Stress is our normal response to challenges and dangers in our lives. It is our body, mind and behavioural responses to daily challenges. But at times when we experience stress beyond our ability to cope with, it can cause detrimentally affect our health, relationships and daily life.
- What is stress?
Eustress is a type of stress that helps us deal with challenges. It improves our motivation and performances. But when the stress becomes acute beyond one’s capacity to cope with or chronic with ongoing stressors, the deleterious affect of stress becomes negative to our health.
Some of main causes of stress are; major life events (both positive and negative), routine daily stresses that are on going and acute traumatic stresses. These may come from personal financial, health, work, relational and others.
- What are the signs and symptoms?
Stress can be caused by actual situation or our psychological interpretation of the situation. The symptoms can manifest themself in bodily, psychological or behavioral signs. Some of physical symptoms of stress are persistent headache, constant muscle tension, sleep disturbance, fatigue, high blood pressure, weakened immune system and the like. Some of the psychological symptoms are persistent thought of one issue, worry, anxiety, irritability, anger, fear of loss of control etc. The symptom can manifest itself behaviorally, such as overeating, abuse of substance, relationship troubles etc.
- What can be done about it?
Various strategies could be employed to manage stress. Managing stress begins with monitoring, assessing and choosing appropriate tools. At times implementing changes in life to change to stressors may be in order. Other times regular exercise, practicing relaxation techniques or just having a good times with friends and family may do the trick. But when these common sense methods cannot be managed by yourself to bring about changes, then talking to a counsellor to work together may bring about change more effectively.