Symptoms of Stress

Modern life brings in its wake a fair number of situations that create stress. Life is more demanding and the requirements of modern day are far higher than they used to be. Sometimes the physiological and psychological stress can get too difficult to manage. We, therefore, need to be aware of the various ways in which stress can be managed and controlled.

In small doses stress is a good thing. It gives you the push that you need and keeps you alert. It is stress that drives you to stop watching television and prepare for the midterm exam or keeps you fully focused during a presentation at work. The emphasis, however, is on stress in "small doses". Constant stress has a negative affect on your overall health.

To be able to manage stress efficiently and adequately, you need to first be aware of the various manners in which stress can be manifested. This is essentially to avoid a situation where you are suffering from stress related symptoms while being unaware of the real cause of the condition. Stress can affect your mind, your body and your behavior. The manifestation of these symptoms differs among individuals.

Generally, stress symptoms can be classified as under:

Cognitive symptoms

• Emotional symptoms
• Physical Symptoms
• Behavioral Symptoms

While the manifestations of stress may vary, the root cause of all symptoms are the physiological changes triggered by the fight or flight response. When you face threat to your physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body triggers various automatic processes that are part of the body's natural defense mechanism.

Normally, when you are serene, in a relaxed and un-stimulated state, the nerve impulses from neurons are minimal. Any perception of danger or even an environmental stressor like elevated sound levels or excessive illumination relays a new stimulus from the sensory cortex of the brain through the hypothalamus to the brain stem. This leads to a flurry of nerve impulses that are meant to prepare the body to meet the new perceived or real situation. There is a sudden increase in heart beat, the muscles tense up and all the senses are on high alert. In fact, all body systems except those that are necessary to sustain life are kept on hold for as long as the threat is perceived.

If the body does not return to its normal relaxed state in due course of time, it can seriously damage your overall health. This is mainly because various other systems like the digestive system are kept functioning at a basic minimum level. This interferes with the normal metabolic process and disrupts processing of nutrients. With a relatively higher heart rate, the heart is prone to get exhausted and the possibilities of a heart failure increase.

The bottom line, however, is that the symptoms of stress are triggered off only due to the manner in which you perceive situations, events and circumstances. Stress is a personal experience and stress symptoms depend largely on your vulnerability. Life situations cannot be expected to be always favorable. What you can do is to manage and avoid stress as much as you can by becoming more aware.

Back to Guide to Stress Management Home.