Written by: Anya Alyzabeth, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
With every new week come new challenges and pressures for us which overwhelm us. Gone are the days where we wore ‘being stressed as a badge of honour’. By now it is pretty well known that chronic stress has a detrimental effect in our health and is officially acknowledged as being a major contributor to causes of death.
So what can you do to better navigate these troubling times?
In this article, I will share a basic insight into what stress is, how it is created and how it can impact us. I will also provide you with some basic tools that you can implement right away to lighten your stress load and feel a little bit more in control.
How come we get stressed?
Stress is a response to events or conditions that trigger the respective response. These triggers are called stressors and are in themselves neutral and a stress response is initiated based on our personal evaluation of the situation or event. These are called ‘personal stress amplifiers’ are they are the reason why people react differently to the exact same situation. The same event can trigger anger in one person and sadness or indifference in another. These personal attitudes that lead to the individual stress response have developed over time through individual experiences and our coping with them.
You can answer these three simple statements to get a basic idea of how you create your own personal stress response:
1. I get stressed when… (this would be the triggering event, condition or situation)
2. I put myself under stress by… (here you add your personal stress amplifiers)
3. When I get stressed, then I… (this is your personal stress response)
3 things you can do right away to counteract the stress response and become empowered
The first step to managing stress better is to understand and be aware of your personal triggers. This is achieved by observing yourself in different stressful situations, taking note of your reactions and identifying certain patterns.
The second step is to interrupt the stress response that is not serving you. A quick stop to the stress response stops negative associations in the brain, interrupts the physical stress response and induces the relaxation response:
When you feel triggered and find yourself reacting the same way as always tell yourself immediately to STOP as if you were holding up a stop sign. This will create distance to the situation and interrupt your immediate response. After the stop, you will take 5 deep abdominal breaths which constitutes a short break. This sends a clear ‘no stress’ message to the brain and the stress response is effectively interrupted.
This cognitive ‘stop’ technique is a first step in handling stressful situations a little bit more calmly, however, most of the time this approach is not enough and further stress management tools and techniques will have to be explored and implemented. Managing stress effectively takes some practice just like exercising a muscle and needs to be repeated to remain effective until it becomes an automatic response.
This is just a start to a very complex topic with a lot of different areas that can be explored further to find the perfect method for every individual person. The more aware you are of your personal reactions the better you can find a tailored approach to being empowered no matter the situation you encounter.
All the best,
Anya Alyzabeth
Anya Alyzabeth, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anya Alyzabeth has a strong passion for building resilience for a better life experience. After suffering from several health conditions that were all based on prolonged chronic stress, Anya became a master of managing stressors and building the resilience that is required to thrive in life despite external circumstances. She is now helping others to build those same skills so they can become autonomous and in control of their own happiness and well-being. Anya offers private 1:1 coaching packages in different formats.
