Why stress happens and how to manage it ?

By: Asma Shums,
Stress is a natural feeling of not being able to cope with specific demands and events. However, stress can become a chronic condition if a person does not take steps to manage it.
These demands can come from work, relationships, financial pressures, and other situations, but anything that poses a real or perceived challenge or threat to a person’s well-being can cause stress.
Stress can be a motivator, and it can even be essential to survival. The body’s fight-or-flight mechanism tells a person when and how to respond to danger. However, when the body becomes triggered too easily, or there are too many stressors at one time, it can undermine a person’s mental and physical health and become harmful.
Stress is the body’s natural defense against predators and danger. It causes the body to flood with hormones that prepare its systems to evade or confront danger. People commonly refer to this as the fight-or-flight mechanism.
When humans face a challenge or threat, they have a partly physical response. The body activates resources that help people either stay and confront the challenge or get to safety as fast as possible.
The body produces larger quantities of the chemicals cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
These trigger the following physical reactions:
increased blood pressure
heightened muscle preparedness
sweatingalertness
These factors all improve a person’s ability to respond to a potentially hazardous or challenging situation. Norepinephrine and epinephrine also cause a faster heart rate.
Environmental factors that trigger this reaction are called stressors. Examples include noises, aggressive behavior, speeding car, scary moments in movies, or even going out on a first date. Feelings of stress tend to increase in tandem with the number of stressors.
Treatment
Treatment includes self-help and when an underlying condition is causing stress, certain medications.
Therapies that may help a person relax include aromatherapy and reflexology.
Some insurance providers cover this type of treatment. However, it is important for people to check coverage with their provider before pursuing this treatment. Knowing the details about a potential treatment can help prevent it from adding to any ongoing stress.
Developing coping strategies before stress becomes chronic or severe can help an individual manage new situations and maintain their physical and mental health.
People who are already experiencing overwhelming stress should seek medical assistance.
People may find that the following lifestyle measures can help them manage or prevent stress-induced feelings of being overwhelmed.
Exercise: A study of animal studies found that exercise can reduce memory impairment in subjects with stress, although studies on humans are necessary to confirm this.
Reducing the intake of alcohol, drugs, and caffeine: These substances will not help prevent stress, and they can make it worse.
Nutrition: A healthful, balanced diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables can help maintain the immune system at times of stress. A poor diet can lead to ill health and additional stress.
Priority management: It may help to spend a little time organizing a daily to-do list and focusing on urgent or time-sensitive tasks. People can then focus on what they have completed or accomplished for the day, rather than on the tasks they have yet to complete.
Time: People should set aside some time to organize their schedules, relax, and pursue their own interests.
Breathing and relaxation: Meditation, massage, and yoga can help. Breathing and relaxation techniques can slow down the heart rate and promote relaxation. Deep breathing is also a central part of mindfulness meditation.
Talking: Sharing feelings and concerns with family, friends, and work colleagues may help a person “let off steam” and reduce feelings of isolation. Other people may be able to suggest unexpected, workable solutions to the stressor.
Acknowledging the signs: A person can be so anxious about the problem causing the stress that they do not notice the effects on their body. It is important to be mindful of any changes.
Noticing signs and symptoms is the first step to taking action. People who experience work stress due to long hours may need to “take a step back.” It may be time for them to review their working practices or talk to a supervisor about finding ways to reduce the load.
Most people have an activity that helps them relax, such as reading a book, going for a walk, listening to music, or spending time with a friend, loved one, or pet. Joining a choir or a gym also helps some people relax.
Stress management techniques
Stress management can help by:
removing or changing the source of stress
altering how a person views a stressful event
lowering the effects that stress might have on the body
learning alternative ways of coping
Stress management therapy pursues one or more of these approaches.
People can develop their stress management techniques by using self-help books or online resources. Alternatively, they can attend a stress management course.
A counselor or psychotherapist can connect an individual who has stress with personal development courses or individual and group therapy sessions.
Email: asmashums@gmail.com