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Singapore 218108
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Every day a person is faced with various stressful situations. The only difference is how exactly he/she reacts to external negative factors. One person feels as if repairing an apartment is a terrible turn of fate. Meantime, the other maintains equanimity and calm even under a hail of more serious life blows. Psychologists say that an adult mature person must be able to withstand stress: not to panic, but to find the strength to act sensibly and rationally. How to learn to stay calm even in difficult life situations? How to resist stress? Some answers are in this article.
Contents:
Stress resistance is a set of personal qualities that allow a person to bear conative, intellectual and emotional stress without negative consequences for their own activities, other people and their own health. [1]
Scientists believe moderate stress is even beneficial. It is not as destructive as it might seem at first glance. Stress is a kind of training factor that “tempers” the human psyche, giving an impetus for self-development and mobilizing internal reserves for solving problems.
But if stress builds up, and physical and emotional reserves dry up, it has a destructive effect.
Stress resistance performs 2 important functions: it protects the body from the negative effects of stress and ensures success in all areas.
When a person is very nervous, hormone cortisol begins to be actively produced in his body. It is this hormone that is responsible for those changes that occur on the physical and emotional level. Headaches can occur, the heartbeat becomes more frequent, and blood pressure rises even after a slight nerve strain. All this does not pass without a trace. Constant physical and emotional stress with a low level of stress resistance negatively affects health.
In the study of psychologist B. B. Velichkovsky a regularity between the level of individual resistance to stress and the state of human health was revealed. It was found that an adequate reaction to negative external factors leads to a decrease in the likelihood of developing acute and chronic diseases. It was also concluded that a person with a high level of stress resistance is much less likely to use unhealthy methods of coping with stress – for example, smoking or drinking alcohol. [2]
A person with developed stress resistance is calm, self-confident, responsive to what is happening, methodically and rationally solves problems that arise. Such a reaction to stress allows him/her to build healthy relationships with others, to climb up the career ladder.
If person has too vivid of a reaction when faced with stress, it prevents them from reaching professional heights and alienates other people.
In psychology, there is a classification of stress resistance. [3] All people, depending on how they respond to external negative factors, can be divided into 4 types:
For a stress-nonresistant person, nervous strain is a common condition. He/she does not know how to resist stress, does not control his/her emotions in any critical situation – even when the problem is easily solved. Stress-nonresistant people do not like and do not know how to leave the comfort zone, they often inadequately respond to negative influences from the outside – they become angry and irritable, scream and show open aggression. People who cannot cope with stress do not become leaders. And if they occupy high posts, then subordinates and business partners are reluctant to deal with them. So that a stress-nonresistant person would not plunge into the abyss of their own fears and panic, he/she often needs outside help – and not only in the form of advice and support of loved ones, but by a professional psychologist.
Common opinion of stress-nonresistant people:
Various negative phenomena can be very strongly reflected on stress-viscous people, but nevertheless they find the strength to fight (often not without the help of their loved ones). They are able to calmly survive the exit from the comfort zone and know how to withstand the current stress at work. And if the situation suddenly changes, they can even become leaders in solving problems. But stress-viscous people are prone to apathy in low-intensity stressful conditions. In this case, they need the help of a psychologist.
Common opinion of stress-viscous people:
Stress-trained people also worry about life problems, but their difficulties only temper them. They are ready to develop and, over time, find their own effective ways to increase their level of stress resistance. Such a person is ready for any difficult situation. He/she looks at all negative things as new personal experience, which will certainly come in handy in the future. Even stress-trained people cannot get out of problematic situations without any losses, but they never gets depressed.
Common opinion of stress-trained people:
It is stress-resistant people who are able to get out of difficult situations the fastest. They seem to be wear iron armor – their difficulties do not “break” them. Employers appreciate stress-tolerant people, since such employees quickly find the right solution even in case of serious force majeure. They quickly relieve pressure after experiencing stress.
However, there is a flip side: stress-resistant people can create stress for themselves and others. They like to stay “toned”.
Common opinion of stress-resistant people:
“I have been working for a very successful company for 4 years. My position involves ongoing conferences and presentations. I never liked this format of activity, but when I got a job, I thought that I would get used to it. But no, my job is eternal stress. I panic before every seminar, I cannot sleep all night before because of fear. Now the leadership has imposed on me another complex project. I’m not coping well with other projects of mine, but there’s also an extra load. I’m all nerves, I have absolutely no time for my child. I don’t know how to increase stress resistance at work. I already have a depressed mood every day. Sometimes I think that it would be better to just leave.
— Tatyana, 33, PR manager
It is in the work environment that stress situations most often arise. And how skillfully one copes with current tasks largely characterizes his/her professionalism and potential as a specialist in a particular field. Many employers prefer stress-resistant candidates – you can rely on them, they easily establish contact with subordinates and business partners.
A person with a low level of stress tolerance in a difficult situation panics, which prevents him/her from solving the problem. He/she is not self-confident, this makes it difficult for him/her to communicate with colleagues and bosses. It is difficult for such an employee to present his/her ideas, which means that he/she is destined to almost always be in the shadow of the colleagues. He/she is keenly criticized and afraid to assert his/her rights.
Sociologists name several causes of stress at work:
Each person, depending on the profession and functional responsibilities at work, puts their own meaning in the concept of “stress resistance”. For a sales manager, this is the ability to calmly respond to negativity from a potential customer, while a senior manager understands stress resistance as the ability to soberly analyze the situation and make the right decisions in force majeure.
Negative emotions and depression are not helpers in any kind of activity, whatever the position held. Improving stress resistance should be the goal of everyone who wants to achieve heights in their careers.
To diagnose the level of stress tolerance, psychologists use various tests. One of the questionnaires was developed by Schreiner. [5] The test is suitable for self-diagnosis, it allows you to establish whether you are coping with stressful situations productively or unproductively. This is a chance to understand whether the applied methods of self-regulation are effective in combating external circumstances
The Schreiner questionnaire consists of 9 statements. Those that can be answered positively must be marked.
Count the number of positive answers. Each “yes” answer is 1 point. Now you can process the results.
A great contribution to the study of the effects of stress on the human body was made by the Russian scientist H. Aliyev. [6] He offers the following recommendations on how to deal with stress:
If independent work on the problem does not bring the expected effect, it is important not to miss the moment when the “protracted” stress begins to take on a chronic nature.
Often, an inadequate response to stressful situations is a habit that has become a model of behavior. A person gets used to reacting to problems in a certain way: turning in upon himself/herself, getting annoyed, losing control of his/her own emotions, spilling the accumulated negativity on others. The 7Spsy behavior modification technique has been shown to be effective in the development of stress tolerance at work and in other life situations.
The scientifically substantiated, certified method is based on the theories of I. P. Pavlov, B. F. Skinner, A. A. Ukhtomsky and others. The course will help change the pathological model of behavior that prevents you from effectively dealing with stress. The goal of the course is to form positive attitudes, replacing negative ones with them, which will help not to panic and to keep calm even in case of force majeure. The mindset developed during the course will give strength to solve emerging problems with a cool head. This is far more effective than anger, irritation and fear.
The course is designed for 2-6 weeks. Training is conducted remotely: you study at a convenient time at home. A personal psychologist will help complete the training program in full and answer questions by phone and e-mail, or in online chat rooms. Participation in the program is confidential. It’s not necessary for colleagues and even loved ones to know that you are undergoing a behavior modification program.
The development of stress resistance means an opportunity to enjoy life in all its manifestations and boldly go to your goals, despite the obstacles.
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