Stress is the body's response to a sense of overwhelm - essenially when our demands exceed our resources to meet those demands, Anything can be a 'stressor' in our lives.

Enivronmental Stressors are things in the environment which create demands on us e.g. demanding jobs; toxic workplace, work-life balance; commuting; demanding children or relatives; colleagues or friends. In these cases dealing with stress is finding a balance between things that deplete our resources and things which recharge us.

Psychological Stressors are psychological factors which create stress. For instance, the demands of work or home life may be reasonable but we might feel stressed if we place unrealistic expectations and demands on ourselves or those around us, such as feeling inadequate even while objectively performing well, or being driven by a sense of perfectionism. Other psychological stressors can be responses to stress in our marriage or relationships due to communication problems; or stress from being lonley and not knowing how to meet our emotional needs.

During stress the mind and body go into a state of alarm and the body's defence system kicks in. A range of symptoms follow, each with an evolutionary function. It's important to note that our bodies did not develop this with the intention of making it a way of life, but rather as a short-term boost to get out of a dangerous and temporary situation. Our bodies release adrenaline for instance with the intention of giving our strength a turbo boost of fuel to fight off a predator or enemy, or to run away faster. They did not have being stuck stewing in a traffic jam while late for a meeting in mind. If you notice the following symptoms are chronic (or long term) in your life, then you will be suffering from stress or even adrenal exhaustion.

Psychological & Emotional Symptoms:
*  A feeling of constant overwhelm
*  A narrowing of attention (or tunnel vision) and inability to see the bigger picture
* Taking things personally, a loss of perspective and humour
 * Emotional problems becoming amplified
*  Irritability and operating on a 'short-fuse', snapping at others
*  Low frustration tolerance
* Avoidant or procrastinating behaviour

 

Physiological responses
 * Broken sleep
* high blood pressure
* adrenal fatigue and exhaustion
* sense of agitation and restlessness

 

Recommended Therapy: This will depend on the nature of the stressors. For instance stress caused in a relationship may be best addressed by couples counselling; stress in the workplace may require either coaching to assist in creating a healthier work life balance; or if generated be caused by psychological, then psychological counselling would be recommended.

 

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