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Dr Chido Rwafa Correspondent
Stress is a physiological, psychological and behavioural response to the demands life makes on us.
Stress can be healthy and motivate us in life but too much stress or continued chronic stress can be detrimental to our minds and our bodies.
Work can be physically and emotionally demanding and this can lead to unhealthy levels of stress. The working, “adult-ting” phase of life can be stressful. It is a season when apart from work we are to start families, raise children and keep marriages alive.
We become more and more responsible for parents and grandparents, we have to deal with family challenges and we have to work, work hard to provide and make ends meet.
If we do not manage all this stress we can become overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet the constant demands.
As the stress continues, we can begin to lose the interest and motivation that led us to take on certain roles in the first place.
Are you stressed?
- Do you constantly feel physically and emotional exhausted?
- Do you find yourself getting cynical, negative or pessimistic about life?
- Do you find yourself getting easily angered and irritable?
- Do you find yourself becoming less effective in what you do, less productive?
- Are you struggling to concentrate?
- Are you struggling to sleep?
- Are you often anxious, worrying a lot?
- Are you getting sick often?
Risk factors for stress- why some are more prone?
There are several individual, interpersonal and environmental factors that make us vulnerable to unhealthy stress.
Anxiety and a tendency to be emotionally high strung can be partly inherited just as height and facial features.
However, as individuals we can also develop unhelpful personality traits, become perfectionistic and self-critical, the need to be in control and a reluctance to delegate to others.
These traits can all put us at risk of building up unhealthy stress.
The way we think about ourselves, about others, how we see the world can also contribute to high levels of stress.
Anxious, fretful reactions to negative life events, a victim mentality or a sense of learned helplessness in the face of life challenges can lead to stress.
Holding a pessimistic view of oneself, other people and of the situation one finds oneself in can also lead to stress.
Apart from one own individual vulnerabilities, the environment we live in can also contribute to unhealthy stress.
The way we are brought up in our families can contribute significantly to the attitude we have towards life stressors.
As children we watch and copy how our parents deal with stress can eventually influence your own stress management abilities.
As adults, in our friendships and marriages contribute to our support network and if these relationships are troubled this too can weaken our ability to manage stress.
Work and Stress
The work environment can contribute to our stress levels but also be a factor in how we cope.
- High adrenaline work environment with constant high stress decisions to be made
- Work with constant customer interaction particularly complaints
- Work with high demand for documentation and meticulousness
- Shift work that affects sleep quality
- Work overload or underload
- Socioeconomic challenges, lack of job security, remuneration challenges
- Unreasonable social expectations and financial expectations from family and other social networks sometimes just by being employed
How can I cope- building resilience?
It is highly unlikely that we can ever escape from what stresses us, we can however become internally stronger, resilient, in the face of all that comes against us.
Stress management involves preventing stress and burnout and also recharging from the wear and tear that life comes with.
Prevent energy drain, prevent stress
Guard your mind and thoughts: Watch where you let your mind dwell, guard what enters your mind, examine the narrative you are telling yourself about your experiences . . . remember, perspective is key. Be mentally flexible, have a problem solving approach to life . . . “blessed are the flexible, they will not break”
Guard your heart, manage your emotions:
Know your own story, make peace with your past. Be honest with yourself. Keep a journal, find time to reflect daily. Improve your emotional vocabulary, learn to name the feeling.
Know your triggers. Learn to self soothe. Develop positive self talk. Stop, think and respond rather than rushing to react.
Guard your time: manage your time wisely, organise yourself and prioritise what is truly most important to you.
Guard your vision: Work towards a vision for your life. This will allow you to self-motivate than relying on external motivation, set goals and review them often. Having a sense of purpose can help you deal with life’s head winds better.
Recharge: Balance your life and work responsibilities: ensure time to reset and recharge. Protect the boundary between work and home. Prioritise and protect your priorities.
Rest and recuperation: get adequate sleep, have scheduled seasons for rest. Holidays and get always need not be expensive, it may take some creativity. Maintain good nutrition and an active lifestyle.
Build your relationships: Be sensitive to others, adjust to and acknowledge others. Learn to communicate your needs without. Listen more than you talk, strive to understand other people’s challenges and needs. Resolve to become generally more conscious of other people and to learn from others…Teach yourself to affirm, compliment, encourage and support others. Stay grounded, reflect, quieten the mind and the heart and . . . be mindful of your Maker.
l The Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) article written by: Dr Chido Rwafa a consultant psychiatrist. For feedback: [email protected]
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