Nur 41 stress and anxiety

• An experience a person is exposed to, through a stimulus or stressor
• difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension

Common stressors have been identified as:

• Family problems
• Mental Illness
• Elder Care Issues
• Child Care Issues
• Financial Issues
• Legal Issues
• Grief & Loss
• Communication Difficulties
• Work
• Addictions
• Health Concerns
• Balancing work & family
• Time management
• Change management
• Anger management

Let’s call the stress response that was caused by our bodies automatically sensing the stress as "physical stress response." Also, let’s call the stress response that was caused by interpretation of stressor and psychological condition as "psychological stress response."

• The sequence of physiological reactions to prolonged and intense stress. The sequence consists of the alarm reaction, the state of resistance, and the stage of exhaustion.
• the body’s reaction to stress

An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness or concern about some uncertain event; An uneasy or distressing desire (for something); A state of restlessness and agitation, often accompanied by a distressing sense of oppression or tightness in the stomach

aggression: violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked

Tension of everyday life can produce mild anxiety, though it can have positive effects. It can motivate, produce growth, enhance creativity and increase learning because at this level, you are alert and perception is increased.

At this level, you lose the broader picture and focus only on the cause of the anxiety. You may not be able to pay attention like usual, and even though your perceptual field is narrowed, you are still able to solve a problem. Mild and moderate levels of anxiety are considered normal.

If you can't stop getting a feeling that something bad is about to happen, you may be experiencing severe anxiety. At this level, it seems impossible to solve problems, and your focus is completely scattered. You may feel at a loss about what to do without outside direction because your awareness of your surroundings is significantly narrowed.

This is the highest level of anxiety and is associated with dread, terror and a sense of impending doom. You may not be able to communicate, function or concentrate because you are unable to think rationally. You may start uncontrollably pacing and become increasingly active without absolute purpose. According to Vacarolis, Carson and Shoemaker, authors of "Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Clinical Approach," the source of anxiety needs to be reduced quickly at this level because if prolonged, panic can lead to exhaustion and negatively affect your health

There is no one cause for anxiety, however there are a few factors that contribute to a person developing anxiety. Scientists have three potential causes, and have broke them down into three parts, brain chemistry, heredity, and life experiences.

change in lifestyle, financial stress, fear of not being able to live alone, nursing home, vulnerable about safety

the process of managing taxing circumstances, expending effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize, reduce or tolerate stress or conflict

• Fear of death
• Uncertainty about clinical outcome
• Changes in roles
• disruptions in family life
• Financial concerns
• physical discomfort of hospitalization

Effects of stress on the nurse (burnout)- high stress service environment, helping people cope with services life/death situation every day, state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life or relationship that failed to produce an expected reward

Stress reduction strategies- mind body therapy, meditation, biofeedback, progressive relaxation, yoga, taichi, guided imagery

Alarm is the first stage. When the threat or stressor is identified or realized, the body's stress response is a state of alarm. During this stage adrenaline will be produced in order to bring about the fight-or-flight response. There is also some activation of the HPA axis, producing cortisol

Resistance is the second stage. If the stressor persists, it becomes necessary to attempt some means of coping with the stress. Although the body begins to try to adapt to the strains or demands of the environment, the body cannot keep this up indefinitely, so its resources are gradually depleted.

Exhaustion is the third and final stage in the GAS model. At this point, all of the body's resources are eventually depleted and the body is unable to maintain normal function. The initial autonomic nervous system symptoms may reappear (sweating, raised heart rate etc.). If stage three is extended, long term damage may result as the body, and the immune system is exhausted and function is impaired resulting in decompensation.