We live in an age of speed and high demands on humans. Flows of information, digitalization, and rapid changes become sources of stress. What is stress, why does the body need it and when does it become harmful? Let’s find it out.
Stress is an important reaction of the body to environmental factors. In situations of danger, it triggers the so-called turbo mode. This reaction helps us quickly gain energy, which we use to fight or flee.
During stress, a complex set of physiological changes occur. The brain reacts to danger, hormones are released into the bloodstream, breathing and heart rate increase, supplying our muscles with everything they need to work hard. As a result, we feel a rush of energy.
Stress is an intense but short-lived reaction. You can’t stay in turbo mode for long. After a period of activity comes a slump. At such times, we need rest, because during stress we use up our resources. And they need to be restored.
The stronger the stress reaction, the less we can be at the peak of activity and the more careful we should be about the recovery period.
Stress allows us to cope with danger. Therefore, it isn’t just useful, but vital! Stress becomes harmful in two ways.
Caused by a Strong Traumatic Event
It changes a person’s life, and he has to build a new relationship with the world.
Traumatic stress can be associated with the consequences of a disaster, military action, loss of a loved one or loss of property. The event is followed by a long period in which the person learns to live under the new conditions. This process requires a great deal of resources.
Becoming Chronic in Nature
In a situation of chronic stress, we too often turn on an uneconomical mode. As a result, resources become scarce and we feel tired, sick, and lethargic. The good news is that we can influence our condition. And it allows us to cope better with adversity. The key to managing stress is proper resource management.
How to Help Yourself
But if you constantly worry about one thing or another, neither 8 hours of sleep nor a proper diet will help to protect yourself from stress. This means that you need to consider your mental health. To begin with, you need to identify exactly what it is that worries you, that is, to find the cause of stress. Having identified for yourself the source of the problem, look for ways to distract yourself, to switch to pleasant activities, for example, meeting with friends, reading, going to the theater or to a concert.
It also happens that the source of stress is part of your life, and there is no way to change it. But even in such a situation, no one prevents them from changing their attitude to the circumstances. Not redundant would be to analyze their experiences, but to do it as if from the outside. It’s possible that it turns out that the events were not worth such strong emotions. Try to focus on the positive, because when we are upset, life’s situations seem much worse than they really are.
If Nothing Helps
But what to do if you signed up for a fitness program, take the dog for a long walk every night, go to bed no later than 11 pm, choose the right hobbies, like reading or betting at the best sports betting site, and are seriously addicted to knitting, and still can not cope with stress? First, don’t despair and don’t get depressed. If you don’t know how to change the faucet, you call a plumber, right? With stress the same way: you could not resolve the issue on their own – go to a therapist.
Various therapeutic techniques are used to deal with stress, so you will have the opportunity to choose what is right for you:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy – psychological training that allows you to identify negative thoughts, analyze them, change the pattern of behavior, attitude toward a particular situation.
- Art therapy – it allows you to discharge your emotions and sort yourself out.
- Auto-training – teaching methods of controlling breathing and muscle tone, changing inner attitudes.
There are many such techniques, and an experienced specialist is sure to help you choose the most appropriate and effective option.
