MANAGING STRESS
Stress arises from feeling the pressure of demands. Demands can come from outside, for example, needing to achieve an important target at work, or the pressure of ensuring that your child gets a place at the school that is best for them. Demands may also arise from our own expectations of ourselves and the goals that we set as a result of these. Inner demands usually stem from a lack of self belief and a drive to do better. For example, the drive to lose weight so that we look thinner, or the need to prove that we are right about something important. Internal expectations and demands can cause us just as much pressure as external ones.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE HOW WE
EXPERIENCE PRESSURE
In themselves, the pressures that create feelings of
stress are neither positive nor negative. It is how we register the impact of stress that determines whether we experience stressors as constructive or negative. This is determined by two things, firstly our perception of whether or not we feel we have the resources to manage what is being asked of us. And, secondly how much stress each of us personally can tolerate at any one time. This is a completely individual thing and is arrived at from a unique combination of factors. Firstly, our innate temperament which will set down the blueprint for how much intensity we like and how much demand feels comfortable for us. Some people actively thrive on a higher level of pressure than others. Secondly, the influences that shaped our early years will have influenced how much stress we are comfortable with at any one time. The interplay between these two factors will give each of us our unique stress quotient. Too much above or below this mark will feel negative. Something that is close to it will feel positive. Each one of us is different. Essentially, stress impacts us negatively when we feel that the demands on us are too great and that we do not have the resources to cope with them. We feel the positive effects of stress when we feel we do have the resources, or can find them, to cope with what is needed.
WHAT DOES STRESS FEEL LIKE?
Stress tends to create feelings of anxiety in us. Mild
anxiety is useful because it spurs us on to action, providing the drive and the energy to deal with stressors in a head on way. This helps us to solve problems creatively so that we can be more effective. Positive stressors generate feelings of excitement, creativity and an enhanced sense of well being. We feel good about ourselves and our confidence is boosted by our achievement. We feel like a ‘winner’. Negative stress will cause us to feel worried and anxious, physically tense, overwhelmed, tired and even unwell. We may find difficulty in sleeping, drink too much to try and numb our worries, and either lose our appetite or comfort eat. The negative effects of stress can cause us to feel deep anxiety and sometimes leads to depression. Needless to
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO HEALTH & BEAUTY
www.livingnorth.com 77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100