What triggers stress and drains our energy?
Unexpected events, situations we have little control over, major life changes, illness and conflicts are examples of things that stress most of us and drain our energy. Sometimes it’s difficult to recognise how burdensome everyday life has become, especially if we’re used to gritting our teeth and getting on with what needs to be done. It’s often only after a long period without sufficient recovery that we begin to start to feel exhausted and life can feel burdensome.
What is stress?
Stress can be defined as the natural and automatic response of the body and brain to threats, problems, demands and challenges. In situations that trigger a stress response, our bodies prepare us by, for example, releasing stress hormones, increasing breathing and heart rate, redirecting blood flow to large muscle groups and narrowing our focus. This is also known as the fight-or-flight response, which can be activated in everything from life-threatening situations to purely hypothetical scenarios that we perceive as threatening, even though they may never occur. The intensity of the response may vary. Sometimes we experience pure panic; at other times the stress simmers at a low level, creating a feeling that we can never fully relax.
What triggers stress?
Stress can be triggered by both real external events, such as a major exam approaching, and internal events, such as how we interpret a particular situation or event: “I’ll never get through this exam!” Let’s take a closer look at how this can appear in everyday life.
Everyday stress
There are many everyday demands on us: working, studying, shopping, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and paying bills. Our ability to manage such demands is influenced by factors such as physical and mental health, finances and access to social support from friends and family. The amount of stress we experience in everyday life may also come from the demands we place on ourselves and what we think we should be doing or managing. The list can be made long and looks different for everyone. Things that are meant to give us energy can also become stressful if they feel like obligations. This can add to stress in the form of internal pressure, such as thoughts that we should exercise regularly or keep in constant touch with friends.
Worry
People differ in how prone they are to worry and to getting stuck in worry, meaning we can react differently to the same situation. Regardless of these differences, most students worry at times about their studies: getting stuck on an assignment, not finishing before a deadline, not earning enough credits to qualify for study grants or not finding a job after graduation. We may also worry about our health, our loved ones, what others think of us, setting boundaries or receiving criticism. Worry can revolve around hypothetical scenarios, things that we think might happen, as well as real situations.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism involves setting unreasonably high standards for ourselves, combined with a fear of not being able to live up to them. Having excessively high demands in one or more areas of life is stressful and can make it difficult to achieve a healthy balance that allows recovery and rest. For students, this can mean many long study sessions with endless repetition, and choosing to study a bit more rather than taking the rest of the evening off.
You have now read about what stress is and some factors that can trigger it. Take a moment to reflect on the questions below before moving on to the section about when stress becomes a problem.
- What causes you stress in your everyday life right now?
- Can you divide this into internal and external stress?
- What do you do to make time for recovery when you have a lot on? Try to give concrete examples!