Stress can be damaging, and on several levels. These are typical symptoms and reactions to stress.
A presentation in front of potential clients, the family party to be organised, the homework deadline that is looming: we all experience phases of stress but, as a rule, our body manages to recover. Not every reaction to stress is therefore associated with health risks. "It’s only when someone is permanently wired and no longer has any natural patterns of tension and relaxation that it becomes problematic," says stress expert Beate Schulze. Chronic stress is harmful to both body and psyche.
Signs of stress
Signs of stress
In addition, stress causes behaviour changes which can often lead to conflict in personal relationships or at work: people who are stressed react irritably and aggressively, are suspicious, withdraw and no longer communicate properly. This is accompanied by self-destructive behaviour: not taking breaks, gulping down unhealthy food, drinking too much alcohol.
In the long term, permanent stress can lead to serious illnesses such as cardiovascular disorders, cardiac arrhythmias, heart attacks, diabetes, stomach ulcers, depression and anxiety. According to the latest findings, the stress hormone cortisol is particularly dangerous. Beate Schulze: “If too much stress remains in the system, it can also trigger chronic diseases and even cancer.”
Feeling physically and mentally exhausted can be a sign of burnout. The condition mostly affects people who are particularly dedicated and hard-working. Slipping into burnout is a gradual process that the victims themselves don't notice for a long time.
Material scientists needed an apt term for the practice of exposing a material to strong forces until it deforms – and invented the word “stress”. It was in the 1930s that biochemist and hormone researcher Hans Selye first showed that excessive pressure can also have serious consequences for human beings. He was also the first to apply the term “stress” to humans.
When under stress, the body activates all its resources to be able to react to danger: this is a sensible mechanism, provided that the state of alarm doesn’t go on indefinitely.
“The absence of stress is death. Only dead people have no stress.” This quote is often attributed to the founder of modern stress research, Hans Selye (1907-1982). It's provocative, but also clear: stress is part of life but also has its good sides. It makes us tackle challenges, leading to happiness when we’ve overcome them. Researchers call the impulses that stimulate us in a positive way eustress. Focus today however is laid on negative distress, i.e. things that weigh us down. And there is no objective way of measuring this. "Each person reacts differently to stress," says Aurélie Lattion from stressnetwork.ch, a scientist association. That's why it's also important to find out which methods help you personally to reduce stress best.
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