Part 1 of Stress Management: Self-awareness

Stress is your system’s (mind, body and behavioral) response to demands placed on it. Awareness of how your system responds to challenging situations is important for better stress management. It is also important to note that we respond differently to demands placed on us, so stress is a natural and sometimes a learned response at what life throws at us.

1. Mind response

We respond with thoughts, interpretations and emotions to stress. Sometimes the mind goes blank and almost blocked in stressful situations, with an experience of numbness resulting in indecision and inability to think clearly. Some people become irritable, sad and frustrated when faced with stressful situations.

2. Body response

Your body can also indicate when your stress levels are high. You may experience headaches, tiredness, dry skin or pimple breakouts. Worsening of existing physical illnesses can sometimes be linked to increased stress levels.

3. Behavioral response

Your behavior sometimes indicates when you are stressed. You may experience a change in your habits:eating more than you would prefer, eating more junk food and more chocolate than you would, drinking more alcohol than usual and smoking more cigarettes. You may also lose interest in activities that you used to enjoy and find yourself more withdrawn and isolated.

4. Know your stress response

Ask yourself this question: Which changes in your mind, body and behavior signal a stress response? You can also ask your loved ones to provide their input. Self-awareness is a starting point for better stress management.

In Part 2 of stress management we will explore ways of managing stress.

Comments

Part 2 of Stress Management: Beyond Self-Awareness

When you are aware of how stress affects your thoughts, emotions and behaviors then you are better positioned to manage it. Stress management is also a journey where you learn to manage your life through self-training. In the process be patient with yourself. Below are a few points to consider as you learn to manage your stress: 1. Thought management: We are all wired to think, therefore thinking is a very normal and an important process in our brains. However a challenge happens when we overthink, over-interpret, generalize and personalize situations. This tendency can negatively affect our emotions and behaviors and it can increase our stress levels. Therefore learning to discern and manage our thoughts is important in stress management. Overthinking can be resolved by distracting yourself through engaging in healthy behaviors i.e. writing down your thoughts for a few minutes and closing the diary and engaging in something else, with plans to go back to the diary and writing at ...

Surviving in the virtual space: Tips on Mental healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic

Some of us have already caught up with the “new wave" of working, socializing, learning and attending to our health and well-being virtually. This may present different experiences and emotions for different people. These may range from excitement, anxiety, confusion and a sense of being overwhelmed for some. While this may be an opportunity to discover or build on new ways of existing and becoming, at the same time it can take a toll on your mental health. Here are a few tips on how to take care of your mental wellbeing whilst navigating the space that we find ourselves in: 1. Always remember that there is more to you than your online engagement. As much as you may be spending a lot of time online, strive to create space and time to connect with some of your activities off-line. (That exercise routine, that hobby, the face to face engagement with family). All these activities off-line remind you that there is more to you than the online engagement or persona. 2. Be delibera...

The face of Stigma in Mental health

Stigma in mental health reflects our beliefs, attitudes and thoughts about mental illness. These manifest through our behaviour towards people with mental health challenges and the language we use to describe their experiences. THOUGHTS AND LANGUAGE Negative assumptions People who stigmatise others often hold negative assumptions about those they stigmatise. Such assumptions are often baseless and are driven by a lack of understanding of the person and their situation. The person is often blamed for their condition through using statements like “depression is for weak people” or “depression indicates lack of faith” and “African people don’t get depressed”. All these assumptions leave people feeling inferior and put an extra burden on them. A belief of Immunity People who have not experienced mental health challenges may believe that they are immune from such. As a result they distance themselves from people with mental health challenges an...

Dr Sibu Qhogwana

Search This Blog