What Is Environmental Stress?

Environmental stress is a response of anguish in the face of sources of tension  that are relatively continuously in the environment in which a person operates. Such factors range from the distribution of furniture and objects to the climate and prevailing social relationships.

The factors that generate environmental stress – potentially stressful – are called stressors. They are elements or situations that threaten existence or well-being. In this case, the perception of each individual is more important than the potential danger implicit in these factors.

The important thing about environmental stress is that it causes  sustained discomfort. This generates various physiological reactions that can cause structural changes in the brain, as science has verified. Therefore, it is a reality that should not be lost sight of.

Stress in general

There are different definitions of stress. One of the most general states that it is a bodily reaction to a challenge or demand. It causes physical and emotional tension. The person feels or knows the need to make an adjustment, adaptation or action that may be unpleasant or that compromises their resources.

Faced with stress, each individual responds with behaviors that we can understand in three phases:

• Alarm reaction. It arises when the demand or requirement is formulated. The organism is put on alert.

• State of resistance. It corresponds to the tension that is experienced between the desire to do or not do something and the demand to carry it out.
• State of exhaustion. It appears when the body is no longer able to respond to the demand that is made.

In principle, stress as such is not negative. It allows to offer a more energetic or vital response. However, when it remains for a long time it can have consequences that can be very serious at times. In environmental stress there are usually environmental factors that are maintained over time.

Models on environmental stress

There are various models for understanding and dealing with environmental stress. These are theoretical perspectives in which each one gives greater importance to one factor or another. Currently such models are basically five:

• Stimulation levels model. It suggests that environmental stress occurs when there is an excess of stimuli (overload) or a lack of them (sensory deprivation).
• Activation. To carry out a task requires a certain level of activation. This model suggests that, if the required activation is very high, stress occurs.
• Systems models. These indicate that environmental stress appears when the options offered by the environment are insufficient to satisfy the needs or goals.
• Perceived control. This perspective establishes that stress is directly proportional to the perception of control that an individual has over the environment that surrounds him.
• Adaptation and coping. These models indicate that the level of stress is related to the adaptability of each individual. The more adaptable, the less stress there will be.

Sources of environmental stress

As we already noted, the factors that generate environmental stress are called stressors. These can be individual and group, and are classified in various ways. According to the most conventional categorization, the main sources of environmental stress are the following :

• Cataclysmic phenomena. They are sudden events, with a catastrophic tinge, that affect many people at the same time. They can be brief, like getting stuck somewhere; or prolonged, like being in a jail.
• Seasons of the year and weather. The climate affects individuals in different intensities. In some cases it causes significant changes.

• Temperature. Studies indicate that in the hottest days or times, aggressiveness or hostility manifests itself. If the temperature exceeds a certain level, the effect is reversed.
• Atmospheric pressure. The data indicate that the lower the atmospheric pressure, the higher the incidence of depression.
• Air pollution. High levels of pollution condition outdoor activities and generate unpleasant sensory stimuli.
• Noise. Perhaps it is the stressor with the highest incidence in environmental stress. High-decibel sounds directly affect mental health. The same is true for annoying and repetitive noises, even if they are not so intense.
• Overcrowding. The excessive concentration of people in very confined spaces can cause great stress. Anyway, this depends a lot on individual perception.

• Disposition of the physical environment. The characteristics of a building and its furniture influence the feeling of demand that a person experiences.

All of these are factors that affect our stress levels. They elicit physical and behavioral responses. These are elements to consider when analyzing and addressing the discomfort that afflicts a person.