Often, due to the accelerated pace of life, the human nervous system very quickly gets tired and exhausted. As a result, stress arises, which negatively affects the ability to correctly and objectively perceive the world around us. You can find a lot of advice on how to increase stress resistance on the Internet. But not all of them will really help strengthen the nervous system.
First, let's figure out why overvoltage resistance is needed in general and what its main signs are. This will help you better understand the principle of developing the necessary qualities of the body. And by understanding the principles, it is very easy to learn and absorb useful information.
Why do you need stress resistance?
The body's resistance to stress is a useful protective function that allows it to adapt to external stimuli or ignore them. In other words, it is what gives you the ability to remain calm in any situation.
The ability to always remain calm and balanced is the main sign of a well-developed defense against shocks. Thanks to it, the wear and tear of nerve nodes slows down significantly. As a result, you will achieve much more if you are not distracted by any minor trouble.
Are there any downsides?
In psychology, stress tolerance, like many other personality traits, is viewed from two perspectives. On the one hand, this is a necessary quality that allows you to survive in difficult situations. However, sometimes it can turn out to be harmful.
Emotionality
Resistance to stress can lead to callousness and indifference—properties that negatively impact family and social life. If you constantly suppress emotions in yourself, in the future this will happen automatically and will work not only in difficult life situations, but also in ordinary ones - everyday ones. Difficulties will arise when you need to be happy for someone, express sympathy, or feel sorry for them.
Overload
A person becomes so fixated on irritating factors that he sees them where they are not there. For example, the boss calls you to his place. And the scrolling of possible scenarios begins: he will fire you, reprimand you, ask you to go to work on the weekend, give you a new task. An algorithm of actions for each of them is immediately formed in your head. That’s it, before entering the office, a person is calm and absolutely confident in himself, since there is a plan for any development of events. As a result, he was simply asked to notify everyone about the upcoming meeting. This approach can quickly deplete the body and cause psychological fatigue.
Self-Esteem Balance
To train stress resistance, you need to work with self-esteem. If it is increased, it must be lowered, and vice versa. It is quite difficult to find a middle ground, and many go too far.
Signs of stress
Stress hits each of us sooner or later. You need to know what signs to use to determine that the level of bad influence is high enough.
- Increased irritability. You are angry and more nervous than usual.
- Confusion and inattention. Susceptibility results in the inability to collect thoughts and quickly react to changes in situation or circumstances.
- Fatigue. For no apparent reason, you want to close yourself off from the whole world and just go to bed.
- Aggression. You react sharply to every word said to you. Moreover, such a reaction occurs almost unnoticed by you, at the subconscious level.
- Impressionability. Yes, succumbing to the influence of stress, some people become too susceptible to everything that surrounds them.
Communicate
Everyone knows that it is important to keep employees informed about what is happening in the company, but few employers succeed in this. If you're serious about maintaining employee morale and increasing organizational resilience, you need to keep employees informed of any important changes. The more employees know what's going on, the less time and energy they spend thinking and worrying about what they don't know.
Research on stress and control shows that when we know what will happen, even if it is a negative event, we are less stressed than when we are faced with the unknown. Psychologists call this phenomenon “perceived control” because knowing what will happen creates a feeling of control.
So, find out why employees feel left in the dark and decide how best to keep them informed.
Types of stress
In general, stress is divided into two types: positive and negative. Positive causes pleasant shocks. Positive emotions prevail here. Such a shock is sometimes beneficial for the body, as it activates the production of beneficial hormones.
Negative stress or distress
- This is an extremely unpleasant phenomenon that destroys the normal state of the psyche. It is divided into two subgroups, manifesting themselves differently:
- Spicy. When a sudden stimulus threatens our usual state. Reactions to any factor are different. Evasion, running away from the cause, or defense. In both cases, the body will need some time to restore its internal balance.
- Chronic. Constantly being in a stressful environment leads to the fact that the daily influence of negativity suppresses all attempts of the subconscious to protect itself from it.
Stages of stress
The study of the nature of stress has shown that it goes through three phases in its development. Each of them poses a certain threat to the body. Therefore, you need to understand how each of the phases occurs in order to determine ways to combat them.
- Anxiety. At this stage, increased production of adrenaline and norepinephrine begins. A person understands that he must somehow react to the current circumstances.
- Resistance. In the second phase, the internal forces of the nervous system are mobilized. This practically does not affect physical health, but the person is constantly on edge, aggressive and excitable.
- Exhaustion. The most dangerous phase occurs after prolonged exposure to the irritant. The body spends all its resources fighting irritants. As a result of such actions, depression, nervous breakdowns and apathy develop.
Levels of stress-resistant behavior
Depending on the individual characteristics of a person, there are three levels of resistance to stress: high, medium and low. Let's give a description of each of them.
High level of stress resistance
A person remains calm under any circumstances, even those in which most of us would panic or, at a minimum, experience mental confusion. This does not mean that a person is made of iron, he also has feelings and emotions. Due to experience and work on oneself, such a person has learned to cope with stress in any form.
The main signs of a person with high-level stress resistance:
- The ability to navigate and make instant decisions in critical situations.
- The ability not to be influenced by the provocative actions of others, adequate (not painful) perception of criticism.
- Control of emerging emotions, their rationalization, subordination to reason.
- The ability to abstract from unnecessary, unnecessary external factors (information about disasters, rising prices, complaints from neurotic individuals, etc.).
- Maintaining the possibility of activity in an irritating environment (people criticize, shout, distract).
It is much easier for such people to minimize the consequences of shocking or unpleasant events. It is known that panic blocks the mind; in a state of panic, a person makes mistakes that do not solve the situation, but only aggravate its negative impact. Maintaining endurance is the path to success.
Average level of stress resistance
There are not very many of us among us who have cold-blooded individuals whose muscles will not tremble at the sight of a sinking ship, although they are the ones who can save all those drowning from this ship.
A person with an average level of stress tolerance is able to withstand problems and troubles, albeit after a certain time, but lets go of critical situations: loss of a job, breakup of a relationship.
He does not act like a hero, but he does not panic either, he is able to soberly assess the problem, and looks for ways to overcome difficulties.
Low degree of stress resistance
The level under consideration is typical for anxious individuals with a heightened emotional background. Such people perceive most stressful situations as threatening their safety and comfort.
Externally, such reactions manifest themselves in the form of anxiety, mental and physical stress, and nervousness. Reactive anxiety is accompanied by impaired ability to analyze and reflect, and a low degree of concentration.
A person may behave inappropriately: start crying, screaming, conflict: emotions get out of control. Experiences occur over the most insignificant reasons for other people.
The individual does not see a way out of the situation and struggles to take action to minimize the consequences of stress. This level of stress resistance is dangerous due to the occurrence of various psychosomatic diseases.
The presence of one or another level of stress resistance is determined by the following factors:
- Physiological features. Features of the body that are given from birth or acquired in early childhood. Belonging to a certain type of higher nervous activity, temperament (sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic).
- Characteristics of the personality itself. Tendency to irritability, anger, rage, and unreasonable anxiety. Open and friendly people with a sense of humor cope with stress more easily.
- Level of self-esteem. A self-confident person who has experience in solving complex problems is more stress-resistant.
- Social factors (activities). Poor working conditions, lack of elements of creativity in work, time pressure, lack of sleep, lack of rest, and fussiness reduce stress resistance.
- Environment. Family and loved ones play a big role in the development of emotional stability. We are talking about both education and the presence of support, the understanding that there are people who will help.
In addition, the level of stress resistance can change throughout life as a result of work on oneself and acquired experience. For example, a person experienced stress when he was first subjected to harsh accusations from management. The second time, the reaction may be less pronounced, since he realized that such criticism did not entail negative consequences (dismissal), while his self-confidence as a specialist increased.
Impact of stress on health
Frequent or constant exposure to an unpleasant and stressful environment leads to consequences at the physiological level. What will your body have to face due to constant stress?
- Increasing glucose production to increase energy output leads to the development of diabetes.
- Reduction of the thymus gland, which is responsible for the production of leukocytes, significantly weakens overall immunity.
- Constant tension and contraction of muscles gradually leads to their destruction. The same applies to the tissues of internal organs.
- Excessive expansion of capillaries often causes their ruptures. As a result, hematomas form and blood circulation is disrupted.
- Metabolic disorders cause poisoning by toxins that are normally simply eliminated from the body.
Psychosomatic health also suffers, receiving a dose of negative influence:
- Mood swings, outbursts of aggression,
- Loss of interest in the outside world, apathy,
- Sleep disturbance, anxiety,
- Development of neuroses, frequent headaches,
- Loss of energy, increased drowsiness,
- Formation of depression.
Type of stress resistance
The ability to withstand external factors is individual for everyone. Scientists studying the nature of overvoltage conditionally divide people into four main types:
- Stress-resistant.
Such people react sharply to any changes that do not correspond to the basic plan of action or the usual course of life. Critical situations cause them outbursts of emotions that are practically uncontrollable. - Stress trained.
Gradual changes are perceived by such people quite calmly. But sudden changes can cause depression and self-doubt. But over time, they develop a calmer reaction to negativity. - Stress-inhibitory.
Sudden and drastic changes in a negative direction cause increased activity in such people. They easily cope with unexpected problems. The gradual increase and course of stressful conditions can form chronic depression. - Stress-resistant.
This is the calmest and most stable person. Almost any life circumstances are perceived calmly. The ability to adequately think and assess a situation is very highly developed.
Tip 2: Stop worrying!
Most people, when faced with a difficult situation in life or work, begin to worry. 95% of their thoughts revolve around problems, often fictitious. And the more often they remember this situation, the worse it becomes for them. Negative thoughts reduce quality of life and productivity.
Psychologists call this negative bias. Very resilient people challenge this bias by living by the principle of “surprised, but not worried” when bad things happen. Yes, they may pause for a moment, take a step back, or even become curious. But they never allow negative thoughts to influence their emotions and behavior!
How to test stress resistance
Testing a person's stress resistance is becoming increasingly fashionable in various interviews. To determine your level of preparation for changes, you should take a short test by answering questions. This will show your ability to cope with life's circumstances.
Another way to test your inner strength is to conduct a DNA test. Studying your genetic code will show how susceptible your body is to negative influences. Our center’s specialists will help you decipher the information received and give advice on how to increase your resistance to stress.
To take care
It is necessary to pay attention to your feelings and needs, to take part in activities that bring pleasure and relaxation. This affects the development of stress resistance. Exercises such as meditation are also helpful. Physical exercise is also a must.
You need to help yourself keep your mind clear and your body healthy so that you always have the strength to deal with stress.
How to develop stress resistance
Comprehensive development of stress resistance skills helps not only protect your body, but also significantly increase your own efficiency. There are several effective methods that help to successfully strengthen protective functions.
- Correct assessment of the situation. It is based on three simple questions: “How important is this to me?”, “Does this change my life?” and “Can I change something?” It is important to understand that some circumstances do not depend on ourselves, so they should not be taken too seriously.
- Release of emotions. You can’t keep all the accumulated irritation inside yourself. Choose a method that will help you get rid of negativity and let off steam.
- Attention to health. Any disease undermines the protective functions of the nervous system. It is important to carry out treatment on time, eat right and walk in the fresh air every day.
Maintain engagement
Engaged and inspired employees will always remain productive even during difficult periods. If staff are working towards a big goal and are inspired by it, people are much less stressed because they know what they are getting into.
Motivate employees to get things done by sharing stories about what you do, people making a difference, and customer thank you notes. Make this part of your corporate culture and your employees will always know what they are putting their energy into achieving.
Psychological exercises
Effective methods for developing protection from negativity help you stay collected and calm in any situation. To protect against excess voltage surges, use a few tricks:
- Leave the aggressor when you feel that his excitement has rubbed off on you.
- Alone with yourself, take a few deep breaths.
- Try to make yourself laugh.
- Meditation will help stabilize your inner balance
Hear employees
A good leader does more than just set goals and introduce changes. He is also willing to understand that his employees are finding it difficult or uncomfortable. Instead of dismissing employees, let them know that you understand the difficulties they are facing, regardless of the situation. This could be overtime due to a complex project or the introduction of new practices that are difficult to get used to.
A psychologist is not scary!
Contrary to popular belief, psychologists are not trying to force you to reveal your most terrible and shameful secrets. They help you find ways to solve problems that are deeply ingrained in your subconscious and give you the right advice. Remember: no one can force you to tell what you yourself do not want to reveal. A psychologist will help you determine why your level of stress resistance does not meet the desired level. Then together you will find a solution to this problem without further traumatizing your psyche.
Good relationships with close circle of people
Good relationships with family and friends play an important role in a person’s life. Because if they are trusting, loved ones will always be able to lend a shoulder and simply listen, as well as lend a helping hand if necessary.
This is how a person becomes more confident in his abilities and reliable rear. Feeling supported and protected is very important. This increases the level of stress resistance. Also, many psychologists are convinced that participation in various associations, such as adequate religious organizations and interest groups, can really help a person cope with difficulties. And also, by helping other people, a person helps himself.
Simple exercises
To strengthen the defense mechanisms of your subconscious, perform simple exercises daily:
- Standing in front of the mirror, smile at yourself. There is no need to study your own reflection. After smiling, say a few compliments for yourself.
- During the working day, give yourself 10 minutes several times to relax. Just sit and look out the window or wall. At the same time, try not to think about anything at all.
- Use proper breathing techniques that are practiced in yoga. Breathe every night before going to bed.
If you feel that a stressful situation is inevitable, imagine yourself in armor or a tank. You need to mentally see yourself in shining armor or hidden in a reliable, impenetrable machine.
