Stress Versus Distress

Apart from its psychological connotation, the word stress is also used in the field of physics, where it refers to the amount of force, pressure, or strain put on an object to bend or break it. For example, when building a bridge or an airplane, engineers need to know the level of stress that the different materials (wood, metals, and plastics) can withstand before they break or fail.

What Is Stress?

Stress is your body’s response to physical or mental demands or pressures. The physical or mental demands that cause the stress are called stressors. Stressors can be people, objects, places, events, or situations that cause you to react.

 

The word stress is often used in a negative context, but actually stress can be positive or negative. Distress is a type of stress that refers specifically to negative stress that can cause you discomfort or keep you from doing the things you need to do. On the other hand, stress that is considered positive is called eustress. Eustress helps you to accomplish goals by making you feel excited or motivated to do an activity.

The Stress Response: General Adaptation Syndrome (G.A.S.)

How does your body respond to stress? When you are stressed, you will experience an increase in breathing rate as your body produces adrenaline in response to the stressor. Lastly, you will feel exhausted from the stress. This is why many people who are stressed out often feel tired. In this interactivity, learn more about the body’s response to stressors as described by the General Adaptation Syndrome (G.A.S.). Click the player button to begin.

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Avoiding Stress and Its Effects on Your Health

Your preparation for stressful situations and how you deal with stress affect the amount of stress you feel. When you prepare for a situation or event and equip yourself with a plan, you can lessen or avoid some types of stress. While you cannot control major life events like societal issues, family unemployment, or death, you can avoid grade-related stress or the stress associated with major school assignments. Managing your time effectively and breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable parts allows you to avoid procrastination. Also, you can adapt to change more readily if you are prepared for life's smaller, unexpected twists and turns. If you sense an oncoming conflict with a peer or adult, seeking out a peaceful resolution to the conflict before it becomes overwhelming can help.

It is important to minimize stress when you can, but ignoring it is dangerous. Allowing yourself to have unresolved stress means that you cannot tackle the emotion with a stress management technique. Furthermore, when stress is excessive, your body may respond by becoming ill. Severe, prolonged distress can result in a number of physical and mental health problems. Some examples of stress-related health problems include:

Acne Asthma Anxiety Cold Sores Constipation Depression Diabetes Diarrhea

High Blood Pressure Hives Migraine Headaches Nausea Sleep Disorders Stroke Ulcers

Managing Stress 

It is important to manage stress to stay healthy and prevent disease. Although it is impossible to live completely free of stress, it is possible to learn ways to avoid certain stressors and manage your response to others. In this interactivity, learn more about stress management techniques. Click the player button to begin.

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Stress Versus Distress Review

Now that you have explored stress, avoiding stress, and managing stress, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player button to get started.