Stress resistance: concept, levels and types of human stress resistance.

Stress. Everyone knows what it is: this word has simply taken over our lives, and every second person believes that they are stressed for one reason or another. Many, of course, exaggerate, and even a small psychological load on the body is inflated to the level of severe stress. In any case, there are several ways to increase stress resistance so that emotional turmoil does not ruin your life.

Factors that increase stress levels:

disputes at work with superiors;
domestic quarrels with relatives;
the child has problems at school or with parents;
altercations in public transport, restaurants, entertainment centers;
awkward situations;
monotonous activity.

Of course, the factors depend on the psychological state of the individual, his psychotype and much more, but, basically, they all come down to irritating environmental factors.

How to increase your level of resilience to experiences

How to increase your level of resilience to experiences

Stress is a diverse human reaction to various emotional events, both negative and positive. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what stress resistance is: it is a complex set of human qualities that help him react to different situations calmly and adequately.

To develop your own resistance to stress, you need to set yourself up for results, understand why, in fact, you will need this quality. The most important thing that resistance to stress gives is a clear idea of solving the situation. The more truthful information you have, the more options you will have during troubles. You will not panic over trifles, which means you will maintain mental stability.

In order for experiences to bypass you and not touch you too deeply, you just need to pull yourself together:

start planning your time wisely;
tune in to a positive mood;
develop the practice of self-control;
take the position of an individual with a solid inner core;
control emotions;
develop a rational approach to events;
resort to regular physical activity;
avoid overwork.

What is stress tolerance

Almost every day a person experiences negative emotions. This could be a child, a schoolboy, a woman, a man. The reason for the appearance of unpleasant sensations can be different. If not everyone can get rid of them right away, then it is quite possible to change their attitude towards them very quickly. Stress resistance deals with such changes.

Before you learn all the techniques and rules of how to become a stress-resistant person, you should familiarize yourself with the functions of this concept.

In psychology, there are 2 tasks of stress resistance:

Protection from the effects of stress,
The ability to easily exist in any area of life and become a successful, realized person, be able to resist conflicts and defend one’s positions.

Ability to handle conflicts with your boss

Experts will be able to answer how to develop calm and stress resistance in yourself if it is difficult to adapt to changes in external conditions. They will select the necessary methods on the path to balance:

Active sports,
Develop spiritually along with meditative practices,
Improve your mental well-being through art therapy. This method is often used by primary school teachers to quickly harmonize conflicts between children.

Important! If you train skills to increase your stress resistance, it will not only help you improve your health, but also lead to a rapid increase in productivity while working.

How to determine your stress tolerance

“It’s not the stress itself that kills us, but the reaction to it,” says Hans Selye, a Canadian scientist and endocrinologist.

There are three levels of stress tolerance:

#1. High - a person is practically not subject to stress.

#2. Medium - some situations can upset the balance, cause aggression or fear.

#3. Low - there is an acute reaction to the slightest stress factors.

Low stress tolerance according to Edward Hallowell, ADHD

A popular test for stress resistance was developed by the Dutch psychoanalyst Manfred Kets de Vries. It is based on simple questions and analysis of current life. Each of them must be answered “yes” or “no”:

#1. Do you feel like life is out of control and you're overwhelmed with things to do?

#2. Do you often feel confused, anxious, irritable, tired, or physically weak?

#3. Do you have increased interpersonal conflicts (for example, with children, friends or colleagues)?

#4. Do you find negative thoughts and feelings affecting your behavior at home or at work?

#5. Are you no longer enjoying your work or family life?

#6. Do you feel depressed when you see emails, requests in instant messengers and social networks?

#7. Are you finding that your life has become an endless race?

#8. Do you find it difficult to relax, do you feel remorse for trying to relax?

#9. Have you recently experienced a major change (change in marital status, job loss, retirement, financial hardship)?

#10. If you're stressed, do you feel like you have no one to talk to?

If you answered “yes” to most of the questions, you're probably feeling stressed. It's time to take control of your psycho-emotional state.

Courses on the topic:

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Ways to increase

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Many sources of literature write about stress resistance, how to develop it, how to increase the level of resistance to stress.

The most useful ways are:

Listening to the body. You should be more conscious, understand what the body wants. The body is not a robot; it needs the care and participation of its owner. If you want to get enough sleep, then you shouldn’t get out of bed abruptly in the morning; if you don’t want to do this or that work, you should refuse it.
Vitamin D and walks. The sun's rays have a positive effect on the body, helping to increase its resistance even to very serious diseases. It is advisable to allocate at least 30 minutes a day for relaxation and a walk in the fresh air.

Walking in sunny weather increases stress resistance

To increase stress resistance, it is incredibly important to be able to forgive. This skill needs to be trained. When you feel offended and angry at another person, cortisol is released, which contributes to the production of stress.
Sports and physical activity. This method will help tone your muscles and increase your resistance to stress.
Yoga and meditation. They will help you get rid of negative emotions in a very short time and relax.
Reducing sweets in the diet. With excessive consumption of fast carbohydrates, the hormone cortisol enters the bloodstream, which provokes stress.
Put away gadgets for a while. You can practice this method for one day once a week.
Sound therapy, for example, classical music, birdsong, the sound of the sea and surf, will help develop stress resistance.

training on developing stress resistance; methodological development in psychology

Training on developing stress resistance.

Everyone, without exception, needs stress resistance training. Agree, in the modern world there are more and more reasons leading to a stressful state. As a result, today it is almost impossible to meet a completely balanced person, and constant stress has a detrimental effect on the psyche and health. Managing emotions is a lot of work and regular work on oneself, so it is almost impossible to learn this on your own. The strength of the impact of stressors depends on a person’s gender and age, susceptibility to various situations, behavioral characteristics, time of day and season. In any case, stressors affect everyone without exception, and each of us requires our own specific ways to protect ourselves from stress.

Everyone tries to eliminate stress in their own way. This could be communication with a loved one, physical activity, embroidery and knitting, massage. But such activities only remove the effect, without eliminating the cause. And the benefits are not always obvious. In this regard, there is a need to use other methods of influencing stressful situations. The most productive and effective is stress resistance training.

Training objectives:

• Increased level of stress resistance

• Development of skills to concentrate attention in difficult stressful situations

Training objectives:

a) Learn to manage your stress, easily changing its level to suit the current task.

b) Learn to manage your mental state if you still cannot avoid stress.

c) Be able to quickly recover from overload.

d) Increase your resistance to stress - learn to “take a hit.”

Training rules:

Here and now
Confidentiality
Tactful and friendly attitude towards all group members
Stop rule
Sincerity and openness
Inadmissibility of value judgments by group members

Stage 1.

Most often, stress occurs in a difficult or new situation, in the case of a pronounced risk, a possible or unfolding conflict - i.e. in those situations that almost constantly accompany the life of a modern active person. In addition, recently more and more people are striving for conscious self-knowledge and self-development, and this activity is stressful by its very nature.

Thus, for a modern person, mastery of stress management technologies is a necessary condition for his effective activity, and especially activity in areas that are new to him.

Stress tolerance and stress management skills provide a person with the ability to carry out effective activities in a state of stress. To do this, it is necessary to develop the concentration of our attention.

Exercise No. 1. Helps mobilize attention, enables participants to become aware of their regulatory resources, and creates conditions for their training.

Participants sit in a circle. “Now we will count with you, just count: one, two, three, etc. One of us will start counting, and the person sitting next to us (clockwise) will continue, and so on. Let's try to count as quickly as possible. During the counting process, you will need to comply with one condition: if you have to name a number that includes the number 6 (for example, 16), then while pronouncing this number, you will have to stand up (you can complicate the exercise by replacing standing up with a clap without saying the number).

If one of us makes a mistake, he is eliminated from the game, but remains seated in a circle. And we all have to be very careful and remember who has already dropped out and who continues to play.”

Stage 2.

So, our training is aimed at developing stress resistance skills. I would like to know from you:

What is stress?
What are the first signs of stress in your opinion?
Who or what will help you overcome stress?
Do we know how to deal with stress?
How can we develop a successful style of behavior ourselves, learn to be resistant to stress in conflict, stressful situations and a tense work environment and use the reserves, strengths and capabilities hidden within us in order to overcome stress and turn it to our advantage?
What do you expect from our training?

Stage 3.

Exercise “Me and Stress”

Target. Helping participants understand and verbalize their ideas about stress and determine their attitude to this phenomenon. Identification of subjective difficulties currently experienced by group members and personal resources for coping with stressful situations.

Content. The trainer prepares in advance A4 paper (according to the number of participants) and colored markers. The training participants sit comfortably (in a circle or outside the circle). The facilitator warns them that this exercise is confidential, so during the exercise they should not ask each other any questions.

Instructions from the trainer to the group. “Please draw a picture “Me and stress.” It can be made in any form - realistic, abstract, symbolic, artistic. Of greater importance is your degree of sincerity, that is, the desire to portray your thoughts, feelings, images that came to your mind immediately after you heard the topic. This drawing can become the key that throughout the training will help you recognize difficulties, find existing resources, and develop new successful stress management strategies. If necessary, you can use colored markers. You have every right not to show your drawing in the group if you want.” Participants draw for 4-5 minutes. Then the trainer begins to ask questions, which the participants answer independently (mentally), without writing down the answers on paper or saying them out loud. After each question, the trainer gives participants from 15 to 40 seconds to make changes and additions to the drawing.

Questions a coach might ask.

Look carefully at your drawing.

1. Does your drawing use color? See which colors (or which color) predominates in the drawing. What does this particular color mean to you?

2. Where do you picture yourself? Label yourself with the letter “I” in the picture.

3. How did you portray stress? In the form of a living creature, an abstract figure, a specific person?

4. See how much space your image takes up on the sheet and how much is stress. Why?

5. When depicting yourself and stress, did you use similar colors? Which?

6. Mentally divide the sheet in half with horizontal and vertical lines. Where did your figure end up?

7. Is there any barrier between you and stress in the picture? Maybe you are holding a saber, an umbrella or something else? If you feel the need, draw something else that can protect you from stress.

8. Do you have soil under your feet, what do you rely on? Or are you hanging in the air? Who can you rely on in life? If such people exist in your real life, but for some reason they are not in the picture, draw them.

9. What strengths would you note in dealing with a stressful situation? Try to find at least three positions in which you feel confident. What personal qualities help you achieve success?

10. What would you like to change or how would you like to improve your condition in a stressful situation? What personality traits and/or other factors are preventing you from improving it?

11. What other resources of yours do you see in this picture or would you like to add to it? Draw them please.

Discussion. After the participants answer the last question, the trainer asks them to form subgroups of 4-5 people. As a rule, groups are created on the basis of the coincidence of any positions related to the perception of the concept of “Stress”, strategies and resources that appear in the drawings. In each formed group, those who wish can speak about their feelings, thoughts, etc., that arose during the drawing process. At the same time, others listen, complement, express their point of view, ask questions, but do not criticize. When talking about what helps and what hinders you from acting effectively in a situation of stress, you can speak both about your personal experience and based on observations of the behavior of people who know how to overcome stress. Each subgroup then formulates several main points about which they would like to change something in their reactions to stressors.

All participants return to the circle. The trainer invites those who wish to speak about the work done or about their feelings. Representatives from subgroups read out their lists. The trainer explains to the participants what problems can be worked on during the training.

Recommendations for the trainer. Since this test is carried out at the beginning of the training, the trainer can draw the attention of participants to the fact that most of our professional life we use the left hemisphere, which is responsible for logical actions. When we draw, we activate our right figurative hemisphere. Therefore, psychologists believe that the process of drawing is healthy in itself, and it is no coincidence that drawing is widely used in psychological practice.

Stage 4.

Stress (from the English Stress - pressure, pressure, pressure; oppression; load; tension) - a nonspecific (general) reaction of the body to an impact (physical or psychological) that disrupts its homeostasis, as well as the corresponding state of the nervous system of the body (or the body as a whole ). In medicine, physiology, and psychology, positive (eustress) and negative (distress) forms of stress are distinguished. According to the nature of the impact, neuropsychic, heat or cold, light and other stresses are distinguished.

Symptoms of stress

A constant feeling of irritation, depression, sometimes for no particular reason.
Bad, restless sleep.
Depression, physical weakness, headache, fatigue, reluctance to do anything.
Decreased concentration, making it difficult to study or work. Memory problems and decreased thinking speed.
Lack of interest in others, even in best friends, family and friends.
A constant desire to cry, tearfulness, sometimes turning into sobs, melancholy, pessimism, self-pity for your loved one.
Decreased appetite - although the opposite can also happen: excessive absorption of food.
Nervous tics and obsessive habits often appear: a person bites his lips, bites his nails, etc. Fussiness and distrust of everyone appear.

Stages of stress

Until now, scientists use the concept of the Canadian physiologist and distinguish three stages of stress according to Selye:

1. Anxiety reaction.

2. Stage of resistance.

3. Stage of exhaustion.

The duration of each phase of stress development is individual

The first phase of stress is characterized by mobilization of the body. Tensions are rising. For some, it can last days and weeks, while for others, after just a few minutes, they move on to the second stage of stress. People react differently. For some, anxiety speeds up all the body's reactions; they suddenly begin to think quickly and make decisions instantly. For others, on the contrary, reactions slow down, they become as if inhibited. Moderate short-term stress at the first stage is even beneficial. A hormonal surge gives an impetus to the body, trains it, and strengthens it.

The second phase occurs if exposure to stress factors continues. The body has responded to the alarm, mobilized and can overcome the difficulties that have arisen. At the resistance stage, the body may be more resistant to harmful influences than in a calm state. Outwardly, everything also looks fine, the person solves problems constructively, he is active and healthy. The first and second stages of stress development do not yet carry threatening consequences.

The third phase, characterized by exhaustion, begins if the second stage is delayed and the body does not receive rest. Mobilized resources are running out. The body has exhausted its adaptive capabilities, and its stability decreases. At this stage, physical distress manifests itself: sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, weight loss, stool disorders, heart rhythm disturbances, increased blood pressure, etc. The person feels lethargic and overwhelmed. If you don’t rest now, serious physical illnesses and depression may begin.

Stage 5.

Exercise “Two by two, or the New Julius Caesar”

Goals:

effectively train interaction with a partner with maximum concentration and speed of reactions;
give training participants the opportunity to test themselves and their readiness to act as a leader;
develop the ability to work effectively in several areas of activity;
learn to act under stress without losing the ability to concentrate on the problem.

Group size: not important.

Resources: The exercise requires a really large, unfurnished room, two chairs, a flip chart, and a marker to record the results of each round.

Time: depending on the number of participants. Each four players play for 10 minutes.

Progress of the exercise

This exercise takes us back to the story of Emperor Julius Caesar, who had the amazing ability to perform several different actions simultaneously and efficiently. Sometimes a leader must put into practice the remarkable qualities of a noble Roman.

Each round of play will involve four players on the field and two sets of referees. (The number of judges does not matter, so sometimes you can divide all the spectators into two groups of judges, each of which receives a specific task.)

So, the first playing four goes out onto the court and takes two chairs with them. The first and second players sit opposite each other at a distance of 2-2.5 m. The third and fourth players are first located behind the chair of the second participant. This is their starting position, then as the game progresses they can move freely around the room.

Rules of the game. Within two minutes, the first player must repeat all the movements of the second player, performed by him arbitrarily: any movements while sitting, standing, moving around the room... In addition, the first player will have to answer continuous questions from the third and fourth players. The questions can be anything. When the imagination of one of the questioners runs out, the second one immediately gets involved.

Please note that referees also participate in the game. They are the fairest and most considerate arbiters in the world. One group of judges will ensure that the first player does not miss his partner's movements and repeats each of them. For each miss, a penalty point is awarded! The second group monitors the answers to the questions. Answers can be absolutely free, illogical, lacking connection with the question, etc. It is important that the first player has a meaningful reaction to the questions of the two assistants and that in his answers he does not use the forbidden “Yes!”, “No!”, “I don’t know!”

Using each prohibited answer earns a penalty point.

The game continues for two minutes. Then the judges of the first and second groups report the number of penalty points earned by the player. The result is recorded. After this, the players change roles: the second player will now answer and repeat the movements for two minutes.

Again, summing up, recording and changing roles: now the third and fourth participants occupy the playing chairs, and the first and second will ask questions.

This task can be done in turns with the whole group to determine the absolute champion - the one who scored the fewest penalty points.

Completion: discussion of the exercise.

Which actions were more difficult to perform - repeating your partner’s movements or answering a question?
Have there ever been moments of crisis during the game when you realized that you were losing control of the situation? What helped you overcome such moments and get back on task?
What did you take away from the game? What do you think now about the strengths and weaknesses of your behavior in a crisis situation?

Stage 6. Feedback

Your impressions
Did your expectations match the final result?
What skills and abilities did you gain in the training?

What gives you stress resistance?

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How to properly develop stress resistance, and whether it is needed at all, is a pressing question at the present time. To do this, it is enough to understand what kind of person becomes when acquiring this quality:

He is ready for different situations, does not panic, is self-possessed and collected.

Stress resistance helps you become a more self-possessed and collected person.

Can cope efficiently and simultaneously with different tasks.
He is “seasoned” because he has already had experience in stressful moments. In view of this, he controls his emotions, because he understands the consequences.
Motivates himself under stress, does not get stuck on experiences, but strives to gain experience and even achieve something at the same time.

Note! To overcome stress, you need to fight. At the same time, the body experiences a number of changes occurring with the person and the world around him. That is why a number of qualities that a person has “accumulated” over the “past” life are of enormous importance.

Psychological exercises for developing stress resistance

Psychological exercises for developing stress resistance
It is very important to properly deal with attacks of aggression.

To do this, we use some psychological tricks:

At the moment when an angry person splashes out all his negativity on you, it is difficult to restrain himself.

Therefore, we leave our aggressor alone in the office and leave under any polite pretext. This respite gives you and your aggressor a chance to rest and calm down.
Left alone, we try to get rid of the negativity.
We inhale smoothly through the nose and exhale sharply through the mouth. Repeat at least three times.

Having calmed down a little:

We try to make ourselves laugh. We imagine the offender as the hero of the funniest joke, sitting on a children's potty, wearing idiotic clothes that don't fit. Anything to transform aggression into laughter.
We use the meditation method. Turn off all unnecessary thoughts. We imagine this person as a small, useless bug. Which you can blow at any minute and it will disappear. We do it mentally. And we feel how it becomes easy.
The best psychological exercises to increase stress resistance can be used by attending yoga classes.
They contribute to complete harmonization of the entire emotional state. Fills you with energy and strength.
A person who has harmony and peace inside does not react at all to the manifestations of any negative reactions.
Basic breathing and meditation exercises can be found on the Internet. But you shouldn’t do difficult ones on your own.

Gradations of stress resistance

How can a person become stress-resistant if he already seems calm and not at all temperamental? Psychologists answer this question that all people have stress resistance, but in different meanings.

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Types of stress-resistant people:

Stress-resistant. They experience any situation, even the most trivial one, and immediately fall into panic.
Stress trained. They become limp under a strong blow, and tolerate minor stress calmly.
Stress-inhibitory. These are mainly people with a phlegmatic temperament. For this reason, they react to stress with indifference and coldness.
Stress-resistant. Such people are either born like this or develop a skill through training.

Additional Information. Data from the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion reported that in the Russian Federation it is customary to get rid of stress in the following ways: watching TV programs - almost 50% of people, listening to music - about 30%, drinking alcohol and food - about 10%, playing sports, yoga and eating medicines – 10%.

Stress resistance at work

Stress at work is very common. Therefore, it is important to know how to be stress-resistant at work and not get involved in all conflicts.

Useful tips for developing this quality:

Don't take on too much. Discuss all your responsibilities with your manager and do not take on additional ones that are not paid.
Don't consider your workplace the worst. Why work in such an institution where it is not good? You should either change the organization or type of activity, or change the focus of attention.
Be able to show condescension in order to eliminate conflict.
Value your time and not be distracted by empty conversations, gossip and discussions. This quality is highly valued by directors of organizations as a good trait to conduct a conversation clearly and to the point.

At work, stress tolerance helps in business negotiations

Be able to fight back and refuse.

Recommendations from psychologists

On how to increase stress resistance according to the advice of a psychologist, the following options can be distinguished:

Be more tolerant of others
Increase your self-esteem,
Know how to relax
Find your hobby
Analyze the past day
Read psychological literature to be prepared for stressful situations,
To refuse from bad habits.

There are many methods to build stress resistance. It is important for everyone to determine their basic ways that will help increase the body’s resistance to negative effects and improve well-being in the shortest possible time.