Finding
stress
stress [ stres ]
Also called:
Psychological stress
Definitions related to stress:
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An innate survival response in which certain hormones are released, increasing blood flow to the brain or heart. The stress response leads to an energy surge, enabling a person to flee dangerous situations. Ongoing stress, however, can sap energy and damage health.Harvard Dictionary of Health TermsHarvard Medical Publishing, 2011
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Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Not all stress is bad. All animals have a stress response, and it can be life-saving. But chronic stress can cause both physical and mental harm. There are at least three different types of stress: Routine stress related to the pressures of work, family, and other daily responsibilities; Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness; Traumatic stress, which happens when you are in danger of being seriously hurt or killed. Examples include a major accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster. This type of stress can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Different people may feel stress in different ways. Some people experience digestive symptoms. Others may have headaches, sleeplessness, depressed mood, anger, and irritability. People under chronic stress get more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu or common cold. Vaccines, such as the flu shot, are less effective for them. Some people cope with stress more effectively than others. It's important to know your limits when it comes to stress, so you can avoid more serious health effects. NIH: National Institute of Mental HealthMedlinePlusU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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The biological response to noxious, demanding, or unpleasant stimuli or conditions; do not confuse stress with STRESSOR, which is the stimulus.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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The negative mental, emotional, and physical reactions that occur when environmental stressors are perceived as exceeding the individual's adaptive capacities.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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The response of the body to physical, mental, or emotional pressure. This may make a person feel frustrated, angry, or anxious, and may cause unhealthy chemical changes in the body. Untreated, long-term stress may lead to many types of mental and physical health problems.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Stress, in psychology and biology, any environmental or physical pressure that elicits a response from an organism. In most cases, stress promotes survival because it forces organisms to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions. For example, in response to unusually hot or dry weather...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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