General Adaptation SyndromeThe general adaptation syndrome explains how the long-term effects of stress can impact on your stress health. Knowing your signs and symptoms of stress and putting into place good stress management techniques can improve your health and wellbeing. Just glance at the local news or browse the Internet and you will see what you already know: that stress is becoming a global problem. Life can be challenging! With job stress, financial concerns and future uncertainty becoming a norm it seems stress is a part of everyday life. Stress activates the fight or flight response, the alarm phase of the general adaptation syndrome. This helped our ancestors escape from the jaws of saber-tooth tigers – and is responsible for many superhuman feats of strength. However today’s causes of stress are largely emotional – and occur constantly throughout the day. Pretty much anything that annoys, frustrates or scares you has the potential to activate the stress response. Now this can mean that you don’t get much downtime or rest. This chronic stress and how it affects your health and stress related illness can be explained by the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) What is the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Stress is an everyday part of living. Hans Seyle, a founding father of stress research, described that these stressors can affect the body in a 3-stage reaction - the alarm phase, the stage of resistance, and the exhaustion stage. The GAS can help to explain how chronic stress can lead to infection, illness and even death.
Main Causes of Stress Whether it is relationship stress, or financial stress, or pressures from work – every time that you become frustrated or stressed, this can activate the fight or flight response, the first stage of the GAS. In the alarm phase you enter a heightened psychological and physiological arousal, known as the fight or flight response. The stress response releases stress hormones in the body. The adrenaline increases muscle tension, heart rate and number of other stress symptoms that mobilizes the body’s resources to fight or flee from the stressful situation. Now there are some advantages to stress – it can make you more focused and alert! But stress for too long without adequate rest or recuperation can be bad for you! Often we are not aware of the tremendous toll that our minds and body pay in the routine, chronic stress that occur everyday.
In the resistance stage, the mind and the body attempt to adapt to the cause of stress. This could also be known as the adaptation phase. In this stage, the body remains alert (at a lower level) but continues the normal functions. Your body at this stage is like a car idling along with it's RPM too high - burning too much energy and becoming inefficient. You may think that you are adapting quite well to the higher stress level. Things may be moving along smoothly for you. However, you may simply be learning to live with an unhealthy stress level. You may notice increasing irritability and frustration, or lapses in concentration, or things just seem harder than they used to be. Reframe the Stressor as a Challenge
If the body is unable to turn the stress response off and rest and recuperate - concentration, irritability and fatigue are likely to occur. There are a number of relaxation exercises that you can do which activate the relaxation response can counter the effects of stress.
It is at this point that exhaustion sets in. Stress has generally occurred for some time and at this point, resistance can drop off and the activity returns to the point before the emergency. This stage of the general adaptation syndrome is characterized by issues such as burnout and exhaustion. The body loses it resistance to fight stress and the body’s immune system that fights off disease and infection is weakened. See how stress and the immune system are related. This can lead to a number of stress related illnesses. Rest and recovery is required for the person before the next emergency or stressor. Physical and emotional effects of stressStress can boost your concentration and focus, helping you to maintain motivation and discipline. But too much stress can result distress. Each of us experience stress in different ways but some of the effects of stress include:
When looking at these warning signs and symptoms of stress, keep in mind that these symptoms could be due to other medical problems. It is important for you to visit your local doctor for a complete checkup. Relaxation exercises to rest and counter the effect of stressRelaxation exercises are important to counter the effects of stress. By activating the relaxation response these
 Do you feel tension in your shoulders or other muscles of your body. If stress results in muscle tension then progressive muscle relaxation could be beneficial for you. Progressive muscle relaxation is a systematic relaxation techniques for tensing and relaxing the different muscle groups.
Next time you are stressed take note of your breathing rate. You will probably note that your breathing has become more rapid and shallow. This is a typical stress symptom. I have used this breathing technique with clients who have found it useful before public speaking, big notch performances and exams.
 Increase your relaxation and replace your "I can't" with a resounding "I can". Self hypnosis can improve confidence, resilience and your ability to cope with stress. Self hypnosis can build confidence in the face of stress.
This mindful meditation breathing technique cultivates awareness of the present moment. Rather than worry about the past or the future bring your focus back to the present with mindful breathing meditation. Related Articles
Different Types of Stress: Not all Stress is Bad for You What is Anxiety: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment Options for Anxiety Meditation Techniques: Meditation Techniques for Stress Relief
|
||||||||||||||||
