Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you afraid or upset your mental balance. Whether the event is real or imagined. This physical response actually puts you in a state of FIGHT OR FLIGHT, that is, it gives you the strength to fight or flee (flight). In fact, the stress response gives you the power to protect yourself, of course, provided that it functions appropriately and causes your mind to focus well in critical situations, increase alertness and make your body and muscles work with more energy. But beyond high levels, stress prevents you from being useful and causes significant damage to your health, mood, social relationships and quality of life.
How do you respond to stress?
It is very important to know when your stress is out of control. The most dangerous thing about stress is how easily and insidiously it takes hold of you and you get used to it, so much so that you start to think of it as a normal event and you don’t realize how much it has affected you. The signs and symptoms of stress may be nothing but the way it affects your mind, your body and in short, each person experiences stress in their own way. Some people feel angry after stress; they feel hot and very emotional. Some people feel suffocated after stress, they feel empty and completely devoid of energy and some people look like paralyzed people, but under this frozen mask they are extremely restless and agitated.
Warning signs of stress:
1- Cognitive symptoms: memory impairment, inability to concentrate, poor judgment, negativity, agitated thoughts, constant anxiety
2- Emotional symptoms: mood swings, irritability and decreased patience, restlessness and inability to relax, feelings of intolerance, feelings of loneliness, lethargy, depression or unhappiness.
3- Physical symptoms: feeling pain, diarrhea and constipation, nausea and dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, lack of sexual desire, feeling cold
4- Behavioral symptoms: overeating or loss of appetite, oversleeping or insomnia, marked isolation from those around them, postponing or ignoring responsibilities, using alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs to achieve relaxation, nervous habits such as nail biting, fast walking
Factors that affect your tolerance for stress:
1- Support network around you: People who have a warmer and more supportive family endure life’s stresses more easily.
2- Level of self-confidence: The higher your level of self-confidence, the greater your ability to manage the events around you and the greater your tolerance.
3- Your mindset and attitude in life: Stress-resistant people are optimistic people who are willing to embrace challenges, accept that change is a part of life, and believe in a higher power.
4- Your ability to deal with emotions: You will be very vulnerable to stress if you do not know how to deal with your emotions and control yourself when you are sad, nervous, or scared.
5- Your knowledge and level of preparation: The better you understand the situation you are in, the more reasonable you will be able to tolerate it. For example, if you know how much pain you will experience and how long your recovery will take after surgery, your tolerance for the post-surgery stages will be greater.
Do I control my stress or does stress control me?
1- When I am restless, do I know how to calm myself?
A2- Or can I get over my anger quickly?
3- Can I get help from my colleagues to calm down and feel better?
4- When I return home at night, will I be able to enter the house relaxed and fully alert?
5- Do I rarely get distracted and moody?
6- Can I recognize the discomforts that others are experiencing?
7- Can I easily turn to friends and family to comfort me?
8- When my energy and strength decrease, do I know how to regain my strength?
Causes of stress:
In general, any situation that places a great demand or responsibility on you or forces you to adapt to certain circumstances can cause you stress, and these events can include getting married, buying a house, going to college, getting a promotion, etc. What causes stress depends at least in part on how you look at it. Sometimes a stressful issue may be important to you but not important to someone else. For example, your morning commute and plans can be very stressful for you because you are afraid of getting stuck in traffic and being late, while the same steps may be very enjoyable for someone else, such as listening to music on the way, because they devote more time to these steps.
Some external stressful events include :
Big changes and upheavals in life, work, family relationship problems, financial problems, busyness and overwork, children
Some internal stressful events include:
1- Inability to accept hesitations
2- Pessimism
3- Negative thoughts
4- Impossible expectations
5- Perfectionism
6- Lack of courage and bravery
