Acute Stress

Stress can be classified into two broad categories: acute and chronic stress. Acute stress is good because it serves as a natural self-protective mechanism. The so-called “fight or flight” response is classified as acute stress. This type of stress includes your body’s sudden reaction to an emergency, a new challenge, demand or event, such as being pursued by a barking aggressive dog, a near-miss vehicle accident, a costly mistake at home, school, or work, or a heated argument with your boss, spouse, family members, your teenage son or daughter, or a close friend, as well as firefights in warfare. An offer of a new appointment, a positive pregnancy test, success in an examination, winning a huge amount of money in the lottery or casino, can cause acute stress as well. As the name implies, an acute stress does not last very long before it goes away. Severe acute stress resulting from personally experiences traumas and life-threatening events, such as serious accidents, natural disasters, witnessing a tragic or violent event, captivity, stress suffered by rape victims or soldiers in the heat of battle, may lead to severe mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of excessive emotions, including intense fear, feelings of horror and helplessness, intrusive recollections of the stressful event, nightmares, about the stressful event, hallucinations, flashbacks, and the fear that the stressful event may happen again. Moderate acute stress is good and wonderful; it enhances your willpower, gives you motivation and provides the energy to meet deadlines. For example, acute stress gets you ready on time if you are interviewing for a new job, or working longer hours to meet a deadline without getting very tired. In moderate doses, acute stress revitalizes your body, prevents boredom, makes your life a bit more exciting, strengthens your immune system, and improves the ability of your body to wade off infection. An acute stress episode gives you an emotional boost, stimulates you into action, helps you perform a task better, and provides you with a sense of accomplishment. Good stress provides you with pleasant feelings, like the joy and excitement you feel when your favorite soccer or hockey team scores a goal, or when you get an unexpected call from a childhood friend. Moreover, the excitement for good stress stimulates your brain to release lovely chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that makes you feel really good.