Beating Stress
Beating Stress
Defined simply, stress is the body’s reaction to a threat or challenge resulting from a situation (called a stressor) that can be either positive or negative. The body does not differentiate between physiological and psychological stress, and simply prepares you for action by going into a state of alarm. Glands release hormones that trigger a series of events that include an increased heart rate, shallow and more rapid breathing, increased muscle tension, and perspiration. Essentially, the body is preparing itself to either confront the challenge or retreat from it (i.e., fight or flight). Continued uncontrolled exposure to stressors can have chronic and adverse affects on your health, personality, and relationships with others. Controlled exposure to these same stressors, however, will diminish the severity of their effects as your body adapts physiologically to handle the stressors.
What Triggers Stress?
Stressors are categorized as daily triggers, major events, and ongoing events. Examples of each are listed below.
- Misplacing or losing something
- Traffic delays or long waits
- Unexpected failure of equipment (mechanical or otherwise)
- Oversleeping or running late
- Disagreements with spouse, child, friend, or coworker
Major events:
- Marriage or having a baby
- Being laid-off or fired, changing jobs, or relocating
- Death of a friend, family member, or coworker
- Surgery or diagnosis with a serious disease
- Divorce or breaking up
Ongoing events:
- Financial concerns
- Living situation/neighbors
- Chronic illness or disability
- Eating disorders
- Status of relationships
How Do I Recognize Stress?
While some people can clearly identify the stressing agent, many are not consciously aware of the fact that they are under stress. Classic symptoms of stress include the following:
Physical responses:
- Headaches, muscle tension, dry mouth, stomach ache, rapid heart rate, heartburn, colds, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, clammy hands, shaky hands, teeth grinding, skin rash, back pain
Personality responses:
- Irritability, anxiety, apathy, nervousness, depression, hostility, forgetfulness, confusion, short temper, overeating, undereating, overly emotional, excessive smoking/drinking, withdrawal from relationships
How Do I Handle Stress?
While you cannot completely eliminate stress, you are capable of minimizing the magnitude of the stressful reaction upon the body. The first step toward beating stress is to identify the stressor. Often a task as simple as keeping a journal or creating a “to do” list will suffice. List the stressors you can control, along with a resolution plan (coping strategy) for each. By listing these, you may find that you can move some of these into the can-control category. Trying to generate a new way of looking at the situation may open up a new avenue for growth. Try to devise both a primary and secondary coping strategy for each identified stressor to allow yourself a backup plan should your first attempt at resolution fail.
While drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and food may offer temporary relief, they can easily exacerbate the problem. Physical burnout and addiction tend to mask the deeper symptoms of stress. A change in your daily routine or environment can effectively reduce your stress and improve your coping strategies. The following are examples of effective coping strategies.
- Take breaks. Get away from the workplace during your lunch hour. Do not put off taking a vacation.
- Learn how to ask for help. When you delegate, be sure to give up the associated responsibility and authority for that particular task.
- Take a time-management course. It may help you learn how to prioritize better.
- Focus on the outcome of your work, not just the task
- Breathe and relax by implementing thought-stopping techniques and mental imagery, a technique whereby you interrupt the acute cognitive pattern of the stress by clearing your mind and creating images of a positive experience or relaxing environment.
- Get symptom relief, such as a massage, or follow a progressive relaxation technique procedure in a quiet, soothing environment (for example, alternating contractions-relaxations of body parts and progressively expanding from isolated body parts to incorporate the entire body).
- Change your perception of the stressor and approach it from a different angle.
- Exercise:
- Exercise is a diversion that enables you to relax due to a change in environment or routine
- Exercise serves as an outlet to dissipate emotions
- Exercise enhances your self-concept and confidence in dealing with stressful situations
- Exercise produces biochemical changes that alter psychological states (for example, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine may helf offset states of depression)
Fabio Comana, an exercise physiologist, is ACE’s Certification and Exam Development Manager. Prior to joining ACE, he served as a wellness and general manager for Club One Professional Services and as a strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State University. He currently teaches at the University of California, San Diego, and San Diego State University.