Not All Stress Is Created Equal

Most of us experience stress in one form or another and let’s face it, modernity has given us plenty of reasons to feel stressed out.

According to WebMD: Stress is the body’s automatic reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with a physical, mental, or emotional response.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Psychologist and Author of Flow) informs that:

‘It is how people respond to stress that determines whether they will profit from misfortune or be miserable.’

Not all stress is created equal!

Some stress is actually good for you in small quantities and is a normal part of life. But there are some levels of stress that can be very harmful to overall health and well-being.

Let’s explore two different types of stress

Eustress – This is positive stress that shows up as heightened excitement and can lead to greater motivation, focused energy, and a general improvement in your performance.

Distress – This is negative stress that is detrimental to your physical, mental, and emotional health. Prevention and Management of this type of stress should be your highest priority.

Life it seems is becoming more and more demanding and the more you try to meet the demands, the greater they become. You’re buried under a mountain of bills. Never-ending family problems. A toxic workplace. The daily commute is long and frustrating, intrusive in-laws, noisy neighbors, and coursework that needs to be in by Friday! These are all situations that can lead to stress.

The issue is not that stress exists, most people experience any one of the above on a regular basis. The question of stress is how well you are able to cope with similar situations when they arise.

Understanding Stress

The 3 Components of Stress

• Environment (stimulus)
• Response (strain, the amount of stress experienced)
• Process (your response to it)

1. The role of the environment as a stimulus or stressor plays out as the ‘event’ you perceive as stressful. This may be a life-changing catastrophic event or some other type of chronic circumstance.
2. Your body responds to stress by activating the autonomic nervous system and specific hormones. The brain’s hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to increase the blood sugar level which produces more of the hormone cortisol and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart and breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. During this process, blood vessels dilate to enable more blood to flow to large muscle groups. At this stage, your body is on high alert or in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. The ‘Strain’ is your response to the stressful event (or stimulus). It is merely the amount of stress you feel from the situation or environment.
3. Given the environment and your response to the stressful situation, the process that follows is your interaction between the two. That is your cognitive, behavioral, and emotional response to the situation.

Stress can make you feel anxious and overwhelmed and prevent you from experiencing a rich and full life. You can learn new ways to respond to stress and become skilled at controlling stress rather than stress controlling you. A new approach to stress can increase your inner strength and resilience, helping you to cope better with obstacles that will inevitably come your way.

A crucial factor in the management of stress is self-care. When was the last time you checked in with yourself and indulged in some loving care and kindness? Use this FREE Coaching Tool: SELF-CARE CHECK-IN AND NEEDS REVIEW to assess where you are at in terms of your self-care practices.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my mini-blog-series on Stress.

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