Not all stress is bad. Hans Selye, an early researcher on stress, created the term “Ustress” to describe the opposite, which he aptly referred to as “distress.” Those who experience the positive effect of stress–“ustress” say it feels the same as what they feel after doing aerobic exercise. Most people, though, experience stress as distress.
Each year, the American Psychological Association surveys employed adults on the subject of job stress. This year, the outcome suggested that workers believe there is too much work placed on them, too little pay for what they do, and not much opportunity for getting ahead. One third of those reporting said they experience chronic stress with their job, 54% said they were paid too little, and over 60% felt there was little opportunity to get ahead in their job.
The report found that women felt more tension and a sense of being stuck then their male counterparts. Part of the reason for the increase in their stress was the fact that their family was relying more on their income than in the past. Another part of the reason is that while men typically respond to stress by a fight/flight response, women tend to either internalize the stress, or to share their frustration with another woman. Talking about the stress with someone else who is also stressed often only adds to the experience of stress.
The survey did find that the over all experience of chronic stress on the job was a little lower this year compared to the level in the 2012 survey. But the percentage of those being dissatisfied with their jobs, and those who are having trouble balancing their work with the rest of their lives was higher.
Our body’s response to stress is to increase hormones like cortisol, histamines, and adrenaline into the blood stream. These hormones will increase our heart rate, our breathing, and increase the tension in our muscles. Thus the “tight neck.” In distress, we can experience an erratic heart rate, constricted blood vessels, a rise in blood pressure, and cold feet and hands.
Eventually, even for those who treat stress as a positive–“ustress”–will begin to experience the harmful effects of chronic stress. Our bodies aren’t built for chronic stress. Eventually, our mental clarity, our memory, our decision-making, and our mood will be harmfully impacted.
So what can we do about stress? We’ll look at antidotes in the next posting.
Question: How do you typically handle stress? Do you experience “ustress” or distress?