Stress is a psychological phenomenon where people experience any challenge or difficulty that pose threat to their emotional and physical well-being which exceeds their potentials or coping resources and abilities. The phenomenon- stress involves the “fight -or- flight” response or stress response, which means when the source threatens a person, it allows the person to act in a way to prevent injury. During such response the heart rate increases, breathing quickens, muscles tighten and blood pressure rises.
Getting back to the behavioral symptoms of stress is a person exhibiting stress in action or behavior which are :
- Low energy
- Aches, pain, and tense muscles
- Frequent colds and infections
- Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing
- Upset stomach including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea
- Insomnia and other sleep difficulties
- Loss of interest in daily activities
Treatment For Stress
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
The CBT therapist helps the clients deal with their issues that lead to stress on one-on-one sessions by treating automatic and distressful thoughts the individual has because of the experience he or she has been through.
Relaxation and Meditation Technique
The therapist teaches clients certain relaxation and breathing exercises especially mindfulness which helps the clients to be aware of the present moment, accept the situation and utilize the techniques to deal with the stress. Meditation or progressive muscle relaxation technique teaches clients to tense and relax various muscle groups in a systematic way which helps to reduce stress.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is another technique used in stress reduction in which clients are made aware of their heart rate, level of blood pressure, and muscle tension. This is done by connecting the client to a monitoring equipment and then providing a cue to the patient when the client is successful at making the desired response for example lowering blood pressure or decreasing tension in a facial muscle. Eventually, patients become more consciously aware of their internal responses and can modify them when necessary.
Emotional Disclosure
Under this technique, the clients are asked to write down and open up about their concerns that lead to stress. Expressive writing is another technique used in emotional disclosure where clients are taught or guided to rethink their problems more healthily or reduce how threatening these problems may seem.
A little stress now and then is not something to be concerned about, but when a person feels it is affecting his or her psychological or emotional well-being it is highly recommended for them to seek help, the reason being it can have consequences on the human body that can lead to chronic stress. Therefore let’s seek help, putting away “shyness” and the thought that “what people will think if I seek help to deal with stress” which will help us prevent from being affected with consequences. Therefore, let's take stress importantly and take enough care of ourselves because life's too short to stress out for anything.
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