Stress: Is it real or something I’ve created to justify my fears?

Stress is an ongoing topic that continuously is racing through my mind. With the new age of social media and mental health no longer being a taboo in modern society, it is hard to differentiate between genuine feelings of stress or anxiety.

So, is stress real or is it some I’ve created to justify my fears?

From the NHS website, stress is ‘the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure’. Fear is defined as ‘an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm’. Clearly, the idea of being threatened is common in the two definitions and they both identify that stress is the reaction to fear. But why is our reaction of being frightened so drastic?

Through analysing fear and our feelings, I have come to an answer. Typically our reaction to our small fears or phobias is a quick emotion. For example, if you are fearful of spiders and one happens to crawl by, there is a quick rise of temperature and sudden awareness of your surroundings. But in terms of stress, it is a prolonged fear of something, indicting that this ‘quick and sudden’ emotion we get from our everyday fears is now prolonged and seems harder to manage.

So does this mean that ‘stress’ is just me being fearful for a long time or because of a long term situation? Basically, yes. The normal emotions we have from our natural fears is just being heightened because of our lack of knowledge of what the future may hold. Does this not just illustrate that ‘stress’ is not as crazy as we make it to be? Using the example of the spider phobia, usually you can acknowledge that it is just a silly fear, regardless of how it makes you feel. Though you feel frightened in the moment, there is a small element inside you that knows all is well, the spider will leave and everything will be fine.

So why can’t we do the same with ‘stress’? Why can’t we acknowledge that everything will be alright after the season passes? This is where the element of ‘what the future may hold’ needs to be analysed. We experience stressful situations because the future is unknown and that is the thing we fear; not having control. This is clearly where the argument ends because the future is out of our hands.

So finally to answer the question; is stress real or is it something I have created to justify my fears. The answer is yes to both elements of the question. Stress is real based on the definition that it is caused by fear, specifically fear of the future or a prolonged situation. But stress is something HUMANS have naturally created to justify this specific fear. Stress is the reaction, fear is the emotion. Because we feel ‘fear’, we react in a certain manner, meaning the reaction we are feeling is real but is mainly used to cover up the fact we do not have as much control as we believe we do.

Isaiah 40:31 NLT But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.