Whenever we face something that challenges or makes us uncomfortable, we experience stress. Stress is an important part of life and it helps us focus on and resolve any problems we are facing. For example, if you have an upcoming exam or job interview coming up then a healthy amount of stress will make you work harder for it. If you don’t feel any stress, then you wouldn’t have the motivation to work hard and may not do so well. That is why, it is perfectly normal and important to experience stress.
However, if stress becomes overwhelming then it can turn into distress. This can happen if we experience adverse life experiences that are too severe or difficult to deal with. Distress influences, and is influenced by all aspects of our health. For example, if Shazia is abused by her parents, then she may develop overwhelming anger and fear (unhealthy emotions). As a result of this, she may find it difficult to concentrate on her work (unhealthy mind), have difficulty sleeping (unhealthy body) or feel like avoiding all her friends (unhealthy relationships). Shazia is in a state of distress that has physical, mental, emotional and social effects.
Different people experience distress in different ways. Some people may start experiencing weakness and body pains while some may feel unable to focus on their work. Others may feel their emotions overwhelming them (like feeling angry or worried regularly) and some may experience their relationships being adversely affected.
Since life is full of challenges, all of us experience distress at some point in our lives. Usually we are able to manage distress, without it having a long term negative effect on us. However, if we aren’t able to deal with the distress we experience then it can lead to mental illness. To learn more about different experiences that can make us feel distress, select an option below: