Stress is part of the everyday life of every working person. In addition, there are various circumstances such as a stressful family and professional life, the noise of the big city, the fast pace of time, high expectations and demands, bills that need to be paid, and the desire for recognition and a career. All of this puts people under intense pressure. This can, if it continues, have negative effects on mental and physical health. The burden becomes greater and greater, and the body reacts with various symptoms of stress. This can lead to chronic and mental illnesses. To avoid all this, it is necessary to cope with the stress factors. Applications and therapies of this kind fall under the term stress management.
What is stress management?
Stress management is understood to be methods designed to reduce or completely eliminate stress. Stress management is understood to be methods that are intended to reduce or completely relieve stress. Body and mind always have a reciprocal effect on each other and cause an inner balance with which the person meets his environment. If this is thrown off track, various disturbances occur which also change relationships with other people or influence one’s own performance. External and internal burdens, which the person can no longer cope with due to continuous stress, are reduced by stress management. This includes different models for coping. They deal with the promotion of a better quality of life as a management of the mental, emotional and physical aspects to be positively influenced. These have been gradually developed in the course of research into stress-related circumstances. There are various theories for the development and process of stress. The American physiologist Walter Cannon developed the term “fight-or-flight”. He was engaged in stress research for a long time and described the reaction of a rapid mental and physical adaptation of many living beings to certain dangerous or stressful situations. Cannon studied the processes of such a stress response in reactions of animals that felt threatened. In his day, the background was the war and the post-traumatic stress disorders of soldiers who had fought in the First World War. What happens in a “fight-or-flight” response is first the release of adrenaline. Pulse, respiration and muscle tension increase. With constant stress of this kind, hormones that stimulate the metabolism are also emitted. If this stress reaction occurs too frequently or persists, it can lead to a breakdown of the organism. The Hungarian physician Hans Selye developed a theory of stress in the 1930s. He pointed out the adaptation syndrome. This shows a general reaction pattern of the organism as soon as it is exposed to prolonged stress stimuli. These can be noise, hunger, pressure to perform, heat and other psychological stresses. While the body develops a short-term increase in resistance, physical damage can occur in the long term, which can even lead to death. Selye summarizes three stages of such stress. First, there is the alarm reaction. The body releases stress hormones to develop enormous amounts of energy. Blood pressure and heart rate are increased. At the same time, however, there is an increased release of amino acids into the blood, which are converted to glucose in the liver. This in turn causes the blood sugar level to rise. This is followed by the resistance stage, in which the body strives to reduce the stress-triggering stimuli. Stress hormones that have been released are to be reduced and the body returned to a normal state. The third stage is that of exhaustion. Constant periods of increased activity and hormone release can lead to long-term damage, which manifests itself in the form of serious illnesses.
Function, effect and goals
Stress can be a burden, but it can also become a stimulus. It plays alone a role that it is reduced and does not persist. If a vacation or a short distance from everyday life is not enough, there are ways to deal with the stress load. In psychotherapy there are different training methods of stress management.These include systematic desensitization, cognitive therapy, conflict or time management, self-regulation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, coaching, floating or focusing-oriented psychotherapy. All these forms of therapy bring about a strengthening of one’s self-awareness, better handling of stress, release of inner tensions and fears, thus a relaxation of the body and the mind. However, the methods must be adapted to the character of the stressed person and his or her circumstances. Several methods can also be combined with each other. Stress management can begin with simple breathing techniques that relieve tension and reduce stress. Systematic desensitization uses progressive muscle relaxation and meditation to manage stress, reduce anxiety and bring about mental relaxation. By loosening individual muscle groups, the body and mind are strengthened in a targeted manner. Similarly, autogenic training is useful to control and better regulate the nervous system. Various types of massage can relieve physical pressure, as can passive or active meditation exercises. Stress management takes place both on the person, the environment and the body. What external conditions cause in terms of stress, internal stress-producing patterns also cause. Here it is possible to learn to accept oneself better, to lower one’s expectations, even to learn new manners that facilitate an encounter with other people and help to better cope with conflict or rejection. When the causes are known, situations can be addressed in a targeted way. Likewise, some people need to relearn how to relax themselves and enjoy life.
Risks and specifics
Stress always triggers a chemical reaction in the body. Stress-related illnesses start with elevated blood sugar levels, headaches and stomach ulcers. If the stress continues, skin, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders or chronic diseases such as neurodermatitis occur. There is a shrinking of the thymus and lymph glands. Psychologically, a lack of stress management usually causes anxiety, depression, cognitive or emotional disorders in many areas. Continuous stress can lead to mood disorders and distortion of perception and thinking. Irritability, insecurity and aggressiveness are emotional manifestations. Performance decreases sharply, exhaustion is accompanied by excessive demands.
