After an extended period of stress, the body goes into the final stage of GAS, known as the exhaustion stage. At this stage, the body has depleted its energy resources by continually trying but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage.
There are five stages of stress; fight or flight, damage control, recovery, adaption, and burnout. Since individuals are the only one who knows their bodies well, their bodies will tell them and let them know what stage they are at.
Stage 5: Burnout
Burnout is the result of long term, unresolved stress. This can be defined as the loss of meaning in our work, coupled with mental, emotional, or physical exhaustion. For some, it may even lead to further physical and mental health complications.
The Four Common Types of Stress
Time stress. Anticipatory stress. Situational stress. Encounter stress.
Some of the physical signs that your stress levels are too high include: Pain or tension in your head, chest, stomach, or muscles. Your muscles tend to tense up when you're stressed, and over time this can cause headaches, migraines, or musculoskeletal problems. Digestive problems.
Chronic stress — stress that occurs consistently over a long period of time — can have a negative impact on a person's immune system and physical health. If you are constantly under stress, you may experience physical symptoms such as chest pain, headaches, an upset stomach, trouble sleeping or high blood pressure.
Chronic stress, however, is a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time.
There are three types of stress: acute, episodic, and chronic.
In states of stress, Threes take on the characteristics of an unhealthy and apathetic Type Nine. Fearing potential failure and humiliation, Threes can become highly anxious and isolate from those who are able to give them support and helpful feedback. When stress progresses, they become opportunistic.
Distress is stress that negatively affects you and eustress is stress that has a positive effect on you. Eustress is what energizes us and motivates us to make a change.
If chronic stress has led to overwork, you can usually recover from it within a few weeks. If chronic stress has led to burnout, your body is exhausted. With exhaustion, recovery usually takes six months, a year or even longer. There can be a lot of variation in that.
Get active
Virtually any form of physical activity can act as a stress reliever. Even if you're not an athlete or you're out of shape, exercise can still be a good stress reliever. Physical activity can pump up your feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals that enhance your sense of well-being.
There are six main areas that can lead to work-related stress if they are not managed properly. These are: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change.
Betterspace give you personalised recommendations based on 6 pillars – Sleep, Stress Management, Social Connections, Exercise, Helping Others or Meaningful Activity, and Nutrition.
Toxic stress response:
This is the body's response to lasting and serious stress, without enough support from a caregiver. When a child doesn't get the help he needs, his body can't turn off the stress response normally. This lasting stress can harm a child's body and brain and can cause lifelong health problems.
You may think any type of stress is bad, but that isn't the case. Good stress, or eustress, is the type of stress you feel when you're excited. Your pulse quickens and your hormones surge, but there is no threat or fear.
If you are stressed, you might feel: Irritable, angry, impatient or wound up. Over-burdened or overwhelmed. Anxious, nervous or afraid.
Stress Kills Brain Cells
It has been suggested by researchers that chronic stress can even kill new neurons in the brain's hippocampus. The hippocampus is one of only two locations where neurons are produced.
Stress can cause an imbalance of neural circuitry subserving cognition, decision making, anxiety and mood that can increase or decrease expression of those behaviors and behavioral states. This imbalance, in turn, affects systemic physiology via neuroendocrine, autonomic, immune and metabolic mediators.
When Does Stress Become Chronic? Stress that lasts for weeks or months indicate chronic stress. Chronic stress can impact your overall health. One risk is high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
Other than physical illnesses, stress can also give rise to psychological illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and panic, which are all valid medical concerns. Especially if the depression, anxiety, or panic attack is accompanied by suicidal thoughts, it is automatically considered as a medical emergency.
Stress, worry, or anxiety may cause other kinds of dizziness. It might feel more like lightheadedness than spinning. One form of this is chronic subjective dizziness — a vague feeling of imbalance. It happens more often in people with anxiety and in places where your senses have to take in a lot of information.