How to cope with stress management in modern society?
Stress management in simple terms means is the technique used to cope or deal with stress to live life happily. Stress is generally termed as a twentieth-century syndrome, born out of man’s race towards modern progress and its ensuring complexities.
As we all know that stress occurs based on an individual’s situational factors. Stress produces numerous health and mental disorder in an individual depending upon their situation which may further lead to depression. To lead a happy routine life, every person needs to know what is stress management and its process and benefits.
In the present modern society stress management is one of the major keys to a happy and successful fortunate life. There are several models of stress management. The most generalized models are given below and the definition of stress from each model is also defined below.
Stress Management Initial Models
The emergency response / fight-or-flight response
This model was proposed by Walter Bradford Cannon in the year (1914, 1932). This theory states that stress is a psychological reaction that occurs in response to recognised or when one person becomes conscious of a harmful event, attack or threat to survival. In this theory, Cannon used animal studies and described how and what hormones or affected when an organism reacts to stress. Hence this theory is known as a fight-or-flight-or-freeze response which is also called hyperarousal or the acute stress response. This theory and the response helped for the first stage of the next model General adaptation syndrome.
General Adaptation Syndrome
This model was proposed by Hans Selye in the year (1936). Walter Cannon and Hans Selye used animals for their study of stress. In this theory, they measured the psychological responses of animals to external environmental pressure such as heat and cold, prolonged restraint and surgical procedures. Finally, after their research, they extrapolated that a similar method will apply to human beings from these studies.
Transactional Model
This model was suggested by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman in the year 1981. This model states that stress can be thought of as resulting from an “imbalance between demands and resources” or as occurring when pressure exceeds one’s perceived ability to cope.
Richard Rahe and others established subsequent studies of stress in humans by the view that stress is caused by distinct, measurable life stressors, and further, those life stressors can be ranked by the median degree of stress they produce. This defines that stress levels can be measured. Thus, stress was traditionally conceptualized to be a result of external insults beyond the control of those experiencing the stress.
Stress management was developed first in importance to the idea that stress is not a direct response to a stressor but rather one’s resources or ability to cope to mediate the stress response which is open and responsive to change, thus allowing stress to be controllable.
Can we measure stress?
The answer is yes, levels of stress can be measured. There are ways to measure stress, one way is through psychological testing. Holmes and Rahe’s stress scale is one model or theory which is used to rate stressful life events. DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales] contains a stress scale based on self-report items. Changes in Blood pressure level and galvanic skin response can also be used to measure stress levels in one person.
In recent days, deep neural network models are used to measure stress levels which are said to use photoplethysmography imaging (PPGI) data from mobile cameras for accurate measure of stress levels.
Cortisol is the hormone that is released during a stress response. The measure of this hormone from hair is most popular in clinics and this will give a 60-to-90 day baseline stress level of an individual.
Signs of Stress
Insomnia
Loss of mental concentration
Depression
Extreme frustration and anger
Conflicts
Headaches, Migraine and back problems
Absenteeism
Some of the major causes of stress
- Stress may cause a jittery feeling. Our body and fingers tend to shake and we might feel unbalanced.
- Stress can cause dizziness.
- The major cause of stress is anxiety and nervousness in our body.
- Being stressed makes you feel hot and sweaty.
- You would often feel irritated or angry for even a silly reason.
- Insomnia and daylight sleepiness are majorly due to stress and depression.
- There is a high risk of mental health disabilities in long term stress.
- The digestive problem may occur due to stress.
- Acne breakouts are majorly seen when people are stressed. Skin is highly sensitive and responsive to stress.
- Stress disturbs women’s regular menstrual cycle.
- Frequent stress causes ulcers and decreases the immune system hence you might fall sick often.
- Since stress releases cortisol hormone that can increase blood sugar production (glucose) and may lead to risk for type 2 diabetes.
- Weight gain is highly possible due to chronic stress.
Some facts about Stress and Stress Management
It is a fact that says women are most prone to stress than men. It is said that men most likely try to escape from the signs of stress hence that doesn’t mean men do not experience stress.
According to The National Institute of Mental Health people who try to manage stress and are good at stress management tend to live a long and healthy life.
Stress Management / How to cope with stress?
Every one of us is experiencing stress nowadays in this modern society. In every profession, there are stress factors that induce stress in people. Not only professionals even school children, but college students are also experiencing stress. Hence every one of us must know how to manage a stressful life and live life happily.
Here are some tips to deal with stress.
- The important tip in managing stress is, to learn to say “No”. We cannot do everything that is asked.
- Always be grateful for the work you do.
- Learn to prioritize the work and work accordingly.
- Remember, it is always you, who will have to do the work no matter what. Take the required time and finish it successfully.
- Take a break and pat yourself for the work done. Do nothing in your free time. Just relax and let the stress go.
- Listen to your favourite music playlist and just go for a walk.
- Proper nutrition and regular exercise play another major role in stress management.
- Be an assertive communicator.
- Visualize and communicate your vision.
- Start a habit of deep breathing.
- Take time for yourself. Go out and chill.
- Reacting to the situation is the most important in stress management. The way you react may or may not result in stress.
The above tips would surely help you in stress management. Do check out our other post on living life peacefully for more tips on the same.