Causes of Stress can be different and can affect individuals of different backgrounds and parts of society. Causes of stress can arise from different factors like academic pressure, competition, workload, performance pressure, etc. They may even arise from personal relationships, conflicts, emotions, miscommunication, unrealistic expectations, etc.
These factors coupled with different concerns, worries, and pressures collectively contribute to the incidence of stress and related cases worldwide. In this article, we will learn about stress, its types, symptoms, causes and their effect and diagnosis.
Stress is a widespread clinical phenomenon that has a severe impact on the overall health of humans as well as other animals or organisms. There can be many causes of stress like work-related stress, academic pressure, health issues, interpersonal issues, financial concerns, etc. The causes of stress are collectively called as stressors. The stressors activate the body's "fight or flight" response by triggering the release of hormones like adrenaline, and cortisol.
The effect of stress is not only psychological but physical as there is a deep relationship between stress and physical health. The immune system, cardiovascular system, and overall mental health of a person get severely impacted when they suffer from chronic stress. Understanding the causes of stress and its mechanisms helps to devise better-coping mechanisms as well as therapeutics.
Stress is a form of survival mechanism that prepares the body to respond to threats. This mechanism is a combination of physiological, psychological, and behavioural components of a person. The mechanism includes the following stages;
The stressor triggers the hypothalamus region of the brain to release the stress hormones like cortisol, and adrenaline.
This activates the body's physiological response.
This results in the "fight and flight" response of the body i.e. increased heart rate, blood pressure, and energy levels.
This results in various physiological changes in the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, immune system, etc.
When the stress is acute the body can adapt to the condition and develop a coping mechanism.
When the stress is chronic the body fails to adapt and causes health risks.
The stress further affects the person's behaviour, emotions, memory, and even cognitive functions.
The affected person's behaviours change leading to unhealthy activities like overeating, drug abuse, etc.
How To Do Diagnosis of Stress?
Some of the different mechanisms for the diagnosis of stress are;
Standardized questions to identify stressors as per the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale (HRSS)
Determination of the lifestyle and issues.
Determination of the physical symptoms.
Determination of cortisol levels in saliva, blood, and urine.
Heart rate and blood pressure measurement.
To determine the psychological conditions Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) or the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) are performed.
Determination of brain activity with the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
Strategies for Stress Management
Stress management measures need to be tailor-made from person to person and an effective combination of different methods. Some of these are;
Practising meditation can help with thought and emotion processing.
Diaphragmatic breathing or the 4-7-8 breathing technique can help the body to relax.
Regular physical exercise like walking, jogging, yoga, etc. will help in maintaining overall health.
Healthy lifestyle habits like a balanced diet, adequate sleep, etc.
Social support from family, friends, relatives, support groups, etc.
Consultation with therapists, healthcare providers, etc.
Conclusion - Causes Of Stress
In conclusion, causes of stress can be different, but every cause leads to the same result i.e. deterioration of mental and physical health of a person. The origin of stress can be academic pressure, work pressure, relationship issues, financial problems, etc. or a combination of multiple reasons. Based on the prevalence of stress on a person it can be classified into acute, episodic acute, and chronic. Long-term stress needs proper care and attention as it can impair the body's physiological as well as the brain's normal functioning for the rest of life.
