Beware of Constant Psychological Stress

Understanding the Impact of Chronic Stress

Do you suffer from constant tension and anxiety?

Do you experience bouts of frustration and depression?

If you agree with this and know you experience it occasionally, do you realize the danger of repeated stress or ongoing problems to a person's life and health, and the extent to which it disrupts their harmony with themselves and with society?

Do you see the society around you dominated by selfishness, aggression, conflicts, and a desire to break the law? Do you see traffic chaos, declining work performance, and other issues?

Would you believe us if we told you that psychological stress is one of the most important and dangerous causes of this destructive chaos? The demands of life are increasing, and many are forced to perform more than one exhausting job for long hours each day to earn the money needed for life's necessities.

When the demands of life rise, forcing individuals to abandon many of their habits, behaviors, desires, and hobbies, or when an individual's ability to adapt to the rapid changes of modern life and its consequences diminishes, a kind of mental confusion arises, leading to an inability to solve daily problems, contradictions, and a sense of helplessness. And more stress leads to feelings of sadness and frustration, potentially culminating in depression or even violence, especially when it threatens basic human needs.

A research team at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the United States has revealed the impact of everyday problems and worries on a group of ordinary people.

The researchers subjected these individuals to deep thought about certain worries and thoughts, tasking them with solving problems that most people experience daily. Simultaneously, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the upper and frontal lobes of the brain (the area identified as the center of anxiety and depression), the researchers monitored brain activity and measured the emotions associated with thinking about these everyday problems and worries.

The study confirmed that preoccupation with problems and worries leads to increased emotions such as tension, anxiety, and helplessness. This is accompanied by increased blood flow in the aforementioned brain regions, and changes in heart rate and stress hormone levels were also recorded. These symptoms persisted—for varying periods—even after the experiment.

There are several misguided ways to avoid confronting pressures and problems, the most common of which are what are known as "psychological defense mechanisms" or "knee-jerk reactions" used to avoid these pressures and escape the responsibilities and burdens of facing them. Excessive use of these unconscious defense mechanisms—which have many harmful effects—differs from conscious and temporary avoidance or the phased postponement of some problems and pressures. An individual might resort to the defense mechanism of "projection," which in psychology means denying one's own flaws and blaming others for them. Other examples include "aggression," which we see around us in the many daily fights and arguments that erupt over trivial matters; "negativity," which involves shirking responsibility, or remaining silent and apathetic, or doing the opposite of what is required; and "regression," which is a return to immature, childish behavior, such as a young man or man crying when faced with a problem, or attempting to solve problems through magic and superstitious ideas.

It's also possible for a person to resort to "justification," explaining a wrong action with seemingly reasonable but untrue excuses. Or "generalization," where an individual applies an experience from a specific situation to other situations that may be similar or different. As the Egyptian proverb says, "Once bitten, twice shy!" Similarly, some individuals develop a "reactionary reaction," meaning they might excessively show affection for a tyrannical or abusive person as a reaction to intense hatred. Or they might laugh hysterically as a reaction to painful pressures and conflicts. There's also "dissociation or isolation," where we find someone who steals and gives to charity, prays and commits adultery, or takes bribes and performs the Hajj pilgrimage—based on the principle of "this is one thing, and that's another."

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency concerned with labor and workers' affairs, has conducted a series of statistical and empirical studies confirming that approximately 10% of adults experience various forms of frustration leading to depression due to stressful working conditions and a lack of technological adaptation.

If this is a global phenomenon, it is no wonder that numerous other studies indicate that the lack of basic necessities and high unemployment rates have exacerbated the problem of psychological stress and depression in our developing and impoverished societies.