Stress & It's Management, By Dr. Ranjita Kumari

Stress is a typical emotional and physical response to life's responsibilities. A modest amount of stress might be beneficial since it can inspire you to work hard. However, a lot of the obstacles you face every day can be too much for you to handle. An experience that is thought to be stressful or frightening triggers the fight or flight response, which is an involuntary physiological response. An acute stress reaction that primes the body for battle or flight is triggered by the impression of threat, which activates the sympathetic nervous system. These reactions are evolvable modifications that improve chances of surviving in perilous circumstances. Most anxiety disorders are thought to be caused by excessively frequent, severe, or inappropriate activation of the fight-or-flight response. Hormonal and physiological changes are brought on immediately by the response. These adjustments give you more time to take swift action and defend yourself. It is a survival instinct that our ancestors in antiquity developed long ago. A fight-or-flight response is an active protective mechanism in which you can either fight or run. The oxygen delivery to your main muscles increases when your heart rate rises. Your hearing becomes more acute, and your pain threshold decreases.These adjustments enable you to respond quickly and appropriately. Fighting or running is put on hold while you freeze, and you make additional preparations for defense. Other names for it include attentive immobility and reactive immobility. Similar physiological processes are involved, but you remain perfectly motionless and prepare for the following action. Fighting, fleeing, and freezing happen automatically. You can't control it because it's an involuntary response.The body's sympathetic nervous system was engaged in a reaction to acute stress as a result of the abrupt hormone release. Catecholamines, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, are released when the sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal glands. As a result, the heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate rise. The time it takes for the body to return to normal after the threat has passed ranges from 20 to 60 minutes.

 The body's response to stress is known as General Adaptation Syndrome, which is comprised of three stages. The first person to describe GAS was a scientist named Hans Selye, who was born in Vienna.

 General Adaptation Syndrome have three stages:

• Alarm reaction: The sympathetic nervous system is activated when a stressor is perceived, and the body responds by going into "fight-or-flight" mode, mobilizing its resources to deal with the threat or danger.

• Resistance: The parasympathetic nervous system tries to bring back many physiological processes to normal levels while the body directs its resources against the stressor and stays alert. As a result, the body resists and adapts.

• Exhaustion:  If the stressor or stressors persist past the point where the body can handle them, the body's resources run out and it becomes more prone to illness and death.

GAS is not a medical condition. GAS is a process in which the body reacts in a typical way under stress. Severe long term stress may precipitate many mental illnesses.

There are many methods available for coping with stress. Few methods are mentioned below.

Methods for coping with stress:

1. Progressive muscles relaxation
2. Mindfulness Based interventions
3. Guided imagery
4. Diaphragmatic breathing
5. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
6. Problem solving skills

- By Dr. Ranjita Kumari 

(M.A., M.Phil., & PhD. in Clinical Psychology).  

Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology,

CIIMHANS, Chattisgarh.