Almost Anything in Life has at Least two Sides to be Aware of
by
Dany Ghassan Charbel, Msc.
Robert Gorter, MD, PhD.
14th July 2024
In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and hence war and peace. The gates of a building in Rome named after him were opened in time of war, and closed to mark the arrival of peace. As a god of transitions, he had functions pertaining to birth and to journeys and exchange, travelling, trading and shipping.
Definition of negative Stress:
Stress refers to nervous tension, the constraint of the body in the face of a feared situation (sudden event, trauma, strong sensation, noise, overwork). Stress is a psychological, emotional and physiological response to disturbing events.
A stressful situation triggers a hormonal cascade with release of adrenaline and cortisol (“stress hormones”) in the body. Adrenaline makes the heart beat faster, causes blood pressure to go up and gives you more energy and alertness and Cortisol triggers the release of glucose (sugar) from your liver for fast energy during times of stress.
One must never forget that stress reactions are not pathological in itself. It even represents an essential process of adaptation (both biological and psychological) of the individual to his environment, when this one becomes more difficult.
What are the signs of negative stress?
Stress makes it hard for us to relax and can come with a range of emotions, including anxiety and irritability. When stressed, we may find it difficult to concentrate. We may experience headaches or other body pains, an upset stomach or trouble sleeping. We may find we lose our appetite or eat more than usual. Chronic stress can worsen pre-existing health problems and may increase our use of alcohol, tobacco and other substances.
Stressful situations can also cause or exacerbate mental health conditions, most commonly anxiety and depression, which require access to health care. When we suffer from a mental health condition, it may be because our symptoms of stress have become persistent and have started affecting our daily functioning, including at work or school.
Fight-flight- freeze response.
The fight-flight-freeze response is a type of stress response that helps you react to perceived threats, like an oncoming car or a growling dog. It is a survival instinct that our ancient ancestors developed many centuries ago.
Specifically, “fight-or-flight” is an active defense response where you fight or flee. Your heart rate gets faster, which increases oxygen flow to your major muscles. Your pain perception drops, and your hearing sharpens. These changes help you act appropriately and rapidly.
Freezing is fight-or-flight on hold, where you further prepare to protect yourself. It’s also called reactive immobility or attentive immobility. It involves similar physiological changes, but instead, you stay completely still and get ready for the next move.
Fight-flight-freeze isn’t a conscious decision. It’s an automatic reaction, so you can’t control it. In this article, we’ll further explore what this response entails, along with examples.
Positive Stress versus Negative Stress:
Positive stress is short-term and it inspires and motivates one, focusing on one’s energy and enhances one’s performance. Negative stress, however, is the kind that wears one out, leaves one jittery and is harmful to one’s health. One can even consciously choose for positive stress like in exercising. Negative stress, or distress, can lead to anxiety, confusion, poor concentration and decreased performance.
The three stages of adaptation to stress by Hans Selye:
According to endocrinologist Hans Selye, if the scale of the stressful event does not exceed normal response capacities, the body does not will not suffer the consequences. Conversely, if the resources of this organization are insufficient, if he cannot cope with the amount of stress he must manage, problems of all kinds are likely to arise. The organism then enters a vicious circle, the body’s adaptation system becomes exhausted and the consequences of stress become more and more harmful. (Selye,1976)
Conclusion
Negative stress is therefore not an illness, but a fearsome reaction of one’s mind and physical organism (both in one’s body, by the release of substances chemicals, the best known of which is obviously adrenaline, which in our head with the appearance of various emotions such as fear or anger) for adapt to the threats and constraints of one’s environment. This is why scientists often prefer to speak of an “adaptive reaction” to designate stress, a reaction constantly requested and essential to our good operation and preparation. (Legeron, 2008).
References
Selye, H. (1956). Psychopathology of human adaptation
Legeron. P. (2008). Le stress professionnel /Informations psychiatriques