Controlling stress it is important to have well-being, tranquility and even physical health in your life. Stress not only causes discomfort and feelings of uneasiness; its effects accumulate and can cause various diseases.
Stress is a physiological reaction of the body and you feel it when you perceive that your demands (what you have to do, your obligations) exceed your resources (the things you have to face daily life).
I emphasize "perceiving". For example, before a math test, a girl may feel very calm because she does not perceive it as a threat and her friend feel stressed because she thinks she will fail..
It is not, therefore, a fixed phenomenon that comes from external situations (an exam, a wedding, work), but depends on what you believe, and if you think you can face the situation or not..
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Yes, there are situations such as the loss of someone, natural disasters or important life situations (weddings, exams) that cause more stress than the others.
However, the emotions and the level of stress that you feel from these situations depend on your interpretation of them..
Why are there people who, when faced with a breakup, become more stressed and others overcome it easily? By the interpretation they make; for example, some think that "they will not find another person" and others "that it is good to be single again".
You may find yourself in a stressful situation that you cannot change, such as having to care for a dependent person or having a demanding work schedule (and you have no option to leave your job). In those cases you will have to use reinterpretation strategies to the situations that we will see later..
If you suffer stress for long periods of time, it can have negative consequences for physical and mental health, in your social relationships and at work: tachycardia, increased blood pressure, lack of initiative, impotence, acne, diabetes, demotivation, aggressiveness , low productivity, absenteeism and many more.
For example, if you are doing a report and you feel excessively relaxed (the opposite of stress), you will be not very active and it will take you hours to finish it. Therefore, there are two kinds of stress:
-The negative that causes an excess of activation of the organism in external situations, maintained in the long term. It is what is colloquially known as "stress" and in the professional / healthcare world "distress".
-The positive, that provides energy and activation necessary to overcome demands of situations, known as "eustres".
If you are reading this article, you probably feel the first, that is, negative stress or distress..
Ideally, you should reach what is known as the “optimal functioning zone”; a point where your skills correspond to the demands of the task.
For example, if you are a newbie at your job, there are three situations:
1-They ask you to make a report in two hours: you will be out of your capacities because you still do not know your new company, your functions, the way of working, etc. You would probably get stressed: hyperarousal.
These are situations that you will have to live in your life, however feeling stress in them will depend on you and how you represent the situation. Later you will learn about it.
2-They ask you to make a report in two weeks, which if it is within your current competition. You will be able to face the situation with a suitable activation: zone of optimal functioning.
3-They ask you to clean the tables. You get bored and demotivated: relaxation.
The techniques that I am going to discuss are equally important, however I am going to order them so that it is easier for you to understand them. They are not difficult, quite the opposite.
Learning techniques and what stress is is fine, but it won't do you any good if you don't know what situations in your life and what interpretations lead you to stress.
If you are under a lot of stress, you may be so busy and stressed that you can't even think about where and how it comes from. However, taking some time for rest and reflection will be necessary to observe the reason for your stress; an important exam, a personal relationship, some obligation, etc..
Identifying the stressors in your life will be the first step in getting organized and taking action. Identify the situations that cause you stress and reflect on your interpretation of that situation. Ask yourself: Is it an objective situation? Does it depend on my interpretation that I feel stress? Can I think of another way that I don't perceive it as stressful?
Once you know which situations cause you stress, you will have three main options:
On many occasions stress arises because we have to do many things and we believe that we do not have time to do them, so we perceive that we are not in control of the situation. However, if you manage it well, you will have time for everything and you will not only save time, but you will be more effective, efficient and creative.
Some tips to manage time:
-A demand It is anything that requires physical or mental effort and that is associated with physical or psychological costs. For example, childcare, work to be completed, obligations, etc..
-A resource it is something that helps you achieve your goals and reduce demands. There are personal resources (self-esteem, optimism and self-efficacy), social (family, friends ...) and economic.
It will be good to control your stress:
Coping strategies are the behaviors we adopt to deal with demands, problems and life events. There are many and some are more positive than others. These are the ones that I suggest you adopt so as not to feel so much negative stress:
-Proactive behavior: it is an active approach to behavior, as opposed to reactivity, from which you act on your own initiative.
-Self-regulation: is the ability to be aware of your own behavior, plan it and be able to control reactions that lead to negative consequences.
-Goal orientation: is the ability to set goals and be persistent to achieve them.
-Promotion focusIt's about putting your attention on the positive results you can achieve, the rewards, growth and advancement.
-Focused on actionAction-focused coping strategy is based on acting to solve the problems that cause stress. Focusing on what you need to do to resolve stress will help you resolve it, as long as you act. On the other hand, when something is unsolvable (such as the death of a person) it will be better to focus on your thoughts (avoid negative thoughts and think more positively).
Being always busy and working without taking time off is not good and will also be negative for your productivity and health.
Save at least an hour a day to relax and do an activity that you feel like doing. Some activities that will help you reduce stress are:
Relaxation techniques will help you to be more aware of what causes you stress, to better cope with stressful situations and to feel more relaxed and therefore with more well-being.
These include meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenous relaxation, mindfulness and visualization. Visit this article to learn how to practice them.
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