Our world seems to spin faster today than it used to. Change is the order of the day, routines are broken, long-term planning is becoming increasingly difficult—welcome to the age of Covid-19. In addition, we are often burdened by worries about our family, our financial situation, and health problems. The last few months are an excellent example of this. In the long run, this constant pressure on body and soul can make you ill. It doesn't have to come to that. Let's first clarify what stress is all about.
What does stress actually mean?
The term originally comes from physics. In materials science, it was used to describe strong tension or pressure on a material. Translated from English, "stress" means something like "pressure, tension" (Latin "stringere"). In the field of psychology, the word stress was first used by the scientist Hans Selye, born in Vienna in 1907. Selye, who authored more than 1,700 publications on stress and is considered the "father of stress research," used it to describe the reaction of living organisms to forms of strain. Selye differentiated the term and divided it into the negative component "distress" and the positive component "eustress." These so-called "stressors" are external stimuli that can lead to certain physical or psychological reactions of the body.
Good and bad stress
We evaluate our environment through our sensory organs. If it is perceived as threatening, our body goes into high alert in order to be able to deal with potential dangers appropriately. This reaction dates back to an earlier phase of evolution, when one had to be prepared for life-threatening attacks by enemies. Stress itself is therefore important for our survival. It instantly puts our body into a state of increased performance. Certain stress hormones release large energy reserves, which can have a positive effect, for example, to achieve better performance in sports or to maintain concentration during exams.
Stress factors
However, permanent stress can strongly overwhelm the soul and body. All factors that throw our organism out of balance can be potential stressors. These include external, physiological stimuli such as constant noise, hunger, thirst, lack of sleep, heat, or cold. Likewise, psychological stressors, such as the fear of failure or of being unable to cope with tasks. Everyone reacts differently to stress. Which stress type are you?
• If you would like to listen to a podcast expert interview on the subject of stress, click here.
