Stress is a concept borrowed from physical nature that connotes the application of a force, which may be internal or external, on an object. In Physics, factors that determine the outcome of stress, in such instances, include the internal characteristics of the receiving object (strength of material), the amount of external force being applied, the duration of the applied force, and the circumstances around the interaction – such as application of heat, which may change (weaken or strengthen) the original strength of the receiving object. The object may break or be elastic and stretch without breaking; it may also tear, explode, or it may become stronger (such as steel, from raw iron ore); or become more valuable, such as the purification of impurities from gold via smelting at extremely high temperatures.
In terms of human relationships and functioning, stress connotes situations where individuals are subjected to forces that place them under pressure. It should immediately become apparent from the analogy in the opening paragraph that stress, by itself, is not necessarily always a bad thing. What determines the outcome of a stressful situation is our inner strength of material (resilience or vulnerability); duration of the stressful situation; the amount of the applied stress; as well as the milieu in which the stress is being applied (environment – work or family; as well as the available social support system).
It is best to perhaps briefly explain the concepts of resilience and vulnerability at this juncture. The best analogy I have come across for illustrating these two concepts is to think of them as having two balls, made from different materials. One ball is plastic and the second ball is made from ornamental glass. If you were to throw the ornamental ball against a brick wall with force, it will shatter into pieces. This ball depicts vulnerability. However, if you were to throw the plastic ball, really hard, against the same brick wall, it will bounce back to you, none the worse for the impact. Repeat the exercise a million times and the plastic ball will keep bouncing back.
This captures the essence of resilience. It is important to appreciate from the get-go that every human being is a unique admixture of resilience (to certain types of stress and situations) and vulnerability (to other types of stress). We all have our strong points/areas, as well as our weak/vulnerable points. This is an important concept to keep in view as it is pivotal to understanding stress and stress management in the different facets of our lives.
Some degree of stress provides us with the impetus to strive to do more and to overcome challenges. The fear of failure, for instance, drives us to study hard for an examination; to work hard at our jobs in order to succeed and justify our position; to manage our family life and derive satisfaction from it and so on. However, overwhelming stress which persists for very long durations or that becomes pervasive may eventually cause health challenges – both physical and mental health challenges.
Thus, stress can occur in every setting of human interaction: home/family; work; community; religious setting/organisation; interpersonal relationships, and so on. Stress may also be physical (manual physical strain/work load, having a chronic and severe physical illness such as cancer or HIV, caring for a sick relative, having many young children to look after and housework with no assistance, physical abuse and so on); psychological/emotional (verbal and emotional abuse, bereavement, work place bullying and intimidation, sexual harassment, divorce, changing jobs or moving house and so on); financial stress (bad deals, being swindled, insolvency, unemployment, inability to pay bills); Relationship or marital stress (misunderstandings, clash of values, infidelity); religious stress (loss of faith, questioning long held beliefs, or becoming very religious that distorts previous relationships) and so on.
What happens when you are stressed?
The body has an in-built protective mechanism which automatically kicks in when we are confronted with danger. It responds by releasing stress chemicals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which get the body tense and ready to fight for your survival, or to enable you to escape. Thus, these chemicals cause your heart to start beating very fast in order to pump more blood to your muscles. The muscles themselves become tense. Your brain starts to have racing thoughts and burns energy by going into overdrive; your stomach produces acids and knots; and you feel the urge to eliminate waste from your body (sudden and urgent feelings to void or use the toilet). In the short term, these are helpful to overcome danger such as the sight of a snake in your room or office. But when these changes in your body continue for a long time as a result of pervasive stress; your body interprets it as a threat to your wellbeing, and the negative consequences of longstanding stress will appear.
Read Also: DSS arrests two in court premises over Agosasa obaship crisis