Stress Anxiety & Panic
Stress Management
There are many definitions of stress. Many consider stress to be those factors in everyday life which negatively impact on our adjustment and coping. Others however, consider stress as a challenge to perform or succeed as a positive influence which may improve performance and productivity. It is clear that individual responses to stress are highly variable.
Common symptoms of stress include:
Physical symptoms- Sweating, nervousness
- Inability to sleep
- Poor appetite and weight loss
- Headaches
- Tension, being on-edge
- Inattention and poor concentration
- Irritability and moodiness
- Feeling overwhelmed and with no way out
- Feeling worthless and unable to cope
Because stress is different for each of us, it is important not to apply a blanket treatment approach for everyone in the hope that it will work. Our counsellors realise how important it is to assess stress on an individual basis and understand what associated problems may be contributing to the stress. This is the first step in effectively dealing with stress.
Our counsellors can then utilise a range of effective approaches to deal with stress experienced by the individual. These include, education and recognition of the problem, physiologic techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, addressing lifestyle problems which may be exacerbating the problem such as substance abuse or insomnia, and problem-solving approaches which can often rapidly help restore a sense of some control over a seemingly insurmountable problem.
When we compare the image of ourselves to the reality of ourselves, opposing forces are created, and our mind tries to match the created image with the current situation.
Stress can be made worse by other peoples expectations, and being human we always care what others think of us, even though we tell ourselves that we do not. We try to change ourselves so that we can be accepted by other people, regardless of whether they care or not.
Negative thoughts about our self image also add to the stress. We remember everything that we have done in life, but more so the negative ones. We re-live those negative moments over and over again in our minds, lowering our self esteem
The first thing we have to learn is that what has happened in the past cannot be changed, or erased. All we can do is take the lesson we learnt, and learn not to do it again. What happens in the past is exactly that, passed, and we must learn to live for now.
Stress is the wear and tear experienced as individuals adapt to a continually changing environment. Stress can be both positive and negative; as a positive influence, stress forces people into action and can boost energy and production, however as a negative influence, stress can lead to adverse physical symptoms and be detrimental to good health. Stress is caused by the body's innate reaction to defend itself, thus in an emergency stress will force us to exert maximum effort to protect ourselves. However when negative stress occurs, it's as if the body is prepared to face an emergency but no emergency happens; all the extra energy has nowhere to go, and the body is working overtime which leads to feelings of anxietyand worry. Negative stress can also lead to feelings of anger, depression, distrust and rejection, which may ultimately lead to headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure and an upset stomach.
Stressors at both work and in personal lives may lead to stress, and each individual will cope differently with these levels of stress. What is extremely stressful to one individual may be thrilling to another. Different occupations will also have higher stress levels than others, and stress is recognised to be one of the main causes of sick absence from work. Problems occur when individuals perceive themselves as unable to cope with the level of stress they face, and feel they are not capable to combat their stress. Research has shown that about half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress that they believe is making them ill. Changes in personal lives, such as the death of a loved one, a job promotion, a new relationship or the birth of a child will also cause stress as adjustments in our lives are needed to be able to cope. In these cases, stress may either hinder or help changes depending on how the individual reacts.
Thus the aim should never be to eliminate stress, but to learn how to manage it and how it can be used to help us. Stress can cause problems or make problems worse if ways of coping with it are not found.
