Stress has become an integral part of life today, especially for people who live in big cities. They are constantly in a state of tension, in an eternal race. Therefore, the question of how to develop stress resistance comes to almost every one of them. Because there are enough difficult situations and events in life, and they appear from time to time. There are circumstances that force you to completely reconsider your views on life and it in general beyond recognition.
These could be various unpleasant events. In them, a person begins to experience a huge storm of negative emotions, which, as it seems to him, he cannot cope with on his own. This gives him self-doubt, which results in apathy and disappointment in life.
Stress-tolerant people
But there are people who quickly recover from the stress they have experienced and adapt to new life circumstances and conditions. Psychological exercises to develop stress resistance often help them with this.
But there is no single algorithm of action for all people (the same). There are certain practices from which each person can choose which method is suitable for him. To be more precise, this is a set of effective exercises. But since the critical threshold of stress is different for each person, the choice of a set must be approached individually.
The article will tell you how to develop stress resistance. Techniques that help you survive difficult situations will also be described. Everyone can choose for themselves a certain complex that will be acceptable to them.
How to respond to stress and stressful situations?
For a modern person, every day is filled with situations that make him nervous. In such cases, we are used to saying that we are stressed. What is stress, how to deal with it?
Stress is a nonspecific reaction of the body to any external influence. “Nonspecific” is a very important word that means a universal response. All people react to a stimulus in the same way. You, me, a small child and even animals react in exactly the same way to stress and stressful situations. There are several types of stress, but it is important for us to understand that stress can be good and bad. Good stress is when we laugh and see some joyful situation. In this case, the body begins to release joy hormones into the blood. The bad thing is when, for example, we walk through a pedestrian crossing and suddenly hear a car horn, this stress is associated with anxiety.
Although people dream of living without stress and stressful situations, our body always experiences mild or severe, good or bad stress throughout its life. Any life situation, even waking up in the morning, is stressful. Ultimately, stress is simply a reaction, an experience. Therefore, it is important to learn how to control stress.
We do not always have the ability to control the situation that causes stress, but our own reaction to this situation is always in our control. If you live in a family where there is an alcoholic, then in order to get away from a stressful situation, you can leave the family. But if there is a small child in the family, or you do not want to leave a loved one without attention, then you will not be able to leave. Then you live in constant stress. A lot of wives of alcoholics and their mothers come to see me. They cannot leave their loved one in such a state. The secret is to change your reaction to what is happening. This will be the beginning of changing the whole situation, because stress is your reaction to it.
The reaction can be immediate or permanent, in which a person can be constantly in a state of stress. Stress can be an acute reaction to an irritant; remember the incident at a pedestrian crossing. You either avoided danger or did not have time to react. This is a short stressful situation. The second type of stress is chronic stress. Chronic stress is dangerous due to its length over time. During chronic stress, severe, colossal changes often occur in the body.
There are three stages of stress. The first is the stage of anxiety, when, while crossing the road, we suddenly saw a car moving towards us. Next, the body instantly decides how to act in this stressful situation: run back, stand still, or continue onward. All these are actions at the second stage, the body is instantly ready for them. The third stage comes later, this is the stage of exhaustion, when a sharp strain on all the body’s forces causes the same sharp weakness. Perhaps there have been situations in your life when you were very nervous, and after that your legs literally gave way, a feeling of apathy and exhaustion appeared. Sometimes, even after great joy, exhaustion sets in.
The brain always needs oxygen, and deep breathing is a simple mechanism that helps us stop and pause. In a stressful situation, do the following exercise: inhale for four seconds, then pause for the same amount of time and exhale slowly for six seconds. It is recommended to do it ten times. This is how I teach smokers to endure the urge to smoke, this is a very effective method. The body begins to calm down because the brain receives oxygen and the control center begins to work. Support yourself with these ten breaths three times a day or during times of stress. A very common habit among smokers is to go out for a smoke break when a person, for example, gets nervous. Instead of going out for a three-minute smoke break, you can just breathe, so it will take just the same amount of time.
The second way to relax and relieve stress is to create “islands of peace” for yourself throughout the day. This could be a specific location. For example, a cozy chair at work or a windowsill next to your favorite window. The main thing is that no one bothers you, and you can think calmly.
The third way to get out of a stressful situation is rest, I call it “vitamin O,” or more precisely, sleep. Pay attention to your bedtime. One hour before midnight is equal to two hours after. Thus, you need to fall asleep no later than 23.00, for example, at 22.30. It is at night that the brain gets the opportunity to process daytime information. The second is a change in activity. If you are engaged in mental work, then you will need to give yourself some physical activity. Next - weekly rest, day off. Spend the weekend with your loved ones. Finally, a vacation, I recommend going somewhere once a year. Such a change of scenery and new experiences is a great way to relax both soul and body. Put all these simple methods into practice, and you will notice how your stress will turn from negative to positive, from destructive to constructive.
Yuri Bondar
The article was prepared based on materials from the series of TV programs “Living Source”.
The program can be viewed live online at www.3angels.ru
Newspaper “Your Keys to Health” No. 4 (28) April 2013
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What is stress tolerance?
Stress resistance presupposes a person’s adaptation to a critical life situation. For example, this could be psychological trauma, threats, tragedies, health problems, problems in relationships with loved ones, problems at work, financial difficulties, and so on. Stress tolerance presupposes the ability to cope with such circumstances and quickly return to a normal state of mind.
In the course of research, it was discovered that every person can have this quality. After all, it is not something supernatural. If you observe, people often exhibit it. It is very important to understand that people who develop resistance to stress do not become indifferent to suffering and easily experience any difficulties. Pain on an emotional level and serious psychological trauma will not go away, a person will simply learn to cope with them, experience them less painfully and return to normal.
But such a quality as stress resistance is not an innate trait. You need to know that this is a skill acquired throughout a person’s life. This trait generally implies the beliefs, actions, and train of thought of a person that he acquires in the process of his development.
What for?
Yes, some people are well aware that they are pessimists in life, and they even like it. Sorry, guys, I won't bother you. If you want to change your attitude, you want to start thinking positively, then start small - namely, what is good about positive thinking?
The most “tangible” benefit can probably be understood from how positive thinking affects your health:
- Increased life expectancy
- Decreased depression levels
- Reducing the amount of sadness in life
- Greater resistance to colds
- Improved psychological and physical well-being
- Reducing the risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Improved coping and stress management skills
It’s not entirely clear why good thoughts help improve health so much. The theory of positive thinking is that an optimist is better able to confront and cope with difficult situations in life, and this naturally reduces the negative effects of such situations on physical and psychological health. It is believed that optimistic people live healthier lives because... are more physically active, often eat healthier foods, smoke less often or not at all, and do not abuse alcohol.
Since I actively practice yoga, it is possible to trace some psychological and energetic correlations between such things as positive thinking and a healthy lifestyle, but this is a topic for a separate article.
Development of stress resistance level
Stress resistance is a whole complex of factors. Based on the results of the research, it was determined that the level of resilience often depends on the support and care of the person’s family and environment. Relationships in which a person feels love and a high degree of trust are important. This helps develop the skill of stress tolerance and the belief that you can cope with many life circumstances.
Factors such as:
- the ability to build life plans and translate them into reality or take steps towards their implementation in order to get as close as possible to the goal;
- self-confidence, a real and objective assessment of one’s skills and talents, correct calculation of one’s strengths in any business or undertaking;
- positive problem solving and communication skills;
- the ability to keep your emotions and flow of feelings under control.
All of the above qualities can be developed both in combination and separately. This can be done either independently, through self-development, or with the help of a specialist.
Discipline yourself
Stress arises, among other things, due to the fact that we are trying to do everything we can, and at the same time achieve some significant goals. As a result, we get caught up in routine, and cherished goals continue to loom somewhere in the distance, draining energy from us.
Self-discipline helps to cope with this problem. If you learn time management, make plans and follow them, your stress will decrease. You will systematically move towards your goal and at the same time have time to solve both work and everyday issues. Perhaps not everything, but this is the price: if you want to achieve something, you need to sacrifice something.
How to develop stress resistance? Strategies
You need to realize that psychological resistance to stress in life is not something momentary, not a condition that can happen once and never happen again. All people are different, so everyone has a unique reaction. The method by which one person can cope with stress will not always help another. Different strategies should be used for each person in the fight, depending on his character and personality type. The American Psychological Association offers 10 effective methods to help combat stress. They can be used to develop your own strategy for developing resistance to various irritating factors.
How to develop stress resistance? The 10 rules will be presented below.
Think about what this pain can teach you
Try to look at a difficult situation as a lesson, an opportunity to learn something new. This is not easy, but it is necessary. “When we have some difficult experience in life - failure, disappointment, then we have the opportunity to become stronger in this experience and learn something,” says Christina Myand-Lakhiani. “But this will only happen if we are ready to look at any experience from the point of view: what will this teach me? It's good if you understand: every experience becomes a potential for growth and development. Let me give you another quote from Harvey Ecker, author of the book “Think Like a Millionaire.” He says that there are no big problems, but only small ones. And as we grow, our problems grow. Having realized this connection between difficulties and opportunities to learn something, to become stronger, you will begin not to be afraid of difficulties, but will welcome them.”
A crisis is not a problem from which there is no way out
When a person is unable to change the course of a situation and the circumstances that he has to experience, it is necessary to change his attitude and reaction to them. Try to look beyond the framework of the present. We need to imagine that the situation will become much better in the future. Thus, subconsciously a person will begin to pull himself out of current life circumstances and strive for the goal of improving them. It is important to pay attention to even the smallest details and reasons why the condition improves, and try to return to them more often.
Practice natural meditation
To be able to cope with stress, it is important to be able to manage your condition. Any technique is suitable for this. “In the past, I worked for the Estonian government and during stressful periods I often used funny technology. If I had a lot of work to do and I started to get nervous because of it, then I would lock myself in my office, sit on a chair, close my eyes and do nothing for 10 minutes. The moment I opened my eyes, some things ceased to be important, and for those few things that really needed attention, I had much more strength and energy,” says Christina.
Meditation is good because it creates space between the stimulus (stressful situation) and the reaction (our actions), burnout. “Under stress, our ability to perceive is reduced. We think worse, we see, we hear, and, naturally, it is important to learn to be in balance in such moments, at least physically: not to panic, to have a clear mind, to breathe evenly,” sums up Christina Myand-Lakhiani.
In order not to lose composure in stressful moments, you need to learn to consciously switch yourself. Regular meditation practice will help with this (read how to learn it here ).
Good relationships with close circle of people
Good relationships with family and friends play an important role in a person’s life. Because if they are trusting, loved ones will always be able to lend a shoulder and simply listen, as well as lend a helping hand if necessary.
This is how a person becomes more confident in his abilities and reliable rear. Feeling supported and protected is very important. This increases the level of stress resistance. Also, many psychologists are convinced that participation in various associations, such as adequate religious organizations and interest groups, can really help a person cope with difficulties. And also, by helping other people, a person helps himself.
Realize that you are not alone
Don't be afraid to ask for help and accept it. In no business, no serious matter, it is impossible to do everything alone. Yes, this is not necessary! There are many people around who are ready to share their experience and knowledge with you, support you, and provide assistance. “Understanding that you are not alone helps you cope with stressful situations. You don't have to do everything yourself! If you have support - at home, at work, in your personal life, no matter where - you can always solve any problem. It’s not for nothing that many entrepreneurs start their first business with a partnership: it helps them survive even the most difficult situations,” reminds Christina.
To take care
It is necessary to pay attention to your feelings and needs, to take part in activities that bring pleasure and relaxation. This affects the development of stress resistance. Exercises such as meditation are also helpful. Physical exercise is also a must.
You need to help yourself keep your mind clear and your body healthy so that you always have the strength to deal with stress.
