Overview
With modernisation, stress has become part and parcel of life. Sometimes stress might come from a tight deadline in your office or a difficult conversation with your loved one. It can also stem from financial or day-to-day challenges impacting physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.
However, although being a part of modernity, not all stress can be pigeonholed together. There are several types of stress, and a thorough understanding of the differences is essential for stress management in an efficient way. This article will provide detailed information on all the types of stress and ways to manage them. Let’s dive in!
How Common Is Stress?
Before discussing the 6 types of stress, it is essential to point out how common stress is. Stress is an incredibly common experience that has affected people of all ages and of all gender.
Every individual deals with some kind of stress every day in their life. Moreover, with the Pandemic bringing havoc to people’s lives, stress has gained more types, such as stress due to isolation and stress encompassing health concerns, among many more.
Types of Stress
Acute Stress:
Acute stress is short-term, generally responding to a specific situation or event. Some examples of acute stress might include stress that occurred before or during a job interview or facing a car accident. Common acute stress symptoms involve muscle tension, increased heart rate, and rapid breathing.
Chronic Stress:
Chronic stress is an ongoing condition that can stem from several factors like financial difficulties, work-related pressure, and problems in relationships, among many more. This kind of stress can also be called psychological stress, as it deteriorates mental health, gradually leading to severe chronic stress symptoms like depression and anxiety.
Episodic Acute Stress:
Episodic acute stress can be understood as a pattern of acute mental stress that entertains frequent occurrences due to an individual’s personality traits or lifestyle. An example might include a person who has the nature of getting late and will experience episodic acute stress.
Traumatic Stress:
Traumatic stress results from a traumatic event like combat, a natural disaster, or a physical assault. Among all the other types of stress, traumatic stress impacts a person’s mental and physical health profoundly and eventually leads to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Environmental Stress:
This kind of mental stress is primarily caused by several factors of the physical environment, like air pollution, noise pollution, and extreme or unfavorable weather conditions, among many more.
Work Stress:
Work stress encompasses the stress due to work and is specific to the place of work. The reason behind work stress primarily includes strict deadlines, unmanageable workloads, and interpersonal conflicts.
Ways to Manage Stress
To ensure a healthy lifestyle and mental and physical well-being, managing stress efficiently is essential. Some of the ways by which stress can be effectively managed are as follows:
Exercise:
Physical activity has been a proven way to reduce stress. This is because it releases endorphins that help in enhancing the mood and lower tension. A person who doesn’t get the time to exercise or is not allowed to perform heavy exercise can simply take a morning or evening walk or stretch for a few minutes to get effective results.
Time Management:
Managing time efficiently and effectively can help one set realistic goals and prioritize essential tasks. This also assists one in preventing from indulging in over-commitment.
Self Care:
Self-care can be extremely beneficial in managing stress. It includes taking proper care of oneself physically and mentally. This can be done by indulging in a healthy diet, getting proper sleep, and practicing good hygiene. Stress eating must be avoided.
Support From The Society:
Having a therapist or a strong support system in the form of a friend or family also proves beneficial for managing stress. Sharing feelings and concerns with loved ones can reduce stress and make one feel better.
Mindfulness:
Practicing mindfulness is also an effective way of managing stress as it assists us in staying in the present moment and lower stress levels by focusing on present emotions, physical sensations, and thoughts without judgment.
Avoidance Of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms:
Stress often leads people to adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms such as stress eating, social isolation, or substance abuse, which often negatively impact health. It is essential to develop healthy habits and positive thinking.
Conclusion
By adopting all the stress management techniques, one can ensure a happy and healthy life throughout. However, in case stress medications become essential for managing stress, it is essential to consult a healthcare professional before considering the intake of any medicine.
FAQs related to types of stress:
What type of stress is the most common?
Chronic stress is considered to be the most common type of mental illness. The main reasons behind chronic stress are relationship problems, financial difficulties, and work pressure, which impacts physical and mental health in the long run. It has also been found in research that chronic stress is associated with various health problems such as anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, and heart disease, among many more. Everyone’s experiences of stress are different.
What is the least damaging type of stress?
It is essential to know that any kind of stress can prove destructive to the health of individuals if not effectively managed. However, some types of stress prove to be less damaging than others. The least damaging kind of stress can be considered to be acute stress, as it is a short-term stress response. Acute stress is mainly related to a particular situation or event and disappears once it is over. Therefore it doesn’t carry any long-term impact on the individual’s health.
What type of stress is worse?
Among all the types of stress, chronic stress, and traumatic stress can prove worse and carry long-term effects. Traumatic stress mainly stems from a traumatic event, a physical assault, a natural disaster, or combat. It possesses the tendency to result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And impacts the health severely.
Similarly, chronic stress can also have a long-term impact on the body and result in acute depression and other health problems. Therefore, one must develop effective stress management techniques to ensure a healthy life.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Book a consultation with andSons medical team to learn more about healthcare treatments here.
