Stress Management

Stress refers to a condition in which the body’s normal functioning has been disrupted by the triggering of the fight-or-flight response. Anything that triggers this response is called a stressor. Stressors can be internal (such as worry about a future event) or external (such as a neighbor playing loud music).

Stress can take either of two forms, physical or psychological. Physical stress is stress that has been caused by a purely physical stressor such as hard work, noise, an accident, disease, or a toxin. Psychological stress is generated by one’s mental interpretation of or reaction to events. Psychological stress has five basic forms:

• Pressure: You are faced with an internal or external demand to complete a task or activity within a limited time frame or in a specific way.
• Frustration: You are unable to do or obtain something you need or want.
• Conflict: You must make a choice between two or more competing alternatives.
• Threat: You perceive a present or impending danger.
• Loss: You are faced with the loss of something that was important to you.

A given situation often triggers several forms of psychological stress at once. When faced with a deadline at work, for example, you may face not only pressure, but the threat of possibly not meeting the deadline. You may also be confronted with conflict and experience frustration because events are interfering with your ability to meet your deadline.

Psychological stress also accompanies physical stress. For example, if you are sick, you are unable to do things you normally can do, causing frustration. Likewise, prolonged psychological stress can cause chronic muscle tension, which can lead to headaches or other physical problems. Prolonged psychological stress can also lower your body’s natural defenses and make you more vulnerable to disease.

While you often can do little to control the stressors you encounter in everyday life, you can learn to manage the stress you create for yourself more effectively. Reducing the amount of internally generated stress usually makes it easier to manage external stressors more effectively. There are a number of general stress management principles that can help you manage stress more effectively. Many of them are based on the idea that you need to begin to regard your body as a machine with a limited amount of energy. In addition, there are three basic principles that can help you manage times of excessive stress more effectively. If you lead a high-stress life, decompression routines can be very helpful.

(The above has been extracted from Mr. Peurifoy’s books, Anxiety, Phobias and Panic and Anger: Taming the Beast)

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Disclaimer: This site contains general reference information and is not intended as a substitute for consulting with a physician or a psychotherapist.

Copyright © 1999 by Reneau Peurifoy, MA — All Rights Reserved