# Stress : the basics

**Published by:** [psychiatrist-psychotherapist.eth](https://paragraph.com/@psychiatrist-psychotherapist/)
**Published on:** 2022-08-15
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@psychiatrist-psychotherapist/stress-the-basics

## Content

Stress is a normal physical response to potentially dangerous and new situations. Stress has both mental and physical sides. When you are stressed, the body releases stress hormones such as adreanaline and cortisol. This results to physical changes in your body, which help you cope with the stressful situation. While everyone feels stress more or less often, each person’s experience will differ. Knowing what makes you stressed and how you try to cope with different challenges in life will help you manage stressful periods. The body’s stress response, also called the ‘fight or flight’ response(lately a ‘freeze’ option tends to appear), is a helpful way your body has adapted to respond to danger. When you experience episodes of stress you need the stress hormones your body releases to keep you alert and able to face possible dangers. Stress becomes a problem when it lasts a long time, or if you feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with your situation, resulting in deterioration of your functionality. When this happens, it is time to take steps to manage your stress to ensure that you are able to deal acceptably with work and at home.How do I know if I'm too stressed?The key to stress management is finding the right balance between productive stress( eustress) and stress that makes you feel overwhelmed and unproductive(distress). You can be alert for physical signs of stress as well. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released by your body and cause your heart to beat faster and your breathing to quicken and shorten. Your stomach may feel uneasy, your muscles may tense up and your skin can become sensitive and blushed. All of these are signs that your body is preparing for a ‘fight or flight’ situation. These feelings should pass soon after the stressful situation is over. If they don’t pass, it may be a sign that you are too stressed. The point where stress is no longer productive is different for everyone, but you might look out for some of the following :feeling overwhelmed or unable to copefeeling ‘on edge’ or unable to stop worryingchanges in sleep patterns, feeling exhaustedloss of appetite or episodes of excess eatingphysical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tensiondifficulty concentrating, memory impairmentchanges in mood, often irritability or sadnesswithdrawal from friends and familyincrease in use of alcohol or substances

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