[Music]
everyone gets stressed
life-changing events smaller daily
hassles
and our own thoughts and feelings can
all be stresses
sources of stress we can't deny stress
but we can learn ways to manage it
effectively
psychologists have studied the cognitive
and emotional strategies we use to cope
with stress
for decades while they've analyzed them
in many different ways
they have consistently found two major
strategies
avoidance and approach
avoidance strategies are based on
activity that is directed
away from a stressor while approach
strategies
deal with the stressor directly there
are potential benefits and costs for
both strategies
how well they work is heavily dependent
on a person's specific
personality and situation
approach strategies have the possibility
of appropriate action
activity that can positively affect or
respond to the stressor
appropriate action can be anything from
speaking to someone about a problem
to reporting a crime to the police
approach strategies can also allow the
full expression of our emotions about
the situation
a process psychologists call ventilation
this is a major part of some forms of
psychotherapy
and is often beneficial approach makes
it possible to assimilate and resolve
trauma
this means integrating the experience
into our understanding of ourselves
so that we can consider it part of our
past
healthy avoidance strategies also have
several potential benefits
avoiding the stressor can potentially be
a way of quickly reducing stress and
anxiety
used intermittently avoidance can allow
engagement with a stressor in small
doses
making it less overwhelming and allowing
time to learn from the experience
[Music]
avoiding the stressor in small ways
while also using approach strategies
may also allow us to recover hope and
courage
approach and avoidance strategies are
not without drawbacks
avoidance makes it difficult to take
action against a stressor
and can lead to feeling numb as a person
avoids negative emotions
a person may disrupt their everyday life
if they go too
far in restricting themselves to avoid
contact with a stressor
they may also be unaware of the
psychological symptoms that are related
to the stressor
as avoidance prevents them from making
the connection
delaying proper treatment approach
strategies can also be harmful in the
wrong circumstances
encountering the stressor can increase
stress and anxiety
and in cases where there is no
appropriate action to be taken
provoke worry which is time-consuming
and non-productive
avoidance strategies usually have the
most impact
by giving us time to prepare for
approach strategies
they are often best used together but
some people display a bias towards using
one
or the other
using coping strategies individually can
be effective
but coping on your own is rarely easy
our social networks form one of our most
vital coping resources
social support is care or assistance
that you receive from a social network
as with stress a person's perception of
their social support
is as important as how much they receive
there are different kinds of social
support
instrumental support also called
tangible support
is direct assistance through physical
acts or resources
such as money food or information
emotional support occurs when others
make us feel loved and cared for
it includes talking about problems
providing encouragement
and esteem support that directly
improves our feeling of self-worth
emotional support can be easier to
access since it can be conveyed by phone
email or social media social support can
come from a variety of sources
from friends and family to romantic
partners
health professionals and even pets
people who have perceived or received
social support
feel reduced distress and having an
outlet to confide in someone about their
feelings
has many long-term health benefits
but there is still some dispute about
the role of social support
psychologists agree that social coping
is very important
a lack of social support leads to much
higher rates of depression
anxiety and mental disorders
social support while vital is rarely an
answer on its own
bad relationships do not improve mental
health and personal action is also
usually required to deal with stress
our minds and bodies are linked each
providing feedback to the other
some effective forms of therapy for
stress take advantage of this
like exercise aerobic exercise
also called cardio is exercise that
improves the fitness of your heart and
lungs
research has shown that people who
exercise regularly
are better at handling stressful events
have improved self-confidence
and are less likely to be depressed one
of the reasons for this
is that exercise stimulates the
production of particular
neurotransmitters
natural chemicals involved in brain
function
these include norepinephrine which is
also produced during
the stress response and serotonin
a lack of which is linked with
depression
the body also produces endorphins during
exercise
these neurotransmitters relieve pain
but they also trigger a pleasure
response giving us a natural feeling of
euphoria
the effect of endorphins as well as
other benefits of exercise
like improved sleep fitness and general
health
can all contribute to a better mood and
reduced
stress a variety of drug therapies are
also available for major stress and
anxiety
the most prominent are the
benzodiazepines
benzodiazepines like valium first became
available in the 1960s
they replaced earlier drugs and are more
preferred as they have fewer unpleasant
side effects
benzodiazepines work by increasing the
effectiveness
of a naturally occurring brain chemical
called
gaba gaba
makes the neurons in the brain less
excitable
calming many functions of the brain
there are different kinds of
benzodiazepine
shorter acting benzodiazepine are used
to treat insomnia
while longer acting ones are used to
treat anxiety
making them a useful therapy for stress
benzodiazepines are usually recommended
for short
or medium-term use as the body develops
a tolerance for the drug
making it less effective long-term or
overuse
can lead to dependence where the body
experiences
unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if the
drug is not present
withdrawal from benzodiazepines can
include
symptoms of muscle spasms
hypersensitivity to light or noise
and an increased level of anxiety
while benzodiazepines are certainly an
improvement over earlier drugs
they don't work for everyone and can
have
unpleasant side effects
as well as dependence side effects of
benzodiazepines
can include drowsiness and problems with
memory
and reasoning which can make someone
more likely to have an accident
it can even cause symptoms similar to
depression
biofeedback is a system for recording
and reporting on physiological states
associated with stress these states
such as blood pressure heart rate or
muscle tension
are often too subtle to be noticed
consciously
biofeedback therapy tries to train
patients to develop awareness of
physiological responses that indicate
stress and learn ways to control those
responses
such efforts have had mixed results but
some may be effective
for example devices alert aware when
their blood pressure is elevated
and prompt them to begin a slow
breathing exercise to calm themselves
avoiding stress as wearable devices
become much more common
it's becoming easier to record
biofeedback in everyday situations
this may lead to more effective stress
reduction
no strategy or therapy works for
everyone
but learning different management
techniques can make you better able to
recognize
prepare for and cope with whatever
stress you encounter
[Music]
you