Causes Of Stress

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Stress: instructions for use

Causes of stress

Intense, long-term negative attitudes create a state of stress

Long-term fear and anger (I have now very generalized a wide range of these affects) are the causes of stress. We will take a closer look at how these emotions are activated by the brain when a signal of danger is signaled in our article on Stress Hormones.

In this article, we will look at the mental processes that cause stress, as well as note the external events that most often cause stressful conditions.

It's no secret that stress is associated with situations that cause additional stress that go beyond the ordinary. These are exams, divorce, an adaptation period at a new job, conflict situations in a team leading to emotional burnout, fear of failing in sex, speaking in front of a large audience.

In my opinion, to understand the cause of stress, it is necessary to understand the basic concepts that are involved in mental processes. Such as: cognitive and emotional spheres; stimuli that cause stress; conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche; the instinct of self-preservation; attitudes, beliefs that form images of how they should be. Hopefully, by the end of the article, the reader will have a general picture of the nature and causes of stress.

In the human psyche, it is customary to distinguish cognitive and emotional spheresthat are inextricably linked to each other. We study, ponder, reflect, imagine something, come to certain conclusions - everything it is a cognitive component … Also, we experience a wide variety of feelings: we experience, we grieve, we rejoice, we grieve, etc. - it is an emotional component. A person's attitude to a situation determines his emotions in a given situation and the strength of these emotions.

Events or stimuli are:

External - events, meetings, natural phenomena.

Physiological - changes in body temperature, pressure, spasms, etc.

Thoughts - memories, opinion about someone, attitude to something, forecasts for the future.

We are constantly surrounded by hundreds of stimuli, but we only respond to those that come to our attention. Once in the field of attention, the stimulus is perceived by the organs of perception: we see, hear, feel.

Emotion arises after a mental interpretation and giving it one or another meaning, in accordance with past experience. Thought determines emotion. This assessment of the situation takes a split second. This is why we instantly experience emotions, rather than reflecting on them. Of course, it is possible to think: "Now I will be sad", "Now I will be cheerful", but we cannot always control our emotional reactions.

Everyone who is interested in psychology knows about the division of the psyche into conscious and unconscious parts.

So, almost all of a person's life experience is hidden in the unconscious. If the events do not exceed the threshold of awareness, i.e. interest, then the information is processed without a controlling consciousness, in accordance with the prevailing beliefs and past experience. These are social skills, abilities, habits. The basic instinct for self-preservation is also in the area of the unconscious. The instinct of self-preservation - a genetically inherent ability to preserve not only oneself as an individual, but also the genetic material for procreation.

Stress, as a state of danger, arises when there is a threat to the safety of a person, both physical integrity (body) and mental (image of one's personality). More precisely, stress occurs when a person perceives a situation as a threat to their integrity

To date, there are four directions for realizing the instinct of self-preservation:

- struggle or active change in the problem situation;

- flight or departure from a dangerous situation;

- food;

- reproductive function.

Scientists suggest that self-preservation instincts are guiding human behavior. For the manifestation of instinct, the brain must give a command about the necessary changes in the body. Read more in the article "Stress hormones".

How do instincts manifest themselves today?

Modern man does not have a cave, nor is there a saber-toothed tiger nearby to fight. These dangers of our ancestors were transformed into the need to build a career, the desire to make more money, the passionate desire to sell our outer shell at a higher price. That is why common causes of stress are - exams, job interviews, a call to the director, qualification tests, an adaptation period in kindergarten, school, at work.

The issue of nutrition is now more relevant than ever. Stress-related eating disorders: obesity, bulimia, anorexia. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: disruption of the gallbladder, liver, gastritis, stomach ulcer.

Reproductive system problems - impotence, frigidity, infertility.

Stress is not the only but very common cause of these problems. Indeed, during stress, blood, with all the nutrients, oxygen rushes to the muscles, in order to either fight or run. Internal organs do not receive nutrition, in addition to this, spasms occur, as well as a change in the chemical composition of the blood.

But, not everyone experiences stress with the same intensity when called to the boss or in public.

What affects the intensity and duration of stress?

The psyche of a newborn is like a blank sheet, on which all the events and conclusions that a person made for himself are further recorded. Findings represent stereotyped responses to certain situations. The conclusion becomes the installation in the event that the performed action has brought the desired result. The desired outcome for the child is parental approval. Vowel or non-vowel. Behavior patterns taken from the characters on the screen will be broadcast by the child only if they have been positively reinforced. Then this model will be repeated in situations similar to the original. That. a reflex is formed: a certain reaction will follow to a certain stimulus.

The algorithm is as follows: perception - attention - mental interpretation - reaction.

With repeated repetition, the reaction becomes unconscious. Those. moves to the zone of the unconscious. In individual therapy, in courses on effective stress management, we learn to be aware of the reflex reactions that interfere with you, and which you want to change, considering them inappropriate for the situation.

In the course of life, faced with certain events, we form installations, or the willingness to react in a certain way in a certain situation. For the first time the concept of "attitude" was formulated by the German psychologist L. Lange in 1888, but the modern generally accepted meaning appeared later in the works of D. N. Uznadze.

Attitudes definitely make our life easier, but they can work wrongly. In some cases, an irrational attitude can be stressful

Uznadze proposes to consider the manifestation of the attitude in three ways:

• Dynamic installation. It provides quick adaptation to changing conditions. Take the divorce situation. With a dynamic attitude, both spouses, of course, experience sadness, sadness, maybe even anger. But, realizing that this happens in life and we need to move on, they accept this outcome and, realizing that it hurts, but this is not the whole life, they focus on building new relationships with new partners. Or, after analyzing their ineffective behavior in marriage, they begin to work on themselves so as not to repeat past mistakes, constructing a more effective model of interaction.
• Static installation. The previous example with a break in relations will in this case develop painfully, in constant doubts about the correctness of the decision made, and thoughts about what happened. A person is haunted by thoughts about WHAT he did wrong, and what would be the best thing to do. Stuck in the past contributes to the growth of depressive dynamics. A person is at war with windmills - scrolls through different options in the past, while being in a state of stress all the time. It is necessary to distinguish constructive analysis of past mistakes from self-flagellation, which depletes the nervous system and lowers self-esteem. With this attitude, a person cannot enjoy an intimate relationship with another person.
• Variable installation. It manifests itself in impulsive behavior. A person, by all means, seeks to satisfy his every minute desires, ignoring the possible negative consequences of such actions.

Several attitudes may appear in the personality of one person, depending on the situation.

Attitudes are formed by cognitions. Cognitions - these are not only thoughts, but all forms of knowledge: images, conclusions, judgments, ideas, beliefs.

So let's link these concepts to our topic on intrapsychic causes of stress. Our brains are designed to keep track of energy conservation. To conserve cognitive energy, we use stereotypes - an algorithm of actions in a similar situation. Stereotypes "move" into the unconscious, and we act mechanically. On the one hand, this simplifies our life, on the other, we can choose not what is justified, but what is simpler. Ignoring a comprehensive assessment of the situation, abandoning a critical view of the situation, some of us step on the same rake, and plunge ourselves into a state of exhausting stress. And sometimes, showing a stereotypical reaction, but faced with a reality in which a different, new reaction is needed to resolve the issue, we do not get the desired result and experience stress in a state of frustration.

Limited human capacity

It may seem that with knowledge about stress, about how our thoughts affect our state, it might seem that by removing destructive thoughts, replacing them with new, creative ones, we can achieve and maintain a state of happiness and well-being.

It is impossible to achieve perfection and complete absence of troubles in our life.

You can pay attention to your own attitudes, subject them to constructive criticism and, through long-term work on yourself, change them for your own good.

It is impossible to meet a person who has lived his life without trouble.

Classes on "Effective stress management" will help you find your irrational attitudes, determine the range of your capabilities (resources), and effectively change what is humanly capable of changing.

“Yes, a person is forced to constantly overcome difficulties in life and experience negative and positive emotions in this regard. But he is able to maintain his mental health and mental well-being. He is able to make inevitable unpleasant experiences safe, harmless, and not exhausting. This requires knowledge and skills in some techniques, which should be used regularly. As Academician I. P. Pavlov said, “human happiness is somewhere between freedom and discipline.” *

List of used literature:

A. Kameyukin, D. Kovpak "Antistress training"

G. B. Monina, N. V. Rannala "Resilience Resources"