What is stress?
A dynamic condition in
which an individual is confronted with an opportunity,
constraint (forces that prevent individuals from doing
what they desire), or demands (the loss of something
desired) related to what he or she desires and for which
the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important.
Stress is a fact of life.
But too much stress can break down a person's physical,
mental, and emotional health. Planning can help people
to manage stress in their lives. They must begin to
make choices that support their values and develop a
personal plan to take charge of their lives.
Reasons behind stress:
- Environment
- Here your environment may be a source of unpleasant
or distracting stimuli.
- Chemical and Nutrition
- Here the food you eat may contribute to the
stresses you experience.
- Lifestyle & Job
- The family related grievances in your life and
the environment in which you work may not be suitable
to you and you might experience as being stressful.
- Fatigue & Overwork
- The under-performance causes feelings of frustration
and failure, which causes more stress, which causes
more hurry and less success, and so on.
Types of stress
Many people don't realize
it, but stress is a very natural and important part
of life.We need stress (eustress), but not too much
stress for too long (distress). Our body is designed
to react to both types of stress. Eustress helps
keep us alert, motivates us to face challenges, and
drives us to solve problems. These low levels of stress
are manageable and can be thought of as necessary and
normal stimulation. Distress, on the other hand,
results when our bodies over-react to events. It leads
to what has been called a "fight or flight"
reaction. It is how we perceive and interpret the events
of life that dictates how our bodies react. If we think
something is very scary or worrisome, our bodies react
accordingly.
What we all need is to
learn approach matters in more realistic and reasonable
ways. Strong reactions are better reserved for serious
situations. Manageable reactions are better for the
everyday issues that we all have to face. It is easy
to feel angry, fearful or hopeless when we judge the
events in our lives to be stressful. Interpreting the
same situation in a different light can reduce the stress
produced by a negative interpretation. For example,
we can reinterpret a stressful situation as:
1.) A growth promoting event which will give us experience
and understanding even though it may be difficult to
deal with,
2.) A challenge where we will have a chance to experiment
with our abilities and compete against the odds,
3.) A natural and normal part of our mortal life in
which we need to endure.
We always have the choice
of how we are going to interpret a situation. Any sacrifice
can be interpreted as an imposition on our time or as
a chance for us to build our character and spirituality.
How we interpret the stress in our environment directly
affects our feelings, and in turn, influences our behavior.
Negative interpretations usually produce stressful feelings
and lead to avoidance or resistive behavior. Positive
interpretations can produce satisfying feelings and
lead to productive and growth promoting behavior.
