The Psychology of Stress

Stress is defined as the circumstances that affect the well being of a person and that persons response to the threat. Stressors are the events, psychological or physical, that relate to stress. Stressors may increase the risk of physical illness like heart disease but not always. Some stressors include:

-Major life changes that are positive or negative. This can include the death of a family member, divorce, marriage, a new job, being fired from a job, going to college, etc.

-Catastrophic events - Large earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, wars, etc.

-Minor problems - Traffic jams, noisy environments, waiting for food in a restaurant, etc.

Stress is triggered with a few different emotions. It doesn't just appear when one of these situations occur. A person will heighten stress if they become frustrated or are engaged in conflict. There is the approach-approach conflict which gives a person two desirable choices. For example: a person might be at a bakery deciding between a donut or a croissant. The approach-avoidance conflict is more stressful. There are positive and negative aspects. For example: A student might have the decision to go out to see a movie at night but that might take away from study time.

Coping with stress can be simple or difficult and there are many different ways of approaching it. These things include: Relaxation, humor, exercise, partaking in hobbies, social support, religion, problem solving, using defense mechanisms, comparing oneself to another person who is worse off, aggressive behavior, or self-indulgent behavior. The biggest three things that can help a person cope are social support, optimism, and perceived control. Having good social support helps to have better physical and mental health. Expecting good outcomes of an event can also ease stress. Believing that you have control over a situation also helps to relieve stress.

Stress can lead to behavior that can ruin a persons health. These activities include the consumption of alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, and poor nutrition. People with constant stress can also become depressed and take on other illnesses. There are many people who do not take advantage of seeing their health care professional for a few reasons. They don't understand the instructions they are given. They don't follow the treatment plan if it interferes with daily activities or it is unpleasant. They don't follow the advice of a health care professional if they don't like the interactions they had with them, or they don't go to a health care professional because of a financial situation or they don't want to admit to needing treatment.