Factors influencing the development of psychological stress 1 page

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It's hard to think through all the causes of stress. In people they are individual, and in each case they manifest themselves differently depending on experience, life position, and even gender.

But there are common features that make it possible to recognize, associate and systematize cases when a person is nervous. Although the factors leading to this condition are always different, the mechanism of the body’s reactions is the same.

The invisible enemy

An acute stress response is a reaction to demands placed on the body. A person sweats during hard work - the body produces sweat to cool the body. A person swims against the current, the body has to make efforts and demand more from the cardiovascular system and muscles, increase heart rate, increase blood pressure in order to improve blood supply to the muscles.

Experiencing signs and symptoms of stress and depression is not only due to external or internal damage to the body. A person can enter this state, for example, while playing dominoes or feeling a surge of joy. If stress carries a negative emotional background and creates discomfort, leading to discord in the body, this situation is called distress.

Often, in a person, stress enhances productivity, increases productivity and increases the efficiency of the body. For example, during school exams, submitting reports, on the eve of competitions. In such cases, stress is more beneficial by acting as a stimulus. Trying to completely eliminate the subjective causes and consequences of stress from your life can even be harmful. It is enough to minimize the impact of distress on quality of life.

What is stress

The danger of the consequences of stress will increase not so much because of the duration of the reaction, but because of the density of experiences.

Based on the test results, scientists found that even short-term powerful stress plays a role in the formation of a serious illness. To prevent unwanted consequences, you need to train resistance and prepare the body to deal with stress.

Factors influencing the development of stress

There are several main factors:

• intensity;
• duration;
• susceptibility.

Scientists believe that danger is caused by long-term, extended tension. If the stress was strong but short, its impact is not so painful. However, weak but constant background stress depletes the body.

There are factors that cause stress and influence its course:

1. Genetic predisposition. Some reactions to certain circumstances are determined by genes.
2. The course of pregnancy. A mother's anxiety is passed on to her child.
3. Emotional trauma in early childhood. For example, separation from mother in infancy.
4. Parental settings. Family behavioral patterns are passed on to the next generation; it is very difficult to jump out of the parental script.
5. The character of a person, his adaptability to life. Some people are susceptible to stress; their character is dominated by anxiety, irritability, and negative attitudes.

We should not exclude factors of the social environment and their significance in a situation of nervous stress: chronic fatigue, lack of time, long waits, social changes.

Many people experience stress due to poor nutrition, drinking alcohol and smoking.

All the reasons discussed above are a source of tension. Having identified them, you can begin working to remove obstacles. Psychologists today have good experience in eliminating stress problems. If you lack the strength to deal with nervous stress on your own, it makes sense to consult a specialist.

Video: Daniel Levitin “How to stay calm when you know in advance that stress is inevitable”

Stress factors

To clearly understand the reasons that provoke psychological symptoms of stress, there are situations called stress factors. Stress factors are a reflection of events that affect the state of the body, both negative (losing a phone, a quarrel in the family) and positive (buying a laptop, marriage). These factors cause stress to the extent that a person reacts to them. The impact of stress will be less if the marriage was a long-awaited event, and stronger when it was concluded under the yoke of external influence.

In cases where a person perceives failures more easily and regards them as life experiences to be gained, stress can be caused in the form of mild anxiety. But if even minor troubles unsettle a person, this can lead to serious complications for the health of the body, including depression and clouding of consciousness. Based on this, we conclude that behavioral signs of stress are strictly individual for each person.

Let's divide stress factors into two types: internal and external. External are events and changes that can be controlled. Internal ones are a game of our imagination, a projection of the subconscious. Let's make a popular list of causes of stress.

Types of causes of stress

External reasons:

• drastic changes in a person’s life;
• difficulties in relationships with people;
• financial problems;
• high employment;
• personal life (family and children).

Internal reasons:

• pessimism;
• negative self-talk;
• unrealistic expectations;
• lack of diligence and perseverance;
• perfectionism.

The most common stress factors:

• divorce from spouse;
• separation from a partner;
• imprisonment;
• illness or injury;
• illness or death of a loved one;
• dismissal from work;
• marriage;
• reconciliation of spouses in marriage;
• retirement.

Types of stress

You might be surprised, but stress can be beneficial. Precursors of stress are emotions, as we know, they can be positive and negative. In this regard, stress can be pleasant or unpleasant. For example, a surprise (surprise) can be pleasant and unpleasant, but at the biological level it looks the same.

Unpleasant and dangerous stress is called distress. Positive stress is called eustress. Their features:

• With eustress, a person experiences positive emotions, he is self-confident and ready to cope with the situation and the emotions accompanying it. Eustress awakens a person and makes him move forward. This is positive excitement and joy.
• Distress is the result of critical overexertion. It hinders human development and causes deterioration in health.

In addition, stress can be short-term, acute and chronic. Short-term ones are usually beneficial. Acute stress borders on a state of shock; it is an unexpected and severe shock. Chronic stress is exposure to various minor stressors over a long period of time.

An example of positive, short-term and beneficial stress is competition and public speaking. An example of distress (dangerous and long-term stress) is psychological trauma, for example, the death of a loved one.

The following types of stress are distinguished by areas of occurrence:

• intrapersonal stress (unfulfilled expectations, meaninglessness and purposelessness of actions, unfulfilled needs, painful memories, etc.);
• interpersonal stress (problems in relationships with people, criticism and evaluation, conflicts);
• financial stress (inability to pay rent, late salary, lack of funds, etc.);
• personal stress (difficulties associated with fulfilling social roles, compliance and non-compliance with responsibilities);
• family stress (all difficulties associated with the family, relationships between generations, crises and conflicts in the family, fulfilling marital roles, etc.);
• environmental stress (unfavorable natural conditions);
• social stress (problems relating to the whole society or the category of people to which the individual considers himself);
• work stress (problems in the work sphere).

In addition, stress can be physiological and psychological. Physiological stress is a reaction to unfavorable environmental conditions. In essence, this is environmental stress. Physiological stress can be:

• chemical (the influence of substances, lack of oxygen, hunger);
• biological (diseases);
• physical (professional sports and high loads);
• mechanical (damage to the body, violation of the integrity of the integument).

Psychological stress occurs in the social sphere, during the interaction of a person with society. Psychological types of stress include intrapersonal, interpersonal, personal, work and informational.

We haven't mentioned the last type yet, let's pay attention to it. Information stress involves information overload. Every day people are forced to process large amounts of information; a high-risk group consists of people whose profession involves searching, processing and recording information (students, accountants, teachers, journalists). Television, the Internet, vocational training and the performance of duties force us not only to receive information, but also to analyze it, assimilate it, and solve problematic problems. The chaotic flow of information provokes fatigue, absent-mindedness, decreased concentration, and distraction from goals and professional responsibilities. Overload is especially dangerous in the second part of the day, before going to bed. Sleep problems are a common consequence of information overload.

Consequences of stress

When a person is exposed to stress for a long time, it can lead to:

• stroke;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (ulcers, appetite disturbances, constipation, diarrhea);
• sleep disorders (insomnia, drowsiness);
• impotence;
• accelerated aging, sharp deterioration in the condition of hair, skin, nails;
• the appearance of cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, tachycardia, angina pectoris); the occurrence of certain skin diseases, such as eczema;
• cancer diseases.

Consequences of stress

Main Causes of Stress

In addition to stress factors, there is also an underlying cause of stress. There is an opinion among scientists that educated people, as well as those who receive high salaries, suffer the most serious damage from stress. Let us note the most popular reasons.

Finance is a common reason

What is stress

The term “stress” was introduced, or rather borrowed from the science of strength of materials in 1936 by the Canadian physiologist Hans Selye. It was originally a technical term for tension, pressure and pressure. Hans Selye decided that this also applied to humans. Then stress was considered as an adaptive reaction of the body under extreme conditions (high temperatures, illnesses, injuries, etc.). Today, the problem of stress is considered more widely; the list of stress factors includes socio-psychological elements, for example, conflicts and surprises.

Stress is a special form of experiencing feelings and emotions. In terms of psychological characteristics, stress is close to affect, and in terms of duration it is close to mood. This is a mental state, the body’s response to environmental conditions and the demands made by the environment on the individual. In English, the word “stress” is translated as “tension”. In psychology, stress is usually considered as a period of human adaptation.

Depending on how a person assesses the current conditions, stress has a disorganizing or mobilizing effect. However, in any case, there remains a danger of exhaustion of the body, since at the moment of stress all systems work to the limit. Here's how it happens:

1. Adrenaline increases, this stimulates the production of cortisol, due to which additional energy accumulates, strength and endurance increase. The person experiences a surge of energy.
2. The longer the first stage of arousal lasts, the more adrenaline and cortisol accumulate. Gradually they replace seratonin and dopamine, and these hormones are responsible for good mood, joy and self-confidence (calmness). Accordingly, mood worsens and anxiety is noted. In addition, excess cortisol provokes a decrease in immunity and the development of diseases. A person gets sick often.
3. Attention gradually decreases, fatigue and irritation accumulate. Trying to cheer yourself up with coffee, energy drinks, sports or pills only makes things worse.
4. The hormonal balance is so disturbed that every little thing freaks me out. Stress resistance finally drops.

From the point of view of the individual’s perception, stress goes through 3 stages:

1. Feelings of anxiety associated with specific circumstances. Accompanied first by a loss of strength, and then by an active struggle with new conditions.
2. Adaptation to previously frightening conditions, maximum functioning of body systems.
3. The stage of exhaustion, which is manifested by a failure of defense mechanisms and disorientation in life. Anxiety and a number of other negative emotions and feelings arise again.

In moderation, stress is beneficial (emotional shock). It increases attention and motivation, interest, and activates thinking. But in large quantities, stress inevitably leads to decreased productivity. In addition, it negatively affects health and stimulates diseases. Regardless of the nature of stress, the body’s reaction at the biological level is the same: increased activity of the adrenal cortex (caused by the hormonal changes described above), atrophy of the lymph nodes and thymus gland, and the appearance of ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract. Obviously, frequently repeating such changes are harmful to health; it is not without reason that they say that all diseases are caused by nerves.

Signs of stress

From the variety of factors, 4 main groups of stress symptoms can be distinguished.

If the signs of stress are not recognized in time and appropriate measures are not taken, they risk developing into a more severe form.

Symptoms of stress

Physiological stress

Physiological stress can be caused by the following factors:

1. Lack of a certain type of food (lack of microelements and vitamins necessary for the body), fasting, lack of fluid (read more about this in the following articles);
2. Uncomfortable (too high or too low) temperature and humidity, insufficient or excessive oxygen content in the inhaled air;
3. Excessive physical activity;
4. Injuries;
5. Loud sounds and strong smells.

You can read more about physiological stress in an article specifically dedicated to it.

Acute stress

Acute stress is the body’s immediate response to something that is happening that causes strong anxiety. For example, death, skydiving, interview. All these situations provoke a number of symptoms that make it easier to determine your condition.

Here are the main ones:

• nausea;
• emotional numbness;
• headache;
• cardiopalmus;
• chest pain;
• sharp aggression.

If you feel one or more of the above symptoms, then the first thing you need to do is calm down and take a few deep breaths. This is how you can quickly adapt to what is happening and collect your thoughts. After all, such a prolonged reaction can become chronic.

Causes

The cause of stress (stress factor) can be any event, conversation, reflection, loss, incident and other events.

The words “other events” imply a significant deviation from the average in an area that is of personal significance to the individual.

A significant deviation implies that, in the opinion of the person himself, the scales have tilted so much or are so far from the desired values ​​that in order to achieve the desired result one will have to invest a lot of one’s own strength, resources and abilities.

Sometimes so much that it exceeds the threshold of available capabilities and/or desires.

For example, dismissal from a serious position in the absence of backup options. The average value was within the range of stability, money, confidence in the future and other bonuses.

As a result of the dismissal, there was a very strong deviation towards instability, lack of money and a gray, unclear future.

Average values ​​(parameters) are a certain standard accepted by a person. The standard can be in any area: income, social circle, amount of work, amount of sleep, level of relationships with people or an individual, aspirations and a host of other standards.

The average values ​​designated as the standard may not be accepted by the person himself, but set by a significant person for him, for example, parents, friends, coach: “It’s time for you to get married” - this means that while there is no wife, the standard has not been achieved.

It has personal significance - nothing can be done without it. If a person is not interested in the title of world champion in powerlifting, then its presence or absence will not cause any stress.

But if a person really, really wants to be loved, but no one (or few people) loves him, then this becomes a serious sign of stress.

You can take any area of ​​life and find significant moments there in which you have some kind of average value (you can express it like this: “it should be because it should be so or because I’m used to it”).

Once these significant moments change greatly (again, your personal measure) or irreversibly, they become stressors.

What causes stress can affect any area of ​​a person's life:

• Family
• Close people
• Job
• The rest of society
• Social status
• Ecology
• Products
• Non-compliance with the regime
• Uneven load distribution
• Lack of employment
• Bad habits
• Parental Settings
• Worldview
• Economic situation
• Political situation
• Disasters
• Health

This list of reasons that are factors in the emergence and development of psychological stress is far from complete, and in each area you can find dozens and hundreds of triggers.

It seems that our whole life consists of stress, and this is true.

After all, it is necessary to adapt to any change, and this means turning on stress mechanisms.

That is why our first priority is not the complete elimination of stress (this is perhaps impossible even in a deep forest under bulletproof glass), but rather the taming/reduction of those stresses that exist or will be encountered in life.

Symptoms of Chronic Stress

All illnesses that become chronic are extremely dangerous. Chronic stress significantly reduces performance and drains vitality. The symptoms of the disease will not disappear on their own; serious treatment is required. But first, you need to highlight the symptoms:

1. Fatigue becomes a constant companion, manifesting itself both physically and mentally.
2. Neither long sleep, nor rest in nature, nor even vacations help anymore.
3. The joy of being with family and friends disappears. In the worst state of affairs, communication begins to depress and irritate.
4. Dissatisfaction with life and appearance is growing stronger and stronger every day.
5. The feeling of hopelessness increases.
6. Health is deteriorating, previously suffered illnesses begin to worsen, migraines and insomnia take strong positions in the body’s condition.
7. Concentration is scattered, memory begins to fail, information from the outside is perceived sluggishly, without interest. Irritation and anger at everyone and oneself accompany us always and everywhere.

Neglected stress is fraught with various psychoneurological diseases and can also lead to alcoholism or drug addiction. Therefore, after diagnosing such stress, you need to immediately take measures to eliminate it.

It can be difficult to cope on your own, so you need to turn to specialists, because the principle: “the main thing is not to do harm” is always relevant.

How to deal with stress

Stress hormones

Since the advent of man, nature has taken care in advance to provide the body with protection against stress. A major role in this is given to cortisol , the main hormone that provides the body’s protective response in case of danger. Let's see how the stress mechanism manifests itself.

Until recently, cortisol levels could only be determined through a blood test. More recently, Russian biologists were able to measure this level by the cortisol content in the hair.

As reported in an article published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease, employees of the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Natalia Gulyaeva, drew attention to the fact that hair stores information about almost everything that happens to a person: where he lived, what he ate, and much more. Hormone molecules are also stored in them. https://www.pravda.ru/news/science/08-03-2017/1326715-stress-0/

When an external stimulus impacts the body, on command, the main stress hormones are released from the brain into the blood: adrenaline

, (produced instantly by the adrenal glands) and
cortisol
(which is produced slowly and is always present in the body), which, in turn, leads to the release of even more glucose into the blood, dilation of blood vessels and an increase in heart rate.

Post-traumatic state

But, in addition to stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is present in our lives. The feeling of helplessness, threat, hopelessness of the situation can develop a post-traumatic state. This can be triggered by a traumatic event. Such events include natural disasters, military operations, and terrorist attacks. All those events that are beyond our control. Most often, the people who suffer are those involved in these events and the liquidators of the consequences: emergency services workers, rescuers, law enforcement officers.

Post-traumatic disorder develops differently for everyone, depending on mental stability, but still quite quickly, but symptoms can appear a month or two after the incident, depending on the level of stress. They can be triggered by any reminder of the tragedy: smell, sound, picture. But most often the symptoms go away after some time.

But if you realize that these symptoms do not go away or get worse, then you have post-traumatic stress.

Signs of PTSD:

• sleep problems (difficulty falling asleep; waking up in the middle of the night);
• irritability and/or outbursts of anger;
• difficulty concentrating/focusing;
• hypervigilance/hypercontrol;
• feeling of nervousness and rapid excitability;
• anger and/or irritability;
• guilt, shame and/or self-blame (self-blame);
• abuse of harmful substances (alcohol, nicotine, drugs);
• feelings of mistrust and/or betrayal by others;
• depression and/or hopelessness;
• thoughts and/or feelings about suicide;
• feeling of loneliness and/or isolation from the world;
• physiological (physical) pain and/or tension.

The clinical manifestations that recognize stress may vary depending on the situation and the individual.

But there is a set of rules that can reduce the source of stress and help cope with the situation:

• Please be patient and understanding. Any healing takes time; physical wounds are sometimes easier to heal than spiritual ones. A person may have a desire to constantly talk about what happened, do not refuse, this is one of the treatment methods to reduce the likelihood of stress. The more a person speaks out, the easier it will be for him. By doing this, he will, as it were, remove some of the burden from himself.
• All memories associated with the tragedy are more difficult to bear; the condition may worsen on anniversaries of the events, when visiting the scene of the incident. This is also facilitated by similar images, sounds, and smells. The list of irritants can be very long. Any connection with the incident will pose a potential threat. Try to limit your contact with them as much as possible.
• Don't assume that PTSD symptoms are directed towards you. Do not rush to be offended if a person becomes withdrawn, tries to avoid you with all his might, often gets irritated and even becomes rude. This difference in behavior has nothing to do with you or your relationship.
• Don't force your loved one to talk. Such conversations can cause both improvements and, on the contrary, aggravate stress syndrome. It’s difficult for many to talk about it, and even more difficult to remember. If a person wants or is mentally prepared, he will tell you everything himself. But this does not mean that you need to leave him alone with himself. Just being nearby will be enough.

Stress and stress factors

Stress is a state of mental tension that occurs in a person in the most complex, difficult conditions, both in everyday life and work activity, and under special circumstances. The state of emotional stress that occurs in a person in the process of activity is associated with extreme, special working conditions (Table 5.1). In relation to professional activity, this is a situation when there is a goal, accepted, but there are no means to achieve it, to solve the task. And the result (result of the work) practically does not depend on the person. There is a feeling of helplessness of the employee in the current conditions.

The concept of stress (from the English stress - pressure, tension) was introduced by the Canadian physiologist Hans Selye in 1936. Stress is a complex process that certainly includes physiological and psychological components. With the help of the stress reaction, the body, as it were, mobilizes itself to protect itself, to adapt to a new situation. Nonspecific protective mechanisms are put into action to ensure resistance to the effects of unfavorable situations for a person and adaptation to them.

When analyzing the external causes of stress, the concept of stressors and extreme conditions is used.

Stressors

– these are unfavorable external and internal influences of significant strength and duration, leading to the occurrence of stressful conditions. There are physiological and psychological stressors. Physiological stressors include strong physical stressors, blood loss, heavy physical activity, infections, ionizing radiation, sudden changes in temperature, etc. Psychological stressors are associated with mental trauma; they act with their signal meanings: threat, danger, resentment. In labor activity, according to data provided by M.A. Kotik, the most powerful causes of stress are the following psychological factors: job dissatisfaction, low motivation to work, depression and lack of self-affirmation [Kotik, 1981]. Psychological stressors also include factors such as disrespect for the performer’s personality, inability to act in his own style, and reluctance to bear the responsibility assigned to him.

Information stress

occurs in a situation of information overload, when a person cannot cope with the task at hand, does not have time to make the right decisions at the required pace with a high degree of responsibility for the consequences of the decisions made.

Figure 5.2 – Types of stress

Emotional stress

manifests itself in situations of threat, danger, resentment, etc. The forms of its manifestation, as well as the forms of manifestation of mental stress, are different. This can be an active form (the so-called “lion stress” - characterizes the most effective, constructive line of behavior), or a passive reaction (the so-called “rabbit stress”).

There is a well-known point of view [Bodrov, 1998], according to which any type of stress (personal, interpersonal, family, professional, etc.) is basically informational

.
Its source is a message, information about the current (real) and expected (probabilistic) impact of adverse events, their threat, or “internal” information in the form of past ideas, information retrieved from memory about traumatic events, situations or their consequences. These reactions are usually associated with the production of negative emotions
.
In these types of psychological stress, information
about an unfavorable, dangerous event is
a trigger
that determines the threat of its occurrence and creates a feeling of anxiety, mental tension, etc.

Depending on the degree of development (in dynamics), the following phases of stress

:

1) Anxiety reaction – characterizes the process of mobilizing the body’s protective properties, increasing protective properties in relation to traumatic effects. The body functions under heavy load. By the end of the first phase, most people's performance improves.

2) Resistance phase (or resistive phase) – characterized by a balanced consumption of the body’s adaptive resources.

3) The phase of depletion of the body’s adaptive resources.

Thus, depending on the phase of stress and the “polarity” of its manifestation, we can talk about “good” and “bad” stress.

As numerous studies have shown, stress in work, depending on its level, gives rise to very different, and sometimes even opposite, results. Stress manifests itself in the general adaptation syndrome as a necessary and useful vegetative and somatic reaction of the body to a sharp increase in its total external load. This reaction manifests itself in an increase in the bioelectrical activity of the brain, an increase in heart rate, an increase in systolic blood pressure, dilation of blood vessels, an increase in the content of leukocytes in the blood, i.e. in a number of physiological changes in the body, contributing to an increase in its energy capabilities and the success of complex activities. Therefore, as M.A. emphasizes. Kotik, “stress itself is not only an expedient protective reaction of the human body, but also a mechanism that contributes to the success of work activity in conditions of interference, difficulties and danger” [Kotik, 1981].

However, the relationship between stress levels

and the resulting
activation
of the nervous system (NS), on the one hand, and the effectiveness of work activity, on the other, is nonlinear. This was noticed at the beginning of the 20th century by English psychologists R. Yerkes and J. Dodson. They experimentally showed that with increasing activation of the nervous system to a certain level, the productivity of behavior increases, while with a further increase in activation it begins to fall.

Stress has a positive effect on labor results (mobilizes the body’s energy reserves and helps overcome obstacles that arise during work) only until it exceeds a certain critical level. Such stress, which increases the body's resistance to adverse external influences, is called eustress. When this level is exceeded, the so-called process of hypermobilization develops in the body, which entails a violation of the mechanisms of self-regulation and a deterioration in the results of activity, up to its failure. Stress exceeding a critical level, which in its extreme expression can lead to illness and death of a person, is called distress.

The state of psychological stress (as well as the state of mental tension) develops in unfavorable operating conditions and extreme situations. For modern production, extreme situations of two extreme types are typical.

The first type of extreme situation occurs when the demands of work intensity and strict time restrictions force a person to exert his strength to the utmost and mobilize internal reserves. At the same time, the extreme nature of such work can often increase due to the negative effect of strong external factors - stressors (noise, vibration, etc.).

The second type of extreme situation arises, on the contrary, due to the lack or heterogeneity of incoming information, deficiencies in interpersonal contacts, and low physical activity. Under such conditions, a person develops a state of monotony. In such conditions, a person has to maintain the required level of wakefulness and attention through volitional efforts.

Thus, stressful situations of both types are characterized by one common feature - the emergence in a person of an acute internal conflict between the demands that work places on him and his capabilities. In the first case, this conflict arises mainly as a result of increasing demands placed on a person. In the second, due to a decrease in a person’s ability to fulfill requirements.

Ways to relieve stress:

Pass the buck

Excessive responsibility is a constant source of stress, which can ultimately lead to severe depression. And until this burden decreases, it is almost impossible to relieve stress. Try to shift some of the responsibility onto the shoulders of another person. After all, this does not mean that you are an irresponsible person or a bad worker. Too much workload ultimately has a negative impact not only on your mental and physical health, but also on the quality of your work. If this is not possible, then you need to have a frank conversation with your boss, who often doesn’t even imagine the workload of his subordinates (because no one has complained yet). The fact that a person does not take on more work than he can handle means that he takes his responsibilities responsibly.

Try not to be overtired at work, do not take on too much responsibility and workload. In addition, every person needs regular and proper rest.

Calm down

Many satirical works depict a typical official who takes sedative pills one after another and constantly has attacks of anger. If a person has really become like this, then he is in a constant state of stress and is no longer able to cope with his professional responsibilities. In order to do your job well, you first need to calm down and concentrate. In addition, it is advisable to include foods high in magnesium (for example, vegetables, nuts, seeds) in your diet. A piece of chocolate or a portion of pasta can improve your mood. Regularly allow yourself to rest and recuperate by changing your surroundings. You can go to the sea or relax in nature by the lake. It is very useful to relax in a sanatorium or rest home.

Get help for stress relief

A person who constantly suffers from severe stress can very rarely solve all his problems himself. Therefore, it is recommended to seek help from an experienced and qualified psychologist or psychotherapist and talk to him about your problems. The specialist, together with the patient, will try to find a way to break out of the vicious circle of problems and constant stress.

Vitamin therapy

. A stressful state forces the human body to turn on all internal reserves, to maintain its performance, eat healthy foods rich in vitamins C (apples, tomatoes, rose hips) and B (dried fruits, cabbage, beets, almonds, chicken liver, fish, etc. ).

Aromatherapy.

The beneficial effects of aromatic essential oils have been known since ancient times. Essential oils of rose, lavender, jasmine and cypress have a calming effect.

Intimate conversation

, as a way to relieve stress is very effective. Sometimes a person in a state of emotional stress simply needs to speak out; often, in order to see the problem from a different angle, it is enough to simply voice it. In our conditions, they will help you cope with stress by replacing expensive medications, close people, your best friend or friend.

Extreme in the fight against bad mood

. Another effective way to relieve stress is to expose the body to a new type of stress. Take a cold shower, get acupuncture, or sign up for an extreme sport like diving or skydiving.

Play some sports

. Exercise helps combat stressful situations, and it also makes the body more resistant to emotional influences. This is a great way for many people to exercise. Moreover, it doesn’t matter at all which ones. Perhaps it will be running, push-ups, cycling, strength training. Try it and you will see that it really works! The greatest effect will come from exercises that require regular repetition (for example, running) to force the body to relax. And this, in turn, forces your body and brain to respond to stress adequately. Simply put, the heart rate decreases, blood pressure decreases, and muscle tension decreases. Thirty minutes of training on the simulator is enough to reduce emotional tension caused by stress by 25%.

The oldest system is yoga.

With the help of yoga, you can relax, understand yourself, and strengthen your muscles. Try meditating. Closing your eyes, breathe deeply and slowly. With each inhalation and exhalation, repeat some pleasant phrase or word. This simple exercise can bring the body into balance, help you relax and relieve stress.

be careful

. Avoid situations that may lead to emotional distress.

Smile more often

. If you smile more often, you can create a good mood on a subconscious level. Praise yourself. It seems simple, but many of us only make our stress worse by drowning out our inner voice. But research shows that positive feedback addressed to you stimulates the production of the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for neutralizing stress. Next time, when you catch yourself humiliating yourself, say it out loud, or even better, write something good about yourself.

State of monotony

A state of monotony occurs when a person is presented with only the means of activity in the form of raw material, equipment, technology, and work algorithm. However, excessive simplification of operations (or, conversely, excessive complexity of the process or products produced) often leads to the fact that the employee is separated from the actual goal and does not see or know the results of his labor costs, the degree of their contribution to the achievement of the overall (also unknown to him) goals. The result is a lack of satisfaction from the efforts made.

The mental state of experiencing monotony is caused by the actual or apparent monotony of movements and actions performed at work. Under the influence of monotony of actions (and as a result of the emergence of monotony as a psychological state), a person becomes lethargic and indifferent to work. The state of monotony also has a negative effect on the human body, leading to premature fatigue. At the physiological level, this manifests itself in a decrease in heart rate, breathing rate, and reaction speed.

If there are inevitable monotonous movements or actions in work, a person with a higher level of intelligence experiences a feeling of monotony (state of monotony) to a lesser extent. This is due to the fact that he, having a broader outlook and the ability to analyze, better understands the need for these actions to achieve a common goal. This means that he can better activate his performance, seeing diversity in the monotonous. The ability to see diversity in the monotonous is inherent in highly qualified specialists. A low-skilled worker cannot perceive changes in the “monotony” that seems to him and becomes a victim of stimulus-free indifference, which sometimes manifests itself in the most severe forms of monotony at both the psychological and physiological levels.

State of anxiety

Anxiety

is a multi-valued psychological term that describes both a certain state of an individual in a limited period of time and a stable property of a person.

The state of anxiety is associated with the characteristics of production and has a significant impact on the success of professional activity. In no type of activity is it possible to regulate job responsibilities, relationships, and the technological process as a whole to such an extent as to completely eliminate uncertainty. An employee is often haunted by a premonition of failure at work due to an unclearly formulated goal of behavior in the current situation and insufficient orientation in the means of resolving it.

Anxiety is understood as an individual psychological feature consisting of an increased tendency to experience anxiety in a wide variety of situations, including those whose objective characteristics do not lead to this. Anxiety

- this is a personality property that manifests itself in the frequency, regularity and threshold of feelings of anxiety and uncertainty in one’s actions, the experience of real and perceived “omissions” in actions or deeds, worries about past or possible events, etc.

A distinction is made between personal anxiety (PT) and situational or reactive anxiety (RT).

Personality anxiety

characterizes a person’s readiness to experience fear and anxiety about a wide range of subjectively significant phenomena. Personal anxiety can be considered, on the one hand, as a fairly stable personality trait, and on the other hand, as one of the results of the state of “chronic” mental stress “accumulated” by the individual, arising in the process of interaction between the individual and his environment.

Situational (or reactive) anxiety

– this is a temporary, transitory state, which is a form of an individual’s emotional reaction to a situation that contains a real or imagined danger for him. The state of reactive anxiety is characterized by tension, anxiety, concern, and nervousness.

Experienced anxiety to varying degrees determines the effectiveness of various types of professional activities, the success of social and professional adaptation. It should be understood that anxiety itself is not a negative state or personality trait. A certain level of anxiety is a natural and obligatory feature of an active, active personality. At the same time, each person has his own optimal level of “useful anxiety.” Normal levels of anxiety are necessary for effective and coordinated behavior. A person who has a significant deviation in the values ​​of RT and LT indicators from the average or moderate level of anxiety requires special attention.

High anxiety, in particular, implies a tendency for a person to develop a state of anxiety in situations where his professional competence is assessed. In this case, the manager needs to shift the emphasis somewhat from external demands on the employee and categoricalness in setting professional tasks - to the performer’s meaningful understanding of the upcoming activity and specific planning of it according to subtasks, and also help to create in the performer a sense of confidence in success. An overly inflated, hypertrophied development of anxiety (as a chronic, “accumulated” state of mental stress and as a personality trait) can develop into a clinical form of neurosis.

Low anxiety, on the contrary, requires the manager to make efforts to encourage individual activity, more attention to the motivation of activity, arousing the interest of the performer, emphasizing social and personal importance to the employee and the need to solve certain problems.

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