Stress (stress): symptoms, causes, and how to treat it

Definition of stress

What is stress?

The definition of stress (stress) is a psychological and physical pressure that reacts when faced with a situation that is considered dangerous. In other words, stress is your body's way of responding to any type of demand, threat, or pressure.

When you feel threatened, your nervous system responds by releasing a rush of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol.

These two hormones can cause a reaction in your body, including a fast heartbeat, muscle tension, increased blood pressure, and even faster breathing. This reaction is called the "fight-or-flight" aka the stress response.

In its worst form, this psychological and physical stress can expose your body to additional strength to defend itself. For example, encouraging you to hit the brakes to avoid an accident.

Indirectly, this psychological and physical stress can make you try to save yourself in something urgent and dangerous.

However, if this psychological stress condition lasts long enough and lasts continuously, it can cause mental illness and attack physical health.

How common is this condition?

Stress is a condition that everyone faces from time to time. It could be once in the short term, it could be repeatedly in the long term. This is because stress is present in your life, including:

• Routine stress related to school, stress from a bad work environment, family problems, and daily responsibilities.
• Stress is associated with sudden negative changes, such as you or your partner losing your job, going through a divorce, or contracting certain illnesses.
• Traumatic stress experienced as a result of an event, such as an accident, natural disaster, or an assault that puts a person in danger.

However, everyone has different ways of dealing with stress, so some people get over it quickly and some take a long time.

Types of stress

According to Medline Plus, there are 2 main types of stress that are commonly known:

Acute stress

Acute stress is short-term stress that goes away quickly. You will feel this condition when you are faced with a dangerous situation, such as braking your vehicle hard when you want to hit something.

Chronic stress

Chronic stress is stress that lasts for a long time, perhaps weeks or months. For example, facing financial problems or stress in living an unhappy home life.

You may become so accustomed to chronic stress that you don't even recognize it as a problem. If you don't find ways to manage stress, it can lead to health problems.

Stress signs & symptoms

Chronic stress can damage the body's natural defenses, causing a variety of physical signs and symptoms. The following are signs and symptoms of stress that generally occur:

• Dizziness and want to get out of certain situations.
• Experiencing pain or tension in muscles or joints.
• Gritting teeth or clenched jaw.
• Headache because you keep thinking about problems.
• Indigestion symptoms, such as diarrhea, constipation, or ulcers.
  Appetite increases rapidly or decreases dramatically.
• Experiencing sleep disorders, such as insomnia.
• Heart beating fast.
• Cold and sweaty palms.
• Body shaking and tired.
• Having sex problems.

There may be signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about certain symptoms, consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

If you are experiencing problems and are experiencing the signs and symptoms listed above, immediately see a doctor or visit a psychologist. Especially if the conditions show the following:

• Feeling panic accompanied by rapid breathing and a racing heartbeat.
• Stress paralyzes activities, both at home and at work.
• Stress creates fear that you have no control over.
• Previously experienced traumatic events.

Causes of stress

The causes of stress are many and it is usually triggered by various things that happen in a person's life, including:

• Been under a lot of stress.
• Facing big change.
• Worrying about something.
• Not having much or control of a situation.
• Has a responsibility that is considered very heavy.
• Having no job, activity, or change in life.
• Faced with uncertainty.

There may be one big thing that causes stress, and then builds up with other stresses that make it difficult for a person to cope with stress.

Risk factors

Everyone can experience stress, but there are several factors that can put a person's risk of experiencing stress greater than others, namely:

• Have experienced stress before or have had a mental illness.
• Have experienced a traumatic event in the past.

stress complications

Stress (stress) that occurs in the long term can cause bad effects, including:

• Hypertension due to psychological pressure.
• Severe stress can cause heart disease.
• Diabetes.
• Obesity or weight loss drastically because it can cause eating disorders.
• Depression or anxiety disorders.
• Fertility problems.
• Skin problems, such as acne or eczema.

If you already have certain health problems, the bad effects of stress that will be obtained are the worsening of the condition or symptoms you are experiencing.

Stress diagnosis & treatment

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

Doctors generally will diagnose stress disorders by asking a few questions about the traumatic event and symptoms you are experiencing. Other causes such as health problems, drug abuse, medical side effects, and other psychological disorders will not be taken into account.

Lab tests or other diagnostic tests may be needed to completely rule out the physical cause of your symptoms.

If these tests and the results of the doctor's examination are normal, your doctor may consult with other specialists to evaluate and treat your condition further.

What are the stress treatments?

Reporting from John Hopkins, some of the recommended treatments to relieve stress are:

Meditation therapy

Meditation therapy has been shown to be effective in managing anxiety and depression. This therapy is done by making the patient more relaxed and focused on controlling breathing and body awareness.

Apart from helping to relieve stress, this therapy can also improve memory, concentration, train yourself to better control your emotions, and have good relationships.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that people with psychiatric problems usually undergo. Through this therapy, the therapist will ask about negative thoughts or feelings of anxiety that are often faced and help patients to overcome them.

Taking medication

Taking medication can have side effects. Therefore, stress treatment is usually a last resort if the previous stress management methods have not worked.

Prescription drugs are usually tailored to the mental illness that you may also have. Some of the prescription stress medications include antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

Home stress treatment

In addition to following doctor's treatment at a clinic or hospital, people who experience stress will also be asked to carry out further treatment at home. Here are various ways to help relieve stress (stress) that can be done at home are:

Apart from the above methods, you can also do the following things to overcome this condition.

Eat healthy foods

Many people vent their stress by eating as much as possible, so sometimes they don't pay attention to the food they eat. Whether you are healthy or not, the important thing is that the pressure in your mind will subside after eating.

Even if you are under stress, you need to eat a healthy diet too. You can eat avocado, berries , cashews, yogurt, or oranges as your outlet.

These healthy foods can help prevent you from feeling dizzy and depressed.

In addition, these foods contain good nutrients that have been shown to be able to provide an energy boost, lower cortisol levels, and increase levels of the hormone serotonin (the happy hormone).

Learn to relax

Relaxation is believed to be a way to relieve stress. Relaxation techniques can trigger a relaxation response, which is a physiological state characterized by warm feelings and calm thoughts. This is the opposite of the “fight or flight” response.

Relaxation techniques can also reduce anxiety and worry. This method can simultaneously increase your ability to cope with stressful conditions both psychologically and physically.

With relaxation, blood flow to the brain increases and brain waves shift from being alert, which displays a beta rhythm to a relaxed alpha rhythm.

Common relaxation techniques include deep belly breathing, meditation, listening to calming music, and activities such as yoga and tai chi.

Extend your friendship

Loneliness makes it more difficult for you to manage psychological stress. People with an extensive network of friends not only have a greater life expectancy but also have a lower risk of many types of disease, compared to people who do not.

As one way of relieving stress (stress), try to expand your relationships, talk to friends, or even spend time with loved ones to recover quickly from a condition that stresses you psychologically.

Enough rest

Sleep and adequate rest can be a way to relieve stress. Actually, this is a prevention so that the body and mind do not feel stressed easily.

Numerous studies have shown that sleep deprivation can be confusing mood as well as brain performance. If you are under psychological stress and you are not getting enough sleep, your body will be increasingly overwhelmed to defend itself against disease. So, try to keep getting enough sleep every night.

Regular exercise

Regular exercise is the key to a healthy life, including managing stress. Various types of exercise have been shown to be effective in relieving stress because they help the body release endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that make you feel better, happy, and have a positive attitude.

Stress prevention

Stress is a condition that you cannot prevent. Even so, the stress you experience must be able to deal with. That way, stress will not build up and make the condition worse.

If you are having a hard time dealing with stress on your own, don't hesitate to ask a doctor or psychologist for help.