Causes of stress and its solution

The circumstances that cause stress are called stressors. Stressors vary in severity and duration .For example the responsibility of caring for a sick parent may be an ongoing source of major stress , whereas getting stuck in a traffic jam mat cause mild short term stress .Some events such as death of a loved one are stressful for everyone .But in other situations ,individuals may respond differently to the same event. Stressors can be classified into 3 general categories: 1)catastrophic stress 2)Major life changes 3)Daily hassles In addition simply thinking about unpleasant past events or anticipating unpleasant future events can cause stress for many people. 1)Catastrophe: Is a sudden , often, life threatening calamity or disaster that pushes people to do outer limits of their coping capability example earthquakes ,tornadoes ,fires ,floods and hurricanes as well as wars ,torture ,automobile accidents , violent physical attacks and sexual assaults . They often continue to affect the individuals mental health long after the event has taken place. 2)Major life changes: The most stressful events for adults involve major life changes such as death of a spouse ,family member ,divorce , imprisonment ,loosing ones job and major personal disability or illness . The most stressful events for adolescents are death ,imprisonment or divorce of parents ,personal disability or illness .Getting married is a positive experience but planning the wedding ,deciding whom to invite ,and dealing with family  members may be stressful for the couples. 3)Daily hassles: Much of the stress in our lives results from having to deal with daily hassles pertaining to our jobs ,personal relationships and everyday living circumstance .Many people experience the same hassles everyday example living in a noisy neighbourhood ,commuting with heavy traffic ,disliking ones fellow workers ,worrying about money , waiting in a long line and misplacing or losing things .When taken individually , this hassles may feel like minor irritants , but cumulatively , they can cause significant stress . Studies have found that one’s exposure to daily hassles is actually more predictive of illness than is exposure to major life events . SOLUTIONS TO STRESS 1)coping with stress: Coping with stress means using thoughts and actions to deal with stressful situations and lower our stress levels. People who cope well with stress tend to believe that the can personally influence what happens to them .The usually make more positive statements about themselves ,resist frustration ,remain optimistic and persevere even under extremely adverse circumstances. People who cope poorly with stress tend to have somewhat opposite personality characteristic such as low self esteem and a pessimistic outlook on life. Coping strategies: Psychologists distinguish 2 broad types of coping strategies: a)Problem focused coping b)Emotional focused coping The goal of both strategies is to control ones stress level. In problem focused coping people try to short circuit negative emotions by taking some actions to modify ,minimize or avoid the threatening situation . In emotional focused coping people try to directly moderate or eliminate unpleasant situations. Problem focused coping is the most effective coping strategy. 2)Social support: Social support from friends ,family members and others who care for us goes a long way in helping us to get by in times of trouble. Social support system provides us with emotional sustenance ,tangible resource ,aid and information when we are in need .People with social support feel cared about and valued by others and feel a sense of belonging to a larger social network. 3)Bio feedback: Bio feedback is a technique by which people learn voluntary control of stress related physiological response such as skin temperature ,muscle tension ,blood pressure and heart rate .Normally people cannot control these responses voluntarily .Individuals learn to be sensitive to subtle changes inside their body that affect the response system being measured. 4)Relaxation: There are 2 types of relaxation A)Progressive muscular relaxation B)Relaxation We should learn to relax our body. 5)Aerobic exercise: Aerobic exercise such as running , walking ,biking and skiing can help keep stress level down because the increase the endurance of the heart and lungs ,an aerobically fit individual will have a lower heart rate at rest and lower blood pressure ,less reactivity to stressors and quicker recovery from stressors.