When people experience physical, emotional, or psychological pain that makes them feel anxious, afraid, lonely, or depressed, it is often termed “distress.” When you feel distressed, you may be inclined to ignore your responsibilities and focus on your negative feelings instead.
Today, we will look at coping mechanisms that will help you recognize symptoms of distress and what you can do to get through situations that could potentially create chronic stress.
What Is Stress?
Stress is a physiological and emotional response to a problem or event that makes you feel afraid, anxious, angry, or frustrated. It is a physical response that can compel you to react in a certain way or take action. But if the stress lasts for a prolonged period, it can affect your overall health.
There are two types of stress: acute and chronic. Acute stress is a short-term occurrence. This is what people experience when they are in a dangerous situation, and the body responds by increasing the production of certain hormones to escape the situation (the fight or flight response) or complete the job.
But what is chronic stress?
Chronic stress is the result of a constant feeling of psychological and emotional pressure. Long-term stress puts the person in a continuous state of distress. It also has physical manifestations that include body aches, insomnia, fatigue, feelings of isolation, and difficulty in focusing and concentrating.
Chronic stress can make you feel unable to cope or manage the pain effectively. It can make a simple stressful situation into a traumatic event and be the cause of anxiety or a panic disorder.
If you are unable to cope with the stress, it could lead to more serious problems that limit your avenues to experience the world as a complete human being.
Symptoms of Stress
Stress can manifest physically and emotionally. It affects how a person behaves and how they interact with others. However, not all of these symptoms are apparent to the person or the people around them.
Here are some of the most common stress symptoms:
- Irritation, impatience, or anger
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Depression
- Disinterest
- Loneliness
- Lack of Sense of Humor
- Suicidal thoughts
Stress can also manifest physically:
- Body aches and pain
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- High blood pressure
- Stomach or digestive problems
- Disinterest in sex
- Muscle tension
Using Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a treatment method that can help those experiencing chronic stress to overcome their intense feelings of anxiety, fear, and panic. It can also be used to treat more severe conditions, such as phobias and other disorders.
This method exposes the person to the thing or situation that makes them feel scared or anxious. Constant exposure in a controlled environment should help the person manage and cope with the distressing situation, which then enables them to manage their reaction and subsequent behavior.
Prolonged exposure therapy involves developing various methods to help a person cope with their feelings of distress. These include the following:
Emotional Processing
This helps the person develop a realistic attitude and reaction to the situation or stimuli.
Extinction
This method allows a person to break negative associations or feelings with the event or stimuli.
Habituation
Constant exposure to the stressful stimuli or situation helps the person learn to control their reaction.
Self-efficacy
The person learns to develop appropriate language and behavior to manage their anxiety on their own.
Understanding Stress and Distress
People think that avoiding stress is the best way to alleviate feelings of distress. But sometimes, the best method is exposure to stressful things or situations because it can improve your coping mechanisms and allow you to enjoy and experience life fully.
