LAST WEEK in this column, Dr William Reville described the physiological basis of stress, and why too much stress can cause ill health.
This week I describe how we can effectively manage stress.
Stress is a normal and healthy component of everyone's life. Without a certain level of stress you would be apathetic and bored, and certainly not achieving your full potential.
But in order to make stress work for you rather than against you, you must know how to manage it effectively.
Consider two students walking in to their honours Leaving Certificate maths examination. They have both worked well for this exam.
However, one student is focusing in on her upset stomach, sweaty palms, and thoughts of going blank and maybe having to leave the examination hall.
The other can't wait to get started. She knows that her stomach will settle and that her mind will get to grips with the paper fairly quickly. One of these students is not managing stress well, the other is a good stress manager.
When faced with a threat, crisis or demand to perform at your best, stress arousal helps you to rise to the challenge, stay on your toes and give it your best shot.
But if the stress response is too frequently triggered, or prolonged, you will begin to suffer physically and mentally.
Prolonged or excessive stress is experienced in some of the following ways: feeling hounded or trapped; indigestion; poor appetite; problems getting to sleep; palpitations; sweating; panic feelings in certain situations; tiredness or lack of energy; feelings of hopelessness; irritability; unable to unwind; problems making decisions; a feeling of not being able to cope; loss of interest.
EXCESSIVE stress culminates in a feeling off loss of control. To feel in control means feeling that you will be able to deal effectively with most situations. This involves two components: (1) confidence that you have the ability to make and to influence decisions regarding important issues; and (2) seeing your coping skills develop, giving you a sense of mastery.
Sixty per cent of people who report that they are under stress practise no form of stress management in their lives. This is a pity, because the causes of stress lie, to a large extent, within our control.
By looking at where your stress is coming from (the stressors), and at how you are responding to it, you can make many of the changes that will lead to a healthier life.
The first step is to identify specific stressors.
The best way to do this is to keep a Stress Diary over one month. Make a record in your diary each time you feel anxiety, irritability, tension, at a level of 4 or higher on a scale of 0-10, with a note of what is happening.
At the end of the month categorise these events under headings, e.g. boss's behaviour, deadlines, money, morning rush, unreliable car and so on.
Next you must decide which of these problems you can deal with immediately, and get going on them. You must also decide which stressors will require planning in order to bring about the necessary changes.
You must also decide which stressors cannot be changed, and for these you decide to adapt by changing your response to them (e.g. stop hoping that the baby will sleep tonight, and instead have a cassette of music ready to play at feeding time).
You may get to the point where you know a particular source of stress and what you should do about it, but find it extremely difficult to take the necessary action.
You may then need to consider getting help with skills development, e.g. assertiveness, communication or problem solving skills.
Relaxation should be practised daily. This is not just important for the anxious or the hassled among us. It is a great way for everyone to relieve the tension of everyday life.
DEEP muscular relaxation is probably the most simple and effective method, but Transcendental Meditation and Yoga are good substitutes. Tapes, books and courses are quite widely available.
Time management is essential for anyone who is busy. This means planning ahead on paper. It means focusing on goals. The workaholic focuses on the input rather than the output being busy is what is seen as important, rather than achieving specific goals.
You will need a Master Plan (a year at a glance chart for the coming year) to ensure that you will move steadily toward reaching long and medium term goals (the important but non urgent matters).
In addition you will need a weekly plan to decide when you will deal with particular tasks or issues. If you find it hard to find time for leisure activities then schedule them in. You only deflect from this plan in an emergency.
Having a sense of humour and being able to laugh at yourself and your dilemmas not only reduces physiological stress, but makes a situation more manageable by giving you a more flexible and objective view of the problem.
Finally, the most important ingredient of stress management is your thinking. In the final analysis, it isn't external events, however hectic or unpleasant, that determine stress levels. It is your perception of these.
You can use your thoughts to influence how you feel. This takes a lot of practice. When you feel upset, anxious, or stressed, identify what it is you are telling yourself about the situation.
Guess if necessary. Write down these thoughts, individually. You will probably notice a lot of them involve "I must", "I can't" and "What it?"
Challenge each one of these self statements. See if you can come up with a more reasonable, positive thought to substitute for negative self defeating ones.
As soon as possible, try out new behaviour on the basis of these changes. Keep practising until you are happy that you have overcome the problem.
Stress is a natural and unavoidable feature of life. By managing your thinking, maintaining a sense of humour, and being ready to take the various steps, as outlined above, you can get stress to work for you rather than against you, and better enjoy both good psychological and good physical health.