What is stress and what are its symptoms?

January 6, 2009

Stress becomes our everyday life. The concept of “stress” has long passed from the category of scientific terms to the concept of common everyday life. We hear about it almost daily in the media and in everyday life. The UN considers workplace stress the “plague of the 21st century.” According to numerous experts, mental disorders

caused by acute or chronic psycho-emotional stress are widespread.
Stress and its health consequences are reaching epidemic proportions
and represent an important social problem in modern society.

What is stress and why is it dangerous?

Stress is a state of increased tension in the body as a protective reaction to the influence of unfavorable factors (physical, psychosocial).

Almost all people have encountered stress in their lives. A significant proportion regularly experience physical symptoms associated with stress without even realizing it.

Stress awaits us everywhere - from an interview with an employer or a first date to a pile of unwashed laundry or an illness in a child. Stress itself is not always bad, because it allows us to invent individual ways of dealing with life’s difficulties, it makes us more mature, more seasoned, and smarter.

However, if stress is excessive or extremely prolonged, it can lead to the exact opposite result and turn our lives into a real nightmare. Stress that exceeds the body's adaptive capabilities is called distress. Distress leads to a breakdown of defense mechanisms and the occurrence of physical illness.

Often we don’t think about whether everything we do really needs to be done - or is it better to tell ourselves: “Stop.” We usually think that we are simply doing what any normal person would do in our place. This is precisely what can lead us down the path of chronic stress, folded into a gradually twisting tight spiral.

But do we know what stress is?

Stress is a human condition that occurs as a reaction to any events or demands that are difficult or impossible for a person to cope with.
How to get pleasure hormones

Many people think that the most vivid sensations come from alcohol and drugs, but in fact there are many ways to get your own, natural “pleasure hormones.”

Psychologists differentiate stress by power.
Great stress
occurs in response to situations that pose a threat to life or its usual way of life: natural or man-made disasters, war, captivity.
Significant personal events can be the cause of great stress: the death or serious illness of a loved one, divorce, major financial losses, forced migration or job loss. Low stress
can be caused by a wide variety of everyday situations and problems that a person cannot solve or requires special effort to do so. Such stress should not be underestimated, because if a person experiences stress of low intensity for a long time, then the harm to his health can be comparable to the effects of severe stress.

It is better to recognize stress at the very beginning

otherwise, its level inside can grow to such an extent that neither work nor rest will simply become impossible. And this state will very quickly lead you to the idea that you seem to be terminally ill.

Here are the symptoms of stress by which it can be recognized at the very beginning.

Cognitive symptoms:

Inability to focus and concentrate;
Perception of predominantly negative aspects of life;
Anxiety or racing thoughts;
Difficulty in making decisions;
Difficulties in mastering new information;
Constant anxiety;
Nightmares;
Constant feeling of guilt;
Inability to plan your life;
Forgetfulness, disorganization

Emotional symptoms:

Depression or feeling of lack of happiness;
Low self-esteem: “I am lonely, insignificant”;
Feeling of overload, loss of control over your life;
Frequent tears, thoughts of suicide as a possible rest;
Dejection;
Apathy;
Irritability, short temper;
Agitation, inability to relax

Physical (somatic) symptoms:

Nervousness, “shaking”;
Weakness, fatigue;
Muscle twitching, tremors;
Pain, muscle hypertonicity, spasms;
Diarrhea or constipation;
Nausea, dizziness;
Chest pain, tachycardia, bradycardia;
Frequent colds and other infections;
Decreased libido, potency or ability to have sex;
Frequent belching, flatulence;
Unexplained attacks of “allergy”;
Weight gain or loss without changes in diet;
Ringing, buzzing, clicking in the ears;
Cold or sweaty palms or feet;
Dry mouth, difficulty swallowing;
Clenching of the jaws, grinding of teeth;
Hair loss
Acne (pustules on the skin);
Skin rash, itching;
Numbness of body parts;
Hot/cold flashes;
Sweating; control
Tingling in various parts of the body;
Decrease in overall energy level;
Headache;
Insomnia;
Heartburn;
Panic attacks;
Feeling nauseous;
Frequent urination;
Difficulty breathing

Behavioral symptoms:

Change in appetite;
Excessive or insufficient sleep;
Social isolation, isolation;
Aggressiveness, hostility;
Acute reactions even to ordinary stimuli;
Defensive behavior or suspiciousness;
Obsessive or compulsive behavior;
Nervous behavior (nail biting, restlessness, constant movement);
Loss of the need to take care of one’s appearance and be punctual;
Stuttering, rapid or mumbled speech;
Procrastination, neglect of obligations, irresponsible behavior;
Using alcohol, cigarettes, drugs to relax;
Lying or constantly making excuses to explain shortcomings and failures in work;
An increase in the number of minor accidents or accidents that occur to a person;
Excessive gambling, impulsive and thoughtless purchases;

Just because you have one or two of the symptoms on this list doesn't mean you're stressed, but the list does make it clear what stress can do if it goes unrecognized.

How people react to stress

People react to stress in three different ways.

1. “Hit.” Reaction to stress in the form of excitement, readiness to fight, in the form of aggression in order to eliminate the source of stress.

2. "Run." Withdrawal, depression, withdrawal into oneself or one’s own world, dissociation as a reaction to stress.

3. “Double” answer. A person freezes in tension and has no way to express it. The ability to act is paralyzed, and inside the person is extremely tense.

How to cope with stress

1. The most important way is to avoid unnecessary stress. Why would you want to get into a fight on a social network or in a queue? Why fly on vacation to a distant country where, according to rumors, a change of power is taking place? Think twice when planning your actions and especially when you are driven by emotions.

2. Try to change the situation. Get advice, call for help, pick up a stick - whatever will change the situation in your favor.

3. If the situation cannot be changed, try to adapt to the stress factor. If the stressor is a person, look at the situation through his eyes and understand the reasons for his behavior. If stress is caused by too much workload, try to find additional resources to gain strength. In any case, to adapt to the stressor, it is better to talk about your situation to someone who knows how to listen. By talking through the situation again and again, you will be able to see what previously remained in the shadows. And maybe change your attitude towards stressful situations. A good resource is a way out of the situation with a complete change of environment, activity, and social circle. If there are no opportunities for such a way out, try to do something crazy right in your situation, something that you have never done before. Often this allows you to obtain a new resource for adaptation.

4. Accept the things you cannot change. Does your husband drink and is not going to quit, despite all your joint conversations and plans about this? Look at this with open eyes and tell yourself: “Stop. This will never happen." “Yes, I’m not handsome, but that’s no reason to be unhappy.” “Yes, I don’t have (someone or something) now, and most likely never will. But there is my life, friends, work, etc.” “This world is unfair to me. But he is just as unfair to many. However, he gave me (such and such).” These are examples of accepting statements that, despite all the painful processes of awareness and acceptance of the situation, have extraordinary healing power, releasing a large amount of resources and restoring the boundaries of the individual for a further full life.

There are several other ways to cope with stress that may seem minor at first glance, but are actually quite effective:

Laughter. When your brain can no longer think, simply take your mind off the situation by watching some good comedy.
Massage. In a stressful situation, the body is under tension and massaging the back or feet helps to cope with this tension.
Be alone for a while. Often the best way is to collect your thoughts and look at the situation in a new way. Take a shower, go for a walk, sit in a cafe, take a nap, or just work alone. Hand the children over to your husband (wife, grandmother, grandfather, nanny), and be alone for a few hours. This is a powerful resource for restoring internal balance.
Do something useful for yourself. Often stress increases because you feel that the situation in your business, at home, or your illness is out of control. Sometimes, paradoxically, in such a situation, it can help to cook dinner, go to the laundry, clean up the house, or do a manicure, hair, or makeup.

So, the main thing you need to learn is don’t let stress take its course . Unrecognized stress reactions in the body over time lead to significant difficulties in life and at work, and later to somatic diseases.

How to protect yourself from stress?

In modern society, escaping stress is a difficult task, but not hopeless. There is a rational approach: teaching skills to overcome stress and increase stress resistance. Regular morning exercises can help with this. And in the evening - relaxation classes, auto-training, yoga. Regular rest is also important, preferably in nature. Here are 10 simple but effective tips for those who want to learn how to overcome
stress on their own: 1. Try to
slow down the pace
of your life.
Plan your workday in advance; alternate periods of intense work with proper rest. 2. Get enough sleep! On average, an adult needs 7–8 hours of sleep
per day.
3. Don't eat on the go: breakfast, lunch and dinner should be a time of rest
.
4. Don't try to relieve stress with tobacco or alcohol. The problems that caused stress and the stress itself will not go away
, but your health will suffer.
Physical activity
will help relieve emotional stress : go swimming or water aerobics.
6. Set aside some time every day for relaxation
: sit in a comfortable chair, turn on some pleasant music, close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting on the seashore.
7. Try to distract yourself, switch to activities that give you positive emotions
: going to a concert, reading, walking in nature or chatting with friends.
8. There is no way to change the circumstances of life - change your attitude
towards them.
Carefully analyze your negative emotional experiences: perhaps the events that took place do not deserve such strong emotions. 9. Focus on the positive: The circumstances in your life are often better than you think
when you're upset.

Give yourself life: dealing with stress

How to recognize the signs of upcoming stress and deal with it? Evgenia Otradnaya, Evgenia Dobrovolskaya and our experts tell the story.

10. Watch your mood as you watch your appearance, treat your irritability and temper
as a source of illness
. A friendly facial expression and smile will improve your mood and the attitude of others towards you.

Stress: how to reduce its impact on a person’s quality of life

Stress (tension, load) is a normal adaptive reaction of the body to physical or psychological stimuli that disrupt its self-regulation, and manifests itself in a certain state of the nervous system and the whole organism [1]. Most people have experienced symptoms of chronic stress at least once in their lives: feeling constantly tired, irritable, unwilling to do anything, getting up early in the morning, difficulty concentrating at work or school. These symptoms are often accompanied by a state of constant malaise (runny nose, cough, low-grade fever). Let's take a closer look at the picture of stress, how it manifests itself and how you can counteract it. Canadian endocrinologist Hans Selye in 1936 first described the physiology of stress within the framework of the general adaptation syndrome, which includes 3 stages (Fig. 1):

anxiety or mobilization; resistance; exhaustion. At the mobilization stage, the body's adaptive mechanisms of self-regulation are activated. The release of adaptation hormones (glucocorticoids) into the blood increases, trying to restore the normal functioning of organs and systems. It is at this stage that the glucocorticoids, adrenaline and norepinephrine released “block” the immune system, and the person may develop an acute respiratory infection or other disease. At this stage, the body prepares for defense or flight. The resistance stage occurs with relative stabilization of the functioning of the disturbed body systems. At this moment, stable resistance to stress factors occurs. In this case, adaptation energy is consumed, which, according to Hans Selye, has a limited supply and is not replenished, but according to another scientist, Bernard Goldstone, it is replenished as it is consumed. The person becomes aggressive, irritable, and begins to fight the disease. When the process of energy consumption goes faster than the process of its replenishment, the stage of exhaustion occurs. During the struggle, all reserve energy reserves are consumed. All symptoms at this stage are like a “cry for help.” The body loses its ability to resist, and psychosomatic disorders begin, including deep depression or death [1, 2]. There are two types of stress - distress

and
eustress
.
Eustress is stress resulting from positive emotions or short-term and mild stress that mobilizes the body’s strength. Such stress has a positive effect on the human body and is not dangerous. Distress is severe stress caused by negative factors (physical, mental) that are very difficult for the body to cope with. Such stress has a negative impact on the nervous system and human health in general. These two types of stress are divided into types based on the nature of the impact. Emotional stress
is the very first reaction to stress.
Activates metabolic processes in the body, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system. If it occurs frequently or lasts for a long time, it leads to imbalance of these systems. Psychological stress
is caused by social factors or one’s own worries.
Caused by conflict situations in society, worries about the future. With such stress, a person can experience emotions such as fear, excitement, envy, melancholy, jealousy, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, etc. Biological stress
- caused by physical stress factors.
These include: burns, hypothermia, disease, poisoning, injuries, hunger, radiation, etc. It is worth noting another type of stress - professional stress
, which arises due to the influence of work stress factors: harmful working conditions (pollution, noise);
inconvenient work schedule; poor nutrition; poor relationships with management, employees, classmates; overload, fast pace of work; monotony, same type of actions [1]. The influence of stress on human health has various manifestations, the main of which are: headaches that do not have a characteristic localization; chronic lack of sleep and insomnia; functional disorders of the cardiovascular system: bradycardia, arterial hypertension, myocardial infarction; impaired concentration, increased fatigue, decreased performance; diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, peptic ulcer, dyspepsia of neurotic origin; exacerbation of cancer; decreased immunity, as a result of which the body may be susceptible to viral infection; disruption of neuroendocrine regulation, irregular production of hormones, which leads to the development of osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus or other metabolic diseases; degeneration of brain tissue, muscle rigidity or atony; Alcohol or drug addiction may appear [2]. If a stress factor has affected the body for a short time, then this can be beneficial: At a moment of strong stress, nerve cells are activated, so the brain begins to work at maximum. Working memory improves. During an exam, a student can talk about material that, in his opinion, he has never learned. The level of oxytocin, the hormone of “tenderness and trust,” increases. This helps eliminate conflict situations and build trusting relationships. Reserve energy reserves are activated, strength and motivation appear to achieve your goals. In the process of overcoming difficulties, the body's endurance increases. The immune system is activated, biological indicators improve. The sensitivity of all analyzers is heightened, which helps to concentrate on solving the problem [2]. A certain degree of stress is a normal part of the living organism's response to inevitable changes in the physical and psychosocial sphere. Moderate stress motivates and improves performance under appropriate stress conditions. Therefore, the stress response itself does not lead to undesirable health consequences and actually protects the body from harmful effects. A key question is when stress becomes non-physiological, leading to dysregulation of stress-related processes, neurotransmitters and brain activity with further consequences for health. How to identify in practice the first signs of the pathological effects of stress on the human body? You need to pay attention to symptoms that seem insignificant. For example, a person sleeps for 8-9 hours, and in the morning gets up exhausted, it seems to him that he did not get enough sleep; During the day he constantly yawns, he wants to lie down and close his eyes; he confuses letters when writing them, cannot concentrate on basic things; he increasingly craves sweets, especially chocolate; people around him say that he has become absent-minded, grouchy, and irritable. The patient notices that he begins to get colds more often, and, as a rule, they last longer than usual and it takes a long time to recover from them. Why is this happening? Let us recall that under stress, the central nervous system is activated, which triggers the stress response: the peripheral nervous system is activated, and various hormones are released by the endocrine glands. The stress response is a series of biological and psychological responses that are determined by a variety of biological networks and their mediators to maintain stability under the influence of stress factors [3]. Stress overload, which is also called excessive allostatic load, can disrupt the biological interaction of organs in the human body when there is a significant disruption of network relationships and biochemical processes, leading to undesirable changes in organs and tissues [3, 4]. The organs responsible for immunity also suffer. Under stress conditions, the level of hormones—glucocorticoids—increases sharply in the blood, a high concentration of which suppresses the body’s immune system. From a physiological perspective, each time a stress response is activated, adjustments must occur to adapt to the changing environment. Allostasis is the process by which the body restores dynamic stability: it is the activation of multiple biological networks and their mediators, caused by natural changes within an acceptable range of variability [4]. In allostasis, the stress response occurs quickly, persists for the required period of time, and is terminated, providing regulation of stress-related networks. This process is considered as autoregulation. Although allostatic processes can be adaptive for a certain limited period, with prolonged or excessive allostatic load, the “cost of adaptation” becomes so high that the stress response is disrupted [4]. This may lead to changes in stress-related networks, leading to pathophysiological changes and increased susceptibility to various mental, physical disorders and infectious factors. Excess allostatic load can lead to serious health problems. It can disrupt almost any system in the body. The most common manifestations of these disorders are the following symptoms [3]: physical: pain, headache, nausea, palpitations, fatigue, frequent colds; mental: memory problems, inability to concentrate, negative perceptions, anxiety, constant worry; emotional: mood swings, irritability, short temper, agitation, depression, feeling of loneliness; behavioral: undereating or overeating, lack of sleep, self-isolation, sedentary lifestyle. All these symptoms are interrelated and can enhance each other. Statistics show the relationship between mental factors and the development and clinical picture of infectious diseases. People exposed to stress develop upper respiratory tract infections 2-3 times more often and stay ill for longer than the average population. In the general course of the disease, its internal picture occupies a very large, sometimes dominant place. Sometimes it is much easier to eliminate the real pathogen in a patient’s body than to “evict” an imaginary microbe from his psyche. In such cases, the impact on the patient’s psyche - psychotherapy can be the most important method of treatment. Sometimes the cause of an illness (or its exacerbation) can be a word carelessly spoken by someone and misunderstood by the person [5]. Thus, the effects of stress on the body are very diverse. Stress and its consequences are directly proportional phenomena: the stronger and longer the stress, the more negative the impact it has on health. How to help a patient cope with stress, how to reduce its impact on a person, how to prevent the pathological development of stress? First of all, you need to be optimistic. Optimistic people get sick much less and are more successful in life because they are not inclined to consider everything that happens to them as stress. In addition, you must: Sleep at least 8 hours. Exercise. Spend more time outdoors. Change your diet: reduce the consumption of fatty, spicy, smoked foods, eat more vegetables, fruits high in vitamin C (100 mg or more per 100 g of product): broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, turnip greens, parsley, horseradish, bell peppers, black currant, guava. There are currently no medications indicated for the treatment of stress. Doctors usually prescribe beta blockers, tranquilizers and antidepressants. However, these drugs primarily target the phenotypic consequences of disrupted organ interactions rather than optimizing or restoring autoregulation of the underlying dysregulated networks. In addition, their long-term use can cause physiological and psychological dependence, affect autoregulation, thereby making an even greater contribution to the development of pathology [5]. Complex homeopathic medicines that have appeared on the market are an additional tool that a doctor can use to improve treatment results by influencing autoregulation and its optimization. Their goal is to restore or optimize the patient's natural self-regulatory ability, i.e., return the patient to an optimal state for eliminating the disease. Drugs with bioregulatory properties are effective and safe; they are capable of restoring network interactions between organs and systems, cells and their environment, as well as individual molecules; they can be used for a long time and combined with other drugs and treatment methods [7]. One of these drugs is Homeostres (Boiron, France), which has a physiological and targeted effect on the key manifestations of stress. It quickly eliminates symptoms of irritability and anxiety; normalizes sleep, improves the process of falling asleep; reduces fatigue and nausea; does not cause drowsiness, lethargy or addiction. The drug contains the following components: Aconitum napellus (aconitum napellus) C6; Belladonna (belladonna) C6; Calendula officinalis (calendula officinalis) C6; Chelidonium majus (chelidonium majus) C6; Jequirity C6; Viburnum opulus (vitrum opulus) C6.
The presence of aconite, belladonna and calendula in the composition, in addition to affecting the symptoms of mental disorders, determines the ability to reduce inflammatory processes, so this drug can be successfully used in a comprehensive program for the treatment of acute respiratory infections in children and adults exposed to frequent stress. Thanks to these components, the activity of the immune system increases. The drug is prescribed according to the following scheme: 2 tablets 3 times a day, dissolve in the mouth 20-30 minutes before meals. For children under 6 years of age, the drug is dissolved in a small amount of water. The course of treatment is 7-14 days. If necessary, courses can be repeated. In the works of S. V. Romasenko et al. [7] showed that Homeostres reduces somatovegetative disorders; for example, its use reduces fatigue in 44% of patients by the 3rd day of therapy (Fig. 2).

In a study by L. G. Khachatryan [8], it was found that Homeostres improves the state of the psycho-emotional sphere (Fig. 3). Thus, anxiety and phobias in the group of children with perinatal damage to the nervous system decreased by 2 times already by the 7th day of treatment, while the effectiveness of Homeostres was comparable to the effectiveness of using phenibut.

No side or toxic effects were noted when taking the drug in any study; all patients tolerated the treatment well. Thus, the administration of this drug reduces sensitivity to stress and its manifestations, and improves the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic stress. Considering that Homeostres is non-toxic and does not cause any side effects, it can be recommended for the prevention or treatment of the effects of stress in children and adults.