What is Extreme Stress and How Do You Manage It?

Many individuals experience what can be termed as, "extreme stress". Situations that can create extreme stress include family responsibilities (single parent, caring for a disabled family member etc.,), work obligations, responsibilities to spouse, significant other, children as well as health concerns, financial concerns, local and global crime, and the loss through death, or moving of a family member or close friend.

There are also certain categories of individuals more prone to extreme stress such as health care workers, firemen, police officers, those living on the east or west coasts, low-income individuals, those of middle age, those who remain single throughout their life, and women and others who are considered of a minority in most populations.

Extreme stress is when a situation or event personally effects someone we care deeply about or when these things happen to us. The stress can be crushing, crippling and difficult to live with.

Examples of situations where extreme stress exists would be catastrophic crises such as those from weather or war in which large populations are wiped out. Extreme stress affects the individual's ability to survive or the ability of a loved one to survive.

The symptoms of extreme stress varies from those of normal stress in that when a person experiences normal stress they may encounter the typical stress responses such as the increase in adrenaline that spur our heart to beat faster to rush blood from our skin to vital organs and to our legs if flight is required. The individual may notice tensed muscles, rapid breathing, and a feeling of being anxious.

An individual experiencing extreme stress feels like his/her heart will burst through the chest, they may gasp for air as if there is no oxygen in the room and either overreact to the situation or event or they may become frozen and unable to react, or move.

There is also an emotional response when an individual is experiencing extreme stress such as being totally terrified, and feeling very panicky about the event or situation. They may say or think that they are doomed to die or that they feel that the situation is hopeless.

Cognitively the individual experiencing extreme stress will be in a confused state, and could even totally mentally shut down. They will have difficulty recalling events, or details. They may react as if they are on autopilot or totally freeze up and not be able to function at all.

While experiencing extreme stress the individual may take risks that may be dangerous or seem foolish to others. They will experience a never-ending survival existence in which they feel they have no hope of escaping from.

Individuals who have experienced extreme stress must learn to manage stress first in the immediate time period and then over-time as they heal. A good example of this is the victims and the families of those who were attacked on September 11th.

There were immediate needs that had to be addressed for those injured and those learning of those who had perished and then as time passed stress management took on other means of coping such as erecting memorials, holding remembrance ceremonies treating physical, mental and emotional wounds. Support groups are often very helpful tools for anyone suffering from extreme stress.