Welcome back everyone! Today we are going to talk about one of my all-time favorite topics, stress and its role on every day life. Now, what is stress? Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. In short bursts, stress can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline.
In the home a father may be under stress to provide and support for his family. The mother may be stressing to ensure everything is in order for when their husband arrives home. Children may be under pressure to fit a certain expectation or avoid conflicts within the home. All can be affected by finances, performance at either work or academics, extra circular activities, etc. Something I have noticed is the importance of communication. Individuals tend to let stress build up and finally communicate through an unhealthy response of blowing up on their family members and friends.
Personally, I am someone who thrives under pressure, if there is stress added to my situations it fuels a fire in me to get the job done. I used to think stress was always healthy until I had some experiences where my stress levels took a toll on my health. When I was informed I had to moderate my stress levels in order to recover, I laughed. I am not sure why I laughed if I am being completely honest, I think my young and naive mind thought I was invincible. The thought of stress being the purpose behind some unforeseen medical issues, baffled me. How could the one thing which helped me to thrive and perform be the very thing which took me out of the picture? I learned the importance of balance which can be applied too many aspects of life.
Stress can also be perceived as anxiety which is a normal response to life. I know I have been anxious from a young age and the two have always lived in harmony in my daily activities. However, anxiety can also be deceiving. This may occur when someone confuses the perception of danger by the actual danger. Once you perceive a danger it is all you begin to see, a good indication of anxiety is once you become hyper-focused on something. Another sign of anxiety I have witnessed is living in fear and future tripping. Anxiety lies to our minds and creates a fear of living in reality. Future tripping is when an individual cannot help but hyper focus on a certain situation which is coming up and goes through the situation in their mind over and over, obsessing on the result after the event.
Stress can also cause a level of depression. A simple way to remember how depression enters the scenario is what happens when someone gives up hope. There is an ongoing debate of the causes of depression and anxiety. Is there a chemical imbalance in the brain which causes individuals to experience these emotions on an elevated scale compared to others? Or is it a matter of thinking and in order to prevent the depression or anxiety is by changing how our minds process information. There are resources such as SMART Recovery, which stands for self-management and recovery training. The sole purpose of this resource is to correct your thinking to prevent relapses in behaviors. I agree this can be successful for some individuals but I also know some people need more. I believe there is no cookie cutter solution for every individual who struggles with depression, anxiety and stress. Each person should be provided the same resources but different ways to cope and recover.
I would like to acknowledge my background within the LDS community and our spiritual principles which influence our daily lives. When it comes to stress, anxiety and depression I am familiar with the substance abuse population regarding these struggles. SMART Recovery is an option for these individuals, it works for a small population but not all. Most individuals can change their thinking and behaviors but tend to adjust to other programs which are spiritually based. 12-step programs are designed by continual spiritual progression rather than spiritual perfection. It is centered around a relationship with a higher power which can restore someone to sanity based off of continual spiritual and behavioral maintenance.
Personally I recognize a slight bias based off of my experiences. I am in recovery from addiction myself and I tried SMART Recovery which helped me correct my thinking, but it was not that simple. I needed God to heal me. The 12-step programs relate to the Atonement of Jesus Christ by their program of clean house, trust God, help others. These programs are a few of the options available but once again, I believe everyone is different causing cookie cutter solution to be arrogant and insensitive to those who struggle with mental health.
Being open minded about perspectives and changes in perceptions has allowed me to grow mentally and spiritually. I hope to of broadened your understanding of stress and mental health. Ultimately, I challenge you to come to a conclusion yourself by effectively researching further. Invite God into the process and let Him reveal the truth. Until next time!
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