We all sometimes talk about stress, and feeling stressed, usually when we feel we have too much to do and too much on our minds, or other people are making unreasonable demands on us, or we are dealing with situations that we do not have control over. Often when we talk of stress we mean the difficulty of excessive pressure either that we put on ourselves or from outside and the symptoms we experience. Stress is also linked to low self-esteem and not feeling good enough.
We need to recognize how stress arises, how it affects relationships and behaviors and how it can be managed.
Stress is not a medical diagnosis but even shorter term stress can have a physical or mental impact.
But stress can have a positive side. A certain level of stress may be necessary and enjoyable in order to help you prepare for something or to actually do it – e.g. if you are taking part in a performance, taking an exam or you have to do an important piece of work for a deadline – it will be stressful even if you enjoy it, and the stress itself will keep you alert and focused.
People’s tolerance of stress varies. A situation that is intolerable to one person may be stimulating to another. What you feel is determined not just by events and changes in the outside world, but how you perceive and respond to them.
The important point is that you can learn to recognize your own responses to stress and develop skills to deal with it well.
« Back