Sometimes our daily life is filled with activity, thoughts or worries , and stress is our body’s response to this situation of tension, which is usually temporary, and which can arise due to the daily activities required before leaving home, for example, taking care of the children, taking them to school , going to work, etc.
For years, a false idea of what stress is has been formed, relating it to a busy schedule, being very overwhelmed, having a lot to do. But stress goes beyond activity, it is also related to how we regulate the emotions that pressure causes us, whether it is because we have many pending tasks or other problems and adversities, such as our illness or that of a family member, or their death; a breakdown in the car that is needed every day; interview for a job…
And it is that unfortunately we spend too much time in stressful states, but it is also that all this has been encouraged by the insecurity created by the pandemic, which strongly enhances the feeling of “being at risk”, causing the problems of stress and anxiety , words that are already part of our daily vocabulary. And it is that According to the WHO, during the pandemic an increase in anxiety and stress levels has been observed , with studies indicating that around a third of adults express anguish.
We can say that stress has settled in society and has even been normalized as part of our lifestyle, becoming the true evil of the century, since it affects millions of people daily and can really ruin everyday life. and mental health , due to the associated physical and psychological symptoms. and that’s why it’s important that you can recognize it and know what to do and how to reduce it. And it is that despite the fact that we all know the word stress, however, being able to identify when it appears is complicated. For this, it is necessary to know certain things that I will explain below.
Stress is a natural response of the organism, it is our particular way of coping and adapting to the various situations and demands that we find in our lives.
Content of this topic
- What is stress?
- Types of stress, good or bad?
- What are stress triggers?
- What are the phases of stress?
- Signs that indicate that I should act
- What can help you not to stress too much?
- Don’t miss my tips!
What is stress?
We call stress the state of mental fatigue caused by demands, excessive noise or even unhealthy eating. Although in reality there is no real consensus on the definition of stress, what can make it difficult to measure, is that we all have our own definition of stress. The most common is probably: “physical, mental or emotional tension or overwhelm”. Another popular definition is “a state or feeling felt when a person perceives that a demand exceeds the personal and individual social resources that he can mobilize.”
What we can be clear about is that stress is a natural response from the body , it is our particular way of dealing with and adapting to the various situations and demands that we encounter in our lives. It has helped us to survive throughout all time, since it causes a general activation of the organism that allows us to adapt to the changes that take place around us. These changes require us to exert ourselves and therefore endanger our personal well-being. If in these situations we perceive that we do not have the necessary resources to face them, then stress appears.
They should include all three facets (negative stress or distress, neutral stress and good stress or eustress). This is the difference between good and bad stress.
Types of stress , good or bad?
We associate the word stress with anguish, sorrow and overwhelm, and it is that, when we experience this sensation, we usually feel fatigued, overwhelmed… that is, we feel discomfort. For this reason, it seems to us that stress is something that everyone constantly wants to escape from, but stress may not be as bad as it seems to us, since it is true that there is healthy stress, which allows us to be more productive, it is That is, there is good stress: for example, winning a race or an election can be just as stressful as losing it.
Despite everything, our definitions tend to focus on negative stress, when they should include all three facets (negative stress or distress, neutral stress and good stress or eustress). This is the difference between good and bad stress.
Eustress (good stress)
Stress does not always have negative consequences, sometimes its presence represents an excellent opportunity to launch new personal resources, thus strengthening self- esteem and increasing the chances of success in future occasions.
So there is a nuance to this state of stress, the so-called “eustress”, also called positive stress, which is an essential element in our lives, since thanks to it, we have that impulse that motivates us to do what we have. what to do, and therefore guides us to action. This type of positive stress has an adaptive function and disappears as we resolve our “pending tasks”.
We can take advantage of stress if we know how to listen and observe what it is warning us about. For example, it is good that an exam worries us, because it will make us spend more time preparing for it and get a good grade. It is also good to stay alert behind the wheel, because it reduces the chances of suffering a mishap. They are situations in which stress is fulfilling its adaptive purpose and mobilizing our resources to adapt to the situation and help us achieve our goals efficiently.
Distress (bad stress)
So when is stress a problem? When your environment requires you to use skills that you have not acquired, your stress level increases because you have a higher demand from outside than you can assume. It is at that moment that “bad stress” appears, the one that destabilizes you, and that generates reactions such as sleep disturbances, tachycardia, muscle pain or tension headaches. We become saturated in such a way that we are not able to perform tasks that are initially easy for us and we make many more mistakes.
All this can lead to very serious consequences for the health, both physical and mental, of the person who suffers from it, such as suffering from heart disease, anxiety or depression .
More than having to run a lot or do a lot of things, it stresses not being satisfied with what you do, believing that you do not act as you should act. In other words, the pressure that stress causes us is not only external, but it can also come from ourselves.
What are stress triggers?
From greater to lesser frequency, what triggers stress are work (whether due to having a lot of work or lack of employment), personal relationships with a partner, with children, with parents, a loss… and economic problems. But a feeling of success, of failure, of lack of approval from others on social networks, can cause us both stress and frantic activity. Just like having to acquire a skill, give up something, accept something unpleasant…
More than having to run a lot or do a lot of things, it stresses not being satisfied with what you do, believing that you do not act as you should act. In other words, the pressure that stress causes us is not only external, but it can also come from ourselves.
For this reason, stress is very subjective and the same event is not equally stressful for all people, not even in all circumstances or moments of life for the same subject. This is determined by several factors:
– The personal abilities to face it : while someone may consider a job promotion as a threat, for another person it can be a personal challenge.
– The way of dealing with difficulties : people have different styles of reacting to circumstances that demand an effort on our part, so that we can act by denying the problem, postponing it or starting self-control behaviors and all of this in turn It leads us to have different perceptions of stress.
– Social support: the number and quality of relationships we maintain with those around us can serve as buffers or amplifiers of the events that cause us stress, as well as the ability to ask for advice or help.
The stress response to a certain situation goes through different phases from its beginning until it reaches its maximum intensity.
What are the phases of stress?
The stress response to a certain situation goes through different phases from its beginning until it reaches its maximum intensity. Each one of them has a series of characteristics and specific physiological reactions in the organism, which allow us to locate the different signs of danger and threat. It is very important to know them to know how to identify them and determine if we are in any of them.
- Alarm phase or huida.
Stress occurs when we encounter a situation that involves some threat or risk. Faced with this, the normal reaction of a human being is to prepare for attack or flight, developing the stress response, this refers to a series of physiological and biochemical changes that occur in the body to produce maximum energy and thus being able to escape the threat or risk.
Our brain starts up, giving rise to an increase in the level of adrenaline, blood glucose, blood pressure, heartbeat. The digestive system is also shut down and increased muscle tension occurs. All these responses are normal and necessary for the person to have enough energy to run away from the enemy and the dangerous situation.
- Adaptation or resistance phase.
The second phase occurs when the stress situation is maintained and the chemicals produced in the first phase accumulate in the body. It is then when a biological mechanism of self-protection and self-preservation is activated, by which the organism seeks to recover balance. However, sometimes the stressful stimulus remains, either real or imagined. The consequence of this chemical bomb is the maintenance of the alert situation without relaxation. Therefore, the body cannot return to its balanced state and the first symptoms of stress begin to appear.
- exhaustion phase.
If the problem continues for a long time, you enter the third phase of stress. At this stage we are already talking about a more serious problem. All the previous symptoms remain, but they are more permanent and intense.
Stress becomes chronic and is maintained for a while, producing weakness, lowering of defenses, decreased physical resistance… The feeling is of being overwhelmed, resting poorly, living in a hurry and a feeling of permanent anguish, depression , discouragement and desire to flee anywhere to get away from the situation, decreased memory and spatial orientation.
The most frequent thing is that in this phase physical diseases appear, that the immune system weakens and this leads to being more exposed to diseases caused by viruses or bacteria. It can also happen that migraines appear, muscular pains and a very strong emotional stagnation.
When you are in the last phase of stress, the matter becomes more complex. In these cases, it is best to go to psychotherapy. It may be impossible to clear your mind and emotions on your own and professional help is required. We should not wait a long time to request this psychological support, since stress can have consequences that are as important as they are negative.
It is important to pay attention to some of the signals from the body and mind that tell us that we need to get down to work to manage the stress we are experiencing.
Signs that indicate that I should act
Human beings live immersed in routines that bind us, wear us down and do not fill us up. Until, suddenly, a day comes when our body and mind send us a message “no more”. However, what most people usually do is let time pass without analyzing what they feel and without acting, thinking that the situation will change on its own, that everything will be resolved without us doing anything.
It is important to pay attention to some of the signals from the body and mind that tell us that we need to get down to work to manage the stress we are experiencing. For this we must stop and observe what is causing this vital imbalance that prevents us from moving forward and having quality time, both for ourselves and for our loved ones. So the main warning symptoms can be:
physical symptoms
The somatic symptoms reflected by the body range from
- Headache
- migraines
- Decreased appetite
- Neck, shoulder and back pain
- Muscle tension
- Stomach pain or a feeling of a lump in your throat
- Feeling heavy in the chest.
- They could also lead to illnesses such as skin rashes, infections, or intestinal problems.
psychological symptoms
Psychological symptoms may include
- Irritability
- Anxiety(we go to the past or future to interpret the present reality as negative or threatening)
- Decreased concentration
- get angry easily
- restless feeling
- Difficulty to sleep
- Sadness
- Culpa
- Worry
- Crying
Knowing the different ways in which stress can manifest will help you know how to stop in time and analyze what is happening. In this way, once we have identified it, you will be able to face the problem and regain control of your life.
So that this does not happen to you, it is important to acquire tools to face the situations that cause you stress and that will help you face the difficulties of everyday life in a less threatening way.
What can help you not to stress too much?
In principle, we are prepared to face the difficulties of life, to make that extra effort, but sometimes we can feel overwhelmed and not see the way out of a distressing situation that lasts too long. So that this does not happen to you, it is important to acquire tools to face the situations that cause you stress and that will help you face the difficulties of everyday life in a less threatening way.
The first step is to go to the root of the problem, find out what is happening to us, make decisions, change things, manage to control the stress that can negatively affect us and prevent it from becoming a pathology with adverse effects on our health. It is important to identify it, give it a name and from there look for a solution.
We can only remedy what we know, so to try to remedy it we are going to start with the stress diary so that you become aware of what the events, people, fears are, in short, your sources of stress.
stress diary
To carry out the stress diary, you are going to take a small notebook that you can always carry with you and, in it, you will write down for a week all those situations that make you feel stressed, vulnerable or overwhelmed.
Later you will answer the following questions:
- What has caused me stress?
Answer directly and clearly. For example: I have a family meal and I’m going to see my sister-in-law with whom I don’t get along at all.
- How did I feel from 1 to 10?
Write down the discomfort you feel at that moment, keeping in mind that 1 equals little discomfort and 10 maximum discomfort. You can also add a word that describes what you feel. For example: sad, nervous, angry.
- physical symptoms.
Write down how stress manifests itself in your body in order to be aware of how you experience it and know how to detect it in time. For example: feeling tired, wet hands, headache…
- How have I reacted?
I have cried, I have yelled, I have gotten angry with another person…
- Useful strategy to manage my stress
If you have implemented a strategy that has helped you to manage your stress properly, write it down and you will build a list to manage those stressful events on other occasions. If you have not implemented any strategy, think about what could have been helpful to you at that time.
After a week, write down the sources of stress with which you have encountered, choose the three most unpleasant and resort to the anti-stress strategies that you have written down.
Example of a list of anti-stress strategies
If you have not managed to implement any useful strategy to manage stress, do not worry because here is an example of anti-stress strategies so that you can implement them and keep those that are useful for you to control stress.
- Call a person who always has positive words to cheer you up
- Take a relaxing bath
- Do sport
- Playing with your children or nephews, playing with children helps to disconnect and see life in a different way.
- dedicate yourself to your hobby
- Watch a funny video, laughter is a great help to relax
- Meditate for 15 minutes
- sit quietly for 10 minutes
- Watch an episode of your favorite series
- Take a walk in nature
These are just some examples, it is important that you make your own list because you know what really works for you.
Although, as you already know, if you implement these tips and you can’t manage your stress, there may be other factors that are influencing. If you consider that you need guidance on how to manage this situation, I advise you to seek professional help.