COPING WITH STRESS AND DEALING WITH EMOTIONS

 

COPING WITH STRESS AND DEALING WITH EMOTIONS

Origin of the word Stress

The terms stress has been derived from ‘stringere’ that is a Latin word and

means ‘to draw tight’ (Cox, 1978).

Nature of Stress

Stress as such is like salt and pepper and a life without stress would be without motivation, as stress often motivates us to work in certain direction. Thus, without any stress in life, any individual will not be motivated to perform or carry our varied activities. As, more salt than required can make food taste bad. In a similar manner, stress beyond optimal level can have a negative effect on the individual and will interfere with his/ her day today functioning. Stress is not altogether negative and does have numerous advantages. It is therefore important that stress is managed and is kept below the optimal level.

Definitions

1. Hans Selye (1974) (father of stress research) described stress as a response of the body to certain demand that is made on it and he further stated that this response was nonspecific.
2. Baum et al. (1981) have defined stress as a “process in which environmental events or forces, called, stressors, threatens an organism’s existence and wellbeing”.
3. Schafer (1998, pg. 6) defined stress as “arousal of mind and body in response to demands made on them”

4.      Truxillo et al. (2016, pg. 440) defined stress as “the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response”

STRESSOR

Gerrig and Zimbardo (2005) defined stressor as a stimulus event that places a demand on an organism for some kind of adaptive response” Stressors can also be described as varied external and internal stimuli that may lead to stress.

Stressors can be categorised into physical, psychological, environmental, social and as life events. Stressors could range from adjusting to change, financial issues and problems, life events like separation, divorce, illnesses or death of a loved one, managing varied roles and responsibilities, facing frequent challenging situations and even technological changes and development.

SOURCES OF STRESS

1.      Frustration: Frustration can be described as occurring when a goal oriented behaviour of an individual is thwarted. As stated by Mangal (1984, pg. 46) “a wide range of environmental obstacles, both physical and social and the internal factors in the form of personal limitations, biological conditions and psychological barriers may lead to frustration of our needs, motives and efforts”. For example, Ravi expected his promotion, however, when he did not receive the same, he experienced frustration.

2.      Conflict of Motives: The next source is conflict of motives that can cause  stress as an individual has to choose between alternatives and decision making in this regard can lead to stress. Conflict of motives can be of four different types, approach - approach conflict, avoidance - avoidance conflict, approach - avoidance conflict and double approach - avoidance conflict.

1)      Approach-approach conflict: In this type of conflict the individual has to choose between two goals that are positive and are similar. For example, an individual may have to choose between two similar job opportunities.

2)      Avoidance- avoidance conflict: The next type of conflict of motives is avoidance- avoidance conflict. Here again there are two goals that are similar but as opposed to approach- approach conflict, the goals here are negative. For example, an individual may have to take decision whether he/ she wants to remain unemployed or take up a mediocre job that he/ she is not interested in.

3)      Approach- avoidance conflict: Here there is a single goal which is both positive and negative. For example, an individual taking up a job abroad may be excited about the opportunity but also has to face the fact that he/ she will have to stay away from the family. Thus, this goal has both negative and positive consequences and thus the individual may experience stress.

4)      Multiple approach-avoidance conflict: It may so happen that the conflicts faced by us are quite complex and they are combinations of approach and avoidance conflicts. In this conflict the individual has to choose between the options that have both positive and negative consequences. For example, a student may have to choose between two educational opportunities, one of pursuing music that he/ she is interested in which will make his/her parents unhappy and the other of pursuing engineering, which will make his/ her parents happy but he/ she is really not interested in it.

3.      Pressure: Pressure is yet another source of stress that can be external or internal. External pressures are result of demands from the environment, responsibilities and obligations that are mainly social in nature as well as demands and expectations of the significant persons in our lives. With regard to internal pressures, Mangal (1984, pg. 46) states that “Internal pressures are caused by our own self for maintaining the picture of ourselves - as we think we could and should be”. An example of external pressure is when a child is pressurised by parents to do well in examination and an example of internal pressure is when a child himself/ herself feels that he/ she needs to study and do well in examination. Thus, any stress can be categorised into the above three sources, though a person may experience stress due to more than one or all the three sources as well.

4.      Personality: personality, the type A and type B personalities can be discussed. Individuals with Type A personality display hurriedness, restlessness and are often involved in carrying out various activities at the same time. They are also competitive, anxious and are often achievement oriented. The individuals with type B personality, on the other hand, display behaviour that is relaxed. It can be said that individuals with type A personality are comparatively more prone to stress when compared with individuals with type B personality.

5.      Life events: Stress can be caused due to varied life events. These could be death of a loved one, divorce or separation, losing one’s job, marriage and so on. These could be termed as significant life events in one’s life that may put pressure on the adjustment and coping resources of the person as they expose the individual to certain new and unique challenges. Thus, life events can lead to stress which in turn can have detrimental effects on the day to day functioning as well as physical and psychological health of the individual.

6.      Daily hassles: Similar to life events, daily hassles can also create stress. Daily hassles like lack of time, work overload, daily roles, responsibilities and duties and so on can lead to stress.

7.      Interpersonal relationships: Stress can also be caused due to issues related to interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal relationships could be in the context of family, work or it could be with peer groups. Conflicts could occur between individuals that can have an impact on the interpersonal relationship, which in turn may lead to stress. Issues in interpersonal relationship could range from misunderstandings to violence and abuse and can have negative impact on the physical and psychological wellbeing of the person.

8.      Stress as a result of social conditions: Social conditions in which the individual exists can also lead to development of stress. These social conditions can be related to crowding, discrimination, technological developments and changes, pollution and so on. The individual today exists in a world that is much more complex. There is globalisation, increased competition, and high amount of social pressure. These have a negative impact on the individual and makes him/ her prone to stress.

Types of Stress

Stress can be categorised into different types as follows:

1)      Eustress: Stress can be good stress that is explained as ‘Eustress’. Eustress can be defined as “good stress, caused by a positive response to a desired stressor, such as a wedding or a new job” (Truxillo et al

2)      Neustress: When stress is not helpful nor harmful, it can be described as ‘Neustress’ (Schafer).

3)      Distress: This is the third category of stress that most people commonly relate stress with. ‘Distress’ occurs when the arousal experienced by the individual is very high or very low (Schafer ). Distress can also be categorised into Acute, Episodic and Chronic stress.

v  Acute stress:  Acute stress can be viewed positively. It is a heightened state of tension that quickly passes, such as when giving a speech or handing in a project. This type of stress is funneled into a tight focus for a short period. When it is all over and our body slowly returns to normal, we feel a sense of gratitude and relief that can also lead to a feeling of achievement. This is the same feeling we get when taking part in “daredevil” activities such as skydiving or rollercoaster rides.

v  Episodic acute stress
When stressful situations happen too frequently, or if you’re constantly anxious and worried about things, it’s called episodic stress. It’s common for emergency service professionals, who frequently encounter high-stress situations. It can lead to feelings of hopelessness, irritability, and lack of motivation. Physically, it can manifest in trouble sleeping, low sex drive or frequent headaches. 

v  Chronic stress
High levels of stress over a long period of time can result in chronic stress, which can severely impact your health and may lead to:

·      Anxiety

·      Depression

·      High blood pressure

·      Cardiovascular disease

·      A weakened immune system

·      Muscle pain and digestive issues

4)      Hyperstress: Excessive stress is termed as ‘Hyperstress’.

5)      Hypostress: Insufficient stress is termed as ‘Hypostress’.

 

WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE OUR BODIES

•      First, the amygdala (the part of your brain that stimulates a sense of fear) shoots a message to the boss of the autonomic nervous system, the hypothalamus. This then sends signals to the adrenal glands to pump adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) into your bloodstream. This surge of energy prepares you for that flight-or-fight response.

•      Second: When the brain senses danger, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) to the pituitary gland, which in turn releases adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone then tells the adrenal glands to produce a hormone called cortisol.

CORTISOL KEEPS YOUR BODY ON HIGH ALERT IT FUNCTIONS BY:
•    Boosting the amount of glucose in your bloodstream •    Increasing the brain’s use of glucose •    Improving the availability of substances that repair tissues •    Altering immune system response •      Limiting functions that are non-essential or harmful in a life-threatening situation •      Suppressing the reproductive system and growth process. •      Communicating with the part of the brain that controls fear, motivation and mood.
Once the threat has passed, cortisol levels fall and our stress levels return to normal, aided by the autonomic nervous system.

SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

Stress can have an impact on various aspects of life that include behaviour, cognition, emotions as well as physical health. Though stress will have a different effect on different individuals and each individual will react to stress in a different way, there are certain symptoms that can be related with stress. These are discussed as follows:

1)      Physical symptoms: The physical symptoms of stress include low levels of energy, stomach upset, headaches and migraines, pain and aches, chest pain, rapid heartbeats, lack of sleep, dryness in mouth, experiencing tension in muscles, frequent infections and so on.

2)      Emotional symptoms: The emotional symptoms include, displaying frustration, getting irritated or agitated easily, feelings of worthlessness, feeling lonely and even depressed.

3)      Psychological symptoms: The cognitive symptoms related to stress include worrying constantly, experiencing racing thoughts, lack of organization in thinking, forgetting, not able to focus, lack of judgment or poor judgment and also pessimism.

4)      Behavioral symptoms: The behavioral symptoms of stress include deterioration in performance effectiveness, indulgence in substance use, prone to accidents, nervous mannerism, poor time management, displaying checking rituals, changes in appetite, procrastination, eating faster, even talking or walking faster, impaired speech and so on.

Symptoms of Stress
PHYSICAL	PSYCHOLOGICAL	EMOTIONAL	BEHAVIOURAL
Rapid Pulse	Feeling upset	Anxiety	Deterioration in performance effectiveness
Pounding Heart Increased	Inability to	Depression	Smoking or use of alcohol or other drugs
Perspiration	concentrate	Anger	Accident Proneness
Tensing of arm and leg muscles	Irritability	Guilt	Nervous
Shortness of breath	Loss of self confidence	Jealousy	Mannerism (foot tapping, nail biting)
Gritting of teeth	Worry	Shame	Increased or decreased eating/
Headaches	Difficulty in making decisions	Impatient	Anorexia
Indigestion	Racing thoughts	Suicidal	Increased or decreased sleeping/ sleep disruption
Numbness	Absent mindedness	feelings	Phobias
Dry mouth			Eating/ walking/talking faster
Pain			Poor time management
Cold sweat			Impaired speech
Abdominal cramps			Checking rituals

Stress Coping 

The psychological definition of coping is, the process of managing taxing circumstances, expending effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize, reduce or tolerate stress or conflict.Coping is the conscious and unconscious efforts we put in to solve problems and reduce stress. It is the mind's built-in troubleshoot program that aims to restore its optimum functioning state. These tools can be our thoughts, emotions, and actions and are dependant on our personality patterns.

Lazarus and Folkman (1984), one of the pioneers of the coping theory, defined coping as: constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person.

Based on their definition, we can say that:

1. Coping involves spending mental energy in a way that can reduce stress.
2. Whether conscious or subconscious, the ultimate goal of all coping mechanisms is to solve a problem and return homeostasis.
3. Coping strategies can be positive or negative, depending on whether they increase or reduce mental wellbeing.
4. Coping is dependent on personality patterns and perceptual experiences.
5. The strategies one choose for adapting to a situation is highly individualized. Coping is never the same for two people.

DEALING WITH EMOTIONS

•       According to the American Psychological Association (APA), emotion is defined as “a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral and physiological elements.”

•       A mood is described by the APA as “any short-lived emotional state

The Process Of Emotion

•       Emotions, are made up of three parts: subjective experiences, physiological responses and behavioral responses. Let’s look at each of these parts in more detail.

 

Basic Emotions - Emotional psychologist Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions that could be interpreted through facial expressions. Six Basic Emotions

1. Sadness
2. Happiness
3. Fear
4. Anger
5. Surprise
6. Disgust

Robert Plutchik (1980) identified eight basic emotions which he grouped into pairs of opposites, including

1. joy and sadness,
2. anger and fear,
3. trust and disgust, and
4. surprise and anticipation.

This classification is known as a wheel of emotions and can be compared to a color wheel in that certain emotions mixed together can create new complex emotions.

Complex emotions- Complex emotions have differing appearances and may not be as easily recognizable, such as grief, jealousy or regret. Complex emotions are defined as “any emotion that is an aggregate of two or more others.” The APA uses the example of hate being a fusion of fear, anger and disgust. Basic emotions, on the other hand, are unmixed and innate. Other complex emotions include love, embarrassment, envy, gratitude, guilt, pride, and worry, among many others.

DEALING WITH EMOTIONS

There are two types of emotions, they are interpersonal and intra personal  emotions. The dealing method differed for the each method.

DEALING WITH  INTRAPERSONAL  EMOTIONS- CAN BE AS FOLLOWS

1. Identifying Emotions
2. Labeling Emotions
3. Expressing Emotions
4. Ventilation
5. Managing Emotions
6. Mind fullness
7. Behavioral Management
8. Analysis of Extreme situation
9. Five column chart
10. Journaling
11. Positive Affirmation

DEALING WITH  INTERPERSONAL  EMOTIONS CAN BE DEVIDED INTO TWO TYPES

INTRINSIC INTERPERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION

1. Managing one's own emotions through social interaction,  such as seeking social support or reassurance from others.
2. Examples include calling a friend for advice, venting to a partner about a stressful situation, or engaging in conversation as a distraction from distress.
3. Amplify positive emotions by sharing good news with others

EXTRINSIC INTERPERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION

1.       Refers to the deliberate influence of others' feelings. It is one of the many ways how social factors influence an individual's emotions.

2.       Examples include trying to cheer up a friend who is upset, trying to make one's partner feel guilty for neglecting oneself, or trying to calm a stressed coworker.

INTRAPERSONAL EMOTIONAL COPING – following are the intra personal coping strategies.

·         Empathy

·         Communication

·         Dealing with others emotions can be carefully done through following steps.

1.       Identifying person in distress

2.       Rapport building

3.       Discuss about their Distress

4.       Active listening and Facilitating ventilation

5.       Empathize

6.       Validate their Emotions

7.       Give time to heal