Self-help guru Tony Robbins says that stress is what happens when you experience a fight or flight reaction when you're not able to fight or flee. Anger and anxiety are closely related mental states, also related to our body's original survival mechanisms. Uncontrolled, all three can hurt quality of life, cause mental and emotional problems and even affect our physical health.
Fight or Flight
According to an article at the Olin Health Center of Michigan State University website, fight or flight is a primitive response of our body to perceived danger. Heart rate, blood sugar and respiration all increase to flood our body with oxygen. Peripheral arteries constrict to reduce blood loss due to injury. Our gastrointestinal system stops working so the body can route all available energy to vital systems. Our endocrine system floods the body with hormones such as testosterone and adrenalin to help fuel the body for physical effort.
Stress, Depression and Anxiety
Our fight or flight response is excellent for responding to a physical threat. Unfortunately, although most modern threats are emotional or social, the body doesn't acknowledge a difference between an irate customer and a hungry tiger. Our fight or flight system responds the same way in both cases. Stress happens when our body is flooded with hormones and prepped for effort, but we have to remain still. Anxiety, according to the Stress, Anxiety and Depression Resource Center, is a subspecies of stress where we focus on the perceived threats rather than our response to those threats. Depression is a complex set of disorders associated with low energy, black moods and even suicide. According to the Mayo Clinic, stress and anxiety can each contribute to depression but are not the only identified causes.
Consequences of Stress and Anxiety
Out of control stress and anxiety can have serious consequences for your well-being, according to the Mayo Clinic. Stress and anxiety can lead to eating disorders, substance abuse, mood swings, forgetfulness, decreased immunity, sleep problems, high blood pressure, heart problems and social issues such as withdrawal and conflict with loved ones. Stress and anxiety have been linked with generalized anxiety disorders and depression.
Countermeasures
Stress is an unavoidable part of modern life, which means it's vital to develop techniques to reduce your stress. The Mayo Clinic recommends exercise, meditation, yoga, tai chi and relaxation techniques such as breathing or bio-feedback. Effectiveness guru David Allen, author of "Getting Things Done," notes that good time management and project management skills can reduce daily stress and anxiety.
Clinical Cases
Clinical anxiety and depression are mental diseases that won't be cured by simple stress management techniques, according to the Stress, Anxiety and Depression Resource Center. If you or somebody you love experiences chronic anxiety with no evident cause, or depression that lasts for weeks or is accompanied by thoughts of suicide, get them to a medical resource. These diseases can be managed through therapy, medication or a combination thereof.
Laughter: The Best Medicine
Recent research by the Mayo Clinic indicates that stress, anxiety and depression can be mitigated by laughing. Laughing pushes your body into a different physiological state, much like the fight or flight response does. In fact, it pushes your body toward the opposite physiological state--producing hormones that promote relaxation, calmness and a sense of well-being. Although laughter is not, by itself, a cure for clinical anxiety and depression, it can relieve minor cases and contribute to managing serious symptoms.
References
- Olin Health Center: Fight or Flight
- Stress, Anxiety and Depression Resource Center
- Mayo Clinic: Stress
- "Getting Things Done"; David Allen; 2006
- "The Way We Work"; David Macaulay et al.; 2008
