Most people in our generation always try to do too many things within a short time and therefore always in a hurry. The desire to accomplish several things produces a false sense of urgency making one to work harder and faster. Moreover, many are annoyed with some people or at one thing or the other especially in a country like Nigeria, where most of the people are annoyed with government at all levels.
The result of this fast spaced lifestyle is stress which leads to different problems. Stress is the body’s automatic natural response to any physical or mental demand placed on it. When the demand is not too much it is called ‘eustress’. Eustress can make one to be motivated and work harder hence become more productive. However when the demand is too much, the effect becomes ‘distress’ and it becomes counterproductive. If the distress persists for a long time, it can lead to different health problems.Stress has two basic components; the stress agents or factors that can cause stress and the responses to it.
Causes of stress
Stress can occur from anything that annoys, threatens, prods, excites, scares, worries, frustrates, challenges, criticizes, overwhelms or reduces your self-esteem especially if prolonged. Deep feelings of bitterness against another person, unresolved anger, or any feelings that include a loss of control. Examples include stormy marriage, overwork, dead end jobs, no promotion, no transfer, financial or relationship struggle. It is important to understand that over production of adrenaline and other stress hormones due to the different factors mentioned above is the primary cause of stress.
Effects of stress
Excessive release of stress hormones especially adrenaline damages cells, tissues, and organs and weakens the immune system. High adrenaline reduces one’s ability to rest, reduces need for sleep. It wears down the system, disrupts the normal function directly and leads to burn out.
Short term illnesses like cold, catarrh, malaria etc. can result from stress but most importantly, it causes chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high level of cholesterol, heart disease and even cancer. The heart is the major organ affected by the harmful effect of stress. Stress causes a lot of wear and tear on the heart and the blood vessels. As we fight against heart disease by advocating low fat diet, avoiding cigarette smoking, we should also fight against excessive stress. The weakened immune system finds it difficult to fight cancerous cells and therefore allows cancer to thrive in the body, therefore some forms of cancer grow rapidly in highly stressed individuals.
Those who have not learnt to control stress usually pay with their health and peace of mind. Therefore there’s a need to manage stress and find a balance in life. There are several ways of managing stress but in this article, I will discuss six of them and trust God that there will be opportunities for you to learn the others in the future.