What are the different forms of stress?

First, what is stress?

Stress is a set of psychological and physical reactions emitted by the body when faced with a difficult situation that requires adaptation.

It is a normal response to the constraints and attacks experienced every day in everyday life such as a conflict, speaking in front of an audience, an exam, an illness, a marriage, a move or even an accident.

Stress can affect everyone in a short period of time. When it persists over time, it is called “chronic” stress.

The symptoms of stress are numerous: muscle pain, palpitations, tremors, a feeling of suffocation in the chest, digestive problems, sleep disorders, loss of appetite, migraines, dizziness or even fatigue.

When we face a stressful situation, a physiological process consisting of 3 phases is triggered.

The three phases of stress

Alarm phase

During this phase, the body will react to the attack and generate adrenaline to prepare the body to respond to stress. The symptoms experienced are muscle tension, increased blood pressure, and increased heart rate and breathing.

The power of the muscles, the five senses and the reflexes increase tenfold, allowing you to decide whether to face the stressful situation or to flee.

Resistance phase

During the resistance phase, many hormones are released and provide the body and the brain with sufficient energy to resist the stressful situation. They encourage you to act in the best way to effectively combat stress.

When stress disappears, the body returns to its natural metabolism.

Exhaustion phase

If the stressful situation persists, the exhaustion phase comes into play. The body becomes increasingly weak and produces too large a quantity of hormones, which leads to too high energy expenditure.

Symptoms can be physical (sleep disorders, digestive disorders, headaches, etc.), mental (anxiety, nervousness, irritability, etc.) and behavioral (absenteeism, isolation, heavy consumption of substances bad for health such as tobacco, alcohol and sweet products…).

Over a long period of time, continuous stress can lead to depression.

The different forms of stress

There are different forms of stress which are distinguished mainly by their frequency and intensity.

Acute stress

Acute stress is triggered when a person experiences an unusual and destabilizing event such as a physical attack, an argument, the birth of a child, a natural disaster, a job loss or even a divorce.

It therefore occurs occasionally and helps the body to react better to stress.

The symptoms associated with this type of stress do not last long and disappear once the stressful situation is over. Most often, these are digestion problems, a distracted state, agitation, euphoria or sadness.

To cope with this stress, taking natural food supplements based on plants and vitamins can be very effective.

Délicure offers an “ anti-stress ” cure in the form of gummies with a delicious peach flavor. They are enriched with plants (rhodiola, saffron and holy basil) and contain vitamin B6 and the amino acid GABA. This composition helps reduce stress, protect the nervous system and promote a state of relaxation. CBD is also an ideal molecule in the treatment of stress, in fact, numerous studies have highlighted the valuable help of cannabidiol in stress management.

Délicure also offers a range of CBD gummies , fun and practical products that can be useful in stress management; as well as CBD oils made from 100% pure and natural avocado oil.

Secondary trauma

It is an acute stress that resurfaces several times. It concerns people who face human suffering or distress. They are often those who have a job requiring them to be around sick individuals, victims or even murderers.

This type of stress can cause psychological disorders such as strong anxiety or depression, reduced self-confidence, a feeling of insecurity, isolation or paranoia.

Chronic stress

Chronic stress is a response of the brain to destabilizing events over a prolonged period of time. It is associated with the exhaustion phase.

Chronic stress is dangerous for health because it can promote the development of certain pathologies such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders or depression.

If it becomes unmanageable, this type of stress can severely affect daily life and lead to suicide.

Burnout

This is burnout. It can be the cause of work overload, conflict between colleagues or with a superior, a lack of recognition, poor communication or even non-existent social support.

In general, individuals who suffer from burnout suffer from chronic stress.

Work-related stress causes discomfort, suffering, isolation, depression and addictions that are harmful to health.

In the event of chronic stress or burn-out, it is advisable to consult a doctor or psychiatrist who will assess the situation and find appropriate treatment.

CBD against stress

CBD is a molecule derived from hemp that can be very effective against stress and sleep disorders . It can be consumed in many forms.