UNDERSTANDING STRESS
What is stress?
Stress is a natural human response to situations or factors that are hard to manage. A “fight or flight” response is completely normal, and this response might include an increase in energy level, heightened alertness, and faster breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Visit step 2 (coping) to learn more on how to deal and cope with stress.
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Types of stress
There are two types of stress, acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is short term stress that goes away after a period of time, usually caused by recent events like an assignment deadline, or an argument with a friend. Chronic stress on the other hand, occurs when long-term and ongoing stress is experienced. This includes those with PTSD or those who went through/experienced any sort of trauma.
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External Factors
External factors are forces that you may not have total control over. This includes major life events like moving around, parental divorce, or a death of someone close to you. It also includes the stress of school like homework, tests, or peer pressure. Relationship difficulties between friends or significant others can cause an increase of stress levels, as well as arguments and complications with parents.
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Internal Factors
Internal factors are forces that come from your thoughts. These are related to your thinking process, like your perception of events, expectations, standards, desires, and personal goals. Some examples include, a need to always be perfect, having a pessimistic view, measuring yourself against others, or having unrealistic expectations.
