Seems that eveyone I have talked with lately is feeling totally overwhelmed. They call it stress. Some of it is just the normal stuff we all expect, but don’t necessarily like — kid with a runny nose, another vet bill for the dog, taxes going up, no raise again this year… Yet other stressors seem almost senseless – riduculous, even. And these folks do really try to take steps to minimize the impact of the stressors they exprerience, or at least modify the way they handle them. But alas, they report, it seems to be relentless at the moment… We conclude that perhaps the world is not very friendly right now…
Stress is defined as any change that you must adapt to in our ever changing world. In particular, stress is any demand (force, pressure, and strain) placed on the body and the body’s reaction to it. Stress is experienced by everyone who is living, working, and breathing at this very moment. (That includes you and me!) It is a fact of life you cannot avoid. Stress, itself, ranges in intensity from the negative extreme of being in physical danger to the joy of completing a desired goal. All stress is not bad. However, it is important to identify how you respond to stressful events. This will determine the impact that these experiences have on your life.
Assess your current stressors and explore ways that you respond to them.
- Generate a list of current events that produce stress in your life.
(i.e., moved to new location, work or school demands, balancing priorities, job loss or promotion, political turmoil) - Brainstorm how you cope with stressful experiences. Assess if you have a healthy or unhealthy coping style.
For example:
Healthy Coping Styles v/s Unhealthy Coping Styles
– exercise v/s alcohol or drug use
– down time for self-care v/s avoidance of event
– balancing work and play v/s procrastination
– time management-initiate schedule v/s overeating
After identifying stressors and coping styles, you can begin to modify your behavior.
- Be aware of your physiological and emotional reaction to stress
- Recognize what you can change (your reactions to stress, internal thoughts)
- Utilize healthy coping skills
- Incorporate good coping skills into your repertoire, increasing your options
- Practice healthy coping skills daily even when intense stress is not present (this prepares you for times when you may feel overwhelmed)