Chronic stress: causes, symptoms and treatment

Stress is a very widespread phenomenon today. The causes that lead to the appearance of its symptoms are many, however, the lifestyle and culture of Western societies contribute significantly to the emergence of this affectation.

There are different types of stress: acute stress, chronic stress, post-traumatic stress, etc. If you want to know more about the different kinds of stress, you can visit our article: "Types of stress and their triggers”.

Chronic stress and acute stress

It is important to differentiate between acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress occurs at specific moments and temporarily, in response to the experiencing one or more highly stressful events, and as a result the person experiences a anxiety box. Although stress can be positive in small doses, in high doses it can affect our health so much mental as well as physical: muscle aches, headaches, exhaustion, gastric problems, tachycardia, etc.

Stress, however, can also be chronic, which is a more damaging way to experience this condition.

When stress lasts over time, there is a physical, emotional or mental exhaustion that has consequences on the self-esteem and health of the affected person, even causing severe depression. Either because the person lives in a hostile environment in times of war, is unable to pay a mortgage debt, suffers from the syndrome of burned out at work or unable to cope with divorce, the result is devastating and has a strong impact on your emotional well-being and general.

Causes

Chronic stress has a particular characteristic that differentiates it from other types of stress. And it is that the event or stressor manifests itself over and over again, that is, that the stressor is not temporary and remains unchanged over time.

For example, a college student may experience a stressful situation when exams are approaching and she realizes that she has let time pass this course. For a month he tries to study everything that he should have studied during the year, but he does not have enough time or resources to pass the course. Once the exam season is over, that stressful event will disappear, and the student will be able to better plan and manage their time for the following course. The student has experienced a situation of acute stress.

An example of chronic stress

The same is not true of chronic stress, because the stressful event occurs over and over again, repeatedly over time. It may happen that he feels burned out at work because the leadership style of his superior is causing him a distressing situation day after day tooSince his boss does not take his potential into account, he constantly criticizes him and, by not giving him clear and concrete orders, he is causing ambiguity and role conflict.

It can also happen that an individual is involved in a mortgage debt that forces him to pay an amount that he cannot afford. The months go by and he is increasingly in debt, which is causing him anxiety, despair, insomnia, severe depression and, furthermore, he sees no way out. Both cases are examples of chronic stress.

As you can see, the causes can be varied, however, the frequency of presentation of the stressor is what causes the harmful consequences for mental health. Now, it must be clear that, on occasions, it is not the stressful event itself that causes stress, but how we interpret this event and how we deal with it. Our beliefs and our resources are of great importance. Therefore, what for one person may be stressful, for another it is not.

Symptoms of chronic stress

The person with chronic stress, unlike the person suffering from acute stress, is often not aware of what is happening to him, as he has become accustomed to this situation despite not having it overcome. This can have a very damaging effect, known as learned helplessness (click here to know more). Learned helplessness seriously hampers seeking help and treatment.

So it is important to pay attention to both your physical and psychological symptoms to be able to get out of this situation. Generally, chronic stress manifests itself in different ways:

• Diseases of the digestive system, skin diseases and heart problems.
• Feelings of insecurity and the feeling of learned helplessness.
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Emotional fatigue
• Alcohol or substance abuse

These symptoms and many others not only affect the person, but also their closest environment, hindering, on many occasions, healthy interpersonal relationships with his family or his partner.

Burnout or chronic stress at work

One of the most common types of chronic stress is burnout., which occurs in the workplace and which, in recent years, has worsened in many professional sectors due to the crisis and staff cuts.

The causes of burnout can be diverse, and have their origin both in the expectations of the employees or their ability to cope with the problem, as in different factors that depend purely and exclusively on the practices of the company or the organization. For example: leadership styles, failure in selection processes or role overload.

Studies in this line of research indicate that burnout manifests itself as follows:

• Wear and emotional exhaustion: fatigue and mental exhaustion.

• Depersonalization- Negative attitudes towards the company and work, for example, irritability or loss of motivation.

• Lack of personal and professional fulfillment: negative effect on personal self-esteem, frustrated expectations and manifestations of stress at a physiological, cognitive and behavioral level.

• You can delve into this topic in our article: "Burnout: How to spot it and take action”

Chronic stress treatment

Since the first research on stress, carried out by Hans Selye in the 1950s, many experts have been providing more and more knowledge about what it is, how it works and what is the best way to treat this condition. One of the theories that has been used the most is the Karasek and Johnson demand-control-social support model. (1986), which works especially well for work-related stress.

From this model it is understood that the source of stress is found in the mismatch between existing demands and the person's control to meet these demands. In other words, what determines the onset of stress is the interaction between the person and the stressful situation. Therefore, the problem can be attacked in two ways: changing or avoiding the stressful event or, on the contrary, changing the way the person perceives and deals with this situation.

Go to the psychologist to overcome stress

The best way to overcome chronic stress, of course, is to eradicate the causative factor, although this is not always possible. It can be an alternative to leave work or get divorced when the problem is in our employment or our relationship with our partner, But, what happens to a long-term unemployed person or a member of a family without economic resources who is unable to pay their debt?

These cases require professional psychological help, because this situation can pose serious problems in the future if this phenomenon is not adequately addressed. In other words, it is necessary to seek treatment and learn practical tools to deal with this negative situation. The need to go to a clinical psychologist can be key to learning how to manage negative emotions and sensations associated with stress.

In the best of cases, a radical change in lifestyle will suffice, such as taking care of your diet, practice physical exercise on a regular basis, dedicate time to leisure and find moments for relaxation. You can delve into these tips and many more in our article: "10 essential tips to reduce stress”.