Factors causing Stress

Factors causing stress:

Internal Factors:

The internal factors are affected by the strengths and weaknesses internal to the individual. Internal factors include poor self esteem, poor body appreciation , poor coping strategies, low resilience (resilience is ability to overcome  loss or health as soon as possible), maladaptive lifestyle, eating pattern, maladaptive behavior, poor-interpersonal relatedness and social support, low or excessive use of defense mechanisms,  lack of creative pursuits,  dissatisfaction from self, less or excessive indulgence in recreational activities, lack of adequate sleep and too much of attachment or too much of detachment.

External Factors:

The opportunities and threats presented by the external environment to the organization.External factors include loss of opportunities, unemployment, too much of work pressure, any kind of illness or disability, lack of time to socialize due to work pressure, natural calamities, domestic pressure or violence, civil wars, wars between the nations, pollution in the environment, life events like marriage or birth of a child, children’s illnesses, illness of a spouse or close relation like parents, disabled child or a parent, any novel stimuli, unpredictable stimuli or stimuli  that is uncontrollable in  terms of the individual or  any socially evaluative threat and socio-economic crises.

Common external causes of stress

Not all stress is caused by external factors. Stress can also be self-generated:

Major life changes Work Relationship difficulties

Financial problems Being too busy Children and family

Common internal causes of stress

Not all stress is caused by external factors. Stress can also be self-generated:

Inability to accept uncertainty Pessimism Negative self-talk

Unrealistic expectations Perfectionism Lack of assertiveness

 

 

Things that influence your stress tolerance level

• Your support network – A strong network of supportive friends and family members is an enormous buffer against life’s stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.
• Your sense of control – If you have confidence in yourself and your ability to influence events and persevere through challenges, it’s easier to take stress in stride. People who are vulnerable to stress tend to feel like things are out of their control.
• Your attitude and outlook – Stress-hardy people have an optimistic attitude. They tend to embrace challenges, have a strong sense of humor, accept that change is a part of life, and believe in a higher power or purpose.
• Your ability to deal with your emotions – You’re extremely vulnerable to stress if you don’t know how to calm and soothe yourself when you’re feeling sad, angry, or afraid. The ability to bring your emotions into balance helps you bounce back from adversity. 
• Your knowledge and preparation – The more you know about a stressful situation, including how long it will last and what to expect, the easier it is to cope. For example, if you go into surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a painful recovery will be less traumatic than if you were expecting to bounce back immediately.

Major Causes of Stress:

1. Low Self Confidence: Individuals having low self confidence, who are not aware of their positive traits of personality may be in constant state of stress as we could see in the case of Albert described above.
2. Lack of resilience: If you lack positive emotions and resilience like optimism, humor, cognitive flexibility, reappraisal, altruism and pro-social behavior etc. then you would be experiencing more stres

3. Lack of Social Support: The American Institute of Stress reports that the social support that is being valued and recognized is a great stress buster or breaking up the stress. It reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases, cancer and even HIV and AIDS. The institute also reports that social support is simply not being surrounded by people or so called friends. These could only be mere acquaintances. It is the basis for being recognized and valued with appropriate sharing of emotions with each other. In a study it has been depicted that low levels of social support were the most powerful predictors of depression and anxiety in mothers of autistic infants (Boyd, 2002).

4. Maladaptive Life Style and Coping Style: Maladaptive life styles like inadequate sleep, sedentary life style, lack of exercises, irregular eating patterns, eating too much or too less, taking lot of caffeine, chewing tobacco, smoking cigarettes and taking alcohol etc. may prolong your stress rather relieving you from stress.

5. Socio-economic Crisis:  Socio-economic crisis is one of the factors that may lead to stress, even amounting to suicide. The theory of strain proposes four sources leading to suicide: where poverty is one of the factors along with poor coping skills that may lead to suicide (Zhang and Lester, 2008). In India in the state of Orissa several farmers committed suicide due to poverty in the past few years.

6. Job and Work related overburden: Many highly demanding jobs like fire-fighters, ambulance workers, police officers, medical specialists, pilots/astronauts, submarine officers, military officers, high ranking officials of the multi-national companies may be under constant pressure of some kind of specific demands according to their roles and may be  caught for the burnout. This burnout may result in terms of physical impairment or illnesses like hypertension or heart diseases or drowsiness or dullness and difficulties in concentration (Sluiter 2006).

7. Domestic Violence, Abuse and Neglect: Domestic violence is the major stressor in large parts of the world, leading to depression, constant anxiety, physical impairment etc. Lifetime violence was significantly associated with perceived bad general health, disease, abortion, hemorrhage, and body mass index. Recent violence increased the number of doctor visits, and the odds of feeling dizzy, vaginal bleeding, movement and activity problems, pain, taking drugs, and stress significantly (Afifi et al. 2011). Similarly, in a study conducted in USA by Zolotor , Denham , Weil (2009), it was found that Intimate partner violence is a common problem, affecting large numbers of women, men, and children who may have presenting complaints to primary care practices.

8. Life Events and Daily Hassles: Life events are those events that are usually unavoidable part of life causing a change in an individual’s life. The life events could be sad e.g.: death of a family member or happy e.g. the birth of a child, though it is stressful again as it is demanding more time for the family and demanding extra expenditure. Daily hassles are the daily routine where the hectic schedules may cause lot of stress e.g. a packed routine of a general practitioner.

Effects of chronic stress

The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off.
Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

Many health problems are caused or exacerbated by stress, including:

Pain of any kind Heart disease Digestive problems Sleep problems

Depression Obesity Autoimmune diseases Skin conditions, such as eczema -  Dr Smita Pandey

Signs and Symptoms of Stress

Signs and Symptoms of Stress:
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response.

Signs of Stress:

The signs of stress may be cognitive, emotional, physical or behavioural.

1. Cognitive Signs: It may include poor judgment, a general negative outlook, problems in attention and concentration and forgetfulness.

2. Emotional Signs: It may include excessive worrying, moodiness, irritability, agitation, inability to relax, feeling lonely, isolated or depressed, social withdrawal, neglect of responsibilities and increased procrastination.

3. Physical Signs: It may include acne, aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, eating too much or not eating enough, neck pains, not sleeping enough or sleeping too much.

4. Behavioral Signs: It may include increased use of alcohol,  nicotine or  drug consumption and nervous habits such as pacing about and nail-biting

Stress doesn’t always look stressful

Psychologist Connie Lillas uses a driving analogy to describe the three most common ways people respond when they’re overwhelmed by stress:

• Foot on the gas – An angry or agitated stress response. You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still.
• Foot on the brake – A withdrawn or depressed stress response. You shut down, space out, and show very little energy or emotion.
• Foot on both – A tense and frozen stress response. You “freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything. You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.

Am I in control of stress or is stress controlling me?

• When I feel agitated, do I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself?
• Can I easily let go of my anger?
• Can I turn to others at work to help me calm down and feel better?
• When I come home at night, do I walk in the door feeling alert and relaxed?
• Am I seldom distracted or moody?
• Am I able to recognize upsets that others seem to be experiencing?
• Do I easily turn to friends or family members for a calming influence?
• When my energy is low, do I know how to boost it?

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms

Cognitive Symptoms

Memory problems

Inability to concentrate

Poor attention

Poor judgment

Seeing only the negative

Anxious or racing thoughts

Constant worrying

Emotional Symptoms

Moodiness

Irritability or short temper

Agitation, inability to relax

Feeling overwhelmed

Sense of loneliness and isolation

Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms

Aches and Pains

Diarrhea or constipation

Nausea, dizziness

Chest pain, rapid heartbeat

Loss of sex drive

Frequent colds

Behavioral Symptoms

Eating more or less

Sleeping too much or too little

Isolating yourself from others

Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities

Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pac

                                                                                                                       - Dr Smita Pandey

Not all stress is bad: Optimal Stress is good for Performance

Optimal Stress is good for Performance :
The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you'd rather be watching TV. Imagine that if you do not have the motivation and little stress in your  mind to do anything then you would not feel disinterested in the world and would not have the enthusiasm for life activities and would  not be able to enjoy it.
But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.

Stress is good - but only till certain levels:

Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. Psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson (1908) has long back stated that optimum level of stress, keeps you motivated and give some  meaning in  life. Imagine, if you have nothing productive to do in a day, then it may lead to boredom. Similarly, too much of stress would lead to pain and disaster, as it may get to your nerves. When you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price.

Original Yerkes Dodson Law

Hebbian version of the Yerkes Dodson Law (this version leaves out that hyperarousal does not adversely impact simple tasks). This version is the most common version and often incorrectly cited in text books.

Levels of arousal:

Research has found that different tasks require different levels of arousal for optimal performance. For example, difficult or intellectually demanding tasks may require a lower level of arousal (to facilitate concentration), whereas tasks demanding stamina or persistence may be performed better with higher levels of arousal (to increase motivation).

Because of task differences, the shape of the curve can be highly variable. For simple or well-learned tasks, the relationship can be considered linear with improvements in performance as arousal increases. For complex, unfamiliar, or difficult tasks, the relationship between arousal and performance becomes inverse, with declines in performance as arousal increases.

The effect of task difficulty led to the hypothesis that the Yerkes–Dodson Law can be decomposed into two distinct factors – compare bathtub curve. The upward part of the inverted U can be thought of as the energizing effect of arousal. The downward part is caused by negative effects of arousal (or stress) on cognitive processes like attention (e.g., "tunnel vision"), memory, and problem-solving.
There has been research indicating that the correlation suggested by Yerkes and Dodson exists (such as that of Broadhurst, 1959; Duffy, 1962; Anderson, 1988), but a cause of the correlation has not yet successfully been established (Anderson, Revelle, & Lynch, 1989).


                                                                                                                            -   Dr Smita Pandey

What is Stress?

What is this stress?

“Stress" is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize” as defined by Richard S Lazarus.

“Stress (roughly the opposite of relaxation) is a medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological response called the general adaptation syndrome, first described in 1936 by Hans Selye in the journal Nature “

Stress is an emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health which can be characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability and depression as explained in medical terms.

There is no doubt that people generally respond well to a challenge particularly if they are involved in creating or something they find exciting. Where those involved believe what they do matters and they feel they have some ownership and control over their situation there is a positive payback even when working extremely hard over long hours. This is a positive aspect of stress.
Where stress is detrimental people are often in situations where they feel they have little control, feedback is non existent or overly negative, failure, humiliation, lack of support results in the person feeling that what they do has little value or they themselves are not valued. Sustained exposure to such negative situations can have serious implications for the health and well being of the individual and ultimately for the organization as a whole.


Modern Life and Stress:

In the modern days, life has become very fast pacing. There are so many deadlines, frustrations and demands that many a times it exceeds with the adjusting abilities of the individual. Sometimes, even the daily hassles are so stressful that the individual fails to adjust to this fast pacing environment.

Stressors:

The agents which cause stress are called as stressors. Stressors could be physical, mental or emotional.

Physical Stressors: are those that are cropped up due to the physical strains in the environment like the physical illness, physical injury or bone fracture etc.

Mental Stressors: Mental worries, restlessness, inability to relax, inability to sleep properly etc. cause mental stress.

Emotional Stressors:
The stressors, that effect the emotions of the individual negatively, that makes him or her sad, depressed etc.


Stress as a Vicious Cycle:

Stress is highly vicious and malignant. It is kind of a cycle. As you could see in the example of Albert that the illness started simply with a physical illness and it traps him into a vicious cycle of mental and emotional stress such that instead of confidently preparing for exams he focuses more on his drawbacks leading to further gloom and despair.

General Adaptation Syndrome:
The great scientist and the father of the stress research – Hans Selye (1936) introduced this simple model of stress. He was the first person who explained stress as the major cause of diseases and long term neuro-chemical changes, which is a proven fact these days. Pressures, tensions, and other stressors can greatly influence your normal metabolism. Selye determined that there is a limited supply of adaptive energy to deal with stress. That amount declines with continuous exposure. This initial hormonal reaction is your fight or flight stress response - and its purpose is for handling stress very quickly! The process of the body’s struggle to maintain balance is what Selye termed, the General Adaptation Syndrome. He described three distinct stages:
The Alarm Stage:
At this stage everything is working as it should – you have a stressful event, your body alarms you with a sudden jolt of hormonal changes, and you are now immediately equipped with enough energy to handle it. Too much adrenaline results in a surge of blood pressure that can damage blood vessels of the heart and brain – a risk factor in heart attack and stroke.
Resistance Stage:
Stress hormone levels may return to normal but you may have reduced defenses and adaptive energy left. If a stressful condition persists, your body adapts by a continued effort in resistance and remains in a state of arousal. Problems begin to manifest when you find yourself repeating this process too often with little or no recovery. Ultimately this moves you into the final stage
Exhaustion Stage:
Chronic stress can damage nerve cells in tissues and organs. Particularly vulnerable is the hippocampus section of the brain. Thinking and memory are likely to become impaired, with tendency toward anxiety and depression. There can also be adverse function of the autonomic nervous system that contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other stress related illness.
When the body reacts to ongoing stressful situations it can result in any combination of the following:
• Feeling impatient, anxious, jumpy, irritable, over excited
• Raised heart rate, pounding heart and in severe cases palpitations
• Dry mouth
• Sweaty palms
• Feeling sick, indigestion
• Finding it hard to think clearly
• Difficulty in dealing with other people appropriately
• Difficulty sleeping
• More likely to make mistakes
• Accident prone
• Less able to take information from a range of sources resulting in impaired judgment
• Poor self image and Poor self esteem
Conclusion:
In simple words stress is the term used for excessive demands and pressures that exceeds the capacities of an individual to adjust. Stress is the failure of the individual to respond adequately due to the excessive pressures from the environment. A physical factor, such as injury, or mental state, such as anxiety, that disturbs the body's normal state of functioning- all may cause stress. Stress may have a variety of reactions on the body.

                                                                                                                           -  Dr Smita Pandey