Stress is the physical and emotional response we all experience when faced with demanding situations.
Our stress can arise from within when we fear we’re unable to meet our own high expectations. Or it can come from an inability to meet the requirements of employers, financial institutions (think of your credit card repayments), partners, family and others. But while stress arises from what we assume others expect of us, the accuracy of these assumptions is variable.
When stressed, we experience a heightened sense of arousal and a range of emotional responses from feeling motivated to achieve, through to being overwhelmed, irritable and anxious. Stress can also cause physical symptoms such as muscle tension, head and stomach aches, nausea, sleep disturbance and fidgetiness.
Stress is not always bad. From an evolutionary perspective, stress activates our autonomic nervous system, responsible for the “fight or flight response” crucial to an animal’s survival. In today’s society, stress can make us work harder, meet deadlines and complete tasks that might otherwise remain uncompleted.
But excessive or persistent stress can be harmful to our physical and mental health.
Depression and Burnout
Depression, anxiety and burnout are sometimes used to describe the experience of stress, but there are important differences between these conditions.
Depression is a state of persistent ill health. It can arise without an external cause and often does not resolve when external problems are solved. Depression is usually effectively treated with psychological support but sometimes medication is required. Those with depression are more susceptible to becoming stressed even by relatively minor triggers.
