By Gyna Jean-Pierre
CSMS Magazine Staff Writer
Stress is a major factor in today’s society. Everyday someone is being affected by stress. Everyday many of us are going crazy just trying to make it through the day with stress. Stress is the response of one’s body and mind being challenged or threatened. We experience stress when situations, events or people make demands on our body and mind. As we’re going through one of the most difficult moments of our time, it’s very hard to imagine how critical it has become to learn to manage stress. However, too often we tend to think of stress as one BIG intruder that invades our body. It is a common misconception that stress is always a negative experience. That is true, but stress can also be a positive experience. Stress is positive when it helps you escape from a dangerous situation, promotes your personnel growth, or helps you accomplish your goals.
Think about something you have accomplished lately, perhaps you did well on a test or your team defeated a tough opponent in a sport event. You may remember the feelings you had before and during the event. According to many experts, this may help you beat back the stress rather quickly while rejuvenate your body even stronger than it was before. They are many causes of stress.
An event or situation that causes stress is called a stressor. A ringing alarm clock is a great example of a stressor. According to Deborah Prothrow Stith, four general types of stressors are major life changes, catastrophes, every day problems and environmental problems.
Some of the most common stressors are minor, but consistent everyday events. These common everyday stressors are sometimes called “hassles’’. Hassles include misplacing your keys, missing your bus, or having too much homework on the same day.
Major life changes
According to the experts, one of the major life changing aspects is a kid graduating from high school, a child experiencing a death of a parent, going through parents divorce, having a serious illness etc……
Stages of stress
The body’s response to stress occurs in three stages: the alarm stage, the resistance stage, and the exhaustion stage. Each one of these stages is crucial. Some people make through all three stages and have no problem bouncing back. It all depends on the resilience of the person who is handling the stress. These stages help prepare you to either “fight” the stressor or “take flight” and escape. Thus, this initial reaction of the body to stress is called the fight or flight response. This response probably helped early humans to survive
Changing your thinking
Do you tend to overreact to unexpected events or worry a lot about the future? Sometimes you can reduce your level of stress by changing the way you think about stressors. One way to change your thinking is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. You can also use humor in some stressful situations. When thinking positive about stressful situations you can help yourself get over and look past the negative situations in your life at that particular moment. Also trying to think ahead about a better future where you are at a better place in your life.
Build Resilience
You need to build resilience to help you deal with extreme or prolonged stress. Even the most resilient person will be unhappy or worried sometimes. According to the experts knowing these strategies can help you bounce back from the setbacks of life. For example like taking care of yourself, build a support system, take action, help somebody, confide in yourself, go easy on yourself, put things in perspective, find a hassle – free zone, and sticking to your routines. It’s also very good to reach out for support. Having somebody to go through the turbulent situations with you can also help you build resilience quicker.
In closing
Stress can be very hard to control. But with the right strategies and smart thinking, you be able overcome this obstacle just like others in life. As long as you have faith in yourself, will come out victorious in the battle against stress. Remember, don’t make stress a negative issue. Try to use it as motivation to help go along the way.
Also see Could High Protein be a Danger to your Health?
Five guidelines to keep a healthy lifestyle
Which Vitamins and Minerals work best for you?
Valuing Buildings Over Employee Health
I love this site it is beautiful and very informative