Does it feel like losing your job, getting divorced, and suffering water damage often happen just when you have the least energy to deal with them? Life is unpredictable, and unfortunately, we cannot choose when stressful things will happen in our lives and whether they will coincide with our ability to cope.
How does stress affect the body and mind?
Prolonged stress in particular can have a significant impact on our well-being in various areas of life:
- Quality of life: Overall, stress can reduce our perceived quality of life.
- Physical and mental health problems: stress can be linked to many health problems.
- Harmful behavior patterns: Stress can lead to harmful behavior patterns, such as overeating and substance abuse.
- Relationship challenges: Stress can affect relationships, for example, through a lowered irritability threshold and exhaustion.
- Daily life management: Stress can impair our ability to perform our work and daily tasks.
Individual stress
- Stress typically affects individuals in different ways and can accumulate over time. One person may find a certain situation stressful, while another may find the same situation inspiring. Stress experiences can therefore vary greatly depending on the situation and the individual.
- The stress-vulnerability model describes how stress and an individual’s personal susceptibility affect mental health. Similarly, differences in resilience, i.e., the ability to cope with stress, vary from person to person.
- The model emphasizes how difficult it is to determine the amount, quality, and experience of stress using simple stress meters, as the subjective experience of stress varies from person to person: This is related to the fact that each person has their own needs and strengths. In addition, each of us experiences our life situation and the associated stress through the lens of our own personality and life experiences.
What causes stress?
Recognizing and managing stress are important in life. Each of us experiences stress in different ways and for different reasons, and by understanding the effects of stress on ourselves and our actions, we can work towards better well-being. Below are the four biggest stressors that people typically find stressful:
- Serious health problems: When you or a loved one becomes seriously ill, the situation can feel extremely stressful and cause a lot of uncertainty.
- Financial difficulties: Money worries can cause considerable stress and feelings of insecurity, especially when bills start to pile up.
- Loss of employment: Losing your job can be mentally and financially stressful and cause great uncertainty and insecurity.
- Personal loss: Losses, such as the death of a loved one, can affect us deeply and cause intense pain and stress.
These stressors, among others, can be major challenges in our lives that may be described as crossroads. When a stressful life situation or crisis disrupts our daily routine, we must choose between retreating and clinging to familiar, automatic patterns of behavior, or growing beyond ourselves. Familiar coping mechanisms are usually the easy choice in the short term, but learning new, more constructive ways of doing things may be more beneficial in the long run and lead to a more balanced outcome.
It is important to remember that help and support are available. If you recognize that there is a lot or a great deal of stress in your life, it may be appropriate to discuss events, your own resources, and coping mechanisms with a professional. Together with a therapist, you can work on managing and overcoming them and finding effective coping strategies. Typically, the greater the crisis, the longer it takes to process it and orient yourself to the new situation. So remember to give yourself time and understanding.
How does prolonged stress affect well-being?
Stressi vaikuttaa meihin yksilöllisesti. Stressin kokemukseen voivat vaikuttaa mm. omat Stress affects us individually. Your experience of stress can be influenced by factors such as your own needs, strengths, personality, life experience, and resilience. On the other hand, there are also external factors, such as the strength of your social safety net and the stability of other areas of your life.
Prolonged stress can affect well-being in many different ways:
- Physical and mental challenges, such as insomnia and anxiety
- Harmful behavior patterns, such as overeating or substance abuse
- Challenges in relationships, such as feeling powerless and having a lower tolerance for irritation
- Weakened ability to manage everyday life, both at home and at work, for example
- Overall deterioration in perceived quality of life
Remember that if you are experiencing stressful situations, it is a good idea to seek help from your supervisor or healthcare provider. Short-term therapy can also provide you with the support you need in stressful life situations.
Feeling down and uncertain can lead to rash decisions that don’t usually help us in the long run. Together with a short-term therapist, for example, you can calmly assess the overall situation, identify effective and ineffective coping mechanisms, and find long-term solutions to your situation.
Meet the author of this article
I am Katri Kanninen, PhD in psychology, experienced psychotherapist, trainer psychotherapist (KAT) and non-fiction writer.