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Although there are various ways to manage stress, the role the mind plays in many of these methods is very important. Relaxation involving visualization is one such important stress management technique. Because relaxation is the opposite of experiencing stress, we should all try to find which environment or conditions are the most relaxing for us. Whereas for some people the beach and surrounding activities are relaxing, for others it may be forest or trees with emerging birds and other animals, and for others it may be an enchanting sunset or sundown. The mind-driven visualizations that go with these peaceful and relaxing environments are so personal and unique to each and everyone of us that we should each spend some time exploring and locating the relaxing scene that is just right for us. When we find such a scenic environment, we have begun that never-ending journey of inner peace and serenity that will bring us relaxation, peace, increase productivity and improvements in our health. [Taken in part from the revised up-coming book by Dr. Livingston entitled, "Escaping The Stress Trap - Taking Control of Your Life."]
Overview of Stress
But What Is Really Stress?
Although all individuals are uniquely different in terms of how they perceive and cope with stressors, on a physiological basis, once our bodies are stimulated, the bodily effects are basically the same across all individuals. Three stages are likely to occur: The Alarm Stage, The Resistance Stage, and The Exhaustion Stage. The Alarm Stage - The body Reacts to Protect Itself: By affecting our thinking and our feelings, stressors stimulate both our body's nervous system and its endocrine (hormone system. Basically, these protective mechanisms allow our body to react quickly to any demands or threatening situation - whether they be real or imagined.
The following factors occur as our bodies respond to meet the perceived threat
of STRESSORS: mental faculties quicken; eyesight and hearing sharpen; heart
rate, blood pressure and adrenalin output increase; while blood flow to less
essential organs e.g., our stomach, for emergencies decreases. This overall
response is called the fight or flight reaction. The Exhaustion Stage - The body Breaks Down: Life at this level can only continue ONLY as long as extra defenses brought in by activation of the entire system can last. If the stressor is not eliminated or removed, your bodily defenses are exhausted or broken down and disease, sickness and even death become realities. The exhaustion stage becomes more of a reality when the body's adaptive resources are depleted by the constant and consistent demands of long-term stress or, for that matter, frequently occurring short-term stress. In either case, higher levels of prolonged and uninterrupted stress allows for the body's system to be constantly "hyped" up. Depending on the frequency, intensity and duration of stress we are likely to experience several health-related dysfunctional outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to the following: Recognizing Your Stress Symptoms or Reactions Crying for no known reason Laughing in a high and nervous manner Frequent stuttering and other speech difficulties Losing you appetite Overeating, especially at odd hours in the night or morning Increasing smoking Increasing drinking alcohol Increasing doing drugs and other substance abuse Grinding your teeth Becoming increasing accident prone Increasing procrastination Increasing inability to manage time effectively Increasing inability to manage time efficiently Cursing Inability falling asleep Fear of failure Fear of success Low self-esteem Forgetfulness Inability concentrating Easily embarrassed Negative self-thoughts Increasingly worrying about the future Increasingly thinking that the future is "doomed" Preoccupation with negative tasks and actions Being irritable Being uptight Being anxious Being moody Being unpredictable Being overly aggressive Physiological Symptoms (i.e., how your body reacts) Headaches Given that stress is a response of your body, and simply not something that just happens to you, it means that you can do something about stress. You are certainly not a helpless victim of circumstances simply waiting for something to happen. No matter what or how big the stressors in your life, you can learn to respond in a less destructive and more positive manner. In short, you learn to be in control.
Change Understanding Stress: Stressors As mentioned before, stressors are basically life events and situations that cause you stress. Therefore, a stressor is a stimulus and stress is a response. Or, the stressor is the cause and the stress the effect. For most people, for example, workers, college students, etc., they are represented by any demand to change, adapt, or cope. There may be just about as many ways to classify stressors as there are stressors themselves. However, what follows are some of the more frequent categories under which stressors fall and, as such, they can be more meaningfully interpreted and understood. Physical Stressors Any change in the physical environment (internal or external that requires physical adaptation and therefore calls the bodily mechanisms of stress into play. Toxins Tumors Any sudden, unexpected and/or high magnitude stimulus. We experience them frequently, and since we cannot avoid them, all we have to do is condition our nervous reactivity so they produce only minimal disruption within our bodies. Sudden bright flashes of light Feeling a sharp pain Cognitive Stressors Most of the stressors that affect ego maintenance; bodily system are in the cognitive intra personal domain. These are events that require our interpretation to trigger a stress response, conflict, etc. Given the frequency of these stressors, they are the ones most likely to be experienced by college students. Distrust of others (e.g., supervisor at work) Feelings of inadequacy Fear of failure Feelings of impending doom Life's General Hassles Bad weather Pollution Time pressure Crime Physical Problems Stressors that fall under this category are conditions or experiences that are tangible and can and do have an impact on our physical bodies. Weight problem Infections - Pollution Poor health Disease Surgical Problems Family Life Drug dependency Family quarrels Lack of a family Step-parent problems Home sickness Nutrition Exercise habits Personal Life Conditions that usually fall under this category have to do mainly with the individual alone and how he/she views, structures and chooses to live life. feeling a loss of control Feeling unattractive Being too submissive or aggressive Lack of adequate time Financial obligations Social Life Difficulty saying No Unsuitable living quarters No close friends No one to trust Feeling unpopular Fear of failure or fear of success Stress management is a learning process that involves acquiring answers to some very important questions. For example, to successfully manage stress we have to first learn the answers to the following questions: a) What is stress? b) Where does stress come from? and c) What causes stress in our lives? Additionally, we have to learn how to discover if we actually are stressed and, if so, what effect, if any, stress is having on us. This latter issue is very important given our individual tolerance levels for stress, as well as the various types of stresses (e.g., good versus bad, chronic versus acute/episodic) that we are likely to experience. Controlling or managing stress for many people, however, is easier said than done. Because of the overwhelming nature of our daily activities, and the fast pace at which these activities are carried out, many people are unaware as to which of their daily activities (i.e., real or anticipated) are potentially stressful for them. Further, many people are unaware of when and how their bodies react to stress, hence they are not proactive, but more reactive, in attempting to control stress. That is, in the former, they are not working to prevent or reduce the occurrence of stress; instead, as in the case of the latter, they simply respond to stress as best they can whenever it occurs. Managing stress includes being able to cope more effectively with various stressors (some of which are listed above). Mastery of stress rather than being a victim of stress must be the most important objective. Improvements in stress management skills should follow Dr. Livingston's basic I.R.M. Approach:
2. Recognizing Your Stress Signals 3. Managing Stress Using Selected
Strategies Adopt good time management Know Your Body Clock Discover Your Optimum Level for Stress Learn To Say No Set Realistic Goals Accept What You Can Change Think "Could," Not "Should" Change Your Pace When Things Overwhelm You - Get Away From It All Talk It Out When Something Is Bothering You Get Rid of Anger Safely Eat Properly Exercise Regularly Learn To Relax Learn to play Be a positive person Learn to tolerate and forgive Learn to talk out your troubles with a trusted friend Change your thinking Change the way you perceive the situation Change the situation Create a culture that supports both kinds of change Recognize and your limits Become more empowered Use diversions (e.g., watching TV, reading) whenever appropriate Draw on past experiences Use problem-solving techniques Accept situations beyond your control If at work, talk problems over with close co-workers
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Stress affects everyone, yet many
people lack a basic understanding of it and, therefore, are unable to control
and/or manage it effectively. Stress comes at us from all sides and affects us
in different ways. In order to survive, however, we have to learn to deal with
stress, eliminating it where possible and desirable; in other cases, coping with
it (e.g., by taking vacations) as best we can and even, on occasion, using it in
a positive way. Virtually everything in life is potentially stressful to
someone. However, whether you allow a situation to affect you adversely depends
largely on your personal appraisal of it. Apart from the major unavoidable life
crises that face us all sometime or another, such as death of a loved one,
financial struggles, work conflict and marital troubles, other potential sources
of stress are dictated by our particular lifestyles. But, whatever the source of
stress, we should try to be in control of it and not let it be in control of us.
The nature of our
present-day society plays an important role in the kinds of stresses we
experience and how successful we are in managing stress. Many believe that the
fast pace at which our modern-day society runs inhibits many people from
"slowing" down, i.e., doing their daily activities at a slower pace.
Some have even gone so far as labeling our modern-day society as a society of
"rushers," for example, we rush to eat, work, play and, yes, even to
sleep. Therefore, because of our fast-paced lifestyle, very few people take the
necessary time to appreciate the natural beauty of things around them. Likewise,
few people take well-earned vacations that, in many cases, would allow them to
relax and, therefore, help them to manage their stress.
