Many of us do not know that stress is essentially a normal, positive physical reaction that allows us to respond effectively to the environment.
Under stress, our brain sends messages to our body; hormones are released, and we have the necessary energy to react and succeed. Positive stress helps our body tell us when we need to eat, sleep or seek shelter. It helps us feel motivated, learn new things, change and achieve our goals. Also, if we are exposed to a dangerous situation, our body gets ready to face it; positive stress is present as the "fight or flight reaction" that helps us jump out of the way when a car is about to hit us, confront people who are being rude to us, and protect our family when we feel threatened. When the threat or the need to achieve is gone, we may feel exhausted, sad and confused, due to the extra effort our brain and body had to put in to makes us safe. Hours later, our hormonal levels drop, our body goes back to normal, and we feel relaxed again.
Negative stress, on the other hand, takes place when we cannot turn off the fight or flight reaction. When this reaction happens repeatedly, all the hormonal levels are persistently high, not allowing the body to come back to normal. This excessive effort of the body to adjust to constant stressful situations
It is important to be aware that work, school, people, time and everyday needs and expectations can produce positive and negative stress. We need to remember that the emotions, thoughts, beliefs and the attitudes that we choose every moment of every day, even in our sleep, are the main determinants of our mental and physical health.
Awareness is the key. As you can see, it is indeed all about you! By being aware, you can choose whether stress will be your anchor or your motor.
If you pay attention, you learn when it is necessary to stop and reframe negative thoughts, to reconsider the way you treat yourself and others, and how you handle your time, your activities and your relationships.
By being aware of yourself, you can identify the signs of stress and when stress is turning into a negative condition. Anger and fear are natural emotions of stress — you need anger to fight, and fear to escape. But if you make it a habit to be stressed out, you will find yourself being constantly angry, upset and anxious. If you do not stop yourself, you will see that your body also reacts negatively (headaches, constipation, insomnia), and your immune system starts to suffer (you get more colds, infections, etc.)
If you are aware, you can make a conscious effort to deal with stress in an effective way. You can plan your day and prioritize so you don't feel overwhelmed. You can make a budget so you don't overspend. You can identify and express your needs, and make responsible decisions for you and those around you.
When you are aware, you are in control!
Dr. Emilia O'Neill Baker is a bicultural, bilingual nationally certified clinical counselor. She is the director for the Student Counseling Center at Doña Ana Community College, and an international consultant in leadership and organizational development. She earned her Ph.D. in counselor education from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, and is certified in Gestalt therapy and stress management. Email your comments to firstname.lastname@example.org.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Identify signs of stress and deal with them promptly
Choose to think positively
Choose to develop healthy habits
Choose to manage your emotions
Choose to love and serve