We often hear the words stress and anxiety used interchangeably, but do they really mean the same thing?
The term stress derives from the Latin stringere, which means to provoke tension.
In physics, it refers to the force that is applied to an object, which can break it or deform it. In the humanities, it was used as a synonym for adversity, affliction.
The term stress was incorporated into biology by W. Cannon in 1911 and into scientific psychology by physiologist Hans Selye in 1956, who defined it as a global, total and automatic response of the human being to external and internal demands that cannot be met. Furthermore, this response can’t be harmonically controlled thus threatening the homeostatic balance, causing in the individual what he called a General Adaptation Syndrome.
There is also what is described as positive stress, which is called eustress, and negative stress, which is called distress.
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Background
Stress is common in our lives. What distinguishes and characterizes life and the living being is the faculty of adaptation to change. Any change to which we must adapt represents stress, whether it is negative events – dismissal from work, illness, breakup, death of a loved one – or positive and desirable – getting married and starting to live together, new responsibilities at work linked to an ascent-.
Stressors come from these basic sources: our environment, excessive workload, interpersonal conflicts, lack of media-, our -Insomnia body, hormonal changes, disease- and our thoughts -preoccupations, negative- anticipations. The intensity and nature of these stressful experiences depend on individual factors – personal reactivity, vulnerability, personality characteristics – and contextual factors – social and material supports, organizational issues.
From the Therapist Aid YouTube Channel: “When left untreated and unaddressed, anxiety has a tendency to grow. This is explained by the cycle of anxiety.”
When the response to the demands of the internal or external environment is adequate and physiologically acceptable to the organism, good stress is required, necessary for the organism to function and adapt to the environment. If the demands of the environment are excessive, intense and/or prolonged, and exceed the capacity of resistance and adaptation of the organism, we speak of bad stress, which, if prolonged, generates dysfunctions in our organs, favors the appearance of so-called diseases adaptive or psychosomatic, and can precipitate the appearance of others.
When Stress Becomes a Problem
Stress is thus a normal, adaptive mechanism. However, when we are subjected to stressful conditions of high intensity and duration, it will likely become dysfunctional, interfering with our performance, and also becoming a health problem: psychophysiological changes -sleep, diet, sexuality-; emotional -anxiety, depression-; neurovegetatives -tachycardia, muscle ailments, digestive discomfort-; of intellectual performance -concentration, memory-; weakening of the immune system -higher risk of infections-, etc.
The reasons are given to explain how stress causes psychosomatic disorders are diverse:
- Excessively intense and/or excessively repeated activation or overload of the organs.
- The long duration of the resistance period of the organism, which would produce a deterioration of its energy and physiological resources, leading to the exhaustion of the organs.
- Lack of somatomotor expression: in modern societies, stressors – sources of stress – do not usually require physical responses, but rather cognitive responses – thinking, decision-making. In this way the physiological resources mobilized before them, particularly those related to the motor system, although activated, are not triggered.
- Failed or inadequate regulation or communication between the upper nervous centers and the peripherals related to the organs.
Most Common Sources of Stress
Holmes and Rahe (1967) constructed one of the first scales, based on biographical data from hundreds of people, where the degree of alteration and stress associated with events is quantified. This is known as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale
The most important fact of this scale is that it lists the most stressful life events. These are:
Spouse death
Divorce
Separation
Deprivation of liberty
Death of a close relative
Serious illness or disability
Marriage
Job loss
Couple reconciliation45
Retirement
Illness of a close relative
Pregnancy
Sexual problems
The arrival of a new member of the family
Important changes at work
Important changes at the economic level
Death of a close friend
Change job
Discussions with a partner (significant change)
Apply for a high-value mortgage
Cash-out a loan
Changing responsibilities at work
A child leaves home (marriage, university)
Problems with the law
Exceptional personal achievements
The couple starts or stops working
The school cycle begins or ends
Significant changes in living conditions
Change in personal habits
Boss problems
Change in working hours or conditions
Change of address
Change to a new school
Change in the form or frequency of diversions
Change in the frequency of religious activities
Change in social activities
Ask for a mortgage or smaller loan
Changes in sleep habits
Changes in the number of family reunions
Change in eating habits
Holidays
Christmas
Minor infractions of the law
This video from the Braive YouTube Channel uses the bucket analogy to give you an understanding of the various sources and effects of stress, and coping skills you can use to better regulate stress. For more information visit braive.com
How Stress Works
Stress, then, is the adaptation of a person to new situations and the unspecific and stereotypical response to stimuli that upset their balance.
Selye explains that there are three phases the body goes through when it faces a stress situation:
- Alarm reaction phase. Adrenaline and norepinephrine are released that promote a rapid and intense reaction of the organism: the heartbeat and respiratory rate increase, the blood sugar level rises, perspiration increases, the pupils dilate, muscle tone is altered and digestion slows down. The release of catecholamines and cortisol is also increased. This is followed by a sub-phase in which defensive systems are mobilized. In this sub-phase, a nervous activation response occurs that is expressed and physiologically developed in a manner related to anxiety.
- Resistance phase, during which the organism intervenes all its adaptation mechanisms and repairs damages or imbalances caused by the alarm reaction. In this phase, the response is slower and more sustained. Cortisol release is intensified. If the stressful situation persists, the body remains alert and cannot recover, it goes to the next phase.
- Exhaustion phase, which ends the adaptive reserves of the organism and alters its homeostasis, which may cause, depending on the vulnerability of each person, different disorders and ailments. These disorders generally affect the autonomic nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, and the immune system. Hypertension, memory loss, fatigue, some migraines, tension, irritability, alterations in the immune system, some skin diseases, depression, anxiety, are examples of alterations that may be related to stress.
Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety and stress are often used synonymously. In both cases, a reaction characterized by high physiological activation occurs. Stress is a broader process of adaptation to the environment. Anxiety is an alert emotional reaction to a threat. Let’s say that within the process of change that involves stress, anxiety is the most frequent emotional reaction. High anxiety generates stress. In turn, stress is one of the most common sources of anxiety.
Sometimes we tend to confuse the terms stress and anxiety as they are both closely related, but they are not the same. Anxiety is a symptom of stress. A stressful situation can cause anxiety, which can lead to demotivation, emotional fatigue, or depression.
Another important difference between them is that stress is generated by a real situation, such as an exam or a lot of work, however, constant or pathological anxiety is usually irrational and subjective. In other words, as soon as the situation that causes us restlessness ends, the stress disappears. However, anxiety may appear frequently and the source of this disorder may be non-existent or unknown to the patient.
Also, while stress has an external origin, anxiety is psychological and emotional that continues when the stressor has disappeared.
Anxiety is a defensive mechanism. It is an alert system for situations considered threatening. Anxiety is a universal mechanism, it occurs in all people, it is normal, adaptive, improves performance and the ability to anticipate and respond.
The function of anxiety is to mobilize the body, keep it alert and ready to intervene against risks and threats so that its consequences do not occur or are minimized.
Anxiety, then, pushes us to take the appropriate measures (flee, attack, neutralize, confront, adapt, etc.), depending on the case and the nature of the risk or danger. The danger is given by the obstruction of any project or wishes important to us, or by the degradation of status or achievements already achieved.
The human being wants what he does not have, anxiety, then, as an adaptive mechanism, is good, functional, normal and does not represent any health problem. However, in some cases, this mechanism works in an altered way, that is, it produces health problems and, instead of helping us, it incapacitates us.
Some of the symptoms of stress are:
- Physical: palpitations, shortness of breath, chest tightness, stomach knot, tiredness, tingling or dizziness.
- Psychological: overwhelm, feeling of threat or emptiness, feeling of strangeness, fear of death.
- Conduct: clumsiness, blocking or impulsiveness when acting.
General Ideas About How to Manage Stress and Anxiety
There are small exercises that we can perform to try to bring these sensations in the best possible way:
- When we begin to feel uneasy, slow, regular, deep breathing is best.
- Playing sports, since it helps us regulate our endorphins and reduces anxiety. In this sense, exercises like yoga or pilates are very beneficial for our body and mind.
- Rest and sleep for at least 8 hours, take a hot bath or listen to our music. Pampering ourselves is essential to end your worries.
- Identify distressing thoughts and try to eliminate them.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs.
- Eating healthy is key for our brain to function properly.
- Looking for hobbies or distractions like crafting. In particular, other benefits crafting offers to adults. I offer more details on this subject on our blog post titled 10 Benefits of Crafting for Adults. Also, quilting, going out, drawing or reading will help us to get out of the routine and manage stress and anxiety. For some ideas on how to start quilting, check out my blog post on Quilting For Beginners.
And Now a Bonus, and Perhaps The Best Way to Manage Stress and Anxiety
Consider that the advice that is most repeated throughout the Old and New Testaments is “Do not fear.”
Perhaps some verses of Scripture are familiar to you with this loving exhortation. For example, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary announcing that she would be the Mother of Our Savior; or when St Joseph heard these words knowing that he would be the earthly father of Jesus: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary, your wife, because what has been generated in her comes from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20 ).
Therefore, a practical possibility to manage stress and anxiety would be to become aware of the real presence of God in daily life.
Many of our daily concerns, large and small, revolve around some form of fear of what may happen. The fact is that anxiety consumes a lot of our energy: will everything go well on the trip? Will I have a car accident if I go out at night? Will I ever forgive my family members? Am I doing what God wants in this particular situation? What will the medical tests tell me? Am I correct with this decision…? Questions like these ones can swirl endlessly in our heads. However, for each one of them, God reminds us to turn to Him in prayer and with confidence.
If we live the present moment in the presence of God there we can find authentic peace and healing.
Instead of spending time trying to escape from stress and anxiety, the Christian alternative offers a real solution to this problem focusing on the goal of being in union with God.
This is a grace that surpasses all understanding.
What some proof?
Let me take a moment to share the story of Admiral Jeremiah Denton. He was a US Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. While leading 28 planes during a bombing mission over Hanoi, he was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese on 18 July 1965. He was badly wounded within the crash, and immediately captured, and brought to a jail that was notoriously mentioned as “The Hanoi Hilton.”
In his book, When Hell Was in Session, Denton details the treatment of the prisoners by the North Vietnamese captors. He was a prisoner of war (POW) until his release on February 12, 1973, along with numerous other American POWs during Operation Homecoming.
While still in captivity, around Easter in 1969, at what had to be the lowest points in his life, he wrote the poem I cite below. This came at the moment in which stress and anxiety were at their maximum—when he had to be wondering, “God are you there?” “What is your plan?” “What is my purpose in life?” “Will you sustain me?” “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “If such a good, all-powerful God exists, why is there so much evil in the world?”
“The soldiers stare, then drift away,
Young John finds nothing he can say,
The veil is rent; the deed is done;
And Mary holds her only son.
His limbs grow stiff; the night grows cold,
But naught can lose that mother’s hold.
Her gentle, anguished eyes seem blind,
Who knows what thoughts run through her mind?
Perhaps she thinks of last week’s palms,
With cheering thousands off’ring alms
Or dreams of Cana on the day
She nagged him till she got her way.
Her face shows grief but not despair,
Her head, though bowed, has faith to spare,
For even now she could suppose
His thorns might somehow yield a rose.
Her life with Him was full of signs
A Final Word
If stress or anxiety persists and becomes chronic, we should go to the doctor or therapist to help us treat or control this problem. As discussed in this blog post, stress is a natural response of our body to situations of danger or for which we are not prepared. If the feeling of anxiety persists once everything has returned to normal, we may suffer from a generalized disorder, so it is advisable to go to the doctor or psychologist.
Anxiety is in our head and its origin is usually non-existent, so we must learn to control our thoughts and fight against those that are negative.
Finally, grow in your spirituality and your knowledge, as well as trust in Our Lord.
I am interested in your opinion. What has worked for you to handle stress and anxiety?
