What is stress?

The term "stress" was first used by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s. According to Selye's, "stress" refers to the reaction of the body (nervous system) to the perceived threat. The term is commonly used as a catch-all for any perceived difficulties in life. It covers a huge range of phenomena from mild irritation to the kind of severe problems that might result in a real breakdown of health.

Common sources of Stress

• Environmental factors such as noise, bright light or lack of sufficient light Lack of control over one's circumstances, such as food, housing, health, or mobility
• Social issues such as struggles with difficult people, relationship conflict, deception, or break-ups, and major events such as birth and deaths, marriage, and divorce
• Life experiences such as poverty, unemployment, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, heavy drinking, or insufficient sleep
• Students and workers may face stress from exams, project deadlines, and group projects
• Pain of any kind
• Adverse experiences during development, such as prenatal exposure to maternal stress, abandonment in childhood, sexual abuse increase a person's general stress threshold which makes them more susceptible to acute stresses

The cognitive appraisal model of Stress

I subscribe to the cognitive appraisal model of stress which states that in order for a situation to be stressful, it must be appraised as stressful. We make decisions all the time whether a situation is potentially threatening, constitutes a harm/loss, a challenge, or is benign. This subjective decision is influenced by both personal and environmental factors, and triggers the selection of coping processes. Problem-focused coping is directed at managing the problem causing the stress, while emotion-focused coping processes are directed at managing the negative emotions in response to the stress. Secondary appraisal refers to the evaluation of the resources we have available to cope with the problem, which also affects our ability to cope with stress.

Stress management

Over the long term, stress can lead to physical and mental illness including, anxiety, and depression; to avoid this, stress must be managed. The stress management that I offer involves five aspects. Firstly, the exact nature of the stress is analysed. Factors that can be changed and those that can't be changed are distinguished. Secondly, new or more effective strategies to change the stress are explored and practiced. There are several ways of controlling the source of stress better, such as conflict resolution skills, time management, or learning to set limits and to say "No" to some demands that bosses or family members may make. However, sometimes stressful situations can't be changed. Thirdly, stress can be reduced by helping stressed people change their perceptions of stressors, providing them with strategies to help them cope and improving their confidence in their ability to do so. Stress management can help stressed individuals understand the nature of thought by especially providing them with the ability to recognize when they are in the grip of insecure thinking, make a mountain out of a molehill, or worry unnecessarily. Instead, one can learn to realistically appraise a situation and focus on natural positive feelings. Techniques used for this are mostly based upon Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). A forth aspect of stress management includes the learning of techniques to calm oneself through deep breathing, or meditation. Lastly, advice is given on foods which increase or decrease the effects of stress on the body, for example coffee increases stress while B vitamins help the nervous system to cope better with stress.

Summary of how stress management can help you:

1. Identify stressors and investigate what can and what can't be changed

2. Change the stressful situation (if possible)

3. Change your appraisal of the stress                                                                               

4. Counteract stress by learning relaxation techniques

5. Learn about foods that increase or decrease the effects of stress on the body