What is stress and pressure?

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As mentioned last week, to change our perceptions of pressure we first need to lower our stress response that is usually triggered by this pressure (see here if you missed it).

This is very difficult to do because we essentially must learn to re-program our brains. To understand why we react to certain pressures and not others we have to understand what causes us to stress. Pressure is just another word for stress, and we are each more vulnerable to different types of stressors.

Research has identified only four factors that cause stress (N.U.T.S.). We react differently to each of these stressors and can even be intolerant to one or more of these and therefore more sensitive to the events that involve these. We can have a more negative perception of these events and therefore more pressure. The key here is perception. We may have more control than we think, but if we perceive that we don’t then the stress response is activated.

1. Novelty:

Sometimes when we are in a new situation our stress response gets activated because we can perceive the possibility of danger. The specific response is on a spectrum for all of the following stressors as well. For some novelty is perceived more as a challenge, in this case it will be less stressful for that person. It all depends on our perception of the situation. 

2. Uncertainty:

If we are uncertain of the outcome, or the result, or the process to get where we want to go, the stress response can be activated. We could be in danger and our brains can react in this situation as if we were (whether we really are or not). For an anxious person, research indicates that we have a higher intolerance towards this stressor. In prehistoric times, this probably allowed us to survive in a very hostile environment, but it gets maladaptive in today’s environment when we react to uncertain situations that are not inherently dangerous.

3. Threat to the Ego:

Here there is a mention of a perceived threat to the ego. Because we are social animals, this becomes a stressor. We risk rejection and expulsion from the tribe, and our brain perceives this as a threat. Survival on our own was practically impossible in prehistoric times, and our brains adapted to that environment more than to our current modern environment. Hunting mammoths was a team activity and ensured our survival. For creatives whose livelihood depends on what other people think, rejection and critique can be harder to take because of this stress.

4. Sense of low control:

Again, there is question here of perception. For one person who is confident in their ability and feel they have control over a situation, there will be a lower-level stress response than for someone with low self-esteem that thinks they have no control over what they do. This again is a holdover from prehistoric times where there was actually little control over the environment, but decisions could be taken to move camp or hunt different game. Having a choice and deciding really helps with this type of stress because there is more perception of control in this case. Children and older people are at higher risk for this type of stress because often decisions are made for them.

The book by researcher Dr. Sonia Lupien (I highly recommend!) explains these four factors in much greater detail and how to break any stressor into these four components. For example, person A can find a situation not stressful because for them none or only one of the stressors gets triggered, while person B can find the same situation very stressful because for them all four stressors get triggered. Understanding this, and breaking stressful situations into the four stressors, can help supply better solutions to your problems and help face stress head on.

Once you found which stressors are activated for each stressful situation then you can find solutions. Each stressor needs to be addressed individually to be successful at managing the stressor and the pressure. It is important to deconstruct the stress in order to better reconstruct it and better manage it. Next week I will be looking at how you can reconstruct it. An important caveat to keep in mind is that stress in and of itself is not bad. It is in fact necessary for our survival. Problems come about when the stress is mismanaged and chronic. The brain tries to adapt, but adapts poorly, leading to depression, and to anxiety, or to burnout.

The pressures I’ve been talking about for the last few weeks are stressful because of these four factors. Try breaking down your stressful situations into one or all four stressors I explain here. It is a good exercise to get into the habit of for yourself.

Thank you for reading. Please subscribe, if you are not already, for updates and not to miss a post.

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.”

– Hans Selye

Resources (not sponsored)

Book

In English: https://www.amazon.ca/Well-Stressed-Manage-Stress-Before/dp/1118273605

En français: https://www.editionsvasavoir.com/nos-editions/par-amour-du-stress/

Questionnaire (to see your sensitivity to each of the four stressors)

NUTS Questionnaire
Posted in Mental Health, Pressure/ Stress and tagged , , .

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