Does your partner think that you are having a problem with stress management? Are you constantly being asked about your mental health status? Is this worrying you? Do you know how to manage and overcome stress?
If your stress levels are being commented on, friends and families might see you as a tense and stressed individual. Of course, this might be your personality or personal style. You might think that other people are far too relaxed, even sloppy in their attitudes. Whereas you are well-organized, responsible, efficient, and let’s face it – uptight!
Milton Friedman, a cardiologist, saw many patients who had cardiac disease who were extremely distressed and burnt out. He characterized these as having Type A personalities, that is, these people were driven, tense and uptight. It is possible to measure your personality if you are interested in so doing.
We are stressed when a range of activities (stressors) in our daily lives present us with challenges, alternatives, decisions, complex or unpleasant events or interactions. From a technical point of view, a stressor is something that speeds up our reaction or response levels. Our body has been conditioned to fight or flee. Our physiological response is to pump adrenaline or cortisol into our system to prepare us for the challenges.
What stressors cause you the most problem? A typical list includes complex and high paced lifestyle, boredom, financial difficulties, and relationship problems. Perhaps there are health problems in your family that worry you. Perhasps your relationship is breaking down?
The reality is that all of us experience stress from time to time. There is positive stress, that is, a chemical, physical and/or psychological or emotional tension that produces an urge to create, perform, complete tasks, react and respond. On the other hand, there is distress, a level of discomfort that interferes with our emotional well-being and mental health. This form of stress can either be acute, that is, episodic and short-lived, or chronic (lasts for a long time).
When stress is positive (this is called eustress) we are motivated and/or compelled to act. When we respond to a horror movie, when we are excited into action by new productivity or sales targets at work, when we think about a particularly exciting date, when we compete in a track or field event, and even when we get ready for a picnic we are experiencing positive stress. Our body is getting pumped up and is responding psychologically, emotionally and physically to this new event so that we can perform at a high level. All of this is good; positive stress builds up our energy levels and our readiness to perform at a higher level and to respond to the stimulus event.
When we have too much negative stress, we can act quite differently. We might become short tempered, angry, irritable and confrontational. Our skin might get blotchy. Our heart rate might go up to very high levels. These are all signs of being burnt out or stressed.
It is essential that we all know how to manage and overcome stress. It is rare that people tell us how to do this so we have to find good information to help us control the stress and tension in our life. We also need to know strategies that have been proven to be effective in stress reduction and stress management.
