Old age crisis or how to survive retirement stress

Stress is an integral component of the life of a modern person. Despite the development of civilization, people have not been able to get rid of the factors that cause stress. The problems of finding food, survival and protection from enemies, relevant for our distant ancestors, have been replaced by constant concern about the political and economic situation in the country and the world, the threat of unemployment, social insecurity, the growth of crime and terrorism. Even everyday problems - conflicts at work and at home, passing exams, unrequited love, moving, illnesses of loved ones - negatively affect a person’s emotional state. How to deal with stress and is it possible to protect yourself from it?

G. Selye's theory of stress

The term "stress" comes from the French word "estresse", which means "depression", "depression". Stress is a state of increased physical or mental tension that occurs under the influence of one or another factor.

Canadian scientist Hans Selye is the creator of the theory of stress. He believed that the body, when faced with various factors such as pain, cold, fear, danger, fast running, emotional shock, blood loss, etc., turns on special defense mechanisms against stress, responding to stimuli not only with a defensive reaction , but also the same type of physiological process. This process represents complete mobilization, adaptation to an unexpected situation. This requires a lot of tension from the body and the expenditure of a huge amount of effort.

Hans Selye

G. Selye proposed a hypothesis according to which the aging of the body occurs as a result of exposure to all the stresses that it had to face during life. Any stress, especially traumatic stress, causes irreversible changes in the chemical balance of the body. Accumulating, these changes trigger the aging mechanism. Constant stress is especially dangerous for brain cells and the nervous system. G. Selye emphasized that the prevention of psycho-emotional stress is very important for health and longevity.

How to help yourself?

Prevention of stress involves controlling unpleasant irritating factors. For such purposes, the following methods can be used:

1. Everything is much simpler. This advice probably applies more to women, because it is they who tend to take all the things that happen too close to their hearts. If some problem begins to stick deeply, then you can imagine yourself as a sieve through which the problem is removed in the form of flour or millet, as you prefer. The main thing is to concentrate on the fact that not a speck remains on the surface of the object, which means that the problematic situation is worth nothing.
2. Positive thinking. In this case, you need to learn to see all problems only from the positive side. Yes, this is, of course, incredibly difficult. But to get started, you can try the following. If a problem occurs, then it needs to be drawn, and it is not necessary to paint the situation in detail. It can be made in the form of thorns on a cactus or a balloon with a gloomy “face”. Next, the prickly flower is simply decorated with flowers, ribbons and other elements. But as for the second point, it’s better not to draw a balloon, but to inflate a real one and just pierce it with a loud bang. These seemingly childish methods help relieve emotional stress, and the more negative drawings are redrawn and decorated, the faster a person learns to think positively.
3. Don't focus on the problem. Many people live in the past, so they constantly have negative thoughts in their heads. To get rid of them you need to learn to switch. To do this, you should find a hobby that would bring real pleasure. For example, building model cars, planes or ships is a great alternative to gloomy experiences. The fact is that such a hobby requires special concentration, so negative thoughts go away by themselves.
4. No negative emotions. The more negativity a person holds within himself, the more severe the consequences will be for him. It’s not for nothing that they say that a sore throat is a sign of unspoken anger. Suppressing emotions initially leads to stress, and then to depression. To help yourself with this, you can go to the gym, hit a punching bag, or just go out into the field and scream there. Exactly! Through a cry, a person will release everything that has accumulated.

Types of stress

In psychology, the following types of stress are distinguished: physiological and psychological. Psychological stress is divided into two more types: emotional and informational.

• Physiological stress occurs as a result of excessive physical exertion, pain, increased or decreased temperature.
• Psychological stress is triggered by a feeling of threat, resentment, fear, anger and other negative emotions.
• Emotional stress is much the same as psychological stress.
• Information stress occurs when there is information overload, when a person is faced with the need to process a large amount of information in a short time.

All types of stress negatively affect a person’s health and psychological state.

Retirement stress and overcoming it

For many people, the transition to retirement is accompanied by stress, melancholy and apathy, and retirement age is associated with old age and illness, and therefore is perceived as a real disaster and causes a psychological crisis, especially for those who were engaged in active creative activities at work. Now it is replaced by inaction and emptiness.

Thoughts come to mind about approaching old age, about all sorts of restrictions caused by health conditions, about the need to give up your job to young people and admit that they can already do without you. Not everyone can find the strength to prevent such thoughts or calmly come to terms with them.

To prevent such a sudden transition from happening, the pensioner needs to take care in advance about what to do at home after going on a well-deserved rest, what hobbies and interests can help him overcome the changes associated with the end of his working life without complications. To prevent the transition to retirement from being perceived so tragically, passive inaction should not be allowed - this will cause pessimistic thoughts, blues, and boredom.

But passion for what you love can give a pensioner a feeling of interest in its results, employment, and satisfaction. Retirement is much easier for those people who have a favorite pastime and interests that are not related to professional work.

Old age is a time to take stock of the results of life, and if the pensioner is satisfied with them - this is a source of joy, pride and happiness - the experience of life's difficulties is rewarded. If retired parents raised their adult children to be decent, hardworking people who have already been able to achieve certain professional results, they can not only be calm about their son or daughter, but also draw vitality and energy from experiencing the joy of their successes and achievements.

Retirement age is a favorable and even expected time for women who are busy with home, family, and raising grandchildren. Memories of conscientious work that brings satisfaction can also become a source of positive emotions, arouse the respect of others and a sense of pride in their professional victories.

An elderly person has something that young people lack - a lot of free time, which can be used to implement plans that may have been conceived for a long time. If they are not there, you need to find something you like, preferably involving communication with people, in which

Making new contacts can enrich the boring and monotonous life of a pensioner and raise it to a new level. You can and should use this time to think seriously about your health and thoroughly work on improving it; or devote your free time to growing vegetables and fruits, growing flowers in the country, etc. Some retirees find it helpful to brighten up their lives by interacting with pets, taking care of them, feeding them, and walking them.

For representatives of the younger generation, these problems do not seem so important; many are even jealous: you can sit at home and earn money without doing anything. But time and life circumstances greatly change views on many things. If young people have such valuable qualities as energy, activity, passion, thirst for change and novelty, then older people are characterized by a wealth of life experience, knowledge, wisdom, prudence, restraint, which are no less valuable and necessary, therefore youth and old age should be very

Health hazard

The state of health of a person of pre-retirement age is most often still satisfactory, but hidden painful processes can occur in the body, leading to chronic diseases. Of course, you need to think about disease prevention long before retirement, otherwise your health may deteriorate suddenly and irreversibly. Let's look at the most common diseases among older people.

A typical chronic disease of older people is sclerosis - narrowing of blood vessels and weakening of blood flow. Tissue deprived of blood supply dies, which leads to heart attacks and strokes. Sclerosis more often affects overweight and obese people who are prone to overeating and frequent consumption of high-calorie foods.

Bad habits also contribute to the disease: alcohol, smoking. The occurrence of the disease is facilitated by frequent unrest, mental stress, lack of rest and mobility. Most often, sclerotic changes occur in the vessels of the heart, brain, kidneys, and leg arteries. Sclerosis of cerebral vessels leads to stroke, cardiac - to heart attack.

But a proper lifestyle, physical exercise, and medical prevention will help avoid these dangerous diseases. Unfortunately, sclerosis can develop at a young age, progressing noticeably in the second half of life. To prevent this from happening, you need to remember the dangers of overfeeding young children, which contributes to the disease.

Rapid growth and fatness are not always indicators of health. With appropriate treatment and a balanced diet, the symptoms of sclerosis may disappear, although it all depends on the severity of the disease. In advanced stages, improvement occurs, but the disease produces residual effects.

If sclerotic changes occur in the arteries of the heart, this causes symptoms of angina pectoris, manifested by attacks of pain and suffocation, especially during physical exertion and prolonged stress. The consequence of angina pectoris can be a heart attack - severe heart pain, for which medications do not help, and a sharp decrease in blood pressure. Such a patient is strictly forbidden to get up and make any effort, as this can be fatal. If these symptoms occur, you should immediately consult a doctor and strictly follow his instructions.

A very common diagnosis - heart failure - occurs with sclerosis of the coronary vessels. Shortness of breath, suffocation at night, swelling of the legs and fatigue occur due to a weakened heart and poor blood supply. When sclerosis of the kidney vessels is complicated, insufficiency of their functions occurs, which can lead to uremia (the inability of the kidneys to cleanse the body of toxic metabolic products).

Sclerosis of the arteries of the legs first causes dilation of smaller arteries, then insufficient blood supply to the fingers and toes appears, pain begins when walking, and then at rest, especially at night. In extreme, advanced cases, if the disease leads to necrosis of the toes, amputation may be the only solution.

A very common disease is sclerosis of the arteries of the brain. Middle-aged people suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) are especially prone to this. Symptoms of this type of sclerosis: headaches, memory loss, dizziness, tinnitus in older people appear more often after 60 years. This disease gives especially severe consequences to people of old age (after 80 years).

The course of the disease can be very long - several years. A general lack of oxygen supply to the brain can cause mental dullness, in which a person remains physically capable, but mental and thought processes are greatly inhibited, for example, a patient, leaving the house, may forget his address and wander through the streets.

Memory atrophy deprives a person of the ability to remember very recent events, or navigate in time and space. But what happened many years ago, the patient can remember down to the smallest detail. When communicating with such people, you need to try to show patience and calmness, because the effect of this disease is a terrible tragedy, and above all for the patient himself.

A serious and very dangerous disease - stroke - most often occurs suddenly, like a heart attack. A blocked or ruptured artery causes bleeding into the brain tissue, affecting the right or left side of the body and making speech difficult or even lost. With the help of appropriate exercises, the patient can regain partial functionality and the ability to move.

In old age, fractures, especially of the hip joints, become more dangerous than in any other age, as this leads to limitation of movement. Immobility at this age can be extremely unfavorable. In addition, bone tissue heals much worse and more slowly than in young people.

Overweight and obesity are very favorable for the onset of many diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

The most typical diseases of the digestive tract are stomach and duodenal ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas.

All these diseases, especially typical for older people, can not only significantly complicate, but also shorten life span, therefore, therapeutic and physical prevention must be remembered throughout life, and not only when the disease has already been detected and is progressing.

Modern medicine can support life even if the patient has very serious diseases in the body, but although an old person can live for a long time, he will need constant care and care.

Generation Conflict

We cannot ignore the conversation about the conflict between generations of young people and the elderly, known to everyone as the “conflict of fathers and sons.” For some, this conflict can escalate to such an extent that it makes it very problematic for representatives of different generations to live together in the same apartment.

Complete mutual misunderstanding, or rather, unwillingness to understand, hostility, lack of respect, constant tension have a detrimental effect on the health and nervous system of the warring parties. This especially applies to retirees who find themselves free from everyday professional duties for many years.

Now that they are forced to change their habits, change their lifestyle and pace, and get used to a new regime, the calm and friendly attitude of their loved ones becomes especially necessary for them. They need the support of their relatives more than ever. But if the family situation is far from favorable and leaves much to be desired, worries in this regard place a double burden on the shoulders of pensioners. Why is this happening? What are the causes of such conflicts?

First of all, it should be noted that young people and older people have different views on many things, different life values, temperament, energy, capabilities, etc. But this does not necessarily have to lead to conflicts. Problems worsen with mutual disrespect, hostility, and lack of tolerance towards each other. To create a kind, favorable atmosphere in the family, you need to appreciate each other’s virtues, those positive qualities that are characteristic of one generation, but may be absent in representatives of another.

Older people often forget that they themselves were once young and, like modern and any other youth, committed rash actions, which now, from the height of their age and life experience, they look at with regret and even indignation. Therefore, old people should, based on their experience, protect young people from such actions so that they can avoid bad consequences, encourage and direct their energy and initiative, support their noble endeavors, approve of their aspirations and be proud of their successes.

Not all innovations coming from the young are negative and should be condemned and rejected. If the influence of older people in the family on young people is great, this should be treasured and used for good. If it is obvious to the oldest member of the family that the plans coming from the young are doomed to failure, there is no need to immediately dismiss them and prove their inconsistency; a careful and wise adjustment of these plans will be much more necessary, for which the youth will then only be grateful. Such an attitude among older people will encourage mutual respect.

Representatives of the younger generation must also behave accordingly, not forgetting that someday the time will come for them to become old and infirm. They will be worried about the same problems that are now worrying their grandparents. Therefore, young people should appreciate the merits and experience of the elderly, treat them with respect, gratitude, tolerance, take care of them and help, thereby setting an example for their still small children, who, in turn, will have to take care of their elders.

By turning to older people for advice, young people not only receive the necessary information and help, but also give them the opportunity to feel needed, necessary, and therefore increase their vitality and strengthen their faith in their strength and independence. Youth and old age should and can coexist peacefully, exchanging the valuable qualities that they possess. But is it possible to observe such harmony and mutual understanding in every family?

In some families, the authority of the elders is so great that it suppresses and oppresses the young, subordinating them to their will. But there are few such families compared to those where old age is neglected and humiliated, and all authority is on the side of the young. This type of relationship is becoming very common in European culture.

Older people often receive the necessary care, care and attention of young people only if they can pay for it with something (an apartment, a car, a dacha, money and other material assets). If an elderly person has a hard time experiencing loneliness, he will try in any way to win the attention of the young, even paying his grandchildren or children for their “love” and “care.” Of course, an echo is not a solution, because money should not be the measure of human relationships, and love cannot be paid for in this way.

Why did they begin to treat old age with such disrespect and even contempt? There is a popular wisdom: “If you are unhappy with your children, it is your own fault.” If parents instilled in their children that the main thing in life is a career, promotion, wealth, taught them to make their way to their goals at any cost, while providing the family with everything necessary and creating the most favorable conditions for this, the children got used to consumerism and grew up as callous egoists, those who only know how to receive.

Now such children look down on their parents and continue to behave in accordance with the qualities that their parents allowed to develop in them. Yes, although with the best intentions, adults once made a mistake, the fruits of which have to be reaped in old age. The main thing that many parents demanded from their children was good studies in order to receive a prestigious education. And in return, the children were forgiven literally everything: they were freed from doing necessary housework, helping with housework, received the gifts they wanted, etc.

This is how, unnoticed, the parents themselves raised their children to be selfish people who were not accustomed to reciprocating their love for their loved ones. They do not feel affection and gratitude to their parents, who at one time sacrificed a lot so that their children could achieve some heights in life. In order to maintain physical independence until old age, you need to take care of your health and vitality for as long as possible, otherwise, having encountered callousness and indifference from young relatives, the elderly person will find himself in a very difficult situation and will not be able to provide himself with the most necessary things.

Unfortunately, the “old people” who are “respected everywhere” have become a rarity. Only a very few people enjoy the respect and attention of young people, most often those who were able to achieve this through a career and a high financial position.

Nowadays, it is becoming less and less common to hear condemning remarks and remarks from older people addressed to young people in transport, on the street, and in public places. Old men and women are increasingly silent, timid, and do not dare to say too much, giving way to the young. The younger generation in most cases ignores the timid attempts of pensioners to interfere in their “personal affairs.”

They received freedom of action, independence, although often imaginary, the opportunity to be guided by Western models of behavior taken from numerous youth TV series, magazines, Western bestsellers, and not always worthy of content. At the same time, young people have lost a sense of gratitude, responsibility and respect for those who sacrificed a lot for their “bright future.” Some older people, trying to establish a friendly type of relationship with young people, begin to flirt with them, try to imitate them in clothing and style of behavior, and allow familiar relations.

But flattery and humiliation cannot achieve favor and respect. Yes, young people rarely need this and almost never turn to an old person for advice. They gain knowledge and ideas about the world and life from books, television shows, and videos. Older people do not always keep up with these innovations of technological progress, with the modern rhythm of life, while young people consider these to be integral attributes of life. For them, old people are a hopelessly outdated, backward generation.

Indeed, older people no longer adapt well to life, lose confidence in their own abilities, react conservatively and even hostilely to innovations, preferring tried and tested methods.

The wisdom of an older person can become of great value if his many years of experience can be combined with new ideas, knowledge of modern problems, and the ability to navigate them. Only such a person can become a link between representatives of different generations and relieve the severity of the conflict between “fathers” and “children.”

Pensioner in the family

In most cases, pensioners are already grandparents and take an active part in raising their grandchildren, which means they live with their son or daughter’s family. But even if they live separately, they are still closely connected with the family through ties of close kinship.

Relationships in the family develop differently, and the responsibilities of family members are also distributed differently. A retired grandmother often has to bear the brunt of housework: cooking, keeping the apartment clean and tidy, caring for her grandchildren, and much more. A retired grandfather performs “male” duties: repairing household items, working in the country, in the garage (if there is one), etc.

The responsibilities of pensioners can be very different, the main thing is that they do not overload the already middle-aged body and leave time for personal life. Often, single elderly women agree to live together with their children in order to help them around the house, and the children take advantage of this and abuse it, using them as housekeepers, even depriving them of their earned pension.

If an elderly person agrees to perform additional duties around the house, this should be especially appreciated, but not deprive him of free time for rest, communication with friends, and his own interests. Therefore, it is necessary to distribute household chores among all family members, and not place this burden on the shoulders of pensioners.

The authority of a pensioner among relatives and people around him will be higher, and an elderly person will be more interesting and attractive if he manages to maintain his lifestyle, personal interests, and communication with friends. It is necessary to monitor not only your health, but also your appearance. If a pensioner is energetic, healthy, fit, neatly and tastefully dressed, he will be an attractive model, a role model for both his loved ones and strangers.

At this age, the life of a pensioner can be filled with new meaning: love for grandchildren, the birth of a new generation as a result of life’s efforts and overcoming difficulties. But often the limitless expression of these feelings leads to the fact that grandchildren, feeling adoration and permissiveness, grow up spoiled and capricious. Raising a child cannot be entrusted exclusively to older people, not only because they may no longer be able to cope with this task or will give the child the wrong upbringing.

This process should belong exclusively to parents, since it is their direct responsibility. In case of incorrect upbringing of a child, all responsibility will lie with the parents themselves, and they will have nothing to reproach the grandparents for. The older generation can only help in raising their grandchildren, but not take on the main burden.

Personal life could also protect a pensioner from excessive exploitation by the family, all members of which can unanimously agree that accepting the free help of a grandmother, provided by her out of love for her children and grandchildren, is much more profitable than inviting a stranger into the house as a housekeeper . Thus, an elderly woman is unlikely to be able to win the respect and love of close relatives. This will not insure her from the fate of many old people who have become unnecessary - being sent to a nursing home.

The position of an uncomplaining servant will not raise her authority in the family. Therefore, it is necessary to let the young spouses take responsibility for their family themselves, while the elderly man already did everything he could for his children: he gave them upbringing, education, helped them get a profession and get on their feet. Now the primary concerns of an elderly person should be concerns about their health and financial independence. Conflicts, showdowns, and mutual claims begin where justice is violated and common sense is absent.

Taking care of your appearance

Many older people are reluctant to take care of themselves, believing that at this age there is no need for it. Of course, the former beauty and attractiveness are no longer there, but if the pensioner’s appearance is also sloppy and neglected, this will only cause hostility and alienate others. On the contrary, cleanliness and a neat appearance evoke sympathy and encourage communication, so taking care of appearance is no less important than in youth.

The main rule that should be followed when caring about the impression the appearance makes is cleanliness and neatness. Dirty clothes spread an unpleasant odor and create a feeling of neglect and unkemptness. Clothes can be inexpensive, modest, but clean and ironed.

An elderly person in such clothes will make a much better impression than someone dressed expensively, but carelessly and sloppily. You should try to avoid using bright, harsh color combinations in clothing that catch your eye and attract attention. Avoid wearing clothes that are too revealing. In summer, it is better to use lightweight, breathable fabrics.

A neat, well-groomed appearance gives a person satisfaction and self-confidence, makes communication with him more pleasant, therefore it is necessary to take care of yourself at any age, and especially in the elderly.

At retirement age, it is important to remember the need to alternate work and rest, since the body of an elderly person gets tired and overworked much faster than in youth. When organizing leisure and entertainment, you need to take into account the characteristics of the pensioner’s nervous system and the type of fatigue.

If a person is tired from prolonged physical work (long walking, carrying heavy objects, digging up soil), and the brain has not received much stress, a long rest may be required for several hours or even days. If you are mentally tired, you can switch to active rest, that is, do light physical work (walking in the fresh air), or passive rest in peace and quiet.

Fatigue can come from monotony and boredom. The lack of positive stimuli inhibits and weakens the functioning of the nervous system.

Whatever type of recreation older people prefer, it is important to remember that it should improve well-being, improve mood and give optimism.

When deciding how to spend your free time, you do not need to listen to the advice of strangers; it is important to listen only to your own opinion. Each person is individual, so what is good for one may be harmful and even dangerous for another.

10/26/11 Source

Comments on the article

• Elena
  It’s easy to write about someone, but how she ended up retired is so terrible!!! Something doesn't die.
• Patricia [email protected]

  I largely agree with Ada Arkadyevna: it is better not to be a sacrifice in relations with children and grandchildren. Without fanaticism. The golden mean in everything.

• Ada Arkadyevna [email protected]

  I read this article again and could not remain silent about the section that talks about pensioners living in a family. Their destiny is to take care of their growing grandchildren, the kitchen, and a bunch of small chores around the house. For some this is great happiness, but for the more advanced it is far from what they dreamed of. The conclusion is this: it’s better to be completely alone and be able to live by your own rules than to live in a family and serve forever, for fear of offending. Agree - responsibilities and coercion make life very difficult. It is simply necessary, loving your children dearly, to instill in them independence and a strong desire to leave their parents for an independent life, the sooner the better. Then there will be no such pitiful layer of pensioners living in a family among the “household members.”

• Ada Arkadyevna [email protected]

  Yesterday, my comment somehow disappeared on its own. Maybe I write too much, and this is not provided for by the allotted framework? Maybe. I'll try to write shorter. I won’t talk about those who live in the family. There, those who are freed from their main jobs and have earned a pension are immediately burdened with family worries and problems. Nobody even asks them. Now your responsibilities in the family are as follows... And try to object, you will immediately get offended. Those who live separately and independently, as well as completely lonely people who have entered the third age, are in a much better position. These are the ones I want to talk about. WOMEN. This is the most active part of the representatives of the third age. They don't get depressed. They boldly embrace a new way of life and use everything to make their life interesting and multifaceted. They are everywhere - in hobby groups, at dances in various parks, and on forums on age-related websites. They are neat, well-groomed and most of them are constantly looking for a partner for later life. A woman, no matter what age she is, never ceases to be a woman. MEN. Only a very small part of them do not get lost and do not fall into depression when they reach retirement age. They are also careful, never give up, quickly find something they like, and realize themselves to the fullest. They approach the search for not only a life partner, but just a friend for communication, in different ways. Some people simply have a complex and are afraid to take the initiative. I think that this is simply the cost of upbringing and intelligence. Well, that's up to everyone. Men who are widowers cause particular concern and sympathy. These may, in their grief and feeling of hopeless loneliness, lose control over themselves, and, as a result, drunkenness and seclusion. Only friends, neighbors and just kind people can help them. Here is a completely real case. There lived a husband and wife who were members of our GSK. Often both of them tinkered with their car and went to the dacha together. It was a good couple. Suddenly the wife dies. Out of grief, he began to drink, and after a month we stopped recognizing him. All educational conversations led to nothing. He got tired of us and our upbringing and he completely stopped coming, even leaving the garage unlocked. We sealed the garage, called and drove home - to no avail. Suddenly, after some time, he comes again, just as well-groomed as before, and next to him is a modest, pretty woman. It turns out that, before reaching his house, he fell and fell asleep at a neighboring house. The lonely woman who lived there first simply helped him on the street, and then, in order not to leave the man on the street (the ambulance, seeing that he was drunk, left), she took him in with her. So it turned out that I found a worthy husband for myself on the street. Now they live happily and go to his wife’s grave. Here's a real-life incident.

• Ada Arkadyevna [email protected]

  The article amused me and made me smile. Well, just a “school for a young fighter”! Where have you seen retirement lead a person to such a borderline state? For a person with a normal psyche, this is a new stage in life. This is a feeling of absolute freedom, these are new plans, this (if I may say so) is a breath of fresh air! After all, pensioners are wise people. Everyone builds their life as they see fit. I don’t argue, someone just stupidly gives up, but not out of despair, but just that way he was born. This article will not help them. But normal people (both men and women) easily adapt to this new life for them and everyone is happy in their own way. This is my opinion. If anyone thinks differently, write. Don't be silent, argue, prove! adequate people (both men and women)!!!

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08 October 2020

Why is stress dangerous?

Stressful situations negatively affect not only psychological mechanisms, but also the entire body as a whole, leading to a number of problems. Stress causes the following disorders in the body:

• increases the risk of developing diseases of the nervous, cardiovascular, and digestive systems;
• reduces immunity and resistance to various diseases;
• causes sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, nervousness, irritability, and worsens general condition;
• provokes the appearance of muscle spasms and phantom joint pain, headaches;
• causes a deterioration in appetite or, conversely, a desire to “eat up” stress by eating large amounts of food;
• destroys many vitamins, disrupts metabolic processes;
• causes memory impairment and emotional instability;
• contributes to depression, apathy, and loss of interest in life.

Ways to prevent stress

Stress, like illness, is easier to prevent than to treat. Therefore, it is important to learn how to prevent stress by promptly getting rid of negative emotions, physical and psychological fatigue. What methods of stress prevention exist?

• Rest . Regular rest plays a big role in the normal functioning of the body. Even the busiest person should always find time to relax. It is important to rest not only your body, but also your soul. You can take a walk in the fresh air, read an interesting book, watch an exciting movie, chat with friends, play with children or pets. Every person can find a lot of interesting activities that will relax him and lift his spirits.
• Full-fledged dream. Healthy sleep is a good defense against stress. A well-rested person has a higher resistance to stress. In order to have sound sleep, you need to accustom yourself to going to bed at the same time, not staying up late, not eating three hours before bed, and not drinking tea, coffee, or alcohol before bed. Before going to bed, you can take a walk for half an hour or at least just stand for a while near an open window or on the balcony. It is advisable to ventilate the bedroom so that the air is fresh. Adequate sleep is a good prevention of exam stress, which often occurs among students and schoolchildren during exams.

• Proper nutrition . Under stress, various disruptions occur in the body. A balanced diet saturates it with all the necessary vitamins and microelements. This improves immunity, making the body more resilient and stress-resistant.
• Sports . Sports activities are a great way to overcome stress. Each person can choose the most suitable sport based on their preferences and physical capabilities. Sports can be replaced by dancing. Dancing is especially useful for women, because it not only strengthens the body and develops flexibility, but also helps to reveal femininity and increase self-esteem.
• Massage . Massage has a beneficial effect on the body, helping to relieve fatigue and muscle tension, which in turn promotes emotional relaxation. This is real anti-stress relaxation.
• Water treatments . Water has a beneficial effect on the human body and helps fight stress. Relaxing baths with aromatic oils, regular visits to the pool, and swimming in natural bodies of water are beneficial for physical and mental health and are simple and effective ways of relaxation.

What else will help you become stronger?

Here we want to say just three things that should definitely be taken into account by anyone who wants to become more stress-resistant and less susceptible to stress factors.

First, learn from your past experiences and learn from mistakes. Analyze the events that happened to understand in which situations you were less effective and in which you were more effective, which strategies and actions helped you achieve success and solve problems, and which only went to your detriment.

Secondly, develop flexibility and strive for balance in stressful situations. Don't allow yourself to go to extremes and give in to negative emotions. If they exist, they must be compensated with positivity. Also remember that active actions and work should be replaced by rest and recuperation.

Balance also suggests that while relying on the support and help of others, one should never forget to rely on oneself. Do not abuse the help of your family and friends, learn to help yourself.

And thirdly, do not neglect additional sources of support. This includes various self-help groups, where people with similar difficulties and problems gather, as well as forums. Feel free to share your experiences, emotions and ideas with people, accept help and offer it yourself.

Read books, blogs and articles by people who have learned to successfully cope with difficulties in life, including those just like yours. Today there is the Internet, where you can find information on absolutely any topic. Believe me, even a few lines about what is close to you will give you confidence, because you will understand that you are not alone.

And finally, one more thing: many people are quite capable, on their own and with the help of the methods discussed in our article, to overcome stress and develop stress resistance. But there are also those who encounter difficulties on such a difficult path, cannot achieve progress, and are not able to move forward on their own.

In such situations, it would not be superfluous to contact an experienced specialist, for example, a psychologist. Professionals have extensive experience in developing individual strategies for people experiencing stress problems. And the only condition for success here is to find a really good mentor.

But still, we are of the opinion that in most cases a person is able to carry out effective and high-quality work on himself. You can find a million examples of people who, as they say, made themselves. And the only thing that distinguishes you from them is that they did it, and you haven’t yet.

Learn to cope with everything life throws at you on your own. This alone can take you to a completely different level of personal development. And the more often you remember this, the stronger you will become. We are confident that you will succeed, and we sincerely hope that a piece of this confidence has rubbed off on you.

Keep your head up and move forward boldly! We wish you good luck!

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Surprising facts about stress
• Stress and psychology: how they are connected
• Impact of stress on quality of life
• Stress Diary
• Workplace stress and stress management
• Stress: is there any benefit from it and how to get it?
• Coping strategies as a way to deal with stress
• Stress while studying: causes and prevention
• Ways to relieve stress
• Stress resistance: characteristics, advantages, methods of increase

Key words:1Psychoregulation

What is occupational stress?

Psychologists identify another type of stress – professional stress. It represents the emotional stress accompanying a person’s professional activity. If an employee experiences difficulties in his daily activities, has tense relationships with co-workers, management, or is simply dissatisfied with his job, he gradually develops stress. Professional stress can be divided into three types:

• Worker . The reasons that cause it are related to working conditions (inconvenient work schedule, poor organization of the workplace, monotonous work, insufficient labor safety).
• Production . Associated with the profession or type of activity itself (psychological climate in the team, professional level, social responsibility, role status).
• Organizational . Its cause is the negative impact on the employee of the characteristics of the enterprise itself (management style, personnel policy, insubordination, organizational changes).

No person is immune from professional stress. The risk group includes business owners, directors and managers, as well as ordinary employees. In addition to external factors that cause stress, the individual characteristics of the employee’s personality are also of great importance. People with high levels of anxiety, emotionally labile and prone to depressive reactions are most susceptible to stress.

The consequences of occupational stress can seriously affect a person. He develops dissatisfaction with his profession, apathy, depression, decreased self-esteem, anxiety and irritability. In addition to emotional reactions, stress provokes muscle pain, headaches, fatigue, and cardiovascular problems in the employee. As a result of chronic stress, the body turns on psychological defense, and a person experiences professional burnout.

It has been noted that professional stress that arises in one of the employees can gradually affect the entire team. As a result, tension increases in the team, conflicts become more frequent, labor productivity decreases, staff turnover increases, employees’ motivation to work decreases, and criticism of management appears. All this negatively affects the work of the enterprise. Therefore, management should be interested in preventing stress among their employees and correcting their psycho-emotional state.

Causes of stress in old age

There are many reasons that cause severe stress in older people. These include: the loss of a spouse with whom he lived his entire life, the loss of children or grandchildren who died prematurely due to accidents or serious illnesses, the discovery of an incurable disease; a sudden change of situation, for example, upon retirement or the need to move to a new place of residence in old age.

There are many more reasons that can be given. Each person is individual and has a different level of emotional sensitivity. His life circumstances are also individual. What some people can cope with relatively easily can be insurmountable for others without outside help.