Stress
We all need stress in order to survive. It can be very healthy, or even enjoyable, if it is within certain limitations.
However, when stress becomes excessive it can be very damaging to :-
health
happiness
work performance
team spirit and co-operation
relationships
personal development
Stress management involves, at the simplest level:
recognising the symptoms of stress
identifying the causes
taking action to address the causes and thereby reduce the symptoms
where necessary, taking interim steps to relieve the symptoms until the underlying causes have been addressed.
With the pressure of modern life, it is easy to fall into the trap of neglecting steps 2 and 3. That is, only relieving the symptoms. It is important to recognise and address the underlying causes of stress, or else the experience of stress will never go away. For example, suppose ‘overwork’ is causing stress, which is resulting in headaches. If you only address the symptoms (eg: by taking pain killers to reduce the headaches), the stress remains, and the headaches will return. However, if you can restructure your work demands so that you are in control of your work load, the headaches will then disappear without the need for pain killers.
What are the signs of stress?
The symptoms of stress are many and varied, such as:
1. irritability
2. headaches
3. illness (particularly at weekends or during holidays)
4. insomnia
5. tiredness/lethargy
and many more….
Sometimes, you can be experiencing stress but your mind and body are so good at hiding it from you that you are unaware of it. In such cases the symptoms might be more subtle and therefore difficult to recognise, such as:
working endlessly without tiring
having little feeling or emotion (except the occasional outburst of anger)
increased use of alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or other drugs (which may suppress feelings of stress)
behaviour that is ‘out of character’
an inability to relax
If you are under a lot of stress for a prolonged period of time, but do not feel stressed, eventually it may catch up with you and cause more serious symptoms, such as:
stomach ulcers
heart problems
minor illness (allergies, skin disorders, migraine)
serious illness (eg: arthritis, cancer, diabetes)
mental problems (eg: depression)
There may be cultural or social pressure to ‘be strong’. Perhaps the employment culture is such that to acknowledge that you are under stress is interpreted as a sign of weakness and could be damaging to your career prospects. If this is the case, you may be tempted to suppress your feelings of stress – which leads to a strategy of stress denial rather than stress management.
Most people experience a significant period of stress or depression during their lives. To feel stressed at various times is to be normal. If you think the stress may be excessive and you need help, then consult a suitably qualified professional (such as your doctor or a counsellor).
What are the causes of stress?
The factors that contribute to the experience of stress are many and varied. A useful overview of these causes can be gained by using the ‘analysis wheel’, to view them. Using this wheel, you can take six different perspectives on the causes of stress. Each of the lists below contains a sample of ideas only – there are many more causes of stress than those listed.
Analysis Wheel
Draw a circle divided into six sectors, and mark the sectors as Health, Social, Emotions, Rational, Experience and Spiritual, and write in each sector the stressors that apply to you in that section.
Health
The causes of some stress lie in the biological make up of your body, or the interaction of your body with the food you eat or environment you live in. Some examples of the biological causes of stress include:
Lack of fitness
Poor diet (eg: deficiency of vitamins; too much caffeine)
Allergic reaction to chemicals in food
Genetic disorder resulting in chemical imbalances in the body
Changes in bodily functions, such as pregnancy, puberty, menopause, PMT or ageing
Social
Stress can be caused by a whole range of social and cultural pressures, such as:
Change of social circumstances (eg: bereavement of spouse, moving job, marriage, holidays)
Pressure to conform to social or employment patterns of behaviour, especially where these behaviours are not the preferred behaviours of the individual (eg: demands on an introvert to behave in an extrovert manner).
Conflict in relationships, or an absence of praise and being valued by others
Lack of support, time to be listened to, and time for relaxation.
Having a high-pressure job, being unemployed, or only having a small range of social circumstances (eg: rarely leaving the house, few hobbies).
Feelings
This refers to subconscious thoughts and feelings, which often arise from childhood experiences. The way in which you learned to cope in childhood is by using defence mechanisms that involved a degree of self deception. You still use those defences today. Examples of these stresses include:
Inner conflicts that have not been addressed
Encountering situations that evoke stressful feelings that were experienced in childhood
Expending effort to maintain defences in situations that threaten self-esteem.
Lack of self-awareness
Increasing self awareness and personal growth
Beliefs
The rational processes in our minds constantly interpret and evaluate the world around. Events can be interpreted in many ways, and the way in which this is done can influence the level of stress that is felt. Some examples of rational causes of stress include:
Perceiving the consequences of actions as being dangerous or threatening. These perceptions may or may not be accurate – ie the stress might be beneficial, in preparing for a real danger, or harmful, in creating unnecessary stress.
Having an inaccurate perception of self.
Believing one is capable of achieving far too much – setting standards and expectations too high (and therefore falling short of them).
Misinterpreting the actions of others so as to discount (ie: not accept) the love and support that is given.
Not having the skill or knowledge to cope with certain situations, such as not having a rational approach to problem-solving, or conflict resolution, and therefore being unable to cope with problems as they arise.
Experiences
What are you experiencing at this point in time, and how are you, personally, reacting to it? The way in which each individual experiences each snapshot in time, even in very similar situations, is very different. One person may find a situation highly stressful, whilst another may find it stimulating or enjoyable – every reaction is unique. There may be many instant pressures that cause an individual to experience stress, such as:
Too many simultaneous demands from different people
Environmental stresses, such as noise, cramped conditions, or cluttered surroundings.
Needs that are being unmet or frustrated.
The appearance of a threat to survival, self-esteem, or identity.
Change in patterns of eating, sleeping, time zone, relationships etc..
Spiritual
The need for individual spiritual development has long been recognised by religion. It is only during the last 30 years that psychology has acknowledged the existence of a spiritual side to the individual. Some spiritual causes of stress include:
Violation of personal or religious moral code, contravention of accepted group practice, or violation of laws (“sin”)
Lack of spiritual development
An absence of truth (eg: self-deception and deception of others)
The lack of a sense of personal responsibility.
Absence of a relationship with your God or whatever that might mean to you.
In conclusion
The analysis wheel can be useful in both recognising the causes of stress and in planning how to address them. Each perspective offers a different way of explaining the origins of stress. These perspectives do not necessarily provide ‘either..or’ explanations – they can be complementary and provide different views of the same cause. For example, if someone is looking after a large number of children, and finding it stressful, there may be some other factors at play :-
Children may be invoking unpleasant memories from childhood (say, of being bullied by a large group of children), and defence mechanisms try to suppress those memories and feelings (to keep them out of conscious awareness).
From an experience point of view, the person may be an introvert, and find lots of external demands difficult to cope with.
From a belief point of view, the person may be fearful that they are not going to be able to cope.
From a health point of view, there may be chemical imbalances in the brain that cause the individual unpleasant feelings in such situations.
From a social point of view, there may be little support from other people to help the person through a difficult period, or a lack of skill in dealing with large groups of children.
From a spiritual point of view, the individual is unable to find an inner peace, and is in inner turmoil. This then ‘resonates’ with the chaos in the world around.
Whilst these explanations are different, they are not totally independent. In fact, they may well be integrated or intertwined. (This can perhaps be likened to several strands of spaghetti on the same plate – you cannot alter one without moving the whole plateful). For example:
The person, naturally an extrovert, may have become introverted as a result of bullying in childhood.
The inner preference for extroversion is in conflict with a self-perception of introversion, which may be contributing to a lack of inner peace.
The person is fearful that they are not going to cope because they know they do not have inner peace.
The individual feelings of not coping may also be based in past feelings that he/she did not cope well when being bullied in childhood.
There might be a relationship between the defence mechanisms formed whilst being bullied, and chemical imbalances in the brain.
Because the individual is behaving in an introvert manner, a network of friends to provide support has not been built up.
Summary
The stages involved in managing stress are:
recognising the symptoms of stress
identifying the causes
taking action to address the causes and thereby reduce the symptoms
where necessary, taking interim steps to relieve the symptoms until the underlying causes have been addressed.
Stress therefore has many varied aspects to it, and my job as a therapist is to work with you to find where these stressors are in your life and gradually help you to eliminate them.
