A stressful situation — whether something environmental, such as a looming work deadline, or psychological, such as persistent worry about losing a job — can trigger a cascade of stress hormones that produce physiological changes. A stressful incident can make the heart beat faster and breathing quicken. We feel jittered and nervous, and start to sweat.
This combination of reactions to stress is also known as the "fight-or-flight" response because it evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people to react quickly to life-threatening situations. It is a sequence of hormonal changes that helps someone to fight the threat off or flee to safety. In the face of a threat we can either move away from the situation and take a step away or stay and confront the issue. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties or in our current situation – covid related stress.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety.
The healthy response to stress is to counter the body’s stress response with relaxation techniques. These activities slow the heart rate and breathing and calms your body down. Physical activity is also helpful to release built-up stress. It deepens breathing and helps relieve muscle tension. Social support is an important part of a healthy response to stress. Surrounding ourselves with friends and family who support and care for us helps relieve stress. People that receive emotional support find it easier to combat stress and anxiety.
Some more examples of a healthy response to stress are:
· Calling a friend
· Cooking a meal
· Reading
· Resting
· Spending time with loved ones
· Redirecting your attention
Very often, we turn to unhealthy responses to stress like:
· Watching endless hours of TV
· Withdrawing from friends or partners or, conversely jumping into a frenzied social life to avoid facing problems
· Overeating
· Undereating
· Sleeping too much
· Drinking too much alcohol
· Lashing out at others in emotionally or physically violent outbursts
· Taking illegal or unsafe drugs
Comentarios