Stress is our body’s way to respond to a demand or threat. Factors that cause stress are called stressors. Stressors can be real or imagined. A stressor that causes stress in one person may not affect the other person. It mostly depends on the person’s perception of it.
Two type of stressors
Broadly speaking, there are two type of stressors , external and internal.
External stressors
These are related to work and family, such as making preparation for a meeting, visiting a doctor, help kids with their homework, problems in a relationship, major life changes, for example, buying a home or getting married, or pregnancy, or financial problems. These stressors are not necessarily negative. They just put high demands on the person, and the person is relieved when these issues are resolved.
Internal stressors
They arise because of factors like negative self-talk, pessimism, perfectionism, inflexibility, and these stressors are related to the person’s way of perceiving or thinking about the world. Internal stressors are more difficult to cope with than external stressors; you have to reframe your thoughts about these stressors. For example, an artist who is perfectionist is in stress because he wants to present to the world his perfect piece of art. He is not satisfied with what he creates and is in constant state of stress. It also affects him financially because he will not sell his art, thinking that it is bad. Therefore, he needs to change his thinking. He should realize that it is alright for a human not to be perfect.
How to manage stress effectively?
In my opinion, there can be few ways to manage stress.
Analyze the situation and eliminate unnecessary stressors
Most of the stressors are unnecessary and you can easily eliminate them. When I find myself to be surrounded by stressors, I write them down, and then I see that several of those stressors were not even important to address. For example, last week, I realized that I had lot of letters that I have to read and respond. I did not even open the envelope, and the letters just piled up, which made a psychological effect on me to think that I have to answer all these letters; however, when I started responding, I found that several of these letters were not even important; these were some advertisements, or some general letters that are being sent to everyone about an event or festival.
Take no more than you can handle
Don’t take on too much. You should know a difference between what you SHOULD do and what you MUST do. You should always be able to refuse to do if you don’t feel like doing it, or if you don’t have the energy or interest to do it (especially, if it is not job-related).
Avoid toxic people
Toxic people are very demanding. They want you to do things for them. They take advantage of you and are never grateful. Avoid, or better, remove such people from your life.
Find the alternative
If one situation is stressful for you, find an alternative solution. For example, if you find cooking stressful on some day, go to the restaurant or invite your friend and cook together.
Express
Talk about what is making you stressed because it is a great way to relieve your stress. If you are not comfortable doing something, refuse boldly to do it; just say NO.
Fun time
Have a fun time with family is important. Things which are making you stressed before going on vacations will not be stressors after you are back. You become stressed easily when you work and only work, and do not find time for yourself.
Change your perspective
If being in traffic is stressful for you try to look at it from positive perspective, such as think about it as an opportunity to sight viewing.
Be thankful
Appreciate all the blessings that you have in your life. Realize that you have a healthy body, loving spouse and beautiful home, and you live in a peaceful country. This is what I do when I am stressed.
Smile
Research has shown that when you smile, your brain releases endorphins and serotonin. Endorphins are hormones that relieve pain, and serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is being administered to patients with depression in order to lessen their depressed feelings/ symptoms. It's an anti-depressant. These two biochemical substances play a great role to make you feel better, when you smile!
Thanks for reading :)
I would love to hear your feedback about this post, and to know what strategies do you adopt to fight stress.
With love,
Darlene