Stress and How to Deal with It.
Do you know what stress is? What is the impact on one’s body? How can we deal with it? Let’s discuss it briefly.
What is stress?
Stress is a response of our body whenever we perceived a stimulus as challenging or threatening.
The stressor is an external stimulus or event, which a person perceives as threatening.
This definition reflects three aspects to stress. First, we all encounter the stressors. Second our bodily reaction to that stressor. Third, now this is the main thing as it depends on oneself, whether they perceive a situation as challenging or threatening.
Example:
I want to share my own experience with example. When I was in inter, there was a science quiz (stressor) at one day. I was an encounter with that stressor which was a great challenge for me to deal with because I was not adequately prepared for the quiz. Bodily changes when I was felt at that time were shivering, sweating, thirsting, and panic. Now it was a hard time for me whether I quit the situation or dealt with it. But at that time, I perceived my stressor as challenging and done with it.
Four types of stressor are there according to psychological research:
- Major life events (marriage, divorce, death of loved ones, etc.)
- Catastrophes(natural disasters, wars, etc.)
- Daily hassles (everyday frustration that one’s face like traffic etc.)
- Conflict (situation in which a person has to choose between two needs, desires.)
How stress impact on a body?
During any stress condition, our body releases a hormone named corticosteroids and endorphins. Both these hormones reduce the activity of our immune system (ability to cope with any illness). Which ensures our ability to survive and deal with the immediate danger.
Gender differences and the stress response:
A higher level of corticosteroids in males, combined with the male’s evolutionary role as protector, the aggressor may motivate them to be more likely to confront a threat under stress situation.
While females are more likely to support, care for offspring, seek, social support may be better characterized as ‘tend and befriend’ in any threatening situation.
How to cope up with stress:
- Using the defense mechanism, it’s a coping strategy unconsciously to reduce our anxiety and maintain a positive self-image.
- Exercises is an effective strategy for reducing physical stress, it can also reduce negative emotions like depression, and it can bring positivity in one’s life.
- Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique in which a person learns how to systematically stretch and relax their muscle group of the body, which in turn helps to reduce the anxiety level.
- More and more water intake kills the toxins of our body helpful for the freshness of our mind and body.
- Develop social support and connection with positive people, and this brings a person to fully discuss their problems, also help to find the solution to a problem.
- Imagine a peaceful place in your mind whenever you’re stressed, imagine a calm and peaceful environment to achieve a state of relaxation.
- Prayer, faith, religious spirituality brings a state of wellbeing and promotes physical health in some people.
- Laughing therapy may buffer stress level by decreasing the rate of blood pressure, increase deep breathing, boost our immune system and brings a state of energy.
- Meditation is a form of yoga, Zen, mindfulness which reduces tension and anxiety caused by stress. Studies found that it can improve mood, lessen tiredness and boost the immune system.
- Be optimistic as you can. Expecting good things to happen greatly influences our health. Optimists report lower stress levels and have a much positive attitude towards any alarming situation which brings them to wisely deal with any challenging situation.
- Manage your time wisely. As we know, we experience more stress when we have nothing to do. Feelings of time pressure can negatively affect our health. So to get rid of these feelings of negativity, you have to organize your time. And the key to effective time management is to treat each responsibility, including your work, study, or play or can be any serious commitment.
