It is extremely important to understand when stress levels are high and when they become out of control. Stress is extremely dangerous and can dominate over one’s actions and personality. Stress adversely impacts the behavior, mind and body of a person and almost every individual is exposed to experiencing stress in different ways. When people are overwhelmed by stress they react in different ways. People may get angry and agitated in being unable to maintain their cool. Stress responses can lead a person to become depressed or withdrawn resulting in the display of negative energy and emotional levels. Stress responses can be frozen and tense indicating that the individual will freeze under pressure in rendering him incapable to do anything. Factors that influence the tolerance level of stress include support network, sense of control, attitude and outlook towards life, ability to deal with emotions, knowledge level and sense of preparedness.
There are certain physiological, mental and emotional symptoms of stress and whenever the signs of one or more of such symptoms are observed, the individual should take immediate remedial measures. Most of the physical and physiological symptoms pertain to conditions such as aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea and dizziness, chest pain and rapid heart beating, loss of sex drive, frequent headaches, low energy levels, increased smoking and drinking and stomach problems. There are cognitive symptoms such as loss of memory, inability to concentrate, poor judgement, negative attitude and constant worrying. Emotional symptoms include mood swings, irritation, inability to relax, feeling overwhelmed, depression and unhappiness. Behavioral symptoms could occur such as change in eating and sleeping habits, isolating one-self from others, procrastination, drinking and smoking and nervous habits such as biting nails. Stress can result from any or a combination of these symptoms and are not limited to specific happenings since the realm of the human mind is unlimited and stress is directly related to the mind.
Stress is known to result in both positive and negative consequences. Hindrance stressors are the stressful thoughts and events that impact the individual negatively, while challenge stressors impact motivation and performance in a positive way. Every individual experiences certain amount of stress in motivating him or her to take action in achieving goals and objectives. If the stress is excessive the person’s performance is adversely impacted and he or she may become temporarily ineffective. The body cannot distinguish between psychological and physical hazards and under stressed conditions an individual’s body and mind react as if a situation of life and death is at stake. People who are frequently worried will have their defense mechanisms working for most of the time, and the more the body is loaded with stress symptoms, the more prone it becomes to trip and shut off. Long term stress leads to severe health problems adversely impacting every system in the body. These situations of burnout result in physical, mental and emotional exhaustion and people who suffer from the ailment often become cynical, impatient and easily irritable. Many health complications result from intensified stress levels in individuals. Major amongst them are pains of different kinds, heart problems, digestive complications, sleep disorders, depression, obesity, skin diseases such as eczema and some autoimmune diseases. Every person is differently susceptible to stress and his or her ability to tolerate the same depends on different factors such as emotional intelligence, general outlook about life and genetics.