An understanding of Stress

What happens when we are subjected to stress

According to commonly held belief, the reason why our bodies have these reactions to external stressors is due to a survival mechanism, which has kept us alive over our evolution. Our ancestors have been able to survive many crisis situations due to this ?fight or flight? response.

Fight or Flight response

Our natural response to an external stressor, which is perceived to be a potential danger, is to activate the body for either fight or flight.

This mechanism has helped us survive. If a tiger approached, or a bush fire is seen, the reactions inside our body prepare us to either fight the outside threat or to run to safety. So the reactions which happen inside our body are quite understandable in the light of this.

Physical changes in the body to stressors

When the person perceives an external stressor and senses it to be potentially threatening the following reactions take place in the body. (These vary in their intensity from person to person, and also in relation to the intensity of the perceived threat.)

• Adrenaline released into blood supply
• Heart rate and force of beat increases
• Blood flow to major muscles increase
• Breathing rate increases
• Adrenaline is released into the blood stream
• Blood clotting substance increased
• Norepinephine and Epinephrine secreted by Adrenal Medulla
• Kidneys and Intestinal vessels constrict
• Digestion reduced
• Metabolism; Glucagon increases (raises blood sugar level)
• The sweat glands open
• Pupils dilate
• Level of alertness increases
• Brain waves exhibit beta wave pattern
• Threshold to pain increases
• Reaction time improves
• Temperature of forehead drops
• Muscle tension and tone increases

The above may seem like an arbitrary list. But each of the reactions is very understandable in terms of survival when facing a stressor such as a tiger.

The sympathetic nervous system which is the ?activating? part of the Autonomic Nervous System, brings about these changes in the body.

The heart needs to take more oxygen and nutrients to the body to prepare for an emergency, so the heart rate increases.

The breathing rate increases to bring increased amounts of oxygen into the lungs.

In order to run or to use ones arms in a fight, more nutrients are required by the blood cells, so the arteries to these major muscle areas dilate, and more blood is pumped to these areas.

Adrenaline is released into the blood stream and this helps to activate the person, causing or affecting much of the changes in this list.

The increased energy production of the body produces heat, and this needs to be vented. The opening of the sweat glands facilitates this.

The pupils dilate to enable the person to pick up more light from the environment, and thus too see more clearly.

The whole alertness level of the person increases and their response times are shortened hence their ability to make a snap decision speeds up.

External Stressors

A common question is ?What types of things can cause stress??

Again following our model, to clarify this question a bit more, we could ask, ?What can act as an external stressor??

During our survival over many thousands of years the types of things which may have caused ?stress? reactions in the body were probably the sights of a wild animal, or the smell of fire or a loud sound nearby. Our fast reactions to this type of potential threats helped us deal with these threats and also improved our ability to survive.

However, nowadays we don?t come across too many wild animals or are rarely faced with a life-threatening situation. But still the stress reactions, which were so important to our survival, continue to kick in in response to modern day stressors.

It is possible for us to become less sensitized (or more sensitized) to particular external stressors over our lifetime. One example is where the fear of a horsefly is passed from mother to child, and then the child reacts to the external stressor as if it were more serious than it is. Other Potential External stressors include;

• A tiger walking into your viscidity
• Your boss walking into the room
• Smoke
• Sound of gunfire
• An attractive person
• Being stuck in a traffic jamb
• Project deadlines
• Money troubles

Modern stressors

These include

• Money pressure
• Peer pressure
• Pressure to conform
• High achievers
• Traffic jams
• Changing roles in society
• Eating on the run
• Lack of time
• Demands, demands, demands
• Bills to pay
• Job changes

For example being stuck in a traffic jam can give rise to thoughts of being late, or of anger or frustration. Each of these can give rise to mental tensions, which in turn can bring a greater part of the body to a stressed state.

One common characteristic about modern stressors, is that although they elicit the ?stress response? in the body, there is often no physical action taken as a result of the stressor. So the affects whereby physical action helps the body to return to normal homeostasis do not occur. Thus often the body can remain stressed for longer periods of time due to the modern stressors.

Satyananda says ?Modern stress causes the brain to react to today?s problems with yesterday?s primitive responses.?

Unfortunately, modern stressors, such as relationships, job performance, and financial pressures are more likely to be ongoing than immediately life-threatening. As a result, many people experience continual or chronic stress. Their bodies are constantly going through biochemical, psychological and psychological changes that can affect their well-being, productivity and personality. The constant presence of stress hormones in the body can weaken the immune system and render one more susceptible to disease and dysfunction.

Internal stress reaction

The internal reaction, which we have to an external stressor, varies greatly from person to person and also with the same person at different times or depending on the state of the person when the external event occurs.

The internal reaction can either heighten the response to the external stressor or it can reduce the overall response. So one person?s internal response to a mouse may include a huge fear of rodents, and thus produce high levels of stress to that person. While another may not view these animals with fear, and thus produce hardly any noticeable stress at all.

Internal factors which affect response Some of the factors, which can affect the stress response, include

• The degree to which the person is stressed immediately prior to the external event
• The connotations or associations the person has with the external event (based on past experience, fears, phobias etc.)
• Awareness the person has of the stress response and that it is actually happening
• Realization by the person that the external stressor is not really a threatening event
• The persons predisposition to react to potentially stressful events

Maintaining stress in the body;worrying

After the external event has occurred and after the body has made its initial response to the external event, the reactions which happen in the body can either reduce over a short time and return the body to its normal state of readiness, or the person can interact further with the stressful situation and sometimes make it worse or not let the response ebb in its natural way.

One quite destructive habit that we have is worrying. The constant turning over in our minds of the problem again and again. Not necessarily trying to rectify the problem but bathing ourselves in the situation (often which we have no control over and cannot change). A better way of dealing with stressful events is to see what we can do to improve the situation, and then try to put these actions into place.

If we realize that there is nothing that we can do to change the situation, or there is no useful action that we can take, then we should try to reduce our attention on the event rather than feeding it with attention and energy. Or we could try to consciously direct our attention to other more pleasurable events or at least non-stressful activities. This will turn the attention more towards these pleasant events and will improve the feeling tone of the whole person.

Stress reaction of numbness

The flight or fight syndrome is a short term reaction. It prepares the body for fast and speedy action in an emergency. This can happen many times in the one day, and the body normally recovers after these episodes by repeatedly turning off the fight-flight response. If the person does not turn off the fight-flight response effectively, then they can stay in a stressed mode for long periods. This is the usual experience when we feel stressed. The person may feel anxious, alarmed or angry. However, there is also a further reaction which may happen in response to the prolonged periods of stress. The person may ?shut off? the fight-flight response completely, so that it does not occur at all. This is usually accompanied by a ?numbness? where the person becomes less aware of feelings and other body signals such as fear, hunger or symptoms of illness. This is known as a conservation/withdrawal response.

Sress management

A very good way to learn how to cope with stress is to attend a yoga course which is specially suited to reducing stress.
Satyananda Yoga

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