5 myths about stress

Experts debunk myths about the nature of stress and how to deal with it. Experts - scientists debunk myths and explains common misconceptions. We asked our experts to comment on popular myths about the factors of stress and counteract it.

A person's reaction to stress is determined by the genes

This is partly true.

Genetic features contribute to how people react to stress, but do not completely define the reaction. Stress response also depends on what exactly caused this stress (response to terrorist attacks more than occurred without malice disaster comparable in scale) on the duration of exposure (acute or chronic stress), from the acquired skills to cope with stress. The genetic component can be divided into two parts. One actually genetic, determined by the characteristics obtained from the parents of genes that control the function of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Carriers of certain gene variants are more responsive to stress or slower to return to normal after the reaction, and consequently are more likely to get stress-related disorders. For some of these genes shows the effect of education conditions. In people who have had a happy childhood, and those who grew up in unfavorable conditions, the same gene variants can manifest in different ways.

The second component is determined by the life story, especially experienced in childhood stress. In mammals, there is a special system that adjusts the intensity of the genes under specific environmental conditions. As a result of these systems in the areas of DNA regulating switching on and off the genes appear special chemical tags (methyl groups) that affect how active a gene is. Experiments on mice and rats have shown that experienced in childhood stress alters stress response genes work life. Similar data were obtained for a person, but not as a result of experiments, and in the study of the DNA of children who grew up in favorable and unfavorable conditions. Interestingly, if the mother-rat is a well cared for of stressed pups (carefully combed out and licked them), the number of methyl tags on their DNA returned to normal, and when they grew up, their stress response was not different from the reaction of rats raised in " affluent "families.

Changes in genes work by intravital chemical modification of individual sections of DNA or other impacts studies branch of science called epigenetics. Epigenetic processes - this is what connects the reaction the genetic apparatus in the impact of the environment, including genes and response to maternal love, neglect and other conditions of education. And these conditions are, in turn, although not fully determined but contribute significantly to how a person will react to stress. Therefore, even when we talk about the culture and education of, the phenomena that are far from the genetics, just shrug off the genes can not. It allows you to record the work of genes in the form of nerve connections that which lives and parents teach children.

To cope with stress you can with the help of Afobazol and Phenibut.

Stress is caused only by negative emotions

It is not true.

Stress - a reaction of the body, which says that the body comes from the state of homeostasis, ie the balance.

But out of balance is necessary for life, for a person to develop. Therefore, stress can be a state of love, and a performance in front of a large audience, then there are some things that are quite comparable to the good life. Thus, the stress necessary for life, and it is basically linked to any situation in which we are anxious.

As for the negative emotions, then this case is the concept of "distress", the so-called bad stress when experienced negative emotional states are either very intense or chronic. It differs from the usual stress that a person falls into the external situation, which constantly leads him off balance, and constantly experiencing negative emotions, not from time to time. For example, subjected to harassment at work, or his constant conflicts in the family with his wife, or he does not like his job and every day for a long time have to push yourself in the morning to get out of the house. Also high intensity distress may be due to stress, that is, when negative emotions are too strong. For example, the loss of a loved one, or when there is something very frightening, or when man stands in front of a serious threat. Distress can be really bad influence on mental and physical health, and such stress necessarily requires some intervention, the request for help and so on.

To overcome stress, you need to buy Phenibut and Afobazol.

Food helps to relieve stress

It's true.

We must start with the fact that the stress - this is not always negative emotions, and it may be caused by positive emotions. From the viewpoint of the body and of the internal organs euphoria - is also stress. Therefore, we can, unfortunately, die and joy. This myth concerns the stress that appears on the background of negative emotions. If a person had such stress, it can help all that evokes positive emotions. And the food - the most reliable source of positive. A piece of meat or chocolate you never disappoint. You may not like the concert, you can quarrel with her best friend, but a piece of good food at the right moment ensures positive emotions.

In nerve cells the level of food promotes the release of mediators of positive emotions. Once in the mouth area appear pleasant taste sensation, stomach and starts to fall something in the brain and begin to secrete endorphins dopamine. The result is a positive emotional state that blocks the negative experiences. This mechanism works on the innately specified principles as food - a source of energy and building materials, without which we can not exist. Therefore, evolutionary processes have formed a brain configuration, which provides the power process through hunger forcing us to eat every day. And eating a newborn due to innate reflexes, but later learns very quickly to find food, and training is on the background of positive emotions caused by the absorption of food.

There are people who really overeat from stress. But as a rule, if a person controls his behavior, he is looking for other sources of positive emotions, to relieve stress, which is caused by negative experiences. He can go to the exhibition, to do sports or play a computer game. Eating relieves stress, but it is often used this way should not be, otherwise the consumption of excess calories you face stress already about obesity.

For residents of the metropolis daily stress is inevitable

This is partly true.

This statement is only partially true. Stress - a condition that occurs when the human body exposed to stimuli that are difficult to adapt to it. These incentives can be very different - from loud noises to conflicts with others. we encounter quite often in a big city with such incentives. This is the environmental conditions in which we live (eg, air pollution and loud machinery noise), a large number of people with whom we meet (for example, in a crowded public transport or in a traffic jam), the time limit and the big physical activities, problems in the family and at work. All this can cause stress.

However, there are three limitations to this case. Firstly, there are many stressors people living not only large, but also in small communities. These include, for example, are working conditions that cause a person severe physical fatigue or a feeling of injustice. Secondly, even in large cities, different people are in different conditions: someone sits down in the morning to the old crowded train, and someone in a comfortable express; someone standing in traffic jams, and someone traveling on the open road; someone comes to work as a holiday, and someone wants to leave her forever, and so on. This means that by choosing the way of movement, life partner or a job, we can influence the level of stress.

Finally, thirdly, the impact of many stressors depends on our interpretation of what is happening, our relationship to it. Imagine that two people have to meet the challenge. One person thinks: "Here we go again! I do not know what to do. I can not solve this problem, and I was expelled from work. " In other words, he sees it as a heavy burden, which is able to cause serious trouble. Another person thinks differently: "How interesting! I do not know what to do, but be sure to come up, and I succeed. " He sees this as a challenge that will be able to answer. As a result, stress occurs first user rather than the second. It follows a simple conclusion: yes, the big city throws us constantly stimuli that can cause stress, but we are able to increase or reduce their impact.

Stress can cause real harm to health

Stress can really mobilize the forces of the body, enhance human activity. However, certain kinds of stress, especially due to the influence of intense stressors can adversely affect human health. For example, there are traumatic stress, which has a variety of adverse psychological effects. It is believed that traumatic stress caused by the influence of the stressors of high intensity, which are associated with a risk of human life, and his loved ones. Traumatic stress leads to disruption of the usual functioning of a person. Such stress is dangerous not only to actual manifestations, but also delayed. For example, in post-traumatic stress in a certain part of people who are more vulnerable to stress, there may be consequences in the form of direct experience of this situation, as the six months after the traumatic event, and in a few years or even decades.

If we talk about the impact of the stress on physical health, the effects of stress can be expressed in different ways: violated the normal level of wakefulness, sleep problems, there are somatic reactions such as increased heart rate, breathing and so on. With this stress can also have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, skin diseases, and various other effects.

Of course, wrong to separate the psychological effects of stress and consequences associated with the state of physical health. It has long been established system of human response to the fact of the situation. For example, difficulties with emotion regulation may lead to an increase in waking time, difficulty falling asleep, intermittent sleep, early awakening to chronic. If a person is not getting enough sleep if he is constantly in a state of hypervigilance that is constantly expect some trouble, it can not recover, relax. And here and there are a variety of diseases, especially those in relation to which the person is most sensitive.

But wrong to think that there is only harmful stress, distress. There is another level of stress - eustress. Such manifestations of stress wrote Hans Selye. This favorable stress, in which the mobilized forces of the body and a person comes to tone. And the tone including performs a protective function. For example, when a person needs in some circumstances to avoid undesirable factors or when he really need a certain tone of the state, in order to solve the real problem.

That is, the stress can affect both positively on the human condition, as well as detrimental. It is important to note that this is also connected with the human condition. The fact is that usually a person experiences a variety of stresses and do not always recover quickly after them. Accumulated, the cumulative stress - the result of the experience many negative events in connection with what one person a specific stressful event will have obvious negative consequences, and for the other would be the last straw.

In general, the myth that stress is not harmful to human health, has the right to exist, because by creating a myth, people thus try to convince themselves that there are no problems, to protect against anxiety that arises at the thought of the negative effects of stress man is inclined to deny the problem and how to escape from their fears. In fact, it is illusory salvation. The lack of knowledge about what the effects of stress can be negative, not to protect people from these effects, but on the contrary, disarms him in coping with them. As is known, the denial of the problem does not eliminate it, but, paradoxically, makes it even more difficult to be solved. Courage to admit to himself that after the events of a difficult life and health have changed for the worse, it opens the way for treatment to their own resources or social support, to help other people.