Stress diary guide: Reactions to stress.

1. Stress Diary Journal Guides Guide 4: Reactions to Stress
Guide 4: Reactions to
Stress
Your Stress Reaction?
Stress Diary Journal Do you?
Your Guide  Do you Tense up?
 Do you reach for
How do You react to S tress? something to eat?
In a typical stressful situation Some people seem to take response may also make you  Do you get
– how do you react? everything in their stride. Their more likely to take problems
impatient?
Stress manifests from every natural laid-back attitudes and challenges as they come –
possible angle in our lives and shine through in every or get worked up in stressful
 Do you get angry?
could be brought upon in situation. Another deadline? situations. Your childhood
myriad of ways. How we react Bring it on. You needed to be relationship with your parents
as individuals depends on our there 10 minutes ago? OK, let’s may play a role as well.  Are you reduced to
make-up and our unique go. The television not showing a Adolescents who have positive tears?
individuality. Your response to picture? No problem. It’ll be a relationships with their parents
stress though is THE most simple repair. tend to handle stress more  Do you give up?
important factor in determining Others get anxious at the first effectively as adults…
how you are going to overcome sign of trouble. They may pace  Do you let negative
it. the floor or have difficulty Patterns of coping behaviour thoughts take over?
Epictetus, a first century A. D. concentrating on the task at To better understand your
Philosopher, said – “Man is hand. Panicking ‘for I have not reaction to life’s stressors  Do you smoke?
disturbed not by things, but by been in class when this work consider your coping
the view which he take of it ” was done and therefore I am behaviours.  Do you turn to
and it rings true for most of our going to fail…’ breaks down the
responses to events in our confidence you had in yourself Do you tense up? Neck and alcohol or other
lives. and questions your beliefs shoulder tension or clenched drugs?
about yourself. If you feel jaws or fists are often early
So how do you handle your cornered in this way, your warning signs of stress. Stress  Do you rely on one
stress? stress levels may rise… may cause an upset stomach, single coping
Slight differences in the genes shortness of breath, back pain,
technique?
Reactions to stress vary... that control the stress headaches and other physical
symptoms as well. [Exerting may find yourself pacing the things that have nothing to do
control or loss of it] floor, twitching nervously, have with what’s actually triggering “How do you
trouble concentrating or falling your stress. [Loss of control] cope!
Do you reach for something asleep at night. [Perceptions of
to eat? Stress and overeating how others should react] Are you reduced to tears? The techniques
are often closely related. Stress may trigger crying you could have
Stress may trigger you to eat Do you get angry? Stress spells or other emotional is at your
even when you’re not hungry or leaves many people with a short releases. [Feeling of
to lose track of your meal and fuse. When you’re under pres- powerlessness or anger
fingertips”
exercise plans. [Compensation sure, you may find yourself control]
or projection] arguing with colleagues/friends
or loved ones – sometimes with Do you give up? Sometimes
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Do you get impatient? You little provocation or about stress may be too much to take.

2. Page 2 Stress Diary Journal
You might deny the issue, avoid sure. [Allows you to ‘Feel’ in expressing anger or isolating
the problem, call in sick or control] yourself from a problem that
simply give up. you can’t possibly ‘fix’, can
Do you turn to alcohol or serve as effective stress man-
Do you let negative thoughts other drugs? Stress leads agement techniques. The same
take over? When you’re under some people to drink too much goes for exercising, confiding in
stress, perhaps you or engage in other risky behav- friends and other healthy
automatically expect the worst iours, including drug use. coping techniques. But in the
or magnify the negative aspects [Feeling of managing and taking long run, you may need new
of a situation [Thought patterns control of events deemed more ways to handle stress too.
about self, beliefs and values] dangerous than your stressors When you find yourself using
and thus giving a false sense of one technique all the time – or
Do you smoke? Even if you quit control in your life] you see yourself engaging in
smoking long ago, a cigarette unhealthy behaviours – it’s time
may seem like an easy way to Do you rely on a single coping to open yourself up to other
relax when you’re under pres- technique? Sometimes crying, stress-reduction strategies.
“ Knowing [‘what if’ there are spiders…] or Task Oriented: You may feel
Stress comes in many dis- more subtle apprehensions like comfortable analysing the
you have guises speaking to a group of strang- situation and taking action to
options How you respond happens ers at a party or fellow students
deal directly with the situation.
Externally [Happens TO YOU] Uncertainty – Not being sure of
make and Internally [What you SELF- what to expect or what is
INDUCE]. expected from you. Emotion Oriented: You may
managing prefer to deal with your
Attitude – Having a negative
stress External causes [things that view of the world in and of itself feelings about the situation and
can be stressful, since your seek social support
easier” happen to you]
Major Life changes [Moving, reality creates an unpleasant
Parental disputes] environment in which to live. Distraction Oriented: You may
Environment [Neighbours, Unrealistic expectations – A use activities or work to take
threats, noise, poor accommo- perfectionist or controlling your mind off the situation.
dation] personality may lead to
Unpredictable events Note your mode of immediate
unnecessarily high stress
Family levels. Over-scheduling and not
response to your stress. You
School, College, University planning ahead can lead to a
could use these in combination
Social [Pressures to conform, world of worries. to a situation or use these in
relationships] different proportions to parts
To better understand your
Internal irritations [the response to stress better, of your stress situation.
thoughts that pop into your determine if you react in one Knowing you have options make
head and cause you unrest] of these three ways: managing stress easier.
Fears – These can be particular
fears or fears you create for
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3. Page 3
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