STRESS

The demands of today’s fast paced world can place a high amount of pressure on our psychological, emotional and physical well-being. Effective stress management is therefore essential for a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

When our lives become overloaded and we feel overwhelmed by stress, our mind and body’s react in a way to help us cope with this stress. Our body’s physical response to stress activates a cascade of events involving the main two stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones stimulate the body’s fight or flight response to meet the extra demands being placed upon it.This natural response acts to increase the body and minds alertness and readiness to take action in demanding situations that require quick decisions to be made. It activates the survival instincts of the mind and body by increasing breathing and heart rate and increasing mental activity. It is designed to help us cope in short-term demanding situations and once the stressful situation is over, the level of these two hormones normally decreases. However, under conditions of prolonged stress, the body’s fight or flight response fails to switch off. These hormone levels subsequently remain high in the blood, acting to keep the mind and body on high alert in anticipation for further demanding situations. People who lead stressful lives and do not manage their stress effectively are not allowing their bodies stress response to switch off so they can rest and recover. Over time, unnaturally high levels of cortisol and adrenaline become established in the body, acting to keep the body and mind in a constant state of arousal. In the long term, this can have a very detrimental effect on our psychological, emotional and physical health and well-being.People who suffer from chronic and long-term stress often have weakened immune systems, which leave them vulnerable to illnesses. They can also suffer from insomnia, adrenal fatigue, anxiety and depression.

The beliefs and perceptions people have formed as a result of life experiencescan significantly impact the way we respond to and manage stressful situations. One person may respond very differently to another in the same stressful situation because they have had very different life experiences. Sometimes a person who has encountered more negative experiences early on in life are more inclined to predict negative outcomes and therefore respond in negative ways. Unless they are aware of it, they can sometimes pre-empt negative outcomes and can respond in a way that fulfils their own prophecies and exacerbate the stress further.Sometimes people aren’t aware that they begin to feel anxious before certain events or situations. Subconsciously they are being triggered and their mind and body’s fight or flight response kicks in without them knowing it. For some, persistent feelings of anxiety and intense fear can lead to debilitating panic attacks.

A person’s capacity to live a happy, balanced and fulfilling life is also dependent upon the strategies they use to effectively manage stress.The level of stress that an individualexperiences and how they respondin stressful situations depends upon a person’s resilience.If a person is provided with opportunities to successfully overcome stressful situations, their resilience builds as they learn and create new ways for handling stress.This occurs when a person is exposed to a level of stress they can cope with and they’re able tosuccessfully overcome the stress. In doing so they learn and create new methods for adapting in stressful situations. They develop the necessary skills and abilities it requires to navigate life’s vicissitudes.However, if an individual has been exposed to levels of stress that have exceeded their ability to cope, and they have become overwhelmed, the stress works to corrode their resilience. Furthermore, they will often have difficulty adapting and coping in similar stressful situations in the future.

Usually if a person is harbouring negative beliefs about themselves and life as a result of past trauma, they will have less resilient ways of coping with stress. Their biased perceptions cause them to think in unhelpful ways and to predict negative outcomes rather than positive ones. This is the minds inbuilt self-protection mechanism that serves to protect against further anticipated pain, regardless of whether it is real or imagined.

Here at Harmony Counselling Services, we help you to recognise and understand the underlying beliefs, thinking patterns and triggers that influence the way you perceive and respond to stress. We will help you to rebuild your resilience and develop more effective ways for managing stressful situations.We will help you change any unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour that are undermining your capacity to live a healthy, happy and balanced life.