Stress can affect not only one’s physical health but also one’s behavior, emotions, and cognitive function. While everyone is different when it comes to how stress affects them and how they respond to it, there are several symptoms that are commonly associated with stress. The following is a discussion of them:

• Physical symptoms: Stress can manifest physically as poor energy, unsettled stomach, headaches, migraines, pain, chest pain, fast heartbeats, insomnia, mouth dryness, tense muscles, recurrent infections, and more. More symptoms of physical stress can include fast heartbeat, pounding in the chest, elevated body temperature, tenseness in the arms and legs, difficulty breathing, teeth grinding, headaches, indigestion, and numbness, parched lips, pain, sweat, pains in the abdomen etc.
• Emotional symptoms: These symptoms include showing signs of irritation, becoming angry or upset quickly, experiencing thoughts of worthlessness, being lonely, and even experiencing depression, anger, anxiety, shame, guilt, envy, impatience, and suicidal thoughts etc.
• Psychological symptoms: Constant worrying, racing thoughts, disorganization in thought processes, forgetfulness, difficulty focusing, poor or absent judgment, and pessimism are among the cognitive symptoms associated with stress, feeling angry, having trouble focusing, being irritable, losing confidence, worrying, having trouble making judgments, having racing thoughts, and being absent-minded are some of the psychological symptoms.
• Behavioral symptoms: Stress can manifest as a decline in performance effectiveness, substance abuse, an increased risk of accidents, nervous behavior, poor time management, ritualistic checking, changes in appetite, procrastination, eating or walking more quickly, difficulty speaking, deterioration of performance effectiveness, using alcohol or other recreational drugs, smoking, or both, a tendency to have accidents, nervous mannerism (biting nails, tapping feet), changes in eating patterns or anorexia, a rise or fall in the amount of sleep disturbance, fears, faster eating, walking, or talking, ineffective time management, speech impairment, verifying customs etc.

SOURCES OF STRESS:

Accordingly, there are three primary sources of stress that can be classified: pressure, conflicting motives, and frustration.

• Frustration: Frustration is defined as the result of an individual’s goal-oriented behavior being hindered. A wide range of external barriers, both social and physical, as well as internal elements including psychological barriers, biological conditions, and personal limitations, might impede our ability to fulfill our needs, intentions, and efforts.
• Conflict of Motives: This is the next type of stress since it requires a person to make decisions based on weighing their options, which can be stressful. Four forms of conflicts of motives exist: approach-avoidance conflict, approach-avoidance conflict, approach-avoidance conflict, and double approach-avoidance conflict.
• Pressure: Another potential internal or external source of stress is pressure. Demands from the outside world, obligations and responsibilities that are primarily social in character, as well as expectations from important people in our life, all contribute to external pressures. “Internal pressures are caused by our own self for maintaining the picture of ourselves – as we think we could and should be,” regarding internal pressures.

Here are some of the specific sources of stress:

Situations in life: A variety of situations can lead to stress. These include a loved one passing away, being divorced or separated, losing one’s job, getting married, and so forth. These could be referred to be major life events that expose a person to certain novel and unusual problems, which may place pressure on their ability to adjust and find coping mechanisms. Events in life can therefore cause stress, which can then negatively impact a person’s ability to operate on a daily basis as well as their physical and mental health.

Daily annoyances: Stress can also be produced by daily annoyances, much like by life events. Stress can be brought on by everyday problems such as a lack of time, an excessive workload, daily roles, responsibilities, duties, and so forth.

Relationship problems: Problems pertaining to relationships with others can also lead to stress. connections with peers, coworkers, or family can all be examples of interpersonal connections. Individuals may disagree with one another, which could affect their interpersonal relationships and cause stress. Interpersonal relationship problems can range from miscommunication to abuse and violence and can be detrimental to an individual’s physical and mental health.

Stress as a result of social circumstances: An individual’s social circumstances can also contribute to the development of stress. These socioeconomic situations may be linked to issues like pollution, overcrowding, discrimination, and technology advancements and changes. The world in which the person lives now is far more complicated. Globalization, heightened competition, and significant social pressure are all present. These negatively affect the person and increase their susceptibility to stress.

Dr Manish Chavda (MA, B.Ed., MBA, PhD),  Trainer | Consultant | Counsellor