Stress occurs when the situation to be dealt with seems to be insuperable. If allowed to develop or left untreated stress can become depression with fatal consequences. Stress may be a long or short term phenomenon but both are equally dangerous.
There is an upside also in stressful situations. Necessity is said to be the “mother of invention” (The Phrase Finder-1). Perhaps the other proverb “Needs must when the Devil drives” is a better pointer to the answer to stress (The Phrase Finder-2). A new course of action or the employment of things in previously unheard of ways can solve problems which release tensions and therefore alleviate stress.
Short term stress may be caused by, for example, rush hour driving. Vehicles moving slowly in far from optimal conditions driven by those who do not want to be there can cause some to take actions which are dangerous and which cause accidents. This can result in inappropriate reactions from others. Poor judgment and slow responses can result in “road rage” incidents which further inflame tensions. The driving situation is an example of short term stress but if it has to be endured every day for the foreseeable future it can become long term stress.
There are solutions to this problem. Take a different route, use public transport, move house or change employer, all would cure this stress. Each answer introduces a different stressful position which, although initially may appear to be short term, can easily become further long term stress.
Long term stress is usually caused by something outside of the individual’s influence or control. The failure to get promotion will give rise to self doubt. The inability to secure a deal or recruit a customer can diminish the respect of colleagues and seniors. These events may well be cumulative in effect over a number of years but each failure increases the stress felt.
Deteriorating relationships at home with a spouse or the children cause stress. Often there is no obvious reason for the difficulties and this makes a solution almost impossible. Tensions can build and the stress becomes long term and out of control.
Stress at home and at work frequently leads to depression. This is how stress is dangerous. Self doubt leads to increasingly worse performance on the job and among the family. From here depression can lead to unemployment and divorce. Although it may have occurred over a number of years it seems that the loss of the job and the family is almost sudden. There is usually no possibility of a cure arising from within at this stage yet seeking help also seems impossible. Suicide is often contemplated and unfortunately sometimes carried out.
The depressed rarely seek treatment voluntarily and the few friends and relatives who may still be in touch find it difficult to refer suffers to the right places. There are organizations that can help with depression. It is recognized in many countries as a mental illness but treatment for such problems is often sadly lacking compared with facilities available for physical problems, accidents, trauma and disease. In Australia help is available (Beyond Blue) as it is in the U.S.A. (Sierra Tucson), Canada (The Sanctuary Byron Bay) and Britain (Patient UK) for examples. Government health services are usually poor in this area of service.
Stress is dangerous. It is best dealt with while at the level of being “just” stress. If it progresses to depression accessible help can be too late.
References:
The Phrase Finder-1 : http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention.html
The Phrase Finder-2 : http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/13/messages/462.html
Beyond Blue : http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?
Sierra Tucson : http://www.sierratucson.com/program_details_mood.php?id=45
The Sanctuary Byron Bay : http://www.sanctuarybb.com/addictions-mental-health/depression/p/110
Patient UK : http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Depression.htm