What is Stress?
Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as
we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical
and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings.
As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it
can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As
a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection,
anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems
such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high
blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved
one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship,
we experience stress as we re-adjust our lives. In so adjusting to
different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending
on how we react to it.
How Can I Eliminate Stress from My Life?
As we have seen, positive stress adds anticipation and excitement
to life, and we all thrive under a certain amount of stress.
Deadlines, competitions, confrontations, and even our frustrations
and sorrows
add depth and enrichment to our lives. Our goal is not to eliminate
stress but to learn how to manage it and how to use it to help
us. Insufficient stress acts as a depressant and may leave us
feeling bored or dejected; on the other hand, excessive stress
may leave
us feeling "tied up in knots." What we need to do is find
the optimal level of stress which will individually motivate but
not overwhelm each of us.
How Can I Tell What is Optimal Stress for Me?
There is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people.
We are all individual creatures with unique requirements. As
such, what is distressing to one may be a joy to another. And
even when
we agree that a particular event is distressing, we are likely
to differ in our physiological and psychological responses
to it.
The person who loves to arbitrate disputes and moves from job
site to job site would be stressed in a job which was stable
and routine,
whereas the person who thrives under stable conditions would
very likely be stressed on a job where duties were highly varied.
Also,
our personal stress requirements and the amount which we can
tolerate before we become distressed changes with our ages.
It has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved
stress. If you are experiencing stress symptoms, you have gone
beyond your
optimal stress level; you need to reduce the stress in your
life and/or improve your ability to manage it.
What are some Symptoms of Stress?
How Can I Manage Stress Better?
Identifying unrelieved stress
and being aware of its
effect on our
lives is
not sufficient
for reducing
its harmful
effects. Just as
there are many sources
of stress, there are many possibilities
for its management. However,
all require effort toward
change: changing
the source of stress and/or
changing your reaction to it. How do you
proceed?
- Become aware of your stressors
and your emotional
and physical reactions.
- Notice your distress.
Don't ignore
it. Don't gloss
over your problems.
- Determine what
events distress
you. What
are you telling
yourself
about meaning
of these
events?
- Determine how
your body
responds to
the stress.
Do you
become nervous or
physically
upset?
If so,
in what specific
ways?
- Recognize what
you can change.
- Can you change
your
stressors by avoiding
or
eliminating them completely?
- Can you
reduce
their
intensity (manage
them
over
a period
of
time instead
of
on a daily
or
weekly basis)?
- Can you
shorten your
exposure to
stress (take
a break, leave
the physical
premises)?
- Can
you devote
the time
and energy
necessary to
making a
change (goal
setting, time
management techniques,
and delayed
gratification strategies
may be
helpful here)?
- Reduce
the intensity
of your
emotional reactions
to stress.
- The
stress reaction
is triggered
by your
perception of
danger...physical danger
and/or emotional
danger. Are
you viewing
your stressors
in exaggerated
terms and/or
taking a
difficult situation
and making
it a
disaster?
- Are
you expecting
to please
everyone?
- Are
you overreacting
and viewing
things as
absolutely critical
and urgent?
Do you
feel you
must always
prevail in
every situation?
- Work
at adopting
more moderate
views; try
to see
the stress
as something
you can
cope with
rather than
something that
overpowers you.
- Try
to temper
your excess
emotions. Put
the situation
in perspective.
Do not
labor on
the negative
aspects and
the "what
if's."
- Learn
to moderate
your physical
reactions to
stress.
- Slow,
deep breathing
will bring
your heart
rate and
respiration back
to normal.
- Relaxation
techniques can
reduce muscle
tension. Electronic
biofeedback
can
help you
gain voluntary
control over
such things
as muscle
tension, heart
rate, and
blood pressure.
- Medications,
when prescribed
by a
physician,
can
help in
the short
term in
moderating
your
physical
reactions.
However, they
alone are
not the
answer.
- Learning
to moderate
these reactions
on your
own is
a preferable
long-term
solution.
- Build
your physical
reserves.
- Exercise
for
cardiovascular
fitness
three
to four
times
a
week
(moderate,
prolonged
rhythmic
exercise
is
best,
such
as walking,
swimming,
cycling,
or jogging).
- Eat
well-balanced,
nutritious
meals.
- Maintain
your
ideal
weight.
- Avoid
nicotine,
excessive
caffeine,
and
other
stimulants.
- Mix
leisure
with
work.
Take
breaks
and
get
away
when
you
can.
- Get
enough
sleep.
Be
as
consistent
with
your
sleep
schedule
as
possible.
- Maintain
your
emotional
reserves.
- Develop
some
mutually
supportive
friendships/relationships.
- Pursue
realistic
goals
which
are
meaningful
to
you,
rather
than
goals
others
have
for
you
that
you
do
not
share.
- Expect
some
frustrations,
failures,
and
sorrows.
- Always
be
kind
and
gentle
with
yourself--be
a
friend
to
yourself.
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