Stress is always broken down into two categories: acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is short-term stress. Chronic stress is long-term stress. So examples of acute stress would be any stress you suffer from for a short period of time like a traffic jam, an argument with your spouse, an unkind criticism from your boss or someone breaking into your house when you aren’t there.
However if you are a bus driver or a cop and you get stuck in numerous traffic jams every day, or if you are in a bad relationship and you argue with your spouse constantly, or you work for a toxic boss, or you live in a high crime neighborhood and break-ins are relatively common, all the examples of acute stress I cited above can potentially transform into examples of chronic stress.
The body is good at handling acute episodes of stress. We are designed to recover quickly from short-term stress. That’s actually how experts define resilience: How quickly you recover from an acute episode of stress. Your blood pressure, heart rate , breathing rate and levels of muscle tension may skyrocket for a short while, but - for most people, these markers of stress quickly revert back to their normal (pre-stressful event) levels.
The body ISN’T so good at handling chronic stress. Over time, chronic stress gradually increases our resting heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and levels of muscle tension so the body has to work even harder when it’s at rest to keep you functioning normally. In other words, chronic stress creates a new normal inside your body. And this new normal can eventually lead to a host of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, high blood pressure and depression.
If you believe your stress is chronic, take steps to either eliminate unnecessary stress with problem solving, delegating, planning, and learning how to manage time better or focus on increasing your coping skills. Yoga, exercise, meditation and even doing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation can help you cope better with higher than normal levels of stress.
Another thing that can help you manage chronic stress is simply listening to a Relaxation CD like this one: A DAY AWAY FROM STRESS. People who have a difficult time meditating because their mind wanders, will usually get the same benefit from listening to a guided relaxation CD like this one you can download directly from the link above.
I write a blog about stress at my website www.StressStop.com. I’ve also written a book entitled STOP STRESS THIS MINUTE.
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The Stress Management Society & Team RESCUE®
Stress is a daily reality for many people. It is a natural reaction to high pressure situations and in small doses can even be beneficial. However, constant stress can lead to both physical and emotional health problems over time. Therefore, it’s important to manage your stress levels (The Stress Management Society website) and stay relaxed.
There are two main types of stress; acute stress and chronic stress. These describe the difference between the little stresses that we experience on a daily basis, and the more severe stress that can build up when you are exposed to a stressful situation over a longer period.
Acute Stress
Acute stress is something which affects almost everyone from time to time. It relates to events and pressures of the present and the near future — running late for work or forgetting an important appointment. A little of this type of stress can be helpful, motivating you to keep going and get things done. Over time, these little stresses can all add up, but it is possible to become more resilient to acute stress by managing your time better, taking care of your health and practicing relaxation techniques.
Different people experience acute stress in different ways. If you find that you are getting stressed more often, there are plenty of things you can do to help. Here are some of our best tips to keep relaxed during the day.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is stress that builds up when you are exposed to a high-pressure situation over a longer period of time. Once you get into this chronic stress mindset, it can result in constant feelings of anxiety, depression, or other symptoms of stress.
If you think that you may be suffering from chronic stress, one of best things you can do it talk to somebody. This could be a trusted friend or relative, or a healthcare professional. This will help you to get things off your chest and get you started on the road to a stress-free lifestyle.
If you feel that you need some extra help to deal with acute or chronic stress, you can find well qualified healthcare professionals via organizations like NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, at www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-HelpLine
You can also reduce your stress levels by maintaining a good work-life balance.
See below for related articles on stress or go to our Stress topic page.
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Stress scores for depressed and nondepressed women
| Chronic stress scores (total across all domains) | 18.46 ± 2.41 | 20.46 ± 2.54 | .81 |
| Episodic stress scores (total severity of events) | 1.49 ± 1.94 | 3.27 ± 3.24 | .67 |
| Dependent event scores (total severity) | 0.64 ± 1.22 | 1.60 ± 1.99 | .58 |