In defense of stress

It is good to be scared sometimes, some people really enjoy being scared…

And stress is the same-it is good for you to experience stress

Because otherwise you would most likely not be able to rise to the challenges that inevitable will happen to you.

One study, for example, found that college students who got slightly nervous before exams did better than those who did not get nervous at all.

Stress is a survival mechanism. 

Ok, and secondly:

Have you ever watched a scary movie- without sound.

How scary is it now?

This is how stress works-we have the power to turn off the sound-to interpret our fear and arousal in a positive way. 

Human beings are the only animals that can become stressed just by thinking about something-adding the scary zombie snarls is like us when we let our minds paint up the worst case scenario-we have the same physical stress reaction that a wild animal has when attacked and fighting for his life-when we think about exams, or money, or our family or homework or writing a paper.

But this means that we can control our stress response.

So why is this important? 

Ok, a little bit about stress:

Definition of stress

“a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the 

personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.”

Hans Seyle, one of Psychology's most well-known stress researchers, was not happy with this definition-because stress can be good.

Stress can be helpful and good when it motivates people to accomplish more.

“Everyone knows what stress is, but nobody really knows.”

The Human Function Curve (Seyle):

Increased stress results in increased productivity – up to a point, after which things go rapidly downhill. However, that point or peak differs for each of us, so you need to be sensitive to the early warning symptoms and signs that suggest a stress overload is starting to push you over the hump. Such signals also differ for each of us and can be so subtle that they are often ignored until it is too late. Not infrequently, others are aware that you may be headed for trouble before you are.

Let’s look at what effects on a person stress can have:

1.    Physical effects:

 Headaches

Low energy

Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea

 Aches, pains, and tense muscles

Chest pain and rapid heartbeat

Insomnia

Frequent colds and infections

Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ear, cold or sweaty hands and fee

2.    Emotional symptoms of stress include:

Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody

Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control

Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind

Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed

Avoiding others

Stress may lead to depression and anxiety

Maybe these things do not feel relevant for you right now, but what about this….
Stress can impair cognitive ability-
Your ability to think, to remember, to concentrate…to solve problems…

3.     Cognitive symptoms of stress include:

Constant worrying

Racing thoughts

Forgetfulness and disorganization

Inability to focus

Poor judgment

Being pessimistic or seeing only the negative side

Stress has been shown in research to shrink the hippocampus, which is an area of the brain associated with memory formation and retrieval.

In other words, being stressed may lead to you have problems trying to remember when you are studying and revising, and also stress might mean that in the exam you will be unable to remember what you studied. Stress may affect both retrieval and consolidation of memory.

And there is more
Stress might affect your concentration meaning that you can't focus on what you are reading or writing.  

The good news?  There are things that YOU can do!

Manage Your health

1.    Breakfast

Science says that when you wake up in the morning, your body has almost no energy stored. It needs to be filled up with new fuel. It is important for the body to get carbohydrates in the morning, because it is easy for the body to use them.   Carbohydrates are also what your brain needs to function so you can concentrate and focus on important information. If the body and brain do not get breakfast you are at a greater risk of feeling stress in the school situation.  You´ll get tired, get difficulties with concentration and you may have difficulties in handling information.

2.    Exercise

During exercise you decrease your stress hormone in your body and brain. Your immune system will be stronger and during the exercise your brain will rest from thoughts of schoolwork. If you have a strong body you will not get tired so easily and if you exercise regularly it can make you sleep better during the night.

3.    Healthy diet

Half of the energy during a day should be carbohydrates and half of it should be fat and protein. Eat at least 3 regular meals per day and have a snack twice per day. If you have problems sleeping, try to avoid big amounts of coffee and coke, especially during the evening. If you don´t eat well you might get headaches and become tired so you can´t focus in school.

4.    Relaxation

It is good for you and your brain to relax from all thoughts of schoolwork. Have at least one day a week when you rest from your schoolwork.  To be among your friends, to do things you like, to just take a walk or go to the cinema can be a good break from studying and may help you to study better when it´s time. 

Stress management

Ok the good news is this:

As you know now, the stress reaction is an adaptive response- meaning that it is a normal, healthy response that is designed to keep you alive.  Without the stress reaction we would not be able to handle the trials of our lives -all the challenges - the exams, the people, working, etc. 

There are ways to gain power of the stress reaction and how you see the stressor ( the threat) is an essential part of this.

Plenty of research,  what can YOU do?

Research supports:

1.    Problem focused coping:

a)    Make connections. Good relationships with close family members, friends or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens resilience. Some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based organizations, or other local groups provides social support and can help with reclaiming hope. Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.

b)   Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly — even if it seems like a small accomplishment — that enables you to move toward your goals. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, "What's one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?"

c)    Take decisive actions. Act on adverse situations as much as you can. Take decisive actions, rather than detaching completely from problems and stresses and wishing they would just go away.

2.    Change the way you think about stress:

a)    Avoid seeing crises huge problems that you cannot overcome. You can't change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better. Note any subtle ways in which you might already feel somewhat better as you deal with difficult situations.

b)   Accept that change is a part of living. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.

c)    Nurture a positive view of yourself. Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and trusting your instincts helps build resilience.

d)   Keep things in perspective. Even when facing very threatening events, try to consider the stressful situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Avoid blowing the event out of proportion.

e)    Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen in your life. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.

3.    Managing the biological stress response

The idea behind biofeedback is that, by harnessing the power of your mind and becoming aware of what's going on inside your body, you can gain more control over your health.

Yoga is a holistic approach to stress management as it targets physical, psychological and spiritual aspects with a goal making you more self-aware and better able to handle your surroundings (Law et al. 2010).  Techniques include:

- Deep breathing
- Progressive muscle relaxation -- alternately tightening and then relaxing different muscle groups

- Mindfulness meditation -- focusing your thoughts and letting go of negative emotions

According to Berger (1987) participants in yoga were significantly less anxious, tense, depressed, angry, fatigued, and confused after class than before on all three occasions.

The key is to identify ways that are likely to work well for you as part of your own personal strategy for fostering resilience.