Introduction
Thank you for joining me in this first, what will be a series of posts, relating to the many areas of Personal Development, including important topics such as Stress and Stress Management, The Power of a Positive Mindset, and other topics which will give you the skills required to develop a “Balanced Mind”.
In this first Blog post, we will discuss some of the topics relating to Stress and Stress Management.
Stress is a common part of our everyday lives. Usually, when people seek out help, they are often dealing with situations and circumstances in their lives that leave them feeling physically and emotionally overwhelmed. Many people don’t have the resources or skills or don’t know how to find these, to manage the high levels of stress they are experiencing. We aim to provide some of the basic tools to help you better manage the effects of stress, and to also give you the most popular stress management and relaxation techniques that are being used today.
If you want to learn how to react to stress more positively and responsively then we hope you enjoy the information and tools we provide, and use these to create the balanced mindset required to live the life you are looking for.
Stress: What is it?
Before we can deal with Stress, we first must understand what stress is. Even though we all discuss stress or stressful situations in our daily lives, it often isn’t clear what stress is all about.
Many people have different ideas about what stress is to them. Some people consider stress to be something that happens to them, like an event such as losing a job or an injury. Other people think that stress is what happens to our minds, our bodies, and our behaviours in response to an event, such as having a rapid heart rate, sweating, etc.
Even though stress does involve “events” and our “response” to them, these are not the most important factors. It is our “thoughts” about the stressful situations in which we find ourselves are the critical factor. When something stressful happens to us, we subconsciously evaluate the situation and we then decide if it is a threat to us, how we need to deal with the situation, and what skills we can use.
If we feel that the demands of the situation outweigh the skills that we have, then we label the situation as “stressful” and we are likely to react with the classic “stress response.” On the other hand, if we decide that our coping skills outweigh the demands of the situation, then we don’t see it as “stressful.”
Stress can come from various events, situations, or thoughts that make you feel angry, frustrated, or anxious. Everyone views and reacts to stressful situations in different ways and we all have varying coping skills. For this reason, no two people will respond in the same way to a given stressful situation.
In addition to the above, not all stressful situations are negative. When we are put into situations that may be outside of our comfort zone, such as starting a new job, being promoted at work, or moving to a new home, we may not perceive these as threatening, however, we may feel “stressed” because we don’t feel fully prepared to deal with these situations.
Stress is a normal part of life. In small quantities, stress is good as it can motivate you and help you become more productive. However, too much stress or a strong stress response can be harmful.
In the following posts in the coming days and weeks, we will cover other topics relating to Stress such as The Effects of Stress and Stress Relieving Techniques.
See you next time
Mike Dean
