Common questions people ask about stress
There is good deal of nonsense talked and written about stress. Having a truer picture of it will help you tackle it. We will look at some of the common questions asked about stress.
Is stress a mental illness?
No. Stress is not a mental illness. It is the most common mental health problem. Far from losing touch, with stress, you are too much in touch with reality. You can't switch off even though you want to. But you know you are making too much of these concerns. In other words, you have insight - you know you should not be like this.
All of us know what stress is. We all get a fit of the blues from time to time. We all get uptight from time to time. So stress is a normal part of day-to-day life.
So you have too much of a normal feeling.
Stress is not so much to do with cracking up. It is more to do with the fear that you will crack up. So this leads us to the next question:
Will stress lead to mental illness?
No. We are talking about two different problems.
What does tend to happen with stress is that as time goes on, more problems are sucked into it. So you might find that it started off as mild tension. Then you felt more and more depressed. Then you started to have panic attacks. Then you found the anxiety got much worse. Then your sleep got worse. Then you began to drink more. In other words, it may start as a single problem but it adds layers as time goes on.
So stress can get worse. It can come and go for no clear reason. The way it affects you can change for no good reason. But it stays a stress problem. You will not become mentally ill.
Is stress a physical illness?
No. You have seen that stress affects a large number of people. You have seen (and will see later on) that certain groups are more prone to it. They are more prone due to social not physical factors. While some people's nature may make them more prone to stress, it is clear that stress comes about through a complex range of factors. This means that there will never be a tablet that can cure stress.
As stress often badly affects your body, it is tempting to think that it is physical. But all the changes in your body are normal reactions to stress. They do not cause it. The fact that your body reacts like this, shows that it is working in the way it should.
This does not mean that tablets can't help. They may help as part of a range of ways of coping. Your GP might suggest that you try them. This is your choice. Tablets might make it easier for you to get a handle on the stress.
Is it just weak people who get stress?
No. As you will have read, stress is the most common problem GPs deal with. Stress can affect all of us. Now that people talk more openly about it, we can see just how common it is. All sorts of people from all walks of life get stress.
Can stress be bad for you?
Yes. You may find that since you have become stressed, you seem to pick up all the bugs that go around. Stress does make you more prone to colds and flu. Stress can affect your immune system. You take longer to recover from illness when you are stressed. Wounds heal more slowly. Pain is more intense with stress. Stress can make your blood pressure rise.
Keep this in context. Let us take heart attacks. Stress may play a role as part of a range of factors. Think of the risk factors for heart attacks. Being overweight. Being unfit. Eating the wrong foods. Having a family history. Smoking and drinking too much. These are the big risk factors. Stress is just one of many risk factors.
You must also look out for the way you react to stress as you may be getting into these big risk factors. Many people smoke more, drink more and eat badly when stressed. Doing these things can affect your health. Deal with these and you will do yourself a great deal of good.
So stress is not good for you in the long run. But. You can control stress and change most of the big risk factors. So think about exercise, healthy eating and sensible drinking. Don't be passive. You can control your health a lot more than you might think
Will I have this for the rest of my life?
Depends. Even if you are a 'born worrier', you will be able to point to times in your life when you coped quite well. Stress is often caused by a range of factors. Some of these things may not be open to change but some will be. It is not just due to your nature. We know that if you lie down to stress, it will keep its grip on you. But you can learn ways to handle it better. It does not matter who you are or what your life is like. If you know what to do to help, you can get better. This website will help you get on top of your stress.
Never give in to stress - fight it all the way.
