Stress - Stress Concept, Symptoms And Causes Of Stress

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Stress

Stress concept

Stress is the response of the human body to overexertion, negative emotions, or just monotonous fuss. During stress, the human body produces the hormone adrenaline, which makes you look for a way out. Stress in small amounts is needed by everyone, as it makes you think, look for a way out of the problem, without stress in general life would be boring. But on the other hand, if there is too much stress, the body weakens, loses strength and the ability to solve problems

A huge number of scientific works are devoted to this problem. The mechanisms of stress are studied in detail and are quite complex: they are associated with our hormonal, nervous, vascular systems.

It should be noted that severe stress affects health. Stress lowers immunity and is the cause of many diseases (cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, etc.). Therefore, you need to be able to resist a stressful state and set yourself a positive attitude in life.

Stress symptoms

What is stress in practical terms? To understand this, let's look at the main symptoms of stress:

• A constant feeling of irritation, depression, and sometimes for no particular reason.
• Bad, restless sleep.
• Depression, physical weakness, headache, fatigue, unwillingness to do anything.
• Decreased concentration that makes it difficult to study or work. Memory problems and decreased thinking speed.
• Inability to relax, to put aside your affairs and problems.
• Lack of interest in others, even in best friends, in family and friends.
• Constantly arising desire to cry, tearfulness, sometimes turning into sobs, melancholy, pessimism, self-pity for a loved one.
• Decreased appetite - although it happens the other way around: excessive absorption of food.
• Nervous tics and obsessive habits often appear: a person bites his lips, bites his nails, etc. There is fussiness, distrust of everyone and everyone.

If you are under stress, it means one thing: your body has reacted to some external stimulus.

Types of stress

In some cases, the term "stress" is used to refer to the stimulus itself. For instance:

• Physical - this is intense cold or unbearable heat, a decrease or increase in atmospheric pressure.
• Chemical - exposure to toxic substances.
• Mental - strong negative as well as positive emotions.
• Biological - injuries, viral diseases, muscle overload.

Depending on the result in psychology, the following types of stress are distinguished:

• Eustress ("useful" stress). Each of us needs a certain amount of stress to be successful. It is she who is the driving force behind our development. This state can be called the "awakening reaction". It is akin to waking up from sleep. To go to work in the morning, you need to get out of bed and wake up. To achieve work activity you need a push, a small dose of adrenaline. This role is played by eustresses.

• Distress (harmful stress) arising from critical stress. It is this state that answers all ideas about stress.

Causes of stress

The cause of stress can be essentially anything that catches a person, that annoys him. For example, external reasons include anxiety about any reason (change of job, death of a relative)

Intrinsic causes of stress include life values and beliefs. This also includes a person's personal self-esteem.

Both women and men can be exposed to stress and depression in about the same degree. However, each organism has its own characteristics. If you begin to notice in yourself signs that indicate stress in the body, then first of all it is necessary to identify their causes. It is quite understandable that eliminating the causes of stress is much easier than its consequences. It is not without reason that they say that "all diseases are from the nerves."

Clinical observations have shown that minor stresses are not harmful to the body, but even beneficial. They stimulate a person to find a way out of this predicament. To prevent depression from turning into a more serious, prolonged state, each of us must engage in self-education, the development of willpower.

Many people are accustomed to dealing with stress with antidepressants, drugs, alcohol. Why, they say, waste time developing your willpower if there are simpler ways? They do not think that addiction may arise, which they can no longer cope with without the help of specialists.

Treatment and prevention of stress

Below we look at what medications can help manage stress, what herbs can replace medications for us, and how else you can improve your mental health.

The best non-prescription stress pills

The 6 best over-the-counter drugs you can buy without a prescription:

1. Tenoten. Helps to better endure mental stress, improves memory, helps the brain. At the same time, the drug does not cause lethargy and addiction.
2. Glycine. Glycine is a special amino acid that regulates metabolism and improves inhibition processes in the central nervous system, thereby relieving aggression. It is usually added in combination with other drugs.
3. Novo-Passit. It is a herbal preparation that includes valerian, hops, lemon balm and other herbs. The remedy is effective even with severe depression, neurasthenia, migraines.
4. Afobazol. The most powerful drug belongs to tranquilizers and antidepressants. It is used for anxiety, anxiety attacks, sleep disorders. Indicated for vulnerable, suspicious people, prone to tearfulness or irritability.
5. Motherwort forte Evalar. Dietary supplement, which is indicated for light stress. The composition includes motherwort, magnesium and vitamin B6.

6. 

   Valemidin. Among other things, one can single out the drug Valemidin, which is dispensed without a doctor's prescription. The drug has a sedative and antispasmodic effect. It contains extracts of all known plants: valerian, motherwort, hawthorn, mint, the combination of which is enhanced by a small dose of diphenhydramine. There is no phenobarbital in the composition. The remedy effectively manifests itself in severe stress, nervousness, insomnia, without impairing cognitive functions. Valemidin does not cause addiction, the drug can be used once during times of severe stress, or you can follow the course of treatment, which is 10-15 days. The drug acts immediately, helps to quickly calm down and relieve tension.

Read more: Sedatives for adults

Stress Relief Medications

All funds can be divided into 5 areas:

• Antipsychotics. The drugs in this group make it possible to cope with anxiety and anxiety, obsession and agitation. For example: Zyprexa, Mazheptil, Leponex.
• Antidepressants. They not only soothe, but also activate the nervous system.
• Tranquilizers. These are very strong sedatives and are only prescribed by a doctor.
• Nootropics. The most harmless group of drugs for depression. It includes glycine and quattrex.
• Sedatives. These are light medicines that are indicated for use in depression and weakening of the central nervous system.

Soothing herbs

There are folk ways to deal with stress. Chamomile is considered a good remedy. Its broth helps to cope with headaches, insomnia, and has a calming effect.

TOP 5 best medicinal herbs:

1. Chamomile. Significantly relieves the condition in people with generalized anxiety disorder;
2. Lavender. The effectiveness of lavender is comparable to that of the drug lorazepam.
3. Passionflower. As effective as oxazepam (anxiety medication).
4. Mint. Like lemon balm, it is used to relieve stress and anxiety. Lemon balm teas are good for insomnia and depression.
5. Valerian. Works like peppermint, like the drugs alprazol and diazepam, which relax the brain. However, valerian does not improve sleep.

Read More: 3 Medicinal Plants To Help With Depression

Sleep, breathing, eating

Good dream. It is known that there is no better medicine than good sleep. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how you sleep.

Here are some guidelines to help you sleep better:

• Regular exercise helps a lot for normal sleep. It is advisable to spend them in the fresh air a couple of hours before bedtime.
• Before going to bed, you can take a warm bath, listen to soft, calm music. If possible, combine taking a bath with listening to music. Try to do this every day.
• The body needs the hormone melatonin to help you sleep better and healthier. Its content increases with the intake of group B vitamins, which are abundant in rice, wheat, barley, sunflower seeds, dried apricots. There are almost no such vitamins in refined foods, so try to eat natural foods, preferably high in carbohydrates.
• Your bedroom should not be stuffy, noisy and light: all this does not contribute to restful sleep.

Breath. Even, calm breathing can help cope with stress. Inhale deeply through the nose. Exhale slowly and through the mouth.

Proper nutrition. Eating right is also important when stressed. The food should be light and digestible. Eat slowly in small portions. Rest a little after eating.

Read More: 10 Ways To Relieve Stress

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.