Stress (roughly
the opposite of relaxation) is a medical term for a wide range of strong external
stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological
response called the general adaptation syndrome, first described in 1936 by
Hans Selye in the journal Nature.
Selye was able to separate the physical effects of stress from other physical
symptoms suffered by patients through his research. He observed that patients
suffered physical effects not caused directly by their disease or by their medical
condition.
Selye described the general adaptation syndrome as having three stages:
alarm reaction, where the body detects the external stimulus
adaptation, where the body engages defensive countermeasures against
the stressor
exhaustion, where the body begins to run out of defenses
Stress includes distress, the result of negative
events, and eustress, the result of positive events. Despite the type, stress
is addictive. If your dog dies and you win the lottery, one does not cancel
the other, both are stressful events.
Stress can directly and indirectly contribute to general or specific disorders
of body and mind. Stress can have a major impact on the physical functioning
of the human body. Such stress raises the level of adrenaline and corticosterone
in the body, which in turn increases the heart-rate, respiration, blood-pressure
and puts more physical stress on bodily organs. Long-term stress can be a contributing
factor in heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and other illnesses.
The Japanese phenomenon of karoshi, or death from overwork, is believed to
be due to heart attack and stroke caused by high levels of stress.
Serenity is a disposition free from stress.
Folklore of stress
About the time of Selye's work, the gradual realization dawned that age-old
if sometimes ill-defined concepts such as worry, conflict, tiredness, frustration,
distress, overwork, pre-menstrual tension, over-focusing, confusion, mourning
and fear could all come together in a general broadening of the meaning of the
term stress. The popular use of the term in modern folklore expanded rapidly,
spawning an industry of self-help, personal counselling, and sometimes quackery.
The use of the term stress in serious recognized cases such as those of post-traumatic
stress disorder and psychosomatic illness has scarcely helped clear analysis
of the generalized 'stress' phenomenon. Nonetheless, some varieties of stress
from negative life events, or distress, and from positive life events, or eustress,
can clearly have a serious physical impact distinct from the troubles of what
psychotherapists call "the worried
well".
