By Awa Sowe
Stress affects us in lots of ways, both physically and emotionally, and in varying intensities. Research has shown that stress can sometimes be positive. It makes us more alert and helps us perform better in certain situations. However, stress has only been found to be beneficial if it is short-lived. Excessive or prolonged stress can lead to illnesses such as heart disease and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
Stress is a natural reaction to specific demands and events, but ongoing stress can affect a person’s health and wellbeing.
According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) stress constitutes a complex process that is activated by a physical or mental threat to the individuals’ homeostasis, comprising a set of diverse psychological, physiological and behavioral responses. Although it is usually considered a negative response, stress actually constitutes a key process for ensuring our survival. However, when a stress response is repeatedly triggered in the absence of a challenging stimulus, or if there is constant exposure to challenging situations, stress can become harmful.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded that psychological stress is one of the most significant health problems in the 21st-century and is a growing problem.
In an interview with Dr Saikou Daffeh, he explained that stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation; and that it is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. “Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way we respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being”.
He added that stress makes an individual feels threatened or upset and the body also creates a stress response. This, he said, can cause a variety of physical symptoms, change the way you behave, and lead you to experience more intense emotions.
Dr Daffeh warned that failure to address triggers of stress has been shown to lead to chronic stress, anxiety, depression and attributes to serious physical health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases.
He went on to explain that there are various interventions to minimise stress based on individual preferences and requirements, and that the stress management techniques include practices such as yoga as well as other physical activities often cited as being helpful in combating stress.
“Stress slows down some normal bodily functions, such as those that the digestive and immune systems perform. The body can then concentrate its resources on breathing, blood flow, alertness, and the preparation of the muscles for sudden use” Dr Daffeh informed.
Behavioral and emotional effects of stress
The body changes in the following ways during a stress reaction, blood pressure and pulse rise, breathing speeds up, digestive system slows down, immune activity decreases, muscles become more tense and sleepiness decreases due to a heightened state of alertness.
However, he mentioned that people’s reaction to difficult situation determines the effects of stress on overall health. He went on to explain that some people can experience several stressors in a row or at once without leading a severe stress reaction, others may have a stronger response to a single stressor.
According to Dr Daffeh, some experiences that people generally consider positive can lead to stress, such as having a baby, going on vacation, moving to a better home, and getting a promotion at work.The reason for this is that they typically adapt to a significant change, extra efforts, new responsibilities, and a need for adaptation. They also often require a person to take steps into the unknown.
“Others include getting married, having your first child, losing a loved one, going through a divorce, orfinancial difficulty or bankruptcy.”.
He added that other literatures have shown that people who perceive stress as having a negative effect on their health may be at higher risk for coronary heart disease than those who do not.
“However, being more alert to the effects of stress may help a person manage it more effectively and cope better.” He noted
Emotion Regulation in the Context of Stress Management
Stress is a normal part of daily life. However, its effects often vary across individuals and despite similar circumstances, some people do not feel under strain while others may be severely affected. Multiple reasons exist for these differences between individuals, including how people perceive reality and how they respond to the numerous stimuli to which they are exposed.
Dr Daffeh elucidated that individuals who display a mismatch between contextual demands and perceived resources constantly are referred to as experiencing chronic stress. Chronic stress has not only been shown to be very relevant in people’s well-being and quality of life, but also important in the appearance and maintenance of several physical and mental diseases.
As a consequence, he highlighted that research has focused on the mechanisms that people implement in order to alleviate the physical and cognitive burden associated with that perceived stress. Coping styles, stress management techniques, self-regulation, or emotion regulation techniques are different labels that define the way people implement certain behavioral, cognitive, or emotional strategies to maintain allosteric load.
Furthermore, Dr Daffeh explained that evidence has shown that there are different consequences depending on the effectiveness people achieve to regulate their emotions. Naturally, both at an implicit or explicit level, adding that people regulate emotions in order to maintain those allosteric levels.
Confessions of stress survivor who nearly committed Suicide
“It’s been over 14 years since I attempted taking my own life,” said Zinziwa Mani, who wanted to commit suicide due to stress and depression. “I did not plan it. I didn’t set a date. It was not something I had meticulously thought over in my head in the lead up to it. I had had thoughts but never really gave them too much ammunition. But, on this particular afternoon, I found myself uncontrollably crying on the kitchen floor and I just couldn’t cope with the pain anymore,” Zinzi stated.
She went on: “Prior to this day, I am not sure anyone knew that I was struggling with my mental health. If they noticed, they certainly didn’t say anything”.
She further narrated that she threw herself into work, working every hour she could. “The distraction was a help. I went out with friends, I socialise. I went on holidays, I joined classes. It seemed to the outside world like there was nothing wrong.
But behind closed doors, it was just darkness. There was intensity to it that even now I can’t describe”.
The victim went on to further explain that it was not a pain like when you cut your finger, its depth was so void, so empty and so hollow, yet its intensity was overpowering, a strength that pushed against you.
“Every little thing you tried to do was like pushing through sinking sand. With every step, you were pulled back deeper; failing at every chance to try and get yourself through it.All the beauty of colors in the world had been drained. It was just bleak.”
According to Zinzi, there wasn’t really one moment that brought it to the forefront of her mind that afternoon. It had not been in response to a particular event. It was the culmination of years of struggling with depression, anxiety, fueled by panic attacks that she has been battling with for over 7 years, in silence.
“But it wasn’t for a few weeks after, that she realized that her suicide attempt was not because she wanted to end her life but she wanted to end her pain,” she explained.
She concluded that she finally got the help she needed, visited a psychotherapist who helped her get her life back, taught her that helping self is not a weakness but a strength. She said she then went on a journey of self-discovery, finding ways to get through the difficulties in life, overcome anxiety, stop panic attacks and recover from depression.
Stress is unavoidable in modern life, but it doesn’t have to get you down. Work, money and family all create daily stress, while bigger issues like the global pandemics work, relationships, financial pressures, and other situations, contribute to our underlying stress levels. But approach it the right way, and it will not rule your life.
