What is Stress?

Almost everyone has a view on this subject. People feel ‘stressed’ or ‘under stress’, ’stressed out’ and so on. We all think we recognise the symptoms of too much stress - or do we?

If you drive your car at 5 miles per hour in third gear, your car does not work well. If you were always to drive this way, your engine would soon break down. Similarly if you were always to drive at 50 miles per hour in first gear, this would not do the engine much good. However at 50 miles per hour in third gear even a Trabant engine would have a normal life expectancy. In engineering terms, the stress on the engine is only harmful if the gearing is incorrect. In one sense human beings are not dissimilar. Stress is always with us, as with an engine. Just getting out of bed in the morning is stressful - more so for some than others. Does this mean that stress is always bad for us? Of course not. Without stress, we would not get anything done. Too much stress however is undoubtedly harmful. However at this point, it is probably better to refer to the problem as ‘distress’. Too much stress makes us distressed.

The graph above could be applied equally to machines or people. You would not dream of driving your car at 60 mph in first gear nor would you drive it at 10mph in fourth.We all have an optimum point(the peak of the curve) where we function most efficiently.Ideally we should aim to stay around the top(no-one can be at the top all the the time) Too little stress or too much stress and we don't perform well. The curve is different for every individual and varies within the same individual over time and with circumstances. If we are performing badly we tend to think we must work harder to make up for the lost efficiency. This is actually counterproductive as it puts us under more stress. We perform less efficiently and so try to work harder. This becomes a vicious circle and towards the base of the curve, where it flattens out, we cease to function at all (this could be termed a nervous breakdown). Anxiety is a common accompaniment to stress and Doctors have a number of tablets they can prescribe to relieve short term anxiety and assist with establishing a proper sleep pattern.

When we lived a simple wandering existence thousands of years ago the ‘stress response’ was useful to our survival. If you thought there might be a tiger following you it was probably a good idea to feel frightened, for your pulse to beat rapidly and your body to release extra sugar into the blood stream to help you run away. Whether this response is as helpful when faced by your Inland Revenue self assessment form is doubtful. I am sure this is why many people find physical exercise a good antidote to ‘stress’.

It seems to me that there are three principal sources of stress. These are emotional, physical and the stress of illness. Most people can cope with two out of three stresses at one time. However, trying to cope with all three at once is courting trouble. One would not dream of recommending someone with pneumonia jog around the block on the basis this would be good for their health.

Have I any prescriptions for dealing with stress? Well, firstly learn to recognise when you are getting ‘distressed’. Those people who believe they are immune to stress often come a cropper eventually. Those who survive best are those who know their limits and can do something when they have reached those limits. Secondly try to restrict yourself to two out of three stressors at a time. If you are training for the London Marathon, try and avoid people with colds. Also avoid confronting your daughter about the excessive telephone bill she has run up phoning boyfriends. If you are ill, limit your exercise regime. You can always pick it up again when you are better. Above all, leave some time free in the day when you can take a breather, look around you and get things in proportion.

Practical Stress Control

Excess demands on people over too long a period leads to stress. Stressors may be identified in the home, work or leisure areas of an individual's life. when looking to prevent any problem the cause(s) must be found. The following stress avoidance 'rules' are suggested as a realistic and reasonable way of tackling the problem.

• Don't try to do everything and be everything to everybody. Get your priorities right - make sure you do the important things first and leave the inessential for later
• Identify sources of stress and deal with them one at a time. Don't rush in trying to settle all problems at once; patiently work through the list of things to tackle
• Don't be at the mercy of your environment. Cut out those inessential phone calls and visitors; just concentrate on the things that really must be done. Don't be available to all people at all times.
• Programme leisure time. Don't just leave as leisure time what is left over after work; leisure and relaxation are important to you; plan for leisure - don't let it just happen or fail to happen.
• Learn to delegate.
• Get up a few minutes earlier than usual each day, simply to 'potter' around and allow yourself time to wake up and prepare for the day. use this time to take the 'rush' and 'bustle' out of life.
• Space out your work each day by taking short rest pauses. Don't try to work through the whole day but pace yourself. Take 10 minutes in the middle of the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon for complete relaxation if possible.
• Be tidy and orderly. Untidiness tends to create a sense of time urgency.
• Take clear lunch breaks. Don't snatch a sandwich while working. down, eat in a relaxed way and don't work. Take a clear half hour this and if at all possible, go away from work to eat.
• Programme some time to yourself each week. Only a short time may be needed but make sure you get it. This is time for your to be alone, take stock, think things through or just do whatever you personally enjoy.
• Learn to say 'NO'. Don't simply take on everything that comes your way - get out of the habit of thinking that you should do that. Examine your commitments over the past week and ask how many of these did you really need to accept and how many could have been passed on.
• Set appropriate time schedules. Don't rush around frantically. Pace yourself, go at a steady rate - if you can't do everything without rushing frantically around then you've got too much to do.
• Allocate time and opportunities to your interests and your social life, don't just work and then use any remaining time to cram in everything else. All areas of your life are important.
• Set realistic life goals and ambitions; don't simply do what you are doing because it has 'always been than way'. Decide just what it is you want to do and plan for this. List what your real goals are and look at this list from time to time to remind yourself
• Don't set out to win everything. Don't beat others at traffic light starts, don't overtake unnecessarily, don't play games to win.Make sure you are doing your best where it really matters, but dont push yourself in other circumstances.
• Don't take 'have to' for granted. People tend to say "I have to ..." or "I've got to..." when what they are doing is purely habitual. Look at your responsibilities and duties and see if you really have to do some of them.
• Don't see traditions and ceremomes as time wasting. Go and look at a church, lean on a fence and admire the view etc. This is not time wasting, but helps put your life into perspective
• Don't procrastinate. Plan things in advance and don't brinkmanship with deadlines - don't leave too little time to important things and fill the available time with trivia.
• Eat properly; avoid too much fat and sugar. Eat sensibly. Eat to enjoy your food but don't over-eat and introduce more fresh fruit, vegetables, high fibre and less sugar and fat.
• Physical fitness; do a little light exercise every other day. Don't try to push yourself too hard, simply try to avoid being too sedentary
• Eliminate smoking and drink only in moderation.
• Listen to other people. Don't try to do all the talking and narrow the conversation to just what interests you.
• Curb aggression. Play it low key, softly, show humour, tact, respect for others. Don't go out of your way to get uptight about things that go wrong - they'll go wrong anyway and you can put things right without getting too upset.

Dr D.Grant for Connectmedical

If you  are an employer in the Bristol area and would like further information about ways of managing stress amongst your employees please email us for details.