Stress resistance. How to stay calm and productive?

Stress is one of the most common diseases of modern man, and therefore we can not only talk about the undeniable relevance of this topic today, but also find a lot of interesting statistics on this matter.

It should be said that scientists believe that the number of people suffering from stress will only increase in the future. But let's leave the future alone and focus on the present. In one of the issues of the Gazeta.ru publication there was a small article [Research: 80% of Russians experience stress every day, 2015], which presented interesting data.

Thus, according to the general director of the training and research center of the Moscow Federation of Trade Unions, Vladimir Bogdashin, about 80% of Russians live under stress every day. In addition, everyday stress is experienced by:

51% of German residents;
39% of US residents;
38% of residents of the UK, Canada and France;
23% of Italians.

The expert also said that stress is a disease of the 21st century and has reached global epidemic proportions. And this statement has the most compelling reasons, because today life is replete with a huge number of stress factors. What leads to the development of stress in people today?

If you want to learn how to cope with psycho-emotional states, then this digression is for you. In the online program “Mental Self-Regulation” you will learn to cope with: stress at work and school, difficult relationships in a team, anxiety and fear of important events, apathy, difficulty taking the first step and procrastination.

Causes of modern stress

Americans were among the first to study the causes and consequences of stress, so it would be appropriate to start talking about what causes stress with US statistics. After digging around the Internet, we found some telling data from the American Institute of Stress.

According to the research conducted by the above-mentioned Institute, it turned out that the main causes of stress are (in descending order of importance):

stress at work, pressure from bosses and overload;
fear of losing a job, reduced pension and medical expenses;
health problems, including chronic diseases;
divorce, death of a spouse, problems with friends and loneliness;
poor nutrition, consumption of caffeine and refined sugar, poor quality foods;
information overload associated with the media and the Internet;
sleep problems, increased production of adrenaline and other stress hormones by the body.

The study also notes that:

77% of people regularly experience physical symptoms of stress;
73% of people regularly experience psychological symptoms of stress;
33% of people feel they live under extreme stress;
48% of people believe that stress levels have increased over the past 5 years;
76% of people believe that the reasons for their stress are income level and work;
48% of people suffer from insomnia due to stress.

Stress studies have also been and are being conducted in Russia, and the most large-scale of them belongs to the GfK Marketing Research Institute. To date, it presents some of the most objective results:

the main cause of stress for Russians is rising prices – 35% of people;
the second cause of stress for Russians is unemployment – 24% of people;
other economic problems worry a quarter of respondents – 25% of people;
in fourth place is crime - 19% of people;
followed by housing problems - 18% of people;
In last place are the problems of pensions and healthcare – 16% of people.

Over 60% of Russians are convinced that life in the country is becoming more dangerous every year, and because of this they experience stress. 51% of people name the fear of losing loved ones among the main causes of stress, and 43% name the fear of getting sick and dying themselves. 40% of Russians are concerned about the risk of becoming a victim of criminals, and 53% are concerned about the risk that their loved ones may become their victims. And finally, 28% are most afraid of social conflicts and wars.

We will not provide statistics for other countries (if you wish, you can easily find them freely available on the Internet), but we will continue to talk about the causes of stress in general. Scientists divide them into physiological and psychological (by the way, we recommend that you read our article “Stress and psychology: how they are connected”).

Physiological causes include everything that negatively affects a person’s physical condition, for example:

poor nutrition;
overwork;
lack of sleep;
changes in weather (changes in pressure, temperature, etc.)

It is interesting that physiological causes do not affect people in the same way: while they can cause stress for some, others practically do not react to them. And this difference is often explained by the second group of reasons - psychological reasons.

Psychological factors provoke powerful emotional outbursts that arise against the background of various kinds of psychological problems, such as difficulties in communicating with people, lack of self-confidence, etc. But it is important to note that we are talking not only about excessive negative, but also about positive emotions.

Among other things, stress is caused by external and internal causes. External factors are various life situations that are beyond human control (for example, environmental conditions, weather, etc.), and problems in interaction with society (blockages at work, problems in the family, conflicts, etc.)

And internal reasons are reasons such as health problems, unjustified hopes, unachieved goals, disappointments and other factors that influence a person without external influence.

Naturally, this is only a brief examination of the causes of stress, but it gives a very clear idea of what generally causes a deterioration in a person’s physical and mental condition.

And in addition to what has been said, it would not be superfluous to identify some risk factors that cause stress. People who are primarily affected by stress should be mentioned:

people who consciously expose themselves to stress factors: adrenaline addicts, fans of extreme sports, testing the strength of their nerves through activities at the limits of the body’s capabilities;
workers in the fields of finance, education and medicine: brokers, traders, bank employees, office workers, educators and teachers, doctors;
public transport drivers and representatives of other professions whose work involves increased stress.

Such people literally spend every day under the influence of stress factors of varying magnitude, causing the production of cortisol - the stress hormone, nervous and emotional overstrain, various nervous conditions that do not allow them to adequately and constructively respond to current events. Naturally, there can be no talk of any peace or high productivity here.

Today it is quite difficult to find a person who has not experienced the effects of stress at least once. Moreover, stress is expressed mainly in the same manifestations, and they are also familiar to everyone. But we still think it would be very useful to say a few words about the symptoms of stress.

Symptoms of stress

Stress manifests itself at different levels and has devastating effects on the physical, emotional, mental and behavioral areas. Let's talk about everything separately.

Under stress, the body strives to mobilize all its resources, and at the physiological level a whole range of changes are possible:

cardiovascular system: changes in blood pressure, hypertension, heart rhythm disturbances, interruptions in heart function, tinnitus;
digestive system: lack or decreased appetite (less often - increased appetite), weight loss, abdominal pain, dyspeptic symptoms (nausea, vomiting, belching, heartburn, stool disturbances, heaviness in the stomach);
respiratory system: lack of air, inability to take a deep breath, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, frequent colds;
musculoskeletal system: muscle spasms, convulsions, constant muscle tone, back pain;
integumentary system: rash, allergic reactions, increased sweating;
nervous system: headaches, low resistance to stress, low temperature (less often, high temperature);
reproductive system: decreased libido.

The next level is emotional, and here the following changes are possible:

anxiety, restlessness, premonition of trouble, attacks of causeless panic;
causeless irritability and moodiness;
emotional decline, sadness, melancholy, depression, suicidal thoughts (separately, tearfulness is noted in women);
decreased self-esteem, increased demands on oneself;
lack of interests in life, passive behavior;
constant tension, difficulty relaxing.

Next, we move on to the intellectual level, at which stress manifests itself as follows:

inability to make decisions;
memory impairment;
obsessive thoughts (mostly negative);
difficulty concentrating;
absent-mindedness and disorganization.

As for changes in behavior, they manifest themselves as follows:

emotional instability (it often leads to conflict situations at work and at home);
inattention (it affects performance and appearance);
workaholism (one of the responses to stress is going to work);
the desire to suppress stress with the help of cigarettes and alcohol (an increase in the quantity and frequency of their use is noted), as well as drugs.

The above symptoms most often appear in combination, rather than one at a time. There is no need to sound the alarm if you suddenly begin to notice one or two manifestations of stress in yourself or someone around you (although you still need to pay attention), but if several of them begin to appear at once, this is already a reason for closer observation and taking appropriate measures.

As you may have noticed, even the symptoms of stress are already a serious shake-up for the body (by the way, regarding the shake-up, stress does not always have only a negative effect, and you can read more about this in our article “Stress: is there any benefit from it and how can it be done?” get"). However, stress can also lead to other consequences, which we will discuss below.

Consequences of stress

The already mentioned study by the American Institute of Stress also contains statistics on the impact of stress on humans, and this is what it shows:

48% of people believe that stress has a negative impact on their personal and professional lives;
31% of people say stress interferes with their ability to manage their work and home life;
54% of people note that stress leads to conflicts with loved ones;
26% of people said stress had caused them to become distant from their friends and family.

Plus, there is data on how people think stress affects their lives:

51% – fatigue;
44% – headaches;
34% – stomach upset;
30% – muscle tension;
23% – loss of appetite;
17% – dental problems;
15% – decreased libido;
13% – dizziness;
50% – irritability;
45% – nervousness;
45% – lack of energy;
35% – desire to cry.

In general, researchers identify the following among the main consequences of stress:

frequent headaches;
systematic lack of sleep;
persistent problems with the digestive and cardiovascular systems;
tachycardia and increased blood pressure;
the emergence of bad habits (including addictions);
weakening of the immune system.

Initially, the effect of stress on the body may be almost invisible, but after some time the problems begin to make themselves felt. Stress works in a tricky way: first, cortisol is produced, which affects the immune system, then the release of adrenaline into the blood becomes more frequent and increases, after which the whole body begins to suffer.

But, as you understand, the matter is not limited to the body: the ability to work gradually decreases, the perception of situations occurring in daily life is distorted, and a person’s communication with others changes for the worse. A person becomes more susceptible to destructive mental states (anger, aggression, depression, apathy, etc.)

It is also very dangerous that the symptoms of stress that we recently discussed can quickly worsen and become chronic. Not only does this lead to many different ailments on a physical level (angina pectoris, heart attack, stomach ulcers, colitis, cholelithiasis and a host of others, including degeneration of brain cells), but on a psychological level stress also manifests itself as extremely dangerous.

In addition to the fact that a person himself begins to feel bad, his condition begins to actively affect his interaction with society. Relationships with friends, work colleagues, family, and even those closest to you and family members deteriorate. This is why stress so often becomes the cause of family problems - from minor troubles to divorce. What can we say about achieving goals and success in life, changes in thinking and worldview.

And, perhaps, the worst thing is that stress (in its chronic and most severe form, of course) can lead to loss of adequacy and capacity and even death. Therefore, it is very important to prevent the stress from worsening and begin to eliminate it as early as possible.

How to increase stress resistance: techniques, techniques and exercises

Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove stress from life; in order to maintain your mental health and maintain balance, you need to train stress resistance. Here are some tips and techniques to help you do this.

Cognitive techniques help you monitor your thoughts and develop an optimal attitude towards a problem. It is useful to keep a stress diary and make lists of solutions to problems.

Jen Larson, teacher and author of The teacher next door, says, “When I first started teaching, I thought everything needed to be assessed, and I killed myself to do it. Later I realized that sometimes the process is important. This simple change in mindset has significantly reduced my stress. The truth is that we can be truly good teachers without trying to live up to the image of a superhero and an ideal teacher. To prioritize, we need to focus on the most important things in our classroom.”

Working with emotions. Identifying the emotion you feel during stress is part of responding. This helps you learn more about yourself. How to do it? Imagine what your emotion looks like, and then draw, sculpt, or sing it. Imagine the problem has already been solved and think about how your emotion will affect the result.

Marie Delaney, educational psychotherapist, teacher and author, talks about the importance of positive emotions and pleasant self-talk: “What would you say to your best friend if he was having a bad day? Would you tell him that he is a useless teacher who can't cope? Probably not. And yet we often say this to ourselves. Make the decision to talk to yourself like you would your best friend.”

Mindfulness and breathing practices. Ask yourself: “What is happening right now?”, switch to your senses, pay attention to something new nearby. Observe your breathing, leaving thoughts for at least a couple of minutes. This will allow you to shift your focus and concentrate on sensations.

To relax, use simple meditations or simply breathe deeply and slowly. This will help activate the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for ensuring that the body restores energy reserves during sleep and rest - editor's note) and calm down.

Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, a psychiatrist at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, says mindfulness meditation can help relieve intrusive anxiety.

Julia Corlis, editor of the Harvard Heart Letter, says, “If you have unproductive experiences, you can learn to perceive those thoughts in a completely different way. You might be thinking, “I'll be late, I could lose my job if I don't arrive on time, and that would be a disaster!” Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, “Oh, it's that same thought again. She already was. But it’s just a thought, not part of my essence.”

Physical activity and rest. 20 minutes of active training will help increase stress resistance, and regular physical activity will increase the production of “joy hormones.” For deep relaxation and combining breathing exercises with physical ones, choose yoga or qigong classes.

Don't neglect sleep. Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep. In stressful situations, if exercise is not possible, it helps to laugh or cry.

Sheryl Sandberg, CEO of Facebook, is trying to get enough sleep. Before going to bed, she turns off her phone to avoid scrolling through the news feed or reading emails at night. “Getting sound sleep that is not interrupted by text messages makes it much easier to deal with stressful situations during the next day.”

Nutrition. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, although during times of stress you really want to use them. Better choose a balanced diet. Food should not be too sweet or salty.

Chewing helps cope with stressors - then the body switches to digesting food and reduces emotional intensity. It is better to chew solid, healthy food. If you don’t have carrots on hand, chewing gum will do.

Communication with loved ones. Make a habit of sharing your experiences with family or friends, doing something pleasant together, thanking each other for your support - this will help you develop “joy” hormones and gain strength.

Relaxation apps. Electronic assistants will help you take time to relax, sort out your thoughts and track your emotional and physical state.

Erica Raso, a writer and editor in the field of education and HR, notes that meditation for teachers and students can help cope with the mental health crisis. “Meditation will help you and your students develop skills such as concentration, emotional regulation, kindness, compassion and self-soothing. And all this lifts the mood in the classroom. Luckily, there are many free tools available to help teachers and students work together on mindfulness. To do this, you just need to log into the application.” What a way to survive the distance.

Here is a list of apps that help improve stress resistance. By the way, they can be used at the workplace instead of another cup of coffee or sweets.

Headspace - meditations, videos and articles that help increase stress resistance.
Meditopia - meditations and mindfulness exercises for relaxation, reducing anxiety and developing self-love.
Calm - meditations to improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety. There are cycles of thematic meditations.
DownDog helps you stay fit with yoga, ballet and interval training. There is a section with meditations and prenatal yoga.
Woebot - supports and gives advice on mental health. On behalf of the cute robot, a dialogue is conducted, small tests are carried out, or psychological recommendations appear.
MoodTools is a comprehensive application where you can monitor your condition, keep a diary, meditate, use other practices, and watch thematic videos or articles.

First steps in the fight against stress

To successfully deal with stress, you need not only to know what methods are used to overcome it (we will discuss them below), but also to understand how it occurs, and also be able to identify sources of pressure. Let's talk about everything in order.

Determining the stage of stress

Understanding the stages in which stress develops is required in order to correctly determine options for its subsequent treatment, as well as to realize how advanced the situation is. To describe the stages of stress progression, it is best to refer to the concept of Canadian physician Hans Selye, first described in 1936 in his work describing the general adaptation syndrome.

Selye named three stages of stress, each of which gradually flows into the other:

First stage. The human body is in a state of shock and strives to overcome irritating factors, for which it produces more energy. The feeling of anxiety increases.
Second stage. It can be called the stage of resistance, when the body tries to develop a certain immunity (we recommend that you read the material “How to develop immunity against stress”). The volume of hormones that increase stress and depress a person is reduced. There is balance and calmness, and the disappearance of feelings of anxiety.
Third stage. Under the influence of stress, the body begins to deplete. The psycho-emotional state worsens, the body's resistance to stress factors decreases, and the feeling of anxiety increases. If this condition continues for a long time, changes begin to occur at the physiological level.

In the case of each individual person, each stage has its own duration. In addition, all stages are individual for individual situations. They can last for several minutes or several weeks.

This information is sufficient for a person to determine the progression of stress in his or her own case. But all this is mostly theoretical. The practice of working with stress begins directly with identifying the source of stress and its possible elimination.

Identifying the Source of Stress

Even the barking of a neighbor's dog can be a source of powerful psycho-emotional disturbance. However, such things are perceived by a person as ordinary; they fit quite harmoniously into the array of daily events, and therefore in most cases they are not the main irritant.

People tend to think of the real stress maker as something much larger. This could be, for example, an endlessly yelling boss at work or an economic crisis in the country. But this is still a fallacy, and in reality the situation is completely different from what most people believe.

If we start looking for the starting point, we will find it in the barking dog. When we are cheerful and full of energy, we perceive almost all external stimuli relatively objectively and adequately. But when we didn’t get enough sleep because of the dog’s barking, irritation begins to take hold of us, and through its prism we begin to perceive everything that happens.

As a result, after a while we begin to “seem”, commit rash actions, and “break wood.” And the neighbor’s dog has no idea that her barking puts pressure on our psyche and that it is because of it that our lives are filled with problems and relationships with loved ones suffer.

We have described the simplest situation, although in real life not everything is so simple, and the causes of stress are often not so obvious. But still, in the vast majority of situations, you can do without the help of a specialist to understand the problem and find its true cause - the source of stress.

To begin with, you can use the simplest technique to help you understand what is causing pressure. You take a piece of paper and a pen and, in chronological order, write down all the negative events that have happened recently. After this, it is enough to conduct a small analysis of everything that was written in order to get to the bottom of the truth.

And to help in the search for this truth, psychologists have even developed several special auxiliary questions to answer the main question: “Where did it all start?” To determine the primary source of stress, you need to ask yourself (questions are asked in this order):

When did the changes start?
What happened before the changes?
How has the world around you changed?
How has my attitude towards what is happening changed?
How has my attitude towards people changed?

On the same topic, we recommend reading the article “Questions to yourself to cure stress” so that the search for the cause of stress will be more thorough and painstaking. And remember that you need to answer these questions as honestly as possible - this way you can really help yourself by becoming a true friend and useful advisor. But the real work, of course, is not in thinking and answering questions, but in applying effective ways to deal with stress.