In every direction, we turn we hear about how severe stress can be for our lives as well as our health. Despite the fact that most of the people understand how vital stress management is for their lives, research has indicated that most of us find it challenging to make stress management part of our lives. This is where principles of management come into play. When one understands and effectively implements stress management principles, he or she is always in a position to reduce stress in their life which means that one can enjoy a more organized life all around (Barlow, 2007). This paper aims at explaining the scientific foundation of stress management principles as well as the application of the principles.
Discussion
Stress is a physical or emotional reaction to a positive or a negative event in one’s life. The main aim of stress management is to eliminate or reduce the adverse effects of the stress causing agent. Stress responses include directly confronting the agent, consequently removing it as well as withdrawing from the stressor. The scientific foundation for stress management is to realize that one is in control of his or her own life. The principles are also based on the fact that it is always advisable to prioritize the things in one’s life. The principle involves taking tome each day to think about what one needs to accomplish as well as what to do first. By so doing one can get rid of the big items that consume most of the available time as well as to plan for the smaller items around them (Greenberg, 2006).
Another scientific foundation of stress management principles is the personal behavioral response to stressors. When one is experiencing acute stress, the body always responds by releasing some neurotransmitters which are responsible for the fight and it sometimes flees mechanisms initiating the sympathetic autonomic system. During this state, different hormones such as dopamine and epinephrine are released increasing the supply of blood to the main body parts such as the heart and the brain. This means that there will be more energy in these areas as compared to others like the digestive system. The effect is characterized by higher metabolism rates, heart rates as well as muscular functions (Jones, 2001).The underlying tension will later cause a fight response against the stressor and can even enable one to move away from the real factor. After relieving the stress input, the body hormone mechanism stabilizes back to the normal levels. The continued presence of the stressor prolongs the sympathetic activation system which exaggerates the body response leading to possible headaches; muscle ache hypersensitive state as well as possible disease conditions (Seaward, 2013).
General adaptation syndrome is also a scientific foundation of stress management principles. In most cases, the body reacts to stress stimuli by broadens the adrenal gland, release of digestive acids as well as inhibition of lymph nodes. It is worth noting that the three processes occur in three different stages (Hampel " Petermann, 2006).For instance, during the alarm stage, the nervous and the endocrine systems are activated with any attempt to normalize the body system ending in a state of hyper-arousal if the stressor persists. Prolonged existence of stress leads to system failure of the body which later results in exhaustion that poses health risks.
Scientific evidence has indicated that exercise is a primary stress-relieving strategy as well as a preventive measure t reduce the effects of emotional distress. Physical activities are major stress relievers which makes them practical foundations of stress management principles.
Another primary scientific foundation is recognizing when one is in need of help. Different research works have indicated that no matter how much we may not like to admit it, every person needs help. One of the reasons as to why getting help is difficult is that the society has to experience hard times learning to recognize when one needs help. This stress management principle is based on the idea that when one is stressed up, it is always advisable to take a little time to take stock of the situation (Liza, 2011).This mainly involves thinking what brought up the situation that one is as well as remembering that for future purposes.
Stress management principles are also based on a person’s response to stress. This can be explained by the innate health realization theory which maintains that the state of anxiety is not the mere presence of a stressing agent (Sorenson, 2007).An individual’s perception of the external stress agent determines their management as well as adaptation to stress. When a person has the feeling of anxiety, insecurity or fear, there are more chances of getting stressed as well as ineffectively managing adaptations as compared to when one has confidence and positive thinking in the outcome.
Additionally, a person’s behavioral and emotional responsibilities can be a foundation to stress management principles. Individuals who believe that their behaviors and emotions are under their control are less likely to be stressed as compared to those who feel that external forces are controlling their emotions and behavior. Having the principle of responsibility helps one to take charge of emotions and actions (Jones, 2001).According to different research works, stress responses starts above our shoulders with the amygdale sending threat messages to the hypothalamus which informs the sympathetic nervous system to protect one from attacks. The nervous system will then constrict some blood vessels and increase heart rates.
The last foundation of stress management principles is the ageing process which directly connects to chronic stress. Research has indicated that severe stress plays a significant part in minimizing telomeres. When the telomeres shorten, the cells will lose their division ability and can sometimes get confused about their primary goal and start manifesting severe conditions such as heart diseases (Hampel " Petermann, 2006).Despite the fact that the loss of cells is a fundamental part of the ageing process, it is accelerated by chronic stress which destroys the protective proteins thus diminish faster than what is expected in a normal state.
Conclusion
It is evident from the discussion that stress is a general experience of negative emotions, characterized by pain, breakdowns in interpersonal relationships as well as headaches. It is also clear that stress can result from disease conditions, psychological issues as well as challenging economic situations. Effective stress management mechanisms and principles help individuals to cope with such situations. Additionally, it is evident that stress management principles are based on different scientific explanations such as the release of various hormones as well as general adaptation syndrome.
References
Barlow, D. H. (2007). Principles and practice of stress management. Guilford Press.
Greenberg, J. S. (2006). Comprehensive stress management. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Hampel, P., " Petermann, F. (2006). Perceived stress, coping, and adjustment in adolescents. Journal of adolescent health, 38(4), 409-415.
Jones, T. L. (2001). Definition of stress. Eating disorders in women and children: Prevention, stress management, and treatment, 89-100.
Liza, V. (2011). Stress Management Techniques: evidence-based procedures that reduce stress and promote health. Health Science Journal.
Sorenson, R. D. (2007). Stress management in education: Warning signs and coping mechanisms. Management in Education, 21(3), 10-13.
Seaward, B. L. (2013). Managing stress. Jones " Bartlett Publishers.
