STRESS

Stress - a malicious destructor or a mobilizing ally?

We've all dealt with him. The first stress experienced by a human being - it is said that the greatest stress in life - is birth. Contact with the real world provides a newborn with an incredible amount of unpleasant stressful stimuli, and the proof of this is the scream he emits upon birth. The extreme changes she experiences are her passage through the genital tract, her first independent breath, temperature changes, harsh light, and sounds that come in from outside. There is a theory that this first struggle for survival is extremely important in its further development.

So what is this stress?

It is an emotional phenomenon that accompanies people during their life activity. Each person experiences various difficult situations that cause him a state of internal tension. We then say that he is "getting" stressed.

How do we know it's stress?

This phenomenon attacks in several spheres. First of all, it affects our physicality - we sweat excessively, we turn pale, we feel accelerated heartbeat, muscle tension, gastric discomfort, dry mouth, headache, we have a problem with falling asleep. Secondly, we feel emotional discomfort - irritation, fear, explosiveness, sadness. Third, our behavior changes - we close in on ourselves, we lack appetite, our hands tremble, we have difficulty speaking, we have nervous tics, crying or laughing. And fourthly, our cognitive processes are damaged - we feel memory gaps, it is difficult for us to focus on the task, we think slower and less effectively.

How to deal with it?

First of all, let's not be surprised. When we face a difficult situation, let us remember that it can be accompanied by strong emotions and unpleasant sensations. Let's not give up, stress can be reduced. Let's turn on positive thinking. Let's get rid of the catastrophic attitude that we have no chance and nothing will succeed. On the contrary, let us turn a difficult situation into a joke, let us be optimistic about the future, and if it helps us, let us construct an "emergency plan". Let us repeat to ourselves "it may not be easy, but I can do it", "I can do it", "it will be fine", "I can do it". Since stress is accompanied by unpleasant tension, it is worth using relaxing exercises. These can include relaxing all muscles, breathing freely, focusing your attention on pleasant things and events. Such exercises can be performed lying or sitting. You can listen to music or audiobooks during them. They help to calm down, relax muscles, and get rid of tension. Deep breathing improves the oxygenation of the brain, and the oxygenated brain thinks, remembers and focuses attention on the task better. It is also worth talking about what stresses us with someone close to us - parents, sister or brother or friend. Their way of perceiving our problems can help us distance ourselves from them, see them from a different perspective, and it can suggest new strategies for action. Walking and drinking water also helps a lot. Let us remember that the stress that we are able to control has a mobilizing effect on us, provokes us to take up new challenges, makes us develop.