Stress - Part 2 – How we respond to stress.
Last week we had a look at what stress is and how our body reacts.
This week we will look at the types of stress and the phases of how we react.
Types of Stress
There are several types of stress:
Acute stress
Episodic acute stress
Chronic stress[i]
Acute Stress
Acute stress is completely normal. It is our immediate reaction to a novel and challenging event.
It is the of stress like when you nearly have a car crash but avoid it or the kind of thrill you get from going a rollercoaster.
Once the event is finished, your body returns to normal.
There is usually no harm an, it is thought that these events give our mind and body practice in responding to stressful situations.
However, when this acute stress is severe, it can be harmful such as when in a traumatic situation that leads to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health problems[ii].
Episodic Acute Stress
This occurs when acute stress occurs frequently.
This is particularly common in certain professions such as emergency services.
This can lead to effects on mental and physical health[iii].
Chronic Stress
This is when high-stress levels continue for an extended period of time. This can have a negative effect on our health and may contribute to:
Depression.
Anxiety.
Cardiovascular disease.
High blood pressure
A weakened immune system[iv].
The Stress Response
There are three main phases we go through when we react to stress.
Alarm Phase
This is the initial startle we get.
We become alert,
our heart rate increase
our breathing quickens.
This is the fight of flight response we spoke about before.
Adrenaline is released[v].
Photo by AlexandrMoroz/iStock / Getty Images
Resistance Phase
Our body tries to get to back to normal by resisting the alarm response.
However, since the stressor is still there, our body can’t completely calm itself down.
So we remain in an aroused level[vi].
Exhaustion Phase
If the stress becomes frequent or chronic, our efforts to adapt lead to wear and tear of the body. Cortisol continues to be released and eventually our immune system starts to fail.
Photo by fizkes/iStock / Getty Images
So small amounts of stress where we go to the alarm phase and are able to calm down, can help us build resilience to stress. However, when the stress becomes frequent or chronic, we go into the exhaustion phase and prolonged high adrenaline and cortisol levels can negatively affect our mental and physical health[vii].
[i] https://www.healthline.com/health/stress#types
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Donatelle, R. J., & Davis, L. G. (2011). Health: the basics. Benjamin Cummings.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Ibid.