What is stress?
Stress is our body’s reaction to pressure: physical, emotional or social. It can also be applied to physiological pressure. In most cases, it occurs as a result of feeling ‘out of control’, or as though a scenario can’t be managed. However, stress may appear out of nowhere, with no obvious cause.
If stress and anxiety are persistently interfering with your life and you aren’t able to control it yourself, please contact your GP practice. A lot of help is available.
Most people will feel stress at some point in their life, which is completely normal. In fact, stress can actually be a positive thing. This is explained by The Yerkes-Dodson Curve, which shows the relationship between stress and performance. However, where moderate tension is beneficial for task completion, tension that’s very high, or very low, can cause performance to suffer – either through apathy or stress.
For some people, stress can significantly impact their life, affecting how they behave, and how they feel both mentally and physically. Long-term, excessive stress can be damaging, so it’s important to take the necessary steps to learn how to respond to it in a healthy way by understanding when stress has shifted to distress, and learning your triggers.
What causes stress?
So, what happens in the body for someone to experience stress? The stress response begins in the amygdala – the part of the brain that’s responsible for emotional processing and sleep. Once the danger is perceived by the amygdala, it sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus effectively acts as a sort of command centre, communicating this information with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
The ANS is made up of two components, being the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The SNS triggers the fight-or-flight response, which provides the body with the burst of energy it may need to escape a stressful situation. This is why, when you’re anxious or stressed, you may notice a spike in your heart rate, and your breathing may get quicker. The PNS, however, promotes the “rest and digest” response, which calms the body down after the danger has passed.
This is a normal response to stress. However, research suggests that long-term activation of the sympathetic nervous system can impact other bodily systems – which can become problematic.
Impact of stress on body systems
Alongside impacting your emotions, long-term stress can have a significant impact on body systems. This is why seeking help is so important. When left unchecked, chronic stress, particularly when associated with limited ability to control key aspects of your life, can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Stress also impacts the digestive system – in some individuals, it can cause bloating, pain and constipation, and in others it can lead to diarrhoea and frequent toilet visits. Not only this, stress can make certain digestive conditions worse, such as stomach ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome.
How not to manage stress yourself
Sometimes, someone experiencing chronic stress may resort to alcohol, as well as illegal and over-the-counter drugs as they are extremely addictive and dangerous to take long-term. With the right help, it’s possible to respond to stress effectively and healthily, without harming your body further.
How to improve your response to stress
Try and improve any practical stress-causing issues, such as house. You may need help to do this. Understanding where your stressful experience is truly coming from, from the inside rather than the outside in, is key to improving your response. If you regularly experience stress, there are certain lifestyle changes and healthy habits that can help improve your response to stress. This may include:
- Maintaining a healthy social support network and communicating your feelings with others
- Engaging in regular physical exercise or meditation
- Eating healthy, well-balanced meals
- Getting an adequate amount of sleep
- Avoiding excessive drinking
- Avoiding excessive tobacco and substance use
- Setting time aside to unwind and destress
- Acknowledging when you may need psychological help, which may involve CBT – self-help or otherwise – or taking certain medications
Another useful self-help technique to stay on top of stress in your life can be downloading the Evergreen Life app and taking our Sense of Wellbeing Check. This covers a wide range of health-related topics – including questions about mental health. Based on your answers, you’ll be given actionable steps you can take towards feeling better.
Reviewed by:
Anna Keeble – Head of Content
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- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) Tips for coping with stress. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Harvard Health Publishing (2020) Understanding the stress response. Harvard Health Publishing.
- Mayo Clinic (2021) Chronic stress puts your health at risk. Mayo Clinic.
- Mayo Clinic (2022) How opioid addiction occurs. Mayo Clinic.
- Mayo Clinic (2021) Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behaviour. Mayo Clinic.
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2002) Stress System Malfunction Could Lead to Serious, Life Threatening Disease. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
- Nickerson, C (2021) The Yerkes-Dodson Law and Performance. Simply Psychology.
- NHS UK (2019) 5 lifestyle tips for a health tummy. NHS UK.
- NHS UK (2019) Stress. NHS UK.
