptation Syndrome?
In the first stage of GAS called alarm reaction, the body releases adrenaline and a variety of other psychological mechanisms to combat the stress and to stay in control. This is called fight or flight response. The muscles tense, the heart beats faster, the breathing and perspiration increases, the eyes dilate, the stomach may clench. Believe it or not, this is done by nature to protect you in case something bad happens. Once the cause of the stress is removed, the body will go back to normal. If the cause for the stress is not removed, GAS goes to its second stage called resistance or adaptation. This is the body’s response to long term protection. It secretes further hormones that increase blood sugar levels to sustain energy and raise blood pressure. The adrenal cortex (outer covering) produces hormones called corticosteroids for this resistance reaction. Overuse by the body's defense mechanism in this phase eventually leads to disease. If this adaptation phase continues for a prolonged period of time without periods of relaxation and rest to counterbalance the stress response, sufferers become prone to fatigue, concentration lapses, irritability and lethargy as the effort to sustain arousal slides into negative stress. The third stage of GAS is called exhaustion. In this stage, the body has run out of its reserve of body energy and immunity. Mental, physical and emotional resources suffer heavily. The body experiences "adrenal exhaustion". The blood sugar levels decrease as the adrenals become depleted, leading to decreased stress tolerance, progressive mental and physical exhaustion, illness and collapse.