Tips to help you manage stress

manage stress

We can’t manage stress in the blink of an eye and the process is different for everyone. Stress can be defined as a natural response caused by an external or internal stimulus. Stress is simply the body’s natural response when experiencing a threat.

Researchers define stress as a complex and multidimensional process. This process is related to the survival of an organism. Stress triggers physiological, psychological, and behavioral responses in the body. Many of these responses impact the overall health of the body, this is why it is important to learn how to manage stress.

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Positive and negative

Not all people react the same way to threatening situations, nor are impacted the same. Stress can be a positive or negative health concern, depending on its impact. There are two types of stress:

  • Positive stress or eustress is a state in which the person interacts with the stressor and is able to adapt adequately because it is relatively short, mild, and remains under control. This type of stress is common and is necessary for the proper development of the organism and its ability to adapt to its environment.
  • Negative stress or distress occurs when the demands of the environment are excessive, intense and/or prolonged, exceeding the capability of the organism to resist and adapt.  This generates adverse physical and psychological consequences.
manage stress

Stimuli are categorized as irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful while stress can be categorized as damaging, challenging, or threatening. Individuals respond differently to each type.

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How to manage stress: different stress responses

Numerous studies have investigated different psychological responses to stress.

According to Lazarus, an individual first psychologically assesses a specific situation as stressful or not. As Richard Lazarus pointed out, if the individual does not assess a situation as stressful, the stress response is not triggered.

How does an individual rate a situation as stressful or not? According to Jose Maria Buceta and Ana Maria Bueno, an organism’s response is rated according to the way they assess and perceive the situation and body’s available resources.

The appearance, duration, and intensity of the stress response also influence how the organism responds to the situation. Expectations, experience, learning, beliefs, etc. also play a role in the response.  

During the initial phase of a response to stress, a person assesses the level of danger and heightens their awareness. During the second phase, an increase in physiological activity occurs, which is correlated to the anticipated danger. The third phase is the coping stage. The organism tries to gain control over the environment by reducing or eliminating the danger. The response becomes focused on strategies related to resolving the problem and how to manage stress.

Stressful situations

There are situations that threaten security, completion of tasks, self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-realization. Some situations threaten the image that others perceive of us, the possibility of achieving something very desired, relationships with a partner and family, interpersonal relationships, and personal development. There are also situations that threaten core values and principles, or where an individual is criticized, must take risks, and face challenges.

All these situations mentioned above can be grouped into three basic categories.

  • Acute and physical stressors are usually extremely intense and require immediate physiological adaptations to stay alive. For example, the aggressive behavior of a person attacking with a knife.
  • Chronic physical agents such as famine, chronic pain, overcrowding, etc.
  • Psychological and social stressors. For example, a labor dispute, being unemployed, etc.

manage stress

Threatening situations may vary depending on the importance of the situation, frequency of occurrence, or how long it lasts. Important situations such as a final exam can trigger a stress response. Other times situations accumulate before triggering a response. Finally, there are situations that are maintained for a certain period of time, such as the constant presence of an unpleasant sound.

Situational and personal characteristics (i.e. our way of understanding and facing the world, beliefs, values, locus of control) influence the perception of a threatening situation.

Coping skills are cognitive or behavioral efforts that an individual uses to face stressful demands and/or emotional distress associated with the stress response. There are many individual coping skills such as having control, self-efficacy, self-esteem, or a sense of optimism.

The way an individual first responds to stress impacts later responses to these events. Sometimes a response may be over-exaggerated to an action that was not stressful. This increases reactivity to stress stimuli that occur in future situations. Conversely, the tendency to deny, avoid or escape from a stressful situation diminishes a coping experience. This reduces self-confidence in one’s resources to manage stress.

Coping with stress

According to Richard Lazarus and his collaborators, there are five coping styles associated with stress:

1. Responding directly.

2. Searching for information to understand and predict events.

3. Not reacting.

4. Altering the “internal context” by drinking alcohol, drugs or by using intrapsychic coping mechanisms (reinterpreting the situation by using defensive psychological mechanisms).

5. Seeking social support.

Coping is an essential element individuals use to manage stress. However, coping strategies are different from coping styles.

  • Coping strategies can be specific actions, such as trying to control muscle tension or seeking social support. These are concrete processes used in each context and depend on the situation.
  • Coping styles can also be more general. These are personal predispositions that deal with situations and are responsible for an individual’s preference in the use a specific type of coping strategy.

People modify strategies based on the situation, but not coping styles. These depend on the person, the way they interpret the situation, and their personality.

The chemistry of stress

Denial, flight, avoidance, self-incrimination, and confrontation are types of responses that increase one’s vulnerability to stress. Actively coping, rationally searching for solutions, having self-control, and reassessing the situation are responses that improve one’s ability to adequately manage stress.

manage stress

On the physiological level, the endocrine system produces adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol during stress. A given response to stress depends on cortisol production. High levels of adrenaline are associated with anxiety and the perception of a threat, while high levels of cortisol are related to coping mechanisms. When coping mechanisms occur, the body prepares to face the situation without generating anxiety. However, if an individual has no control over the situation, they not only prepare for the typical motor response but become anxious.

Once the brain perceives a stress stimulus, a motor response is triggered by consuming energy. Glucose, proteins, and fat exit the cells in the liver or in muscles and concentrate on the muscles engaged in the fight or flight response. If the body mobilizes glucose, it moves rapidly to critical areas in the body. Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rates increase to account for the transport of nutrients and oxygen in the body.

Slower metabolic mechanisms are reduced or stopped to allow other mechanisms to function. Digestion stops, growth is inhibited, the immune system slows, and reproductive activity decreases in both sexes (especially in females). As a result, the probability of contracting diseases and infections increases during stress.

These physiological adaptations allow the body to respond in emergency situations. Stress is an adaptive response of the body to demanding situations which allow us to survive. Stress responses can be highly adaptive and if maintained for long periods of time can affect behavior.

Learn how to manage stress with professionals


Managing stress by yourself is not easy, and if this issue is making you feel trapped, do not hesitate to get in touch with a professional. To facilitate the process, ifeel offers online therapy with a team of leading psychologists who can help you battle issues related to stress management. Get in touch with us or visit our website for more information. 

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