LESSON 1: Handling stress and dealing with it are two totally different concepts
Stress is a normal response to a situation. It's what your body does when it's trying to keep you safe. Stress is like a fire hose — it doesn't just put out one problem; it pushes out many at once, causing more problems than just one thing would have created alone. However, dealing with stress and dealing with things that cause your stress are two different things.
The stress reaction in your body is triggered by stressors. Anything that you can see, hear, smell, touch, taste, or imagine could be one of them. Work, money, family, time, cultural standards, and expectations are examples of external stressors. Internal stressors include self-criticism, body image, identity, so on and so forth. When one of these risks is present, your body undergoes a neurological and physiological change known as stress.
Stress can be helpful — especially when it motivates you to get things done and keeps you from procrastinating. But if left unchecked, stress can lead to anxiety and depression as well as physical illness like high blood pressure or heart disease. Stress aggravates the situation when we feel stuck in our emotions. This happens mainly because of three reasons:
- Chronic stress: Chronic stress is a long term stress, or the constant and long term exposure to stressful situations. For example: Feeling overwhelmed because of too many responsibilities at home or at work.
- Social appropriateness: Behaving in a certain way that you think is viewed as being good and virtuous with respect to the society. For example: You are being constantly insulted by your boss, but you refuse to clap back because you are aware that it is a morally incorrect gesture.
- Sometimes it’s safer to tolerate: Let’s imagine you are being followed by two suspicious men late at night. Your heart is racing fast and sweat droplets are flowing down your forehead, but instead of taking an impulsive action you would think it’s much better to keep your head low and reach a safe place first and then think about what to do.
There are many strategies that can help you get rid of stress and live a happier life:
- Practice breathing exercises that focus on relaxation and deep breathing. These are especially helpful for people who have trouble relaxing or who feel anxious all the time.
- Engage in physical activity when possible. Exercise releases endorphins that make us feel good! A brisk
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