Stress

Sudden changes in life circumstances can create a stressful situation. The experience of stress is influenced by the relationship between the situation and the assessment of one's own capacity to control the situation. If we judge that our capabilities are not sufficient, we feel it as a distress. But not all stress is negative, there is also so-called positive stress, which increases our work motivation, forces us into creativity and efficiency. A stressful situation can also save our lives by allowing us a quick, instinctive reaction. Stress can also be induced by excessive boredom.

The situation is not always as negative as we estimate it. Our experience is the result of our interpretation of what is happening. The feeling of stress is most importantly influenced by our assessment, which is highly subjective. Therefore, people can react very differently in similar situations. This is due to different life experiences that have shaped the pathways in our brains. Don't be too hard on yourself, don't judge yourself or compare yourself to others!

Physical signs of stress are fast heartbeat, shortness of breath, digestive problems, back pain, sleeping disorders, and frequent respiratory infections. We can also feel inner tension, nervousness, problems with concentration, sadness and depression, insecurity, loss of our sense of humour. When a person is coping with stress, we can notice it through his behaviour - biting nails, shouting, crying, cursing, overeating, pushing people away…

It is important not to suppress our feelings. We need to recognize them and try to be as aware of them as possible. It is also important that we learn how to manage our emotional and physical responses. We can learn calming down techniques , which helps us to handle the stress. That helps us to reduce the strength and intensity of our stress.