In the fast-paced and demanding world we live in, stress and tension have become all too familiar companions. We often find ourselves overwhelmed by the pressures of daily life, grappling with the weight of responsibilities, expectations, and unforeseen challenges. But have you ever wondered about the subtle nuances that set stress apart from tension?
“My job is a stressor for me. Especially when people talk about job changes and the money they are making, it stresses me out because I realise I am not making enough and have fallen way behind,” says Bagisha Mandal, a senior copywriter in Bengaluru. According to Mandal, this comparison triggers feelings of inadequacy. Additionally, she mentions encountering smaller stressors in her daily routine.
While many of us use the words tension and stress synonymously, there is an actual difference between the two. Stress is used in psychological literature to describe the feeling of knowing that you are not where you are supposed to be yet not knowing what to do about it. Whereas experts describe tension as the understanding of how you are feeling with a clear view of the current reality. It happens when you know the ideal state and have an action plan to close the gap between the current and ideal state.
Clarifying the difference between the two, Shalini K Sharma, a mental health professional and trainer based in Manipal, says, “Stress can make you tense, but tension can’t lead to stress. A person who is generally tense and anxious always probably has a higher chance of succumbing to a stressful event.” Tension can be short-term. “For example, when we are reading or watching a suspense thriller or horror movie, the moment we are out of the screen we are okay,” Sharma adds.
Types of stress
Even though most of us understand stress as a negative feeling, there are broadly two types of stress, eustress and distress. Eustress is the stress required to enable our productivity. It is the ‘good stress’ that pushes us to perform better. Through a as distinct from other kinds of stress.
Explaining stress with the help of the bell curve Dr Naveen Jayaram, a psychiatrist based in Bengaluru, says, “In between the bell-shaped curve is the balanced perspective. If there is no stress at all then we don’t perform. If it crosses the balance curve and goes down, it means you are over-productive or over-stressed or counterproductive.” Hence, he suggests one being in an optimum or functional level of stress for proper functioning and day-to-day activities.
Describing the feeling of being stressed, Sharma says, “Stress is also getting upset with a flood of emotions flowing, which are painful and doesn’t allow you to calm down. There would be physical, emotional, behavioural, and mental changes accompanying the stress that you experience.”
There are two types of ‘bad stress’ – chronic and acute. Acute stress can come unexpectedly, for example when you hear about the demise of a loved one in an accident. Chronic stress, however, is a result of ongoing problems that do not seem to be abating. It could be an illness in the family, financial difficulties, a work environment that is unpleasant, people you have borrowed money from coming and knocking on your door, people making threats, says Sharma.
How we understand and cope with our stressors is dependent on factors such as our childhood, ability to handle situations and our conditioning. We are all programmed in a particular way which is shaped by our genetic makeup, our environment, social, economic, religious conditioning, and our belief system. “In most cases when one is not able to cope with difficult situations, it is due to the way the mind perceives it,” adds Dr Jayaram.
Effect of stress on health
The types of stressors and your ability to tackle them can largely affect your mood, sense of well-being, and overall health. Chronic stress can have long-term effects on your health. Some of them include high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, skin problems, menstrual problems among others.
“When it goes beyond control, some people even land up in emergency with breathlessness and palpitations. In case it gets chronic, it is very important to reach out to a mental health professional,” adds Dr Jayaram.
Holistic ways of tackling stress according to Dr Jayaram:
- Awareness: Recognise it is happening. Depending on our personality, some may push it aside saying, ‘I’m like this only’.
- Acknowledge: Go deeper, find the root cause, and know what situations get you stressed. Is it positive stress or is it hampering your functionality? When you get physiological sensations in the body, know that it is intense stress, and should not be sidelined.
- Simple solutions: You can try taking deep breaths, distract yourself, start looking at numbers or colours, start counting. If you practise this regularly, you can handle even acute tensions.
Dr Sharma adds to the list
- Be self-aware, practise mindfulness.
- Practise relaxing. You can focus on your breath.
- Make a note of your strengths.
- Choose to be proactive and not reactive.
- Choose to spring-clean your mind by keeping it in good condition. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, exercise on a regular basis for at least 20-30 minutes, and eat healthy. By doing these you will be allowing new brain cells to form to deal with stress.
- It is important to train school-going children with life skills, they help to make healthy thoughtful choices in the long run.
