What is stress?

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We often say things like, “I’m stressed out right now” without really thinking about it - what we usually mean is that we’re busy and don’t have any time. But in fact, stress is something completely different. In general, stress is defined as all the burdens and challenges that can cause a stress response in people.

Stress can occur in every part of life, whether at work or in your free time. It is not limited to specific age groups, either. Even children suffer from stress. Stress is not harmful to your health - as long as it is limited to short periods and alternates with phases of relaxation. As a rule, we experience stress when we cannot tell whether we’re up to the challenge, and when the cause has personal significance for us. But fundamentally, challenges do not harm us - they’re part of our everyday lives, the spice of life. We grow from them, they help us learn, and we use them to develop further. Without them, our lives would be pretty boring and dull.

Stress also has an important function: it is our emergency program. This biological programming often saved our ancestors’ lives. In response to a potential threat, it prepares the body to flee or fight.

In order to respond as effectively as possible to a threatening situation, our body activates everything that could help us run quickly or fight, and helps gain an overview of the threat, for instance a hungry tiger:

  • Your body releases adrenaline,
  • your pupils dilate,
  • your heart rate increases,
  • your breathing gets faster, and
  • your muscles start to shake.

This activation of the sympathetic nervous system ensures the best possible physical performance. At the same time, anything that could be disruptive, like digestion or sexual energy, is inhibited.

Once the tiger has been vanquished, there comes a phase of relaxation and rest, when the parasympathetic nervous system - the counterpart to the sympathetic system - comes into play.

  • Less adrenaline is released,
  • your pupils contract,
  • your heart rate drops,
  • your breathing gets slower,
  • your muscles relax,
  • and now it’s time for your digestion and sex drive to start back up again.

These physical responses are normal, and they do not pose health risks in and of themselves. However, there is an important difference between us and early human beings. They were able to relax after they had fought or fled, while we are often faced with the next conflict, meeting or phone call right away. Relaxation is important here. Its purpose is to restore balance to the body.
When we create a balance between the two poles of challenge and relaxation, we are in a lively state of equilibrium.

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Did you know...?

…that just a few minutes of quiet can reduce your stress?
…that separating work and free time can reduce your stress level?
…that stress and language are closely connected?
…that stress can make you fat?
…that too little or no work can also be stressful?
…an easy commute can prevent stress?
…that simultaneous interpreting is considered one of the most stressful jobs in the world?
…that there was a diagnosis similar to the burnout syndrome 100 years ago?
…that several airports in the United States use dogs to reduce stress?
…that according to a survey, two-thirds of women combat stress symptoms by going shopping?
…that the term “stress” was first used to refer to people in the 1940s?
…that the term “stress” originally comes from the field of materials science?
…that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers stress to be one of the greatest health risks of this century?
…that not just yawning, but also stress can be contagious?
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