Introduction
“Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world.” Stress is a fact of life, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. You cannot avoid stress, but you can learn to manage it so it doesn’t manage you.
Any change in our life causes stress to us such as going to school/college, getting married, changing jobs, illness, etc- are major causes of stress. But they are a part and parcel of life so we need to learn to deal with the ongoing stress efficiently.
How to cope with stress?
It has become increasingly important to equip ourselves with certain strategies to combat the effects of all the stress and anxiety we are experiencing. Strategies for coping with stress generally fall under two categories: a) problem-focused coping and b) emotion-focused coping.
Problem-focused coping
Problem-focused coping strategies directly address the problem or situation that causes stress, thus consequently reducing the stress experienced. For example, think about how many times you have been stressed due to college/ work? Is it possible to pinpoint what exactly was the source of the stress? It could be a number of things such as upcoming exams, temperamental clients, or too many online meetings. While it is not always straightforward, knowing the problem can help devise a strategy to address it. Some problem-focused strategies include:
- Time Management: having too much on our plate when faced with a time crunch is a stressor experienced by many. Thus, improving on time management skills can help organize tasks in a realistic way that can be easily followed. Creating a calendar (we know it can be tedious) with all the tasks and deadlines appropriately placed, can help relieve the stress of having a lot to do in very little time, since everything is accounted for.
- Ask for support: the novel work-from-home scenario has drastically changed the work environment that we were all so familiar with. Dealing with the changes often brings feelings of stress with it. Thus, as the current situation is understandably hard for all, do not hesitate to ask your colleagues for help. Enlisting such support can help reduce the stress experienced, especially since your colleague may be sharing similar feelings.
- Take time off social media: if say, the news about the pandemic is the source of the stress experienced; try limiting the exposure to social media and news channels. You could perhaps scroll through your feed to remain updated at the beginning of the day and then focus on more meaningful tasks to keep yourself distracted.
The drawback of problem-focused coping is that these strategies cannot be used with stressors that are out of the individual’s control, such as the death of a loved one or the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The death of a loved one, for starters, involves dealing with emotions such as loss and grief- which is where emotion-focused coping comes into place.
Emotion-focused coping
Emotion-focused coping strategies involve regulating emotional reactions to stress, such as fear, anxiety, or anger. Regulating such emotions can help an individual experience the stressor differently, thus finally altering the way they are impacted by it (Amnie, 2018). Applying emotion-focused coping strategies allows one to be able to think more clearly when faced with a stressor, and be able to access solutions that would otherwise not be available if they were feeling overwhelmed- as those in stressful situations can not always come up with effective solutions. Some emotion-focused strategies include:
- Reframing- it involves shifting the way you see a problem, which makes a difference by allowing or not allowing yourself to feel stressed by the problem. Reframing does not mean pretending that the stressor does not exist, but includes looking for possible solutions, and seeing things from a different perspective.
- Journaling- works as an emotional outlet for painful emotions experienced as a result of stress. Jotting down one’s emotional responses to events can help them better process what they experienced, and can also help explore positive reframing.
- Meditation- is an age-old practice that has been proven to help calm the mind and body, making one less reactive to stressors. It allows one to separate themselves from their thoughts, thus allowing them to react more calmly, as opposed to out of fear or panic.
Finally, there is always the option of seeking out professional help when the circumstances can be hard to control, or the emotions felt are too painful. You need not be alone. Seeking out a mental health professional can help manage the emotional distress experienced, and can help you grow.