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Approaches to Understanding and Managing Stress

What causes stress?

Stress occurs when a demand is placed upon us that we don't have the ability to cope with. We can also say of stress that it is a psychological experience that has an impact on us physically. Prolonged stress can lead to an increased susceptibility to illness and, in severe cases, insomnia or an increased risk or heart disease. Psychological studies also reveal that individuals suffering from stress are more likely to engage in addictive behaviors such as eating disorders or smoking and drinking to excess.

Definition

Wiki - What Stress Is

In order to manage stress levels, it may be best to gain a more rounded understanding of the approaches towards the origins of stress and the ways in which we respond to it. We can then use this awareness and apply it in to preventing and managing stress in our lives.

Stress is the result of an imbalance between a demand (a stressor) and our ability to meet that demand.

Seyle (1956) identified three stages of stress:
(1) Alarm - when we are first faced with the stressor we experience intense alarm
(2) Resistance - if we are then continually exposed to the stressor, we attempt to find ways of adapting to the situation
(3) Exhaustion - after long term exposure to the stressor our energy is drained, our defenses are down. This occasionally leads to illness, though it may manifest itself differently from person to person.

Factors that intensify stress

For those of us who have to deal with stress is our everyday lives - whether that be at work, study, adhering to busy family timetables, traffic, chores etc - it would certainly be useful to minimalise any factors that might be making it worse for ourselves.

Psychological studies in to the nature of stress indicate a link between 'over stimulation' and increased stress. Over stimulation refers to how much input our senses are receiving - magazines, radio, conversation, tv, traffic noise, mess and clutter, a baby crying. These triggers within our environment may intensify the stress we are already experiencing.

Our Perception of stress

There is a great variation in the experience of stress from person to person and there is also variation in the types of things that people find stressful. Therefore, it's important to consider your personal perception of stress - why is it that you perceive this particular thing as stressful?

Many psychological approaches to stress conclude that it is not the stressor itself that is important, but the individual's perception of the stressor i.e.

- our perception of the demand placed upon us
- our perception of our ability to meet this demand

Either one of these may be out of sink. For instance, we might greatly exaggerate the demand or we may lack confidence and underestimate our own abilities in handling the situation. Often, when a person believes that they can handle a situation (be it a false belief) they are less likely to suffer from stress.

The Feeling of Helplessness

Helplessness refers to the extent to which you feel control over our environment. It is a habit of thinking. Many people may have developed a feeling of helplessness after experiencing failure on some level for instance in work, relationships, exams. Helplessness may also be learned during our upbringing. Over time, we may come to believe that we won't succeed, and as a result of this belief, we become less likely to succeed. Here begins a terrible cycle where we limit ourselves when we may be capable of much more.

According to Seligman (1992) "If a child believes he is helpless he will perform stupidly regardless of his IQ. On the other hand, if a child believes he has control and mastery he may outperform more talented peers who lack such a belief".

If you feel powerless then you likely to create an imbalanced perception in terms of you're ability to meet a demand, and therefore you are more likely to feel stressed often.

How to Manage Stress

Baring all this in mind, how can we go about applying such knowledge in our life in order to minimalise stress? Here are some options you might like to try out:

1 - Try to avoid any factors which will intensity stress such as loud noise, clutter, a blaring TV. If you reduce the amount of sensory stimulation, you will have more resources available to focus on the task at hand.

2 - Indulge in one of your preferred modes of relaxation - this will reduce the initial alarm response, ease muscle tension and reduce your pulse rate. If you happen to be in a work environment and so can't dive into a candlelit bath, then focus on taking deep breaths.

3 - Take time out to reflect on the demand rationally. Is it really as big as you imagine it to be? Is it really beyond your means?

4 - Re-evaluate your own abilities. Remind yourself of your strengths and how you could utilize them in coping with this demand. (It might be useful here to call upon a friend who can help remind you of your abilities).

5 - Ask yourself if you are guilty of negative habits of thinking? Could you be interpreting the situation in a helpless manner?

6 - Remember that how you perceive the demand will influence the way you react to it. Try to be aware of any reasoning that is self-defeating.

7 - Tell yourself that it's not the end of the world if things don't work out exactly the way you planned. There may be other opportunities that arise as a result of this situation. If you remain calm and have faith in your own abilities, then the situation is more likely to resolve itself.

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