What causes stress and how to manage stress
- What causes stress?
- Risk factors influencing the effects of stress and stress susceptibility
- Stress management
Stress is a part of life
Stress is an unavoidable part of life. We experience it in varying forms and degrees every day. The stress you experience is not necessarily harmful. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. Stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem. It can become destructive and can turn into distress. Too much stress can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke
Stress is the body's reaction to any demand or pressure. These demands are called stressors. The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and specific hormones. The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body's energy. And sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare a person to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.
The trouble is, these stress hormones can continue to circulate in the bloodstream long after the crisis has past, making you feel anxious and tense and unable to function effectively. If the stress is ongoing, the hormone levels can stay elevated, weakening the body over time.
Everyone experiences stress a little differently. Some people become angry and act out their stress or take it out on others. Some people internalize it and develop eating disorders or substance abuse problems. And some people who have a chronic illness may find that the symptoms of their illness flare up under an overload of stress.
People differ dramatically in the type of events they interpret as stressful and the way in which they respond to such stress. For example, people who drive themselves hard and are impatient may be more at risk for stress-related physical problems. Certain occupations, such as law enforcement or air traffic control, are more stressful than others. In addition, people with a personal or family history of mental illness may be affected more by stress.
Research shows that of people aged between 25 and 44, one third see work as their biggest stress. School/college/university is the biggest cause of stress for a quarter (25%) of people between the ages of 16 and 24. Jobs stress out men twice as much as women (30% vs 14%). Family stresses out women three times as much as men (29% vs 9%)
Situations which cause a stress reaction are called stress triggers or stressors. Stress triggers can include:
- Major life events
- death of a close family member
- divorce
- marital separation
- personal illness or injury
- marriage
- pregnancy
- retirement
- buying a house
- Christmas
- Big life-changes like leaving school, entering university, being laid off from job, job promotion, moving location. Any sort of change can make you feel stressed, even good change. It's not just the change or event itself, but also how you react to it that matters.
- Physical sensations
- noise
- bright lights
- heat
- confined spaces
- crowding
- Social interaction with people who are rude, bossy, critical, aggressive
- Daily hassles such as traffic jams, deadlines, commuting, misplaced keys, mechanical breakdowns
- Lifestyle behaviours such as overeating, drinking, not enough sleep, overloaded schedule.
- Mental traps such as negative thinking, unrealistic expectations, taking things personally, rigid thinking
- Uncertain future, such as living on unemployment. Thinking about your future and your career is a common source of stress.
- Wasting time. We create stress for ourselves by wasting time.
But it is important to avoid wasting time that later becomes a source
of frustration.
Some very common time wasters:- Disorganization
- Procrastination: Continuously putting off work and giving priority to less pressing tasks often results in incomplete grades, poor performance, anxiety, and a negative self-image.
- Burnout/Exhaustion: If you feel this, you should set up some time to relax and rest.
- Unnecessary perfectionism: You may be spending too much time perfecting one task to an extreme, and find that you lack time for other, equally important, tasks.
- Visitors and telephone calls: It's important to be sociable, but don't be afraid to mention that you have lots to do, and can only talk or visit for a short time. Try to limit social calls until you are done your work.
- Work. Job-related stress is extremely common. According to one
survey, 40% of American workers describe their jobs as very stressful.
Job-related stress is particularly likely to become chronic because it
is such a large part of daily life. Stress reduces a worker's effectiveness
by impairing concentration, causing sleeplessness, and increasing the
risk for illness, back problems, accidents, and lost time. Work stress
can lead to harassment or even violence while on the job. In fact, a number
of studies are now suggesting that job-related stress is as great a threat
to health as smoking or not exercising.
Among the intense stressors at work are the following:- feeling powerless and uninvolved in determining one's own responsibilities
- unrelenting and unreasonable demands for performance
- lack of effective communication and conflict-resolution methods among workers and employers
- lack of job security
- night-shift work
- long working hours
- office politics and conflicts between workers
- excessive time spent away from home and family
- wages not commensurate with levels of responsibility
- excessive work pressure caused by time constraints and/or complexity
- not knowing what is expected of you, how your manager views your work
- bullying and other forms of harassment
- possible or actual redundancy
- Television, films, computer games - all are mood influencing stress factors. If you subject yourself to miserable, negative experiences portrayed on film and television, and computer games, that you will feel unhappy or even depressed as a result. Negative, violent, miserable images, actions, language and sounds are in effect a form of negative conditioning. They produce stress, anxiety, and actually adversely affect a person's physical health. Conversely, watching or listening to an amusing experience or portrayal in a variety of media (TV, film, even books) has a beneficial effect on your mood, and thereby will tend to improve your physical health, mental state, and reduce your stress levels.
- Unrealistic expectations.
- Negative attitudes and feelings.
Risk factors influencing the effects of stress and stress susceptibility
A person's susceptibility to stress can be affected by any or all of these factors, which means that everyone has a different tolerance to stressors. And in respect of certain of these factors, stress susceptibility is not fixed, so each person's stress tolerance level changes over time:
- Childhood experience (abuse can increase stress susceptibility). Abusive behavior toward children may cause long-term abnormalities in the hypothalamus-pituitary system, which regulates stress.
- Personality traits, Emotional instability. Certain people have personality traits that cause them to over-respond to stressful events. Angry personalities (people who are less emotionally stable or have high anxiety levels) tend to experience specific events as more stressful than others.
- Genetics. (particularly inherited 'relaxation response', connected with serotonin levels, the brain's 'well-being chemical'). Some people have genetic factors that affect stress, such as having more or less efficient relaxation response.
- Immunity abnormality. Certain diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or eczema may actual impair a response to stress.
- Lifestyle (principally poor diet and lack of exercise).
Individuals at higher risk for stress:
- Older adults. As people age, the ability to achieve a relaxation response after a stressful event becomes more difficult. Aging may simply wear out the systems in the brain that respond to stress, so that they become inefficient. The elderly, too, are very often exposed to major stressors such as medical problems, the loss of a spouse and friends, a change in a living situation, and financial worries.
- Women in general, and working mothers specifically. Working mothers, regardless of whether they are married or single, face higher stress levels and possibly adverse health effects, most likely because they bear a greater and more diffuse workload than men or other women. Such stress may also have a domino and harmful effect on their children.
- Caregivers of Family Members. Studies show that caregivers of physically or mentally disabled family members are at risk for chronic stress.
- Caregiving among the health professionals is also a high risk factor for stress.
- Less educated individuals.
- Divorced or widowed individuals. (A number of studies indicate that unmarried people generally do not live as long as their married contemporaries.)
- Anyone experiencing financial strain, particularly long-term unemployment.
- Isolated individuals.
- People who are targets of racial or sexual discrimination.
- People without health insurance.
- People who live in cities.
Stress is one of the most common causes of ill health in our society. That’s why one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to learn to reduce and manage the stress in our lives. The aim of stress management is to help you recognise and tackle the root causes of stress in your life, then find ways of managing the pressures without causing harm to your health.
- Identifying the sources of stress. Knowing what causes stress for you can help you cope with it better and provide mental and emotional relief. Recognizing your specific triggers is one of the first steps in the process of stress management. Common causes of stress include: work, family, health concerns, unrealistic expectations, cynical and negative attitudes, sudden traumatic events. Also note positive experiences, such as those that are mentally or physically refreshing or produce a sense of accomplishment.
- Healthy Diet. Vitamins and minerals are required to ensure healthy brain and neurological functionality. The Vitamin B Group is particularly relevant to the brain, depression and stress susceptibility. Vitamin C is essential to protect against stress too. A proper balanced diet is clearly essential, both to avoid direct physical stress causes via brain and nervous system, and to reduce stress susceptibility resulting from poor health and condition. Toxins such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, excessive salt, steroids, and other pollutants work against the balance between minerals, vitamins mind and body. Excessive toxins from these sources will increase stress susceptibility and stress itself. Eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Take multi-vitamin and mineral supplements. Eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch.
- Physical exercise. Exercise is one of the most effective strategies for getting rid of stress. Exercise releases helpful chemicals in our brain and body that are good for us. Exercise distracts us from the causes of stress. Exercise warms and relaxes cold, tight muscles and tissues which contribute to stress feelings. Exercise develops and maintains a healthy body which directly reduces stress susceptibility.
- Living a more balanced life. You may be experiencing stress because
your life has become out of balance. You may be spending too much time
and energy on work or on caring for others at the expense of your own
health and well-being. Delegate or share your responsibilities at work
and at home. Avoid difficult colleagues, family members, and acquaintances.
Learn to be more assertive. Never take on more than you know you can cope
with.
- Managing time and scheduling. It may also be necessary to reorganize your schedule in order to maintain a more balanced life. Think ahead about how you’re going to spend your time. Make a "to-do" list. Figure out what’s most important to do. Prioritize tasks and then work on the most important ones. Delegate less important tasks. Schedule extra time for tasks, in case of interruptions.
- Organizing and simplifying your life. If one of your main sources of stress is the sheer number of things that need to be done, getting organized should help you feel more at peace. A good sense of organization will also make you more efficient. Simplifying your life also should help you feel less overwhelmed. Do what is most important first and realize that some things can wait until later. Cut out some activities and delegate tasks. Break large demands into small, manageable parts. Organize your home and workspace so that you know where things are. Keep your personal belongings in working order to prevent untimely, stressful repairs.
- Make time for yourself. It’s important to care for yourself. Think of this as an order from your doctor, so you don’t feel guilty! No matter how busy you are, you can try to set aside at least 15 minutes each day in your schedule to do something for yourself, like taking a bubble bath, going for a walk, or calling a friend.
- Sleep. Sleeping is a great way to help both your body and mind. Getting enough sound sleep has a profound impact on your stress levels, immune function and disease resistance. A chronic lack of sleep can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, forgetful, accident-prone, and have difficulty concentrating or coping with life's daily aggravations. Your stress could get worse if you don’t get enough sleep. You also can’t fight off sickness as well when you sleep poorly. With enough sleep, you can tackle your problems better and lower your risk for illness.
- Set limits and Learn to say “no.” When it comes to things like work and family, figure out what you can really do. There are only so many hours in the day. Set limits with yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to say NO to requests for your time and energy.
- Changing your thinking. Don’t expect perfection from yourself or others. See problems as opportunities. Look for the humour in stressful situations. Look at unavoidable stress as an avenue for growth and change.
- Positive Thinking. Optimism can counteract the negative impact stress, tension and anxiety has on your immune system and well-being. Often it is how you perceive things that determine if you get overwhelmed, both mentally and physically. Having a positive attitude, finding the good in what life throws your way and looking at the bright side of things enhances your ability to effectively manage stress.
- Get real. Set realistic goals at home and at work. People often become stressed about something not because it is particularly stressful but because their expectations were unrealistic. When expectations are realistic, life feels more predictable and manageable.
- Keep Perspective and Look for the Positive. Reversing negative ideas and learning to focus on positive outcomes helps reduce tension and achieve goals. Identify the worst possible outcomes. Rate the likelihood of these bad outcomes happening. Envision a favorable result. Develop a specific plan to achieve the positive outcome. Try to recall previous situations that initially seemed negative but ended well. See setbacks and problems as temporary and solvable. Believe that you will succeed if you keep working toward your goals. Learn to think of challenges as opportunities and stressors as temporary problems, not disasters.
- Relax. Whether you choose yoga, meditation, deep breathing or massage, relaxation techniques can put your body into a state physiologic events in the stress reaction are reversed: pulse slows, blood pressure falls, breathing slows and muscles relax.
- Have fun. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to take time out to enjoy life - to spend time with people we care about and do things that give us genuine pleasure. Be sure to make time in your life for the things that are important to you. Celebrate birthdays and other holidays. Turn more events into special occasions.
- Laugh. Humour is a wonderful stress reducer. When we laugh, good things happen inside us. Laughter stimulates the brain and causes endorphins to be released, which relax and re-energize us. Laughing also strengthens the immune system and reduces levels of stress hormones.
- Share worries. Ask for help from friends, family or professionals.
- Build strong relationships and keep commitments to family and friends.
- Avoid unnecessary competition.
- Don't try to be perfect. Don't feel like you must do everything.
- If possible, reduce the noise level in your environment.
- Become a less aggressive driver.
- When stressed, ask yourself "Is this really important?" and "Will this really matter a year from now?"
- Be flexible with change - things don't always go as we planned. Don't worry about things you can't control, like the weather.