Stress : The Causes and How to Cope
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Stress : The Causes
Stress comes in various forms many of which happen around us in our daily lives. These forms are called stressors. Stressors are factors that exhibit from events that we either choose or just happen in result to events set in motion in life itself. They happen often times whether we are ready or not for them to happen. Even as we set out each day to confront tasks we schedule, unknown factors are thrown into the mix that present us with challenges. These challenges or stressors will make or break us, but if we know a few things they will always leave us stronger.
First things first we must know what to look for. Some of the common stressors are as follows:
- Impatient and Inconsiderate People
- Misplaced Items
- Job Dissatisfaction
- Relatives
- Lack of Sleep
- Time Pressures
- Money Pressures
- Family Problems
- Sickness and Death
- Traffic
- Excess Noise
- Diet
- And The List Goes On…
As you can see there are many thing on the list that we may deem normal. Some are things we cause ourselves and others still are just random events. The connection they all possess however is simply: They all have outcomes which we allow do not allow by our actions when they arise.
You see, more often than not, it is not what happens or when it happens. Instead its how we deal with it when it does happen. Even a step deeper into it, is will one action will cause other stressors to arise in response to actions taken to deal with the current stressor. For instance, if you left for work a little later than normal and stress over arriving on time will other factors(stressors) arise to further the domino effect of events? Even minor planning can in some cases change the course of the day, to remove stressors from even occurring.
Another way to view this to make it easier is treat stressors as threats. This thought is in direct response to a quote:
“Situations, circumstances or any stimulus that is perceived to be a threat is referred to as a stressor, or that which causes or promotes stress.”
(Brian Luke Seaward)
Internal Stress
“Stress resides neither in the situation nor in the person; it depends on a transaction between the two.”
(Dr Richard Lazarus PhD)
We tend to think that stress is solely caused by external events, situations and people, yet this is not strictly correct. Research has found that the Transactional Model of Stress is more accurate. This model says that stress is caused by a transaction, I.E. there is an interaction between the stressor, our view of the stressor and our perceived ability to cope with it. Its our own internal beliefs, attitudes, interpretations, perceptions and other factors, in combination with the external events that tend to create stress. Internal factors which influence how we perceive stress include our:
- Beliefs
- Expectations
- Low Self Esteem
- Perception
- Perfectionism
- Personality
To close this post I’ll list some ways to cope. This is not to say they are the only ways nor the best, but a place to start.
- Direct action. One stress-reducing tactic is facing a problem directly by identifying it and then developing a strategy to solve it. For example, for students who become highly anxious at exam times, recognizing that their studying has not been adequate and developing more efficient class-preparation procedures can be helpful.
- Relaxation. Relaxation strategies, which can effectively alleviate stress, vary widely and range from programs of progressive relaxation and relaxation therapy to short-term techniques such as taking a minute or two to breathe deeply and count, providing a momentary escape from a stressful situation.
- Social support. Social support from friends and relatives is helpful in dealing with stressful situations. Gathering of friends and relatives at a funeral, for instance, is supportive and stress relieving for the person dealing with such exceedingly difficult, if universal, circumstances.
What to expect in the next in the series of Stress
we have only scratched the surface of Stress and how to deal with it. Next time we’ll go into a more personal look at Stress. How to deal with it inside ourselves. and even how to stop it from happening at all.
Until Next Time,
Dustin
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