Stress Awareness
Jacqueline Raxter, MSW
Special to the Chaldean News
By Jacqueline Raxter, MSW
April is Stress Awareness Month, an ideal time to check in on how we are doing and to set some healthful goals as we ‘spring forward.’
Stress is a term that people often use to describe a feeling of pressure, strain, or tension. People often say that they are “under stress” or feel “stressed out” when they are dealing with challenging situations or events. Everyone encounters stressful situations.
Sometimes stress comes from something positive (such as a new job, new apartment, or new relationship) and sometimes it comes from something negative (such as being bored, having an argument with someone, or being the victim of crime). Stress is the feeling of pressure, strain, or tension that comes from dealing with challenging situations. According to the Stress-Vulnerability Model, stress is an important factor in mental illnesses because it can worsen symptoms and lead to relapses.
Nobody has a stress-free life, and probably nobody would want one. Stress is a natural part of life. In fact, to pursue important personal goals, you must be willing to take on new challenges, which can be stressful. Being able to cope effectively with stressful situations can minimize the effects of stress on you and your symptoms, enabling you to continue pursuing your goals and enjoying life. Coping effectively with stress can help you reduce symptoms and pursue your goals.
Causes of Stress
What makes individuals feel under stress? Different people find different things stressful. For example, some people enjoy the hustle and bustle of a big city, while others don’t and find it stressful. Some people enjoy going to a party and meeting new people, while others find that stressful. Knowing what you personally find stressful will help you cope better.
Two main types of stress exist: life events, and daily hassles. Life events refers to experiences such as moving, getting married, the death of a loved one, or having a baby. Some life events are more stressful than others. For example, getting a divorce is usually more stressful than changing jobs.
Daily hassles are the small stresses of everyday life that can add up over time. Examples of daily hassles include dealing with long bus rides, working with unpleasant or critical people, having conflicts with family members or close friends, living or working in a noisy and chaotic place, and being rushed to do things.
Stress affects people physically and emotionally. It also affects their thinking, mood, and behavior. Some people show only physical signs of stress such as muscular tension, headaches, or sleep problems. Others have trouble concentrating or become irritable, anxious, or depressed. Still others may pace or bite their nails. Each person’s response to stress is individual. Being aware of your signs of stress can be helpful because once you realize that you’re under stress, you can start to do something about keeping stress at bay.
Consider identifying the life events you may have experienced over the past year, such as a hospitalization, financial problems, injury, illness, or loss of a job. One event can result in moderate stress, 2-3 life events can move you into high stress, and 3 or more is considered a very high stress state.
Similarly, identify the daily hassles you face during a given week, such as a crowed living situation, arguments at work or home, doing business with unpleasant people, not enough money for necessities, feeling rushed at work, a minor medical problem, lack of order or cleanliness at home as examples to note how these daily hassles add to your stress level.
What exactly is going on when stress leads to feeling overwhelmed? When your body detects stress, the hypothalamus reacts by stimulating the production of adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, and temporarily increase energy to help you “fight” or “take flight.” When your body recognizes it is no longer in danger, your hormone levels fall, and your heart rate and blood pressure return to normal. The effects of chronic and acute high stress levels can be debilitating to your overall best health.
Stress Prevention
Prevention can pay off big. By eliminating stressors, you are free to enjoy yourself more and to accomplish more goals. Most people find it helpful to be familiar with a variety of prevention strategies including being aware of situations that have caused prior stress. If you find a situation stressful once, it will probably cause problems again.
Knowing that a situation has been stressful will allow you to think of different ways to handle it to minimize stress. For example, if you notice that you become irritable whenever you catch the bus at rush hour, try taking it at a less busy time or practice deep breathing exercises on a crowded bus.
If large holiday gatherings with your extended family make you feel tense, try taking short breaks away from the larger group or try getting together with family members in smaller groups at times other than holidays.
Consider scheduling time for relaxation. It’s important to take time to relax each day to refresh your mind and body from tension. Some people find exercise relaxing, while others enjoy reading, doing a puzzle, or participating in some other activity to achieve life balance. Being active and involved is important to keeping stress low; however, too much activity can lead to stress. It’s important to leave time for sleep and for restful, relaxing activities such as reading or taking a walk.
Develop a support system. Seek people who encourage and support you rather than those who are critical and pressuring. It helps to build relationships with people with whom you feel comfortable. Common support systems include friends, family members, peers, professionals, and members of your religious or spiritual group.
Take care of your health. Eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and avoiding alcohol and drugs all help prevent stress. These healthy habits are not always easy to maintain, but they really pay off.
Talk about your feelings or write them in a journal. Holding in your feelings can be very stressful. It helps to have an outlet for your feelings so that you don’t keep them bottled up. When writing in a journal, don’t concern yourself with grammar or spelling, just write down what comes to mind sorting things through. These may be positive feelings—like being excited about a new job—or negative feelings—such as being angry at how someone else has behaved. Having someone to talk to such as a family member, friend, or professional can help.
More Ways to Cope
Be kind to yourself. Some people increase their stress by being critical of themselves and what they are accomplishing. Try to be reasonable about what you expect from yourself. Give yourself credit for your talents and strengths.
Maintain your sense of humor. For some, laughter is the best medicine. Have some funny videos at home and pull one out for a good laugh. Participate in a religious or spiritual activity. Sometimes instead of going to services, maybe take a walk in the park and see how beautiful nature can be.
Others find it helpful to “work off” stress by getting some exercise, going for a run and or doing some jumping jacks to calm down. Make or listen to music. Put on headphones and blow away the stress of the day. Create art or go to see art, play games, or develop a hobby. Even solitaire can be relaxing.
Remember, stress is normal. It is the feeling of pressure, strain, or tension that comes from responding to challenging situations. Positive energy refers to an attitude that is encouraging, productive and beneficial. Cultivating a positive affect allows one to have greater reliance toward stress. Using the techniques laid out in this article, you can develop an individual plan for coping with stress that helps you to live your best life, in your best health.