Wednesday 5 October 2016

Stress, stress and more stress.

   I often hear people complain about how much  more stressful life is today than in the past.  I don't think that is true, but I do think that people are losing the ability to handle stress and to deal with situations that previous generations had to overcome using their own resources.  It was a swim or sink situation and most people learned to deal with stressful situations and by so doing became more resourceful and more competent at dealing with it, thus equipping themselves for the vicissitudes of daily life.  Of course, we all know that all  men are not created equal and there are men and women who deal with stress very well and there are those who do not do so well.  In any case, even in those who do deal with stress very successfully, the burden can sometimes become overwhelming.  Appropriate help is of course, a very good thing and can save suffering and lives.  Nevertheless, too aggressive and too early intervention stunts the ability of  the individual to develop the necessary skills and results in a population that is overly dependent on others and cannot cope with even mild stress.  In 2015, half of Americans starting university reported being stressed all or most of the time. This seems to be particularly prevalent in our institutions and our universities, where healthy energetic young adults seem to be constantly whining about 'microagressions' and 'safe spaces'  (Give me a break!)  Mild amounts of stress are beneficial and teach people to deal with adversity.  It encourages thought, creativity and activity and the successful thrive on it.  On the other hand, high level stress or persisting stress have enduring effects that are detrimental to the individual and do require intervention.  
Hans Selye, the great Hungarian, McGill endocrinologist, described the body's reaction to stress as the General Adaptation Syndrome.   In his words:
"I call this general because it is produced only by agents which have a general effect upon large portions of the body .  I call it adaptive because it stimulates defense.   I call it a syndrome because its individual manifestations are coordinated and even partly dependent on each  other."
   He described three stages of response to stress.
The first is the Alarm Stage, in which the body activates its flight or fight response and releases stress hormones into the blood stream.  These hormones enable activities above and beyond what one is normally capable of that might be instrumental in saving your life, such as getting out of the way of a hungry lion.  In modern life, if this generated energy is repeatedly not used it can becme harmful.  The adrenaline surge elevates blood pressure and can, over an extended period of time damage blood vessels and even the heart.  
Adaptation or resistance stage.
   Cortisol also has many damaging effects when released over an extended period.  When the stress is dealt with, or partially dealt with hormone levels tend to gradually  reduce towards normal.  If the stress in prolonged or repetitive and its resources are exhausted permanent damage may result. 
   Stage 3 may result in either recovery or exhaustion of the of those resources. 
Recovery occurs when the the compensatory mechanisms overcome (or adapt to) the stressor effect or the source of the stress is removed.  Alternatively, if the stress is great or prolonged the mechanism's ability to deal with it breaks down and the individual is unable to function normally.  The autonomic nervous system becomes hyperactive, resulting in rapid pulse, palpitations, sweating and anxiety.  Hormone levels remain elevated and can effect long-lasting or permanent damage to the gastro-intestinal, cardio-vascular and immune systems.
   So, to sum up, a little bit of stress is good for you.  Teaches you how to evaluate potentially dangerous situations and to do something about them.  This is probably one of the most important skills you can acquire and like most things in life improves with practice.  When the stress is great or persistent or your attempt to deal with it fails, then you need help.
Comment if you'd like to discuss stress.




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