General Adaptation Syndrome: Responding To Stress

The general adaptation syndrome is an explanation of how our body reacts to stressful situations.

This theory, outlined by psychologist Hans Selye in 1936, shows these physiological processes that we feel when there is something in our world that metaphorically weighs on us, overwhelms us, or is beyond our ability to control.

Consider the following sensations:

• nerves
• stomach ache
• to care
• a rushed feeling
• headache

Most of us have experienced these stress-induced symptoms. However, while we know its consequences, we elude the triggers and, more importantly, understand why we experience these phenomena.

Although stress may be a normal physiological response, we experience this reality with great distress. Why don’t we admit that?

We live in a society where we not only normalize stress and anxiety disorders, but also believe that people who don’t reach this level simply don’t work hard enough in their jobs or in their daily lives.

Integrating this belief into our lives has serious implications for our health. Let’s see how the body copes with the process of adapting to stressful situations.

General Adjustment Syndrome: Definition and Stages

Let’s imagine that we have started a new job. After a few weeks, we begin to notice that the workload is too high and that the work environment is not only cramped, but also affects our spirit and enthusiasm. Psychological wear and tear is obvious.

What we experience in this period reflects the essence of Hans Selye’s theory. The general adaptation syndrome describes the process of a person’s natural response to situations of stress.

This experience can be adaptive and normal when we finally manage to adapt to these demanding stimuli present in our world. However, when these conditions are beyond our control and we are exposed to them for an excessive amount of time, negative symptoms appear.

It is also important to mention that these reactions are universal. Dr. Selye conducted a series of experiments on mice at McGill University in Montreal, immersing them in stressful situations to test their behavior.

The effects were always the same. He later moved from animal models to humans to test that the generalized adaptation syndrome actually develops in three stages.

1. The alarmed or shocked phase

Selye’s model is still valid by today’s standards. According to studies such as the one from West Virginia University in the United States, attempts have been made to find cracks and weaknesses in this approach, but its fundamental aspects remain valid.

Often, and to test its effectiveness, specialists apply it in the athletic world, an area that allows us to clearly illustrate these phases. The first of these is when we first find ourselves in a very stressful situation.

For example, we face an opponent at a game of tennis, football or karate. We can also take an example at the start of a new position at work.

Our body reacts in the following way:

• We experience tachycardia (an accelerated heart rate) and feel alarmed.
• The most common characteristic is that we feel paralyzed at first, and don’t know how to react.
• In response to a threatening stimulus, our suprarenal system begins to release cortisol, the stress hormone.

If the person manages to transcend this initial reaction and take control, the generalized adjustment syndrome stops here. If not, then take a look at the next stage.

2. Resistance Phase

When the stressor remains in your environment and you still have not adapted to it, you enter the resistance phase. At this stage, the activation level is no longer so high, but the physiological annoyances are still there somehow, in whatever form.

Let’s take a closer look at this:

• We define resistance as a persistent inability to cope with, accept, or respond to something that overwhelms, worries, or alarms us.

• The fear continues. It is clear that our heart rate is no longer higher than normal and that we are not constantly trapped in that state of high alertness and hypersensitivity, but the uncertainty and discomfort remain because we have not adapted.
• Cortisol continues to be released in our body and this can cause the following problems:
  • fatigue
  • mood swings
  • irritability
  • concentration problems

If we do not adapt to the concrete situation and the stress factors at this stage, we will enter a more problematic phase.

3. The General Adaptation Syndrome and the Exhaustion Phase

As Dr. M. Carmen Ocaña Méndez explains in her work (Spanish link) on the general adaptation syndrome, a large part of the population living today is plunged into the exhaustion phase.

By this they mean that many of us live in a persistent state of stress because we fail to acclimate to it and fail to face the stressors that are weighing on us.

• When we are immersed in a sustained state of stress for months, we consume our physical and physiological resources.
• The risk of developing certain diseases increases. The most common feature of this phase is that we begin to see signs of:
  • high bloodpressure
  • changes in digestion
  • insomnia
  • musculoskeletal pain
  • headache
  • dizziness
• On the other hand, we should not lose sight of the fact that chronic stress can develop into anxiety disorders.

The importance of stress management

The general adaptation syndrome shows how important it is to get stress under control sooner rather than later, in order to avoid reaching the exhaustion stage. Stress that we do not control becomes chronic and that leads to discomfort and possible diseases.

We must keep this in mind: controlling these states is not only possible, but necessary. We all have the ability to do that (Lazarus, 1980).

Here are some strategies:

• Clarify the cause of the stress.
• Come up with solutions to the problem or problems. Prevent the challenge(s) from getting bigger and more uncontrollable from day to day.

• Act on your emotions. We must be able to control them and not allow them to control us.
• Prepare new measures every day that will help to resolve the situation(s) and promote your well-being.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle, practice relaxation and deep breathing.

And last but not least, we must remember to ask for help when we need it. Support from relatives and specialized professional help can prevent us from reaching such exhausting limits.