Stress is talked about often and a lot. Stress is mentioned not only in relation to the behaviour of children, adolescents or adults, but also in relation to atypical animal behaviour. What exactly is stress? To put it simply, stress is our body's response to environmental irritation caused by a particular situation or event. This reaction can be physical or mental, emotional, and stress can also accordingly manifest itself as:

• Physiological stress - caused by physiological stressors such as high physical activity, temperature rises or falls, changes in atmospheric pressure, breathing difficulties, pain, including traumatic pain;
• Psychological stress - occurs when a person perceives the demands of the social environment as exceeding the resources at his or her disposal, and stress reactions can be triggered not only by real events but also by probable events, i.e., events that have not yet happened but which the person fears might happen. Psychological stress often develops in a situation involving choice, when a person is faced with a difficult choice to make or an intractable contradiction of inner convictions.

Psychological stress, in turn, can be divided into informational stress and emotional stress.

Informational stress arises out of the overload of perceived information, when people do not have enough time to make the right decision within the give time, when there is a high degree of responsibility for the consequences of the decision.

Emotional stress comes in the form of dangerous situations, insults and threats. Different forms of emotional stress lead to changes in mental processes, emotional shifts, movement or speech disorders.

Given the wide range of areas of life that can be affected by stressful situations, we all experience stress at some point in our lives. In Latvia, for example, more than half, or 59%, of 18-39 year olds surveyed say they experience increased tension and stress at work 1 In the study conducted by the company “Evolution Latvia” within the framework of the Youth and Labour Market Index ”Youth. Job. Environment” in cooperation with the company “Norstat” . In Europe, on average, 75% of people experience various stressful situations and this has a negative impact on their daily behaviour - 46% say they have started eating too much food or unhealthy food because of stress, 29% have started drinking or increased their alcohol intake and 16% have started smoking or increased their smoking intensity.

Eustress and distress

Although stress is mostly associated with negative emotions and negative consequences, it can also have positive aspects. I think we have also noticed ourselves that it is in stressful situations that many people find sudden and unconventional solutions to a problem; it is when we are stressed that we are able to “open up” our inner reserves and manage such volume of work that surprises us. So to say, the more work ahead, the more we can manage. Positive stress, or stress that mobilises the body, makes it able to react particularly quickly or increases the body's defences and resistance, is called eustress.

The negative effects of stress, or distress, start when we are unable to respond to the constant alarms that our body is receiving, and then stress disorganises us, causing anxiety, depression and fear. Distress affects our whole body and all its systems.

How our bodies respond to stress

1. Brain and nervous system: loss of energy, chronic exhaustion, headaches, dizziness, feeling of despair, depression, nervousness, irritability and anger, difficulty concentrating and memory problems, insomnia or sleep disturbances, etc.
2. Cardiovascular system: tachycardia, palpitations, hypertension, risk of heart attack.
3. Digestive system: abdominal distress, nausea, body weight gain, increased or decreased appetite, ulcers, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.
4. Endocrine system - fluctuating blood sugar levels, increased insulin resistance, increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
5. Reproductive system: in women - premature birth, decreased sex drive, irregular or painful menstruation; in men - impotence, decreased sperm production, decreased sex drive.
6. Skin: psoriasis, eczema, etc.
7. Musculoskeletal system: teeth grinding, jaw muscle hypertonia, muscle pain.
8. Immune system: reduced defences against viruses and bacteria, slower recovery, development of chronic diseases.

As you can see, stress can have a significant impact on your body, but it doesn't have to affect you. There are certain things that are worth considering to reduce everyday stress. Try to understand what causes stress at home or at work and find ways to avoid these situations.

Try not to take on too many responsibilities and prioritise your goals. Be tolerant of your own mistakes and failures, as being self-critical can increase stress. Remember that relaxation is very important - build a close network of friends and colleagues you can go to when stress starts to build up. A hobby and interesting leisure activities can also reduce stress.

For the normal functioning of the nervous system, especially in cases of tension and stress, we have created NERVOKLER, a 100% natural food supplement made in Latvia. The product, which contains magnesium, L-theanine, passiflora or passion flower (Passiflora incarnata L.) and vitamin B6, promotes physical and mental well-being under stressful conditions, helps prevent neurosis, neurasthenia, anxiety, chronic fatigue and nervous system disorders.

Learn more about the product here: NERVOKLER