Managing Stress

Stress is a normal and natural physical response and is our body's ability to protect itself but is often viewed as negative.  This reaction better known as "The Fight or Flight Response" helps us stay alert, energetic and focused, this can be beneficial to us. Winning a sporting event, successful public speaking or passing an exam can all be partially due to a healthy response to stress. However, to much stress can be harmful and cause us physical and emotional damage.

We experience chronic stress when our body is subjected to overwhelming amounts of physical and psychological threats. Our body does not differentiate between moderate or extreme triggers of stress, so it reacts with the same intensity regardless of how minor or major the cause, meaning being caught in a long traffic jam or arguing with a work colleague can be the catalyst for intense stress related symptoms which may include anxiety, headaches, muscular tension, fatigue, mood swings, upset stomach and lack of enthusiasm.

All of us have different tolerance levels when it comes to calculating stress so it is important for us to understand our stress thresholds, factors that influence our stress tolerance can include our ability to deal with emotions, sense of control, attitude, physical health and our ability to deal with stress inducing situations. These are what enable us to maintain a sense of calm while others may become completely overwhelmed.

We must examine the factors that cause us stress and it is important for us to look at the ways we react to stress and whether or not we need to alter our response to it. Many of us react to stress by freezing up becoming agitated internally, while others may become outwardly agitated and become volatile or even become withdrawn showing little or no emotion. We need to recognise our personal stress triggers and reactions, this is the key to moving forward and coping with stress.

Stress can affect any of us at any time especially if we undertake fast paced and challenging workloads. Strategies for managing stress can include avoiding unnecessary stress, altering our situation or environment, increasing our fitness level and making time for leisure and relaxation. Taking control of our life and prioritizing what is important to us are integrial parts of managing stress.

Ray Ronson.

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