- Feeling of persistent pressure
- State of mental strain
- Originates from challenges in life
How stressed a person, am I ?
Emotional stress
Common reasons
- Issues of finance, health, education, profession, etc.
- Professions of police, military, mining, marine, etc.
Psychological costs
- Moody, hostile, depressed, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, sadness, insecurity, etc.
Physical costs
- Headache, high blood pressure, weight gain, digestive issues, insomnia, breathing problems, heart disease, etc.
Financial costs
- Lower productivity, absence from work, health care costs, etc.
Acute stress
- Caused by immediate threat to the wellbeing
- Minor accidents, mistakes, financial losses, etc.
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Acute stress
- Animals also experience acute stress
- Body gradually returns to normalcy
Chronic stress
- Caused by complex reasons
- Always present in the background
- Ready to rise any time
- Unique to modern humans
- Also, in animals living close to human
Living environment causes stress
- Brain evolved for living conditions of hunters and gatherers
- Modern lifestyle with crowds, traffic, noises, schools, offices, gadgets, etc. is unsuitable
Uncertainty in life causes stress
- Present actions based on certain assumptions
- Current investments seek results in future
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Uncertainty in life causes stress
- Expected results are uncertain
- No solution to many far future problems
Threats in mind causes stress
- No danger in the present life but carrying in mind
Situation aggravates stress if
- Judged as highly threatening
- Felt incapable of coping
- Handled ineffectively
Personality traits affect stress
- Type A personality – a sense of urgency, rush to do more, frustrated if unsuccessful
- Type B personality – persons low in type A qualities
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Personality traits affect stress
- Neuroticism – Persons experiencing higher negative emotions like anger, anxiety, sadness, etc.
Tips for Stress
- Pursue realistic objectives of life
- Accept irrationality as part of living
- Approach unavoidable with optimism
- Learn to say NO
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Tips for Stress
- Learn to delegate and supervise
- Find time to relax and reflect
- Show self-compassion if things go wrong