The activities that are done to combat a situation that has already become stressful are similar to those that the person can use long before it reaches the point of affecting their body.
To be physically and emotionally prepared for difficult situations it is recommended:
· Eat a healthy diet
· Exercising
· Taking a break from daily scheduled activities to rest
· Recreational activities in your free time
· Having hobbies
When stress is combated through medicine, tranquilizers known as anxiolytics, which function as central nervous system depressants, are usually used to reduce and eliminate anxiety symptoms. This typ of treatment should be prescribed by a doctor.
There are also other ways and techniques to get out of stress such as exercising the body, using behavioural techniques by actively working on changing the distorting thoughts with positive emotions, self-control before reactions that may cause damage to the nervous system, and a very important technique that relaxes the body is breathing. The idea is to prevent acute stress from becoming chronic.
There are two types of stress recognized: Acute stress which is caused by temporal passing eventualities that cause the alteration of emotions and chronic stress which entails a much longer time period according to the crisis that is met. Specialists diagnose the development of stress in people through three phases that are:
1. Alarm and escape phase in which the body tries to release all possible energy so as not to let stress accumulate
2. The adaptation of resistance phase where an accumulation of stress is maintained, adrenaline is on permanent alert, and the body tries to recover normalcy
3. Depletion phase at which stage the stress has already become chronic and there is a decrease in physical endurance, leading the person to be unable to work or develop in different areas of their life effectively.
Stress has several symptoms that include both the physical and emotional. Physically a person may experience a lack of energy, headache, muscle aches, stomach problems, nervous tics, and skin alterations similar to allergies.
Emotions are linked to stress and some of the emotional symptoms that may occur are: irritability, frustration, lack of concentration, insomnia, and in some cases one may reach the point of depression.
Taking into account the goals that all people pursue in life, we can classify the causes of stress from two perspectives:
1. Personal Causes:
· Economic/monetary problems
· Sentimental relationships
· Family problems
· Death of a loved one
· Illnesses
· Lifestyle change
· Insecurity
2. Professional Causes:
· Performance in studies
· Unemployment
· Change of job
· Change of job position
· Failure to meet professional goals
Stress is a psychological or emotional tension that alters the human organism. It arises in response to a situation that goes beyond the context of one’s usual activities.
Reactions and emotions present differently in each person. A situation that can cause joy or a mild challenge for some may elicit frustration and fear in others. During such times stress is notices as there is a sense of threat to the well-being of the individual.
Occupational stress is not new, studies indicate that the recent trends have made it increasingly difficult for employees to adequately balance the responsibility of their jobs and their families as employees are working longer hours and bringing more work at night.
Experts agree that work stress is a set of physical and mental reactions that an employee suffers when subjected to external factors. These reactions can be physiological, cognitive, behavioral or emotional, and they are usually accompanied by physical or mental exhaustion, anguish and feelings of impotence or frustration at the inability of the individual to cope with the situations that generate that stress.
The causes of this type of stress can be an excess of workload, also by the high level of responsibility that tests the worker and by bad relations in the work environment. These three causes alone are detrimental, but can sometimes combine and cause much more serious health damage.
There are 2 types of work stress:
1. EUSTRESS: This is the positive version of work stress, because when it appears it prepares the body to face situations of great pressure and responsibility. Its main function is to protect the body from all the threats that the work stress can provoke, achieving a balance and giving rise to some point to pleasurable sensations.
2. DISTRESS: This kind of stress can be identified because it reduces the capacity for attention, decision and action, modifying our mood and interpersonal relationships. This is the negative version of work stress, is given in response to excessive workload and is where we often see serious health symptoms. Workplace stress is bound to be the new epidemic of the 21st century.
In conclusion, work stress is not something that should be taken lightly for us in Kenya, it is really a disease to which attention must be paid and take action to be able to control it. It is true that we are all exposed to suffering it but we all have the ability to cope it. Consult an expert on the subject and put into practice some of the exercises that exist to achieve a balance.
