Chronic Stress Definition

Psychology 1100

Chronic Stress

Chronic stressor- A source of stress that occurs continuously or repeatedly.

What causes chronic stress? To answer that we first have to know what stress is. The official definition of stress is;

Stress- is the physical and or psychological response to internal or external stressors.

Stressors- specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten the person’s well-being.

Although that is the official definition of stress, if you were too ask 100 different people what stress is, they would all give you a different answer. Each person has something different that will cause them stress. For example, if someone were to ask me what stress is to me I would say school, specifically Psychology and Criminal Law, family drama, and worries about my weight. Those particular things apply to only my life. No one else is going to have the exact same stressors. I asked my mom what stress is too her and she said my little sister Sami, financial struggles, personal health problems, and her brother Patrick. People are so different, and their lives are so different that in my opinion stress is different to every person. Because there are so many ways to define stress for and individual person, I need to clarify the definition I will go by while writing this paper. I am going to go by the official psychological definition of stress, as stated in the above definition.
Now that I have somewhat clarified what stress is, we can go further into chronic stress.
Like I said earlier chronic stress is a source of stress that occurs continuously or repeatedly. Something that always sits on the back of your mind, no matter what you do. The interesting thing is that you may not even realize that the certain things are causing you stress. Here are several
examples.

• Strained relationships
• Long lines in the supermarket
• Nagging relatives
• Overwork
• Traffic • Crowds
• Money trouble
• Noise
• Pollution

Looking at the list one can’t help but notice that several of the things listed are things that an average person wouldn 't think caused them any stress, let alone chronic stress. Take long lines in the supermarket for an example. This is something that applies to almost all of us. We all have to make a trip to the store, and no matter when you go there are always going to be lines. In your mind do you really think of those little things as something that causes you stress? I know I don’t, I may get a little irritated at the time, but I didn’t really think about the fact that, that irritation can turn to stress, and because I have this happen on a consistent basis, that now turns into chronic stress. Part of the cause of chronic stress is those little things that you may not even pay attention to.

Clearly some things on that list are obvious stressors, like money troubles or strained relationships. These things can cause just as much stress if not more as the little things. Usually money troubles of strained relationships aren’t just a onetime situation, they go on over a period of time, turning those stressors into chronic stressors.

The thing is, stress doesn’t only effect you psychologically, it also affects you physically. Under any form of stress your body naturally turns on your fight or flight reflex, which in normal circumstances is not a bad thing. The issue when it comes to chronic stress is that because chronic stress is a constant thing your body never turns off that fight or flight reaction. Meaning, that your body is always in a state of high adrenalin. When your body lets off high levels of adrenalin it is telling your liver to release hormones called cortisol and corticoids. When your body has too much corticoids running through it, it leads to a decrease in your immune system. Causing your body to contract diseases and illnesses much more often.

Chronic stress can also lead to more serious things like a stomach ulcer. Adrenalin causes the acid in your stomach to be pumped up, so when the adrenalin is constantly running through your system, the stomach acid can lead to a stomach ulcer, or extreme heartburn. According to the American Institute of Stress there are around 50 different symptoms that people with chronic stress can experience at any time. Some of the more serious are;

• Allergy attacks
• Chest pain
• Muscle spasms
• Rapid and garbled speech patterns
• Hair loss
• Rashes
• Tremors
• High blood pressure
• Inability to get pregnant
• Stuttering Obviously almost all of these won’t kill you, they may be annoying, or even painful, but there is one on the list that can kill you. High blood pressure or hypertension. Hypertension is considered one of the most, if not the most, dangerous effect of chronic stress. Prolonged hypertension can lead to heart disease, or even cardiac arrest. Stress actually can kill you!!

Now, what can we do if we struggle with chronic stress? One thing that can help is exercising, in any way. Also “Don’t sweat the small stuff” like the old saying says. That means try not to let the little things get to you, like long lines, or an annoying neighbor. Focus on the important things, and you may just find yourself with a lot less stress.

Another way is to find something to relieve some of that stress. There are many different ways to go about that. If you enjoy music and I seems to relax you, use that as a way to relieve stress. Lie down and relax while listening to some calming music. You would be surprised at how much of a difference finding a way to relax can make on your stress levels. And it doesn’t have to be just listening to music, it can be anything that you enjoy, or that relaxes you. For example if I feel stressed I get lost in a book. I let myself imagine being a part of the book, and it gives me a chance to relax and let go of some of my stress. It is important not to hold on to your stress, you need to find a way to relieve it, no matter what that way is.

It’s obvious from this information how dangerous stress, specifically, chronic stress can be. It can be brought on from the littlest things and can lead to serious health issues, even death. If we can find a way to prioritize the things we worry about and find an outlet for our stress, it may very well save us from and early death.

References

Bryant, Charles W.. "What are the physical effects of stress?" 23 October 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. 10 March 2014.
Smith , Melinda, and Robert Segal. "Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes." Helpguide.org. N.p., 02/2014. Web. 10 Mar 2014. .
. "Understanding Chronic Stress." American Psychological Association . N.p., 2011. Web. 10 Mar 2014. .
Scott, Elizabeth. "Chronic Stress." . N.p., O6/30/2012. Web. 10 Mar 2014. .