| You hear a lot about "stress" and "stress | | | | make sure it's working, and realistically relax. You |
| management" these days but did you ever stop | | | | were brought up to be fearful of the outside |
| to wonder - What is stress? We could define | | | | world, so now it doesn't take much to panic you. |
| stress as an internal alarm state triggered by a | | | | In such cases, or course, "symptomatic |
| perceived threat. That's a fancy way of saying | | | | treatment" is appropriate, because the stress |
| that when you're scared, you tense up. | | | | reaction is just an overreaction flowing from |
| Yet, the key term in the above definition is | | | | negative emotional conditioning. "Stress |
| "perceived". There are two possible situations: 1) | | | | management" usually then targets these |
| you are not really in danger, you just think you | | | | symptoms, providing symptomatic relief - visualize |
| are, and get "anxious". 2) You are really in danger, | | | | a beautiful beach, relax the abdomen, breathe |
| and legitimately "afraid". Most "stress | | | | deeply, replenish oxygen, lower eyelids, relax |
| management" focuses on situation #1 and how to | | | | shoulder and neck muscles, and so on. |
| "cope" with it; let's take a look at it. | | | | All that is fine as long as there is no real danger. |
| There are all kinds of reasons why you would get | | | | But what if the situation actually is dangerous? In |
| anxious in the face of negligible actual risk, that is, | | | | this case, the alarm reaction, the fear, is your |
| why you would overreact. Usually it goes back to | | | | friend, in a sense, and is gearing you up to take |
| your childhood and the insecurities you developed | | | | self protective action. In real danger situations, |
| there. If your parent "exploded" at the least little | | | | there is actually a problem, and the problem |
| thing while you were growing up, it could lead to | | | | needs to be addressed. |
| your anxiety "exploding" at the least little thing. | | | | Let's go back to the 'noise outside' example. Let's |
| Your anxiety is a result of excessive negative | | | | say that the neighborhood you live in has had |
| conditioning. | | | | several break-ins recently and you are home |
| Consider the following example. Its dusk and you | | | | alone. Let's imagine that, in addition, you forgot to |
| haven't turned on your home alarm yet or locked | | | | lock the front door. So, the process could go like |
| all the outside doors. You go around locking them | | | | this: |
| one by one. While checking one of the doors, you | | | | 1. Breathe deep, pull yourself together, move |
| think you hear something outside and decide to | | | | back from panic mode, and think. |
| investigate. Turning off the inside lights, you look | | | | 2. Ask yourself: Is the problem a realistic threat? |
| out to see who is there. The perceived ominous | | | | 3. Think of what preparations you have made in |
| sounds outside in the dark are all that's needed to | | | | advance such as security equipment, block watch, |
| trigger a sense of doom and anxiety symptoms. | | | | cell phone close at hand. |
| A vision of catastrophe generates the alarm | | | | 4. Take appropriate action. |
| reaction which consists of - tensing of the | | | | In essence, you are addressing and lessening the |
| abdomen, resulting in shallow breathing followed by | | | | actual danger or the "risk" by taking action in |
| an oxygen deficit, wide open eyes, tensed | | | | relation to the threat. This helps resolve the |
| shoulder and neck muscles, and so on; An | | | | stress. |
| uncomfortable reaction to a perceived fearful | | | | Whether the situation you are in is a perceived |
| situation. | | | | threat or actual danger, there are steps you can |
| It suddenly comes to mind that criminals are | | | | take to reduce your anxiety or actual fears. |
| opportunists, and, usually if criminals know that | | | | Stress management techniques can help you in |
| someone is on to them, they usually just move | | | | both situations to reduce anxieties and keep you |
| on. You then double check your cell phone to | | | | thinking clearly in the presence of real danger. |