Stress: The reason for it, good and bad

   Stress, one of the perks of being alive. Stress is something we all have, if we don’t have it that means we are dead. We all see stress in different ways. One thing is sure, it is a part of our lives, part of being human. What is stress though? What is the true definition of stress? Stress is a strain or tension. This week in class we discussed the different things in our lives that cause stress. Personally, for me I have college stress, one of the many joys of being a student. I’m always worrying about a paper, when to do a certain homework assignment, and how much I can get done in one night before I call it quits.

   

   In class we focused on what causes individual stress besides school. One answer is family stress. We all have some level of family stress. Many factors play into family stress. The stress of moving, of money, any number of situations can cause stress in the family. So how does one handle family stress effectively? One way to handle stress effectively is to focus on individual stress first and how to better improve yourself.

 It is important to understand, stress is a necessary thing for the structure of the individual. When a person is put in a stressful situation it is how that person handles and perceives the situation that is the most important.

     

    A researcher by the last name of Hill talked about the ABC’s of dealing with stressful situations. “A” is the actual event. What is the event that is causing the stress or strain? “B” is both the resources and responses to the event. How are you going to respond to this event taking place in your life? Once you figure how you’re going to respond your response effects what resources are going to be used. Resources include family, church, and friends, anything else you can think of to help during this time.

   Why are having those types of resources important? When your family is going through a stressful time it can be extremely helpful to lean on family, friends, or church for support. These options help provide not just physical needs depending on the situation, but they can also provide emotional support and stability. While the family is going through what they are, they might not have time to process things emotionally. It is important the family stop and take time to do just that. When the family has the right resources they can turn to the right people for emotional support. They then can turn to each other.

   How a person responds to the situation is equally crucial. When one responds negatively, they won’t think clearly, and effect the whole family. “C” in the model is cognition. How one defines the event. At the end one will have the total experience of the event. Trials are a part of life. How we respond and react to them shapes who we are and how we handle them collectively as a family.

   

   Anxiety and depression. Two different things, with different definition. Anxiety is natural and normal. It is the perception of danger. It is a healthy response to the perception of danger. Depression is a natural, normal and healthy response to a perception of danger where there is no escape. Panic attacks, often called anxiety attacks is the response to a false alarm of danger. Perception is key. How we perceive a danger or situation determines how one reacts. One person may see an event that happened as stressful as all get out, another may not see it as nothing at all. What’s the difference? How the two individuals see or perceive the event.

   Stress is also linked to the development of the person. People who have it too easy do not develop. When we are faced with stress it helps our brains develop because we are thinking of ways to solve the thing that is causing us stress. When we don’t have this that part of our brain slows. The frontal lobe takes up 38% of the brain. This part of the brain is in charge of problem solving and creativity. Stress is a natural part of life. We can learn from the things that cause us stress. We are put on this earth to learn, and what we learn about ourselves and about others can be helpful to others. Remember to take care of yourself, and that stress is a good thing. It is how we perceive or see the thing giving us stress that determines if it really is stressful.