Stress is a negative condition that has the potential to affect our lives in various unexpected ways, influencing our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Coping with or attempting to change the stressful situation leads to the occurrence of physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses. Stressful situations typically trigger negative emotions such as fear and anxiety in individuals. The sources of stress can arise from different situations, including physical stressors such as medical illnesses or injuries, environmental conditions stemming from natural disasters and lifestyle changes, interpersonal/social stressors arising from conflicts or separation among family members, and psychological factors that significantly impact one’s life and functionality.
Stress is perceived as uncontrollable, unpredictable, and ambiguous, leading to disruptions in relationships with others, family life, friendships, romantic relationships, work life, and the perception of success.
The Impact of Stress on Our Health
The negative impact of stress on health can occur directly or indirectly. In stressful situations, people may develop unhealthy habits and may neglect their health. For example, disruptions in sleep patterns, reduced intake of healthy foods, decreased daily physical activity and exercise, and an increase in alcohol or substance use can be indirect consequences of stress and negatively affect health.
On the other hand, stress can also have direct effects on health. As known, our immune system protects our bodies against bacteria, viruses, and carcinogenic substances. Intense stress affects the structure and hormones of the immune system, thus compromising its efficient defense mechanisms. Furthermore, considering the psychological impact of stress, encountering negative situations is common. Stress and a weakened immune system contribute to an increase in negative emotional states such as depression, anxiety, violence, and anger. Additionally, personality, which encompasses the attitudes and behaviors that allow an individual to be themselves, plays an important role in the emergence of health problems. The characteristic patterns of behavior, thought, and feelings that make up personality can either amplify or alleviate the effects of stress.
How to Manage Stress?
The skills to manage stress are possible through both personal and general approaches. Successful stress management can result in positive effects such as maintaining normal blood pressure, moderate reduction in anxiety, alleviation of depressive symptoms, and improvement in the quality of life.
One of the most important steps in stress management skills is education and awareness. It is crucial for individuals to be aware of the stressful situations in their lives and understand the physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses to these situations. To increase awareness, it is important for individuals to understand their stressors, thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and coping methods. Relaxation techniques and meditation exercises contribute significantly to increasing awareness while also providing benefits in stress management. The next step is to develop new and more functional coping methods to manage stress. For example, regular exercise increases resilience to stress. Additionally, learning time management skills and changing thought patterns play crucial roles in reducing stress. Seeking professional support for understanding and reducing stress is also highly beneficial in effectively addressing this process.
