DEV Community: Anna Csurgai

Stress Management

Anna Csurgai — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:30:37 +0000

As we reviewed in the first part of this blog series, the starting point for stress management is awareness of our stress levels. Once we realize we are stressed, we often unconsciously ask ourselves the following questions:

Can we manage the situation?
Is it within our control?
Can we solve it?
What solutions do we see?
If we can't manage it, how should we cope?

In this blog, we delve into various aspects of stress management, exploring concepts like the three main arousal responses to stress and the difference between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. The stress container self-reflective task helps us analyse our mood and identify actions we can take. Additionally, we'll discuss tips for managing workplace stress and the importance of our shields, which act as protective factors against stress and anxiety. Towards the end, you'll find thought-provoking questions to reflect on your coping mechanisms.

Fight vs flight vs freeze (& fawn)

There is a general concept of how we and our bodies react when we perceive threats.

The fight response activates a person to cope with perceived threats by taking action to eliminate the danger. It results in physical changes like increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, adrenaline rush, and tightened jaw.
The flight response involves escaping the danger, seeking safety and distance from the source of the stress. This response triggers a cascade of physiological changes, including a surge in adrenaline, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, and tense muscles. The body readies itself for swift escape, prioritizing survival above all else.
In contrast, the freeze response involves a state of immobility, where the individual becomes momentarily paralyzed in the face of danger. Rather than confront or flee, they may find themselves unable to act, as if caught in a state of suspended animation. This response is characterized by a decrease in heart rate and muscle tension, often accompanied by a sense of detachment or dissociation from the surrounding environment.
Lately, research has identified a fourth stress reaction pattern: fawn. This is a little bit similar to the freeze response, but its core aspect is that we try to please and appease the needs of someone else, instead of prioritizing our own well-being, so in the end we become more submissive in the situation.

Problem-focused or emotional-focused

The problem-focused coping strategies aim to change or eliminate a stressor. When you employ a strategy aimed at directly addressing the stressor itself, you are engaging in problem-focused coping. For instance, devising plans, solving problems, or removing the stressor altogether are all forms of problem-focused coping.
Emotion-focused coping is when you try to deal with your emotional response to the stressor. If you are trying to reduce, eliminate, or simply tolerate your emotional response to a stressor, then you’re using emotion-focused coping. Examples include withdrawal, expressing anger and frustration, seeking emotional support, distracting oneself, engaging in rumination, and accepting resignation (acknowledging that the problem may persist).
For example, if we have a higher workload, prioritizing our tasks or delegating them is a problem-focused solution, but acknowledging and celebrating small victories or milestones to stay motivated is more about emotion-focused coping.

Our Stress Container

The Stress Container model illustrates how individuals manage everyday stresses based on their level of vulnerability. Those with low vulnerability possess larger containers, making them less susceptible to mental health issues. The size of the container can be due to a lot of factors from someone’s background, like the patterns that we went through in the previous part of this blog series.

When the container overflows, individuals may experience mental and physical illness. This is a learning process to check & identify when our container is filling and we have to actively manage what is in there.

Workplace stress

Most of us experience stress during our personal lives but experience it more heavily during work. Most of the time we cannot show or express that we are stressed when we work, so we must minimize what our environment sees from it. In this case it is truly important to have some time for ourselves after a harsh meeting or project demo or the day itself where we can express it or reward ourselves after a hard day or period.

Some key tips to manage our daily stress:

Taking a break from work is needed, especially since our need for rest is rising with the increased spent time without rest, so we should install breaks within our days and our schedule. Sometimes it is hard especially when we work remotely, to just walk around, or have a few minutes as a break while when we work in the office. Our environment can help us like having a coffee together or just chatting about something. However,
Morning routine can be key when it comes to keeping balance within our lives. Having some activity to do before we jump to our laptops can be hugely beneficial. Since remote working is truly part of our DNAS, we intend to start our day with coffee and our duties. Well, I cannot say that it never occurred to me, but I enjoy my day more if I have some time before I start working. This can be reading or doing sports, having your big walk with your dog or learning something. It does not have to be long activity, even 20-30 minutes are sufficient to have the feeling that you have already done something for yourself.
Setting up boundaries is not an easy task to do. We have a lot of priorities and duties, and we can be overwhelmed with these and the feeling that we want to execute as many tasks as we want to and help as many colleagues as possible. However, assertively declining extra commitments and clearly communicating availability and preferred communication methods are needed to create transparency and take care of ourselves.
Leaving work behind is not easy, switching off our working- mode, work-persona is essential, here are some tips:
- Develop a shutdown routine to signal the end of the workday. This could include tidying your workspace, reviewing your tasks for the next day, and mentally transitioning out of work mode.
- Prioritize Tasks: Before leaving work, prioritize your tasks for the next day. Knowing what needs to be done can ease your mind and help you relax during your time off.
- Unplug: Disconnect from work-related communication channels, such as email and work chat apps, when you are off the clock. Consider turning off notifications or even deleting work apps from your personal devices.

Our shields

We can say that we can arm ourselves against stress; this is what we can call “protective factors”. This includes elements that can be obvious for some of us, but we can easily look over these under a stressful period and let go of the elements of a healthy lifestyle with charging and cheerful relationships.

Sports: Being active and taking care of our physical fitness is a protective factor against stress. It helps us to create balance within our lives, so it helps to relieve stress unconsciously. Additionally, we can use it as a conscious coping strategy, when after a hard-working day we decide to go for a run or a walk with our dog, or during a weekend having a trip in nature – all of these help us to manage our stress level and we can experience an eustress after an activity that we made it.
Nutrition plays a huge part in how we feel daily. Whether we feel energized or fatigued depends on the micro and macro nutrients that we give to our body through foods.
Sleep: Rest is essential. Even if we eat well and engage in activities, if we do not sleep well or enough, we can harm ourselves. Sometimes sleep problems occur first when we tip over our balance, either we have restless nights, or we feel that we cannot sleep enough to rest. Based on scientific research like this we should aim for 7-9 hours per night in order to have proper time for regeneration.
Hobbies: Having time for your hobbies is great for recharging. Sometimes we skip this easily when we have a lot of things to do at work, which for a brief period of time can be an adaptive coping mechanism, but if we lose an activity whose aim was to refill our batteries then we cut out.
Mindfulness: Being in the present has not been harder than during the last couple of years with our accelerated world. Incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives can help us manage stress.
- Practice mindful breathing: When you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a few moments to focus on your breath. Close your eyes if possible, and take slow, deep breaths, paying attention to the sensation of the air moving in and out of your body. This simple mindfulness exercise can help calm your nervous system, bring you back to the present moment, and reduce the impact of stress.
- Engage in mindful activities: Incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine by engaging in activities with full awareness. Whether you are eating, walking, or washing dishes, try to focus on the present moment and fully engage your senses. Notice the sights, sounds, smells, and textures around you without judgment. By bringing mindfulness to everyday activities, you can reduce stress and increase your overall sense of well-being.
- Practice self-compassion: When you are feeling stressed, it is easy to be hard on yourself or engage in negative self-talk. Instead, practice self-compassion by treating yourself with kindness and understanding. Remind yourself that it's normal to feel stressed from time to time, and that you're doing the best you can in this moment. Offer yourself words of encouragement and support, just as you would to a friend in need. Mindfulness can help you cultivate a greater sense of self-compassion by allowing you to observe your thoughts and emotions with greater clarity and acceptance.

As we can see, everything comes back to self-care, knowing our self and boundaries and paying attention to our body and soul. By understanding our stress responses and adopting a balance of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, along with taking care of ourselves and our lifestyle, we can effectively manage stress and foster resilience in our daily lives.

Some takeaway questions which can help you to reflect on your copings and stress management techniques:

What are my go-to strategies for managing stress? Are they primarily problem-focused or emotion-focused?
How effective are my current stress management techniques in helping me cope with different stressors?
If I look at my stress container, what elements are within it? Is it overflowing? Can I take some elements from it?
Do I tend to prioritize self-care, such as taking breaks, engaging in hobbies, or practising relaxation techniques, during stressful periods?
How well do I set boundaries between work and personal life? Do I struggle to disconnect from work-related stressors?
What role does physical activity play in my stress management routine? Am I consistently incorporating exercise into my daily or weekly schedule?
What adjustments can I make to improve my sleep quality and ensure I get enough rest to support my well-being?
How mindful am I of my thoughts and emotions during stressful situations? Do I practice mindfulness or other forms of mental relaxation regularly?
Do I have a support system in place for seeking help or guidance when I feel overwhelmed by stress?

Know your patterns

Anna Csurgai — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 08:52:59 +0000

We are all different, and we each have our own ways of detecting stress; stressors impact us at varying levels, influencing our stress levels differently. Today’s article is all about understanding yourself, emphasising the importance of recognising your patterns, while keeping in mind that we are the protagonists of our lives and providing some key takeaway thoughts and questions.

Patterns from your family

Our familial environment imparts patterns, best practices, and guidance for various aspects of our lives. We observe how our parents react to challenges in their jobs and family lives, and these behaviours shape our own responses. This unconscious programming evolves through experiences in kindergarten, elementary, high school, and university.

Patterns from school

Our relationship with performance is largely defined during our formative years in school. For many, coping mechanisms are first consciously experienced in this setting. We can develop positive habits such as open communication with friends and family about our problems or taking personal time to recharge. However, we can also adopt harmful habits like using maladaptive coping mechanisms such as excessive video consumption, following news obsessively, or turning to substances like smoking, drinking, or drugs to escape stress.

Patterns from your workplace

Our first workplaces hold a special place in our lives because they introduce us to the functioning of a workplace as we enter the labor market. Naturally, our previous patterns influence the type of workplaces we prefer and feel comfortable in, and we bring our personal coping mechanisms to each new environment.
Furthermore, we not only influence group solutions to problems but also adapt to the coping mechanisms of our peers and the company. We learn how to cope with unexpected situations, how to communicate effectively, what steps to take if initial attempts fail, and how to support one another.
While it is not solely our responsibility to change established practices within a larger community, what we can and must do is reflect on our coping strategies, identify areas for improvement, take action, and speak up when we encounter unhealthy coping patterns.

Your place in it

After considering all the environmental influences we've absorbed since childhood, it's difficult not to conclude that we should just adapt to what we've been given. Well, of course, there are some aspects of our lives when we are not in charge of making decisions and actions. But we are not there anymore. What we inherited is one thing, but how we process it and how we cope with the incoming stressors is something that we can influence, and we can make it better.

Self-knowledge and self-reflection are vital for stress awareness and management. By understanding our own patterns, we can better navigate stressors and develop healthier coping mechanisms. To facilitate this process, below are some thought-provoking questions:

Takeaway questions:

Family Experience:

How do you recall stress being managed or expressed within your family while growing up?
What was your feeling: could your parents communicate their issues with each other?
What were the primary stressors in your family environment, and do you notice any similarities between those and your current stress triggers?
Reflect on the coping mechanisms you observed or adopted from your family members when dealing with stress. Are these mechanisms still effective or do they contribute to your stress?
Are there any recurring patterns or dynamics in your family that you find mirrored in your own stress responses?

School Experience:

Can you recall specific periods or events during your schooling that significantly increased your stress levels? How did you cope with them then, and how do you cope with similar situations now?
Reflect on the academic pressures or social dynamics in school that might have contributed to your stress patterns. Do you find yourself experiencing similar pressures in your current life?
How did teachers or peers influence your stress management strategies during your school years? Are there any habits or beliefs you developed during this time that you still carry with you?

Workplace Experience:

Reflect on your earliest job experiences. What were the main stressors you encountered, and how did you initially cope with them?
How have your stress triggers evolved as you progressed in your career? Are there any recurring themes or patterns in the stressors you face at work?
Consider the organizational culture and management styles of your past and current workplaces. How have these factors influenced your stress levels and coping mechanisms?
Have you observed any unhealthy patterns or behaviours in your professional life that contribute to your stress? How do you plan to address or change these patterns moving forward?

General Self-Reflection:

What similarities do you notice between the stress triggers and patterns you've identified across different areas of your life (family, school, work)?
Are there any specific events or experiences that stand out as particularly influential in shaping your current stress responses?
How do you typically react to stress? Are your reactions primarily emotional, physical, or behavioural? (We have reviewed the reaction types in our first blog of Stress Awareness Month series so you can check here)
Reflect on the effectiveness of your current stress management strategies. What adjustments or improvements could you make to better address your stress triggers and patterns?

Stress Awareness

Anna Csurgai — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 08:35:35 +0000

Stress is part of our everyday life; it is a normal thing to be stressed sometimes. So, someone could ask: then what is the deal about it? Why should we highlight this when it is an essence of our lives?

Well, it is true that we cannot block ourselves from stress unless we decide to leave our society and enter a monastery, but even there, we would face stress and internal movements. So, the upcoming questions remain: how can we live and cope with it? Can we detect it when we feel stressed? Do we know what are our patterns? Can we manage it? What do we do if we feel stressed when we are not under control? How can we protect ourselves in these highly stressful situations? What kind of protective factors can we make to have balance in our lives?

April is International Stress Awareness Month, so we aim to cover with a three-part series of blogs the questions of stress awareness, our patterns and coping strategies. As part of our Mental Health First Aider community and with my studies in psychology, I thought that it would be beneficial to have an overview of this topic and make some time for us to reflect on our connection with stress.

Stress & stressors

Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened. It typically arises when we find ourselves in circumstances that we perceive as beyond our ability to manage or control. Of course, there are cases when this stress level is negotiable and we think that the situation is under our control, and this eustress has a facilitator mode. However, if the stressor is too intensive or our capabilities are not enough to control or fight with the situation then we can label it as distress. Generally, we can say that long-lasting or intensive stress can have serious impacts on our lives.

Stress & Self-awareness

We could think that it is a natural thing to be aware of being stressed, but it is not that simple. For example: If someone grows up believing stress is normal and emotional instability is common in their family, they're likely to seek out similar situations in their relationships and workplaces. Even if it's not healthy, we often gravitate towards what's familiar because it feels safe.
Sometimes it is not easy to realize that what we feel – whether it's long-lasting or intense stress – is maladaptive or that we are overwhelmed by it. Therefore, it is recommended to take some time regularly to conduct a self-check analysis, where there is an opportunity to observe our current psychological, physical, and behavioural states. We can divide the symptoms into 3 categories:

Common Psychical symptoms:

Sleep problems
Headache
Fatigue
Indigestion
Chest pains and high blood pressure
Difficulty breathing
Blood pressure increased
Sudden weight gain or weight loss
Feeling sick, dizzy or fainting
Panic attacks

Common Physiological symptoms:

Feeling anxiety, nervousness and afraid
Irritability, angry or impatient
Over-burdened or overwhelmed
Your mind is a buzzing hive of activity, unable to calm.
Lack of concertation
Neglected or lonely
Depressed
Mental health problems occur or existing ones getting worse

Common Behavioural symptoms:

Withdrawal from social activities or isolating yourself from others
Increased use of substances (like alcohol, tobacco, or drugs)
Changes in eating habits (overeating or undereating)
Procrastination or avoidance of tasks that feel overwhelming
Difficulty relaxing or enjoying leisure activities, hobbies
Performance difficulties

Recognising these signs early allows you to take proactive steps to manage stress before it escalates and leads to potential stress-related issues or burnout. It's important to remember that everyone experiences stress differently, so being mindful of your own unique signs and symptoms is crucial. Plus, it is also beneficial if you are open to observing and learning your loved ones’ behaviours when it comes to stress. By paying attention to these signals, you can develop strategies to cope with your stress effectively and be supportive of your family and friends.

Some takeaway questions which can help you to raise your awareness and self-knowledge:

What kind of symptoms do you face when you are stressed?
What are the stressors that you are highly sensitive to?
Reflecting on your past experiences, have there been times when you ignored the signs of stress until it became overwhelming? What did you learn from those experiences?
Reflect on the physical, psychological, and behavioural symptoms of stress listed in the article. Which of these symptoms do you tend to experience most frequently, and how do they manifest in your daily life?
Imagine a scenario where you feel stressed but are unable to identify the cause immediately. What steps can you take to explore and address the root of your stress?