The concept of “stress” was introduced to health sciences in the 1950s by Hans Selye. He defined stress as the body’s reaction to physical and mental demands placed upon it. Stress is the body’s active reaction to emerging stimuli, which we call stressors. The biological response to stress includes the release of the hormone adrenaline, under the influence of which we become nervous, our heart beats faster, breathing accelerates, and our hands begin to sweat. Usually, when talking about stress, we mean negative stress (distress), however, stress can also take on a positive role as a mobilizer for action.
Eustress is the so-called “good stress” that motivates us to act. Eustress can also improve our efficiency and add the strength or energy necessary to complete a task. It can motivate us to act and speed up decision-making. It is felt as a combination of tension and excitement, which is why it can occur before an important but positive event, e.g., a wedding.
In contrast, distress is the opposite of eustress. It affects us negatively and exposes us to unpleasant consequences. Distress affects the body long-term, because a stressed person is more susceptible to subsequent stressors. Distress causes various physical or mental ailments.
- Alarm phase – initially a shock reaction appears, and then, to counteract it, the body begins to take appropriate defensive actions.
- Adaptation (resistance) phase – the body resists stressors. If it succeeds, the reaction ends, if not, the third stage occurs.
- Exhaustion phase – if the stressor cannot be controlled, as a result of long-term mobilization and tension of the body, fatigue, surrender, and a drop in immunity occur.
Factors causing stress, i.e., stressors, concern every sphere of our lives. These can be small everyday troubles or serious life difficulties. Stress also appears in new, unknown situations or when we do not know how to behave. The stressors we feel can be strong or weak. Weak ones include small, everyday difficulties. Strong ones include, e.g., traumatic events, disasters, or a threat to life.
We can divide them into 3 groups:
- physical stressors (e.g., noise; hunger; illness)
- mental stressors (e.g., loss of control; task overload; fear of being insufficient)
- social stressors (e.g., conflicts, mobbing, loss of loved ones).
It is worth remembering that each of us is different, which is why the causes of stress and reactions to stressors will also be different.
Stress usually has negative consequences for our body. It can cause somatic effects appearing in the form of diseases and other bodily ailments. They can manifest as: headaches; abdominal pains; decreased immunity; insomnia; muscle pains; hormonal disorders; skin problems, and many others.
We also distinguish psychological effects of stress, which may include, among others: anxieties; neuroses; phobias; irritability; lowered self-esteem; eating disorders. In addition to somatic and psychological effects, there are also behavioral effects.
These include: job dissatisfaction; absenteeism; loss of meaning in work; burnout; resigning from a job or changing it; substance abuse.
Each of us has our own proven ways of dealing with stress. Dealing with stress can also depend on our attitude to the problem, mood, or having experienced similar problems in the past.
We distinguish several groups of ways to cope with stress:
- solution-focused (people determined to take on the stressful task as soon as possible)
- emotion-focused (people focusing on their own emotions in order to reduce the emotional tension associated with the stressor)
- avoidance-focused (can take the form of engaging in other activities or seeking social contacts).
A few tips that can help:
- believe in yourself
- learn to relax
- be active
- treat difficulties as challenges
- use the help of loved ones or specialists.
Stressful situations can arise in any job. Stress at work can affect an employee’s health or mental problems, and also decreases their efficiency. Strong work-related stress can cause panic attacks at the mere thought of returning to it.
Everyone is exposed to stress in the workplace, regardless of the position they hold.
Stress factors at work can include: working conditions, working hours, requirements in force at work, co-workers, supervisors, and many others
