Stress

Stress: how to manage your condition

Stress is an integral part of our lives. They help us mobilize our resources and cope with difficult situations. However, too much prolonged and intense stress can lead to serious physical and mental problems. In this article we will look at how to manage your condition in stressful situations.

The famous Austrian psychoanalyst Hans Selye first formulated the concept of stress as “a nonspecific response of the body to any demand placed on it.” Stress is an important part of our daily lives, but too much chronic stress can lead to serious problems.

Selye identified three phases of the “general adaptation syndrome”: the alarm reaction, the resistance phase and the exhaustion phase. The anxiety response occurs when the body prepares to face a new situation. During this phase, you may feel restless, anxious and tense. The resistance phase occurs when the body uses its resources to overcome a stressful situation. In this phase, you feel that you can handle the situation. However, if stress continues for too long, a phase of exhaustion occurs when the body's reserves are catastrophically reduced. In case of prolonged stress, exhaustion leads to a nervous breakdown and sometimes to serious physiological disorders.

There is also so-called professional stress. It occurs in people working under conditions of increased stress and responsibility. In addition, people can be divided into three categories based on the way they respond to stress: “rabbit stress,” “lion stress,” and “ox stress.” The first category includes those who react passively to stress. At the same time, a person is only able to activate his few forces for a short time. Another option is when a person reacts to stress violently and energetically, like a lion. Finally, the third type of people can work for a long time at the limit of their capabilities, like an ox capable of working with a heavy load for a long time. In each specific case, it is necessary to analyze the situation and choose the most appropriate strategy for responding to stress.

How to manage your condition in stressful situations? First you need to imagine the situation that awaits you in as much detail as possible. Think about what depends on you, which external circumstances you can influence and which you cannot. If necessary, adjust your goals and develop an action strategy.

It is important to remember that a person’s stressful state can be decomposed into the following time periods: first, “pre-launch fever” occurs, during which we think about the upcoming event, for example, an exam or an explanation with the boss. Then comes the stress itself. Next comes a state called “post-stress.” Psychologists offer various methods of dealing with stress at each of the listed stages.

At the “pre-launch fever” stage, it is important to imagine the situation in which you will find yourself in as much detail as possible and anticipate all possible scenarios. During the stress stage, it is important to remain calm and not let your emotions take over. To do this, you can use breathing exercises, meditation, yoga or other relaxation techniques.

At the “post-stress” stage, it is important to give the body time to recover. To do this, you need to rest, sleep enough time, exercise and eat right.

In conclusion, stress is necessary so that we can mobilize our resources and cope with difficult situations. However, too much and too much stress can lead to serious problems. Therefore, it is important to be able to manage your condition in stressful situations and apply various relaxation techniques to recover from stress.