Everyone
has experienced stress at some point and we all know when we are experiencing
it!
Jobs
are stressful when we are overworked or in fear of being laid-off. School is
stressful when we have too much studying and too little time. Family life is
stressful when family members don''t help out or argue. Stress makes us feel
irritable, gives us stomach aches, and makes it difficult to sleep. But even
though we all intuitively know what stress is, defining it is quite difficult.
It''s
How You Perceive a Situation That Makes It Stressful!
Often,
researchers define stress as the psychological and physiological conditions
that a person experiences when they perceive a situation as threatening,
harmful, or demanding. This means that whenever we experience a change in our
environment, we may experience stress. Whether we do or not depends on how we
perceive the event. So what is stressful for one person might not be for
another. Many factors influence how you interpret events including:
·      Â
Who
you are
·      Â
Your
attitudes
·      Â
Your
skills
·      Â
Your
personality
·      Â
The
current situation
·      Â
Other
events in your life
·      Â
Other
people in your life
Stress isn''t all bad!
Having
some stress in your life is a good thing-- it keeps your body and mind active
and more alert. It becomes harmful when you have too much stress (i.e., more
than you can cope with).
Symptoms
of Stress
When
you are experiencing stress you may:
·      Â
feel
like you have too much to do and not enough time.
·      Â
feel
crazy.
·      Â
get
a stomachache or heartburn.
·      Â
neglect
your responsibilities or not enjoy what you usually like.
·      Â
have
tense muscles.
·      Â
get
irritable.
·      Â
eat
poorly.
·      Â
use
drugs carelessly or recreationally.
·      Â
get
sick often.
·      Â
have
problems sleeping.
How
We Deal with Stress
Whenever
we experience an event that might be stressful, we always go through a similar
procedure. First we want to see if the event is threatening or challenging. We
do this by using a process called primary appraisal. Primary appraisal includes:
·      Â
deciding
if the situation is threatening
·      Â
evaluating
resources
·      Â
choosing
what to do
After
we do something to limit the impact of the stressor, we check to see if our
attempt worked; this process is called the secondary appraisal. We continue to
appraise the situation until we feel its not stressful anymore.
As
we experience a stressful event, the stress affects our body, our feelings, and
sometimes, our health and our relationships with others.
Can
You Control It?
Imagine
that two people were thrown into the water. One is a lifeguard and the other
doesn''t know how to swim. The lifeguard has the resources to handle being
thrown in the water and can effectively cope with it. The person who never
learned to swim is extremely upset, feels out of control, and has no idea how
to cope with his problem.
In
this situation, the lifeguard can effectively handle her situation whereas the
other person cannot. Our belief about how effective we are is called self
efficacy. People''s self efficacy helps determine their emotional reaction and
their coping in a stressful situation.
The
more effective people think that they are, the less upset they get and the
better they cope. These types of people feel they can fix most of their
problems and do not get as upset if they fail.
Amount
of Control
Everyone
has their own beliefs about how much they control in the world and how much
outside factors control them. These judgments are important because when we
feel things are out of our control, they are more stressful. Stress is less
when we feel in control and in charge of our own destinies. In short, we truly
do create our own realities. If we think the world is awful and unfair, it is.
If we think we''re lucky, we are. Our perceptions are based on the world around
us, so there is a relationship between our perceptions and what happens to us.
Still
our perceptions are not always accurate. Healthy people tend to think they are
more effective than they actually are compared to other people and depressed
people tend to think they are worse and make negative judgments about the
world. But the benefit to thinking you are more effective than you actually are
is that you are more likely to try hard, take risks, and succeed (which then
reinforces the belief that you are effective.)
Treatment
People
who want help with their symptoms may want to enter into therapy. There are
therapists who are especially experienced in helping those who suffer with
stress and can provide significant help in relieving the symptoms and
addressing the problems that stress can cause in a person''s life.
One
of the biggest misconceptions about therapy is that seeing a therapist is a
sign of mental illness. In fact, seeing a therapist is a sign of mental health!
While the possibility exists of being diagnosed with a mental disorder, only
people who are in touch with themselves are able to recognize when they have a
problem and need help.
Therapists
help patients in many ways:
·      Â
Help
patients understand and cope with their conditions.
·      Â
Empathize
with their patients and help them understand why they behave the way they do.
·      Â
Help
patients make positive changes by discussing their past behavior.
·      Â
Help
patients discover why they think certain thoughts and how these thoughts affect
their feelings.
·      Â
Help
patients to identify and repair problems with relationships.
Frequently,
patients are treated both with therapy and with medication. Medication can
significantly reduce the symptoms of the condition so that the patient can work
more effectively in therapy.
To find a qualified
therapist in your area, Click Here
To take a self assessment
test, Click Here