Reactions / responses to stress

We can analyze person reactions in three ways 

1. Emotional response

2. Physiological response

3. Behavioural response

Emotional responses to stress include anger, anxiety, fear sadness, helplessness guilt and grief.

Physiological response the flight and flight response the bodily response to the stress.

ÒIt’s a reaction to threat in which the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mobilizes the organism for attacking flight (fleeing) and fight the enemy.

Behavioural responses include all the coping skill and techniques, coping is the active efforts to tolerate the demand that is created by stress.

Stress and health

Stress affects health in two ways:

1. The effect of stress on psychological functioning 

2. The effect of stress on physiological functioning

1. The effects of health on psychological health:

Impaired task performance 

In stressful conditions the person loses his decision making power and pressure of any task become increased than the person under pressure poorly perform his task, stress also affect memory functioning.

Burnout involve physical and emotional exhaustion stress can cause burnout feeling in which a person becomes hopeless, often complain low energy and it also affects other functioning and occupational life of a person.

Psychological disorder (PTSD) psychological problem in stress may contribute to poor academic performance, insomnia and sleep disturbance, alcohol use and drug use.

2. The effect of stress on physical health 

Psychosomatic disease includes high blood pressure, ulcers, asthma, skin disorders, migraine pain tension headaches. Type A and type B personalities Type A personality include strong competitive orientation, impatience and time urgency anger and hostility. Type B personality is marked by relaxed and easygoing persons they are competitive and less hurried as type A people.

Heart disease and other immune functioning problems: strong reaction to stress may lead to heart attack problems and other heart-related issues, stress may also cause depressive disorders, immune system or functioning can also disturb by stress more specifically in females and it also leads to some skin problems.