- Social stressors: Noise, crowding, physical safety and comfort of one’s surroundings, traffic, deadlines, financial / legal problems, disagreements, conflict, etc.
- Psychological stressors: Anxiety, worry, etc.
- Psychosocial stressors: Death of a family member, spouse, or friend; divorce or separation; birth or loss of a child; etc.
- Biochemical / environmental / physiological stressors: The weather (heat, cold, and humidity), injury / pain, illness / disease, pollutants, aging, accidents, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, menopause, sleep disturbance, etc.
- Philosophical stressors: Value system conflict; lack of purpose, meaning, or direction in life; etc.
- Work stressors: Loss or threat of loss of job; conflict with boss or co-workers; retirement (voluntary or involuntary); feeling overwhelmed by work demands and / or working long hours; feeling underwhelmed, bored, and unchallenged by not having enough work to do; having little work structure, challenge, or direction from superiors; feeling undervalued or unappreciated; lack of privacy; poor lighting, etc.
You may not necessarily know what the definition of a stressor is, but you surely recognize that at times they feel like they are getting the best of you. Some days we feel like we just want to fight with the world or pull the cover our heads and hibernate. So exactly how do we define a stressor? A quick definition of a stressor is this: Any factor or event that elicits a state of stress. Most people don't realize however is that stressors can be perceived as being good (eustress) or bad (distress). Good stressors are perceived as positive, life enhancing, and motivating. They are thought to improve one's quality of life. For example, job promotion, wedding between two people in love, birth of a child, etc. Bad stressors are perceived to be negative, feel threatening, detrimental, and demotivating. They feel like they diminish quality of life. Contrasting with the previous examples, they may be taking on additional job demands, wanting to be a runaway bride or groom before saying "I do," or the stress of becoming a new parent.
With the examples just illustrated, can you see that they really are the same stressors, but viewed quite differently? Additionally, stressors can be real or imagined. It can feel like the sky is going to come crashing down around us even though it hasn't or the dreaded feeling you are going to get into another car accident immediately after actually being involved in one. Ultimately, it is the individual's perception, attitude, and beliefs that invariably impact the experience of stressors in a positive or negative way. This is what is called the "Stress Response" otherwise known as "Fight-or-Flight," which is the body’s innate response to stress by either confronting or avoiding the stressor experienced. The changes in your body that constitute the fight-or-flight response (although some individuals freeze and become immobilized) are meant to be a temporary overdrive system for meeting the challenge of a real threat or danger. Now this is a great survival mechanism when we are truly faced with an emergency situation, but oftentimes we tend to react as if everything is a threat or emergency. I won’t bore you with a lesson in psychophysiology here, but ultimately we go from an initial state (which I tend to refer to as "911") to a state where the body is attempting to return back to a previous level of homeostasis (i.e., the body's internal state of balance or imbalance) to an exhaustion state. When we find ourselves distressed and in stress exhaustion, we can experience this exhaustion in so many different ways.
Distress leads to dis-ease ultimately leading to maladaptation and possibly sickness, disease, or even death. For example, that initial glass of wine in the evening after work turns into drinking a fifth of vodka in the morning before work, countless sleepless nights due to tossing, turning, and worrying all night about things, becoming sick more often due to a diminished immune system, experiencing a stress-induced heart attack, etc. Additionally, stress exhaustion can impact so many different areas of our lives . . . physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and negatively place strain on our relationships with family, partners, friends, and other significant others.So, the question is, how do we take better care of ourselves when faced with inevitable stressors? Great question and certainly easier said than done. However, here are some quick tips to consider:
- Find time to incorporate play, leisure, and recreation in your life.
- Look at areas of your life where you feel out of balance and what stressors you may be able to reduce or eliminate in your life.
- Practice mindful, in-the-moment living rather than focusing on perceived failures or fear of the future and the unknown.
- Consider learning and practicing meditation or yoga. Begin to engage and maintain some regular and moderate exercise program.
- Remain productive in work and daily responsibilities and find value in the work you do.
- Spend time with people you care about and who care about you.
- Practice good health habits such as keeping reasonable sleep / wake times.
- Find ways to create more purpose, meaning, and direction in your life.
- Practice an attitude of gratitude each morning when you wake up, throughout the day, and in the evenings before bed.
Again, much easier said than done. However, just get started. Don’t give yourself excuses to not make your health and well-being a top priority. You’ll feel more empowered and in control as a result.
