Stress |
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Do you
ever feel like the weight of the
world is on your shoulders? Are
you worried about pressures from
work, home, or school? This common
condition is called stress and the
causes of stress are not the same
for everyone. Some individuals perform
better under pressure and stress
may actually push them to complete
tasks. However, long-term stress
can increase the risk of some diseases
such as depression and heart disease.
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Causes and Risk Factors
Stress
is often used as a common term to
refer to a variety of conditions
such as anxiety, antagonism, exhaustion,
frustration, distress, despair,
overwork, premenstrual tension,
over-focusing, confusion, mourning,
and fear. When an individual is
encountered with stressors (stress-causing
stimuli), the brain releases stress
hormones (cortisone and adrenaline)
to respond to stress. This is commonly
known as the fight or flight response.
These hormones increase the heartbeats,
increase the speed of breathing,
and increase energy.
Stressful
situations within an individual’s
family life are one of the primary
causes of stress. Having difficulty
in maintaining relations with
friends or family members, marital
troubles, communication problems
with children or parents, and
illness or death of a loved one
can also cause stress.Sudden changes
in life can contribute to developing
stress. Relocating to a new home
or city, joining a new organization,
marriage, pregnancy, divorce,
and midlife crisis are some examples
of these causes. Children also
experience similar feelings when
they move to a new school or neighborhood.
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Work-related
stressors are pressure to meet deadlines,
achieving targets, excess workload,
competition, job dissatisfaction, insecurity,
politics and conflicts in the office,
low remuneration, important meetings
and presentations, and sexual harassment.
Environmental
stressors include poor living condition,
pollution, and man-made or natural calamities.
Financial crunch and impending debt
are also major causes of stress. Other
factors are personal failure, unemployment,
inability to deal with stress, fear,
insecurity, pessimistic attitude, and
low self-esteem and confidence. Not
all of these factors are necessarily
real; some may only be perceived but
then eventually lead to stressful conditions.
Research has also exhibited a correlation
between a person’s attitude toward
handling stress and stressors and his
or her genes.
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