Stress Management: Chill Out for Your Health

When you think about stress management, you have to understand all the different aspects of stress, from one's lifestyle to the effects of stress and how it is part of everyday living. While it is one thing to talk about ways to avoid stress, I want to challenge you to think about "how and why you do what you do." When it comes to dealing with a particular stress in your life, you have to look for the best remedies and considerations for you.

There are four basic aspects of stress, the cognitive or mental aspect, the emotional aspect, the physical aspect and the social or interpersonal aspect. Stress involves thinking as well as emotion. Anger is an emotion driven by the fact that you have got some place that you want to go, but you are being forced in another direction or being stopped. The physical aspect of stress relates to the body's reaction. It tells you to either "fight" or "flee." However, the choice to fight is usually not appropriate in today's civilized society. The fourth aspect of stress is social. It usually affects how you handle stress.

The cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects are all connected. There is no mind/body split; each works together. What you think influences what you feel as well as what is going on with you physically. If you ignore the fact that there is a connection, things will never really change.

One of the better models for stress explains that our bodies react to stress with an "alarm response." The initial reaction is the "fight" or "flee" response. The body gets fired up to do something. Next, you size up the problem and deal with it. Finally, you reach exhaustion if the problem is not solved and the "stressor" is not removed.

Individuals experience "stressors," or events, differently. The more traditional idea of stress is that events hit you from out of the blue. Boom! These are events like an accident, a divorce or a major physical injury. The other stressors are every day life events, such as a person with SCI who lives with persistent pain. Some days are fine, but there are times when you say, "Wait a minute, time out." The little things begin to get to you like a million different paper cuts all over you. It wears you down.

So what can you do? First, know what your stressors are. No one can tell you what they are. You have to know what your poison is in order to find the right cure. People react differently to stressors, experiencing anxiety, tension, depression or burnout. Individuals have different genetic make-ups and different areas of vulnerability. Some people might be more inclined to blood pressure spikes while others might be more inclined to break out in sweat. This goes back to a very basic instinct. When you are under stress, you must respond - run, fight or do something. The situation requires you to cope, to get through and get along, but your body may have a different reaction.

Stress may not be related to an event like losing a job. It may be your thinking and worrying about losing a job. Your body does not really know the difference. Because of personal differences you must look at different ways to cope. Know what your resources are and what you need to change.

There are several approaches to dealing with stress. One is "problem-solving coping." This is when you decide to do something and plan to make changes. It might be learning to balance your budget by tearing up your credit cards. It might be learning interpersonal conflict management skills. It involves effort. You need to identify the problem and put a plan into motion. This way of dealing with stress can be very helpful in a situation where you can take responsibility and do something. There are times, however, when problem-solving coping does not work. You may not always have control of a situation or the problem-solving method creates more stress. This is when "emotion-focus coping" may work better. This is when you really need to "chill out." For you this might be going shopping or joining a prayer group.

Emotion-focus coping can be good for short-term situations. If used for the long-term, it can create new problems. Emotion-focus coping does not change a situation.

People who handle stress have good interpersonal skills. They use rational thinking in dealing with others; they are not so quick to take things personally or lash out at others.

Effective interpersonal skills require good conflict management skills and the ability to listen and offer support, and everyone needs social support. People with spinal cord injury need someone to show them that "You are somebody and you have contributions to make in this life." Caregivers need to simply talk to someone. People in healthcare need support from colleagues and supervisors.

Your lifestyle can also influence how you deal with stress. For example, diet is important for overall good health. Having a religious or spiritual affiliation can help by giving you a sense of being connected to others and a sense of meaning. Meditation, relaxation skills and muscle relaxation are all ways for you to chill out and feel good.

Meaningful activities can help you handle stress. Exercise and other physical activities can boost your sense of confidence, your sense of competency and regulate your mood. People with a greater sense of control over what is going on in their life handle stress better. People who have a sense of optimism, hope and meaning in their life also cope better.

You need to find meaning in your life by deciding what is important for you, not what anyone else says it is. Set your own priorities. It is not necessary for people to agree with your decisions. Think about what you are about and why you do what you do. Know your priorities. This helps you distinguish what you are about, when to take action to get some work done or when you back away and have some fun.

Finally, remember the words of the great Alabama philosopher, Jimmy Buffet, "If you decide to run with the ball, just count on fumbling and getting knocked down a lot, but never forget just how much fun it is to run with the ball."

Warning Signs of Stress

Physical

Headaches - Neck Tension - Shoulder Tension - Dizziness - Fatigue - Restlessness

Emotional

Irritability - Anger - Depression - Moodiness - Aggression - Frustration

Social

Over Eating - Excessive Dieting - Avoiding Tasks - Avoiding People - Increased Smoking - Increased Alcohol Use

Cognitive

Can't Make Decisions - Loss of Creativity - Loss of Memory - Loss of Concentration

If you are experiencing many of the warning signs of stress, you should seek professional assistance on the method of relieving stress that is right for you.

NOTE
Stress Management is an article adapted from presentations given at the SCI Research Update Conference for individuals with SCI, families and providers on September 25, 1998 in Birmingham, AL.