The Different Kinds of Stress
Stress does not affect everyone in the same way. While some people are able to cope with large amounts of stress, others cannot cope at all. Similarly, the causes vary according to the individual. What can give one person an adrenaline rush of excitement can give another what they think is a heart attack.
Because of these differences, there are three different types of stress – acute, episodic acute and chronic. Psychological stress can also be considered a fourth type. Each type of stress requires a different treatment.
Acute Stress
Acute stress is the most common type and is the result of the daily challenges each of us must face. There are situations where this kind of stress is good for us as in an athlete about to compete in a race. Without the adrenaline rush that feeling acute stress brings about, they would not have the energy they need to perform at their optimum level.
Everyone has felt this kind of stress which is usually only present in short bursts. A rapid heartbeat, cold sweats, muscular tension and a headache are some of the most common symptoms.
Episodic Acute Stress
As the term implies, this kind of stress is felt by those people who experience acute stress more often than usual. These people are intent on being high achievers but somehow, when push comes to shove, they are unable to perform. As a result, they become irritable with themselves as well as with those colleagues or family members close to them. These kinds of people find their workplace a very stressful place to be in.
Likewise, episodic acute stress can be experienced by the worriers in life. Pessimistic individuals who always fear the worst and find little to look forward to feel anxiety for no good reason
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is the most harmful of the different types. It more often than not builds up slowly and insidiously until it affects the person emotionally or physically. It is the kind of stress felt by people who live in poverty, war torn countries, unhappy relationships and dysfunctional families. In most cases, chronic stress is a response to some kind of trauma which has not been dealt with adequately.
Chronic stress builds up so gradually that the person affected is often unaware that it is even present. They come to feel that their condition is just their personality and so innate in them; if they recognise it at all that is. It is more often than not completely ignored. The problem here is that it then affects that person’s quality of life.
