Article author: Maria Barnikova (psychiatrist)

Psychological stress

02.06.2015

Maria Barnikova

Most ordinary people regard stress as negative, painful experiences caused by insoluble difficulties, insurmountable obstacles, unfulfilled hopes ...

Stress is ingrained in the vocabulary modern man, and most ordinary people regard this phenomenon as negative, painful experiences or frustrations caused by insoluble difficulties, insurmountable obstacles, unfulfilled hopes. More than 80 years ago Hans Selye, the creators of the theory of stress, in his works emphasized that stress does not mean pain, anguish, humiliation, catastrophic changes in life.

Complete Stress Relief Means the End of Life

What is psychological stress? Here is its classical definition given by the author of the theory. Stress (stress - a state of increased stress, emotional stress) - a complex of nonspecific adaptive reactions of the body to any requirements presented to it as a result of the influence of stress factors that entailed a violation of its homeostasis. Nonspecific reactions are adaptive actions aimed at restoring the initial state of the body, produced by specific effects on specific stimuli. Any surprise that introduces a change in the habitual life of an individual can be a stressful factor. It does not matter what character the situation is - positive or negative. Emotional shock can be provoked not only by external circumstances, but also by subconscious attitudes towards specific events. For the human psyche, only the volume of necessary efforts to restructure habitual life rhythms, the intensity of the energy expended on adaptation to new requirements, plays a role.

Types of stress

In medical practice, it is customary to divide stressful situations into two types: eustress - positive form and distress - negative... Eustress mobilizes the vital resources of the body and stimulates further activity. Distress brings, causes a "wound" which, even when fully healed, leaves scars.

Distress has Negative influence for somatic and mental health human and can give impetus to the development of serious diseases. In a state of stress, the activity of the immune system is significantly reduced, and a person becomes defenseless against viruses and infections. With negative emotional stress, the autonomic nervous system is activated, the endocrine glands work more intensively. With prolonged or frequent influence of stress factors, the psychoemotional sphere is disorganized, which often leads to severe depression or to.

By the nature of the impact of stressors, there are:

• neuropsychic;
• temperature (heat or cold);
• light;
• food (as a result of food shortages);
• other types.

Outstanding psychologist Leontiev argued that in the case when the body demonstrates reactions to external phenomena that are not associated with the satisfaction of vital needs (food intake, the need for sleep, the instinct of self-preservation, procreation), such reactions are purely psychological. The concept of an intractable, extraordinary situation for a person in the concept of the theory of stress is also a psychological phenomenon.

Stressful situations are also divided into two groups: extreme social conditions (military action, hooligan attacks, natural disasters) and critical psychological events(death of a relative, change in social status, divorce, exam). For some, the events that have taken place are shock shocks, for others it is a natural phenomenon, and the intensity of the reaction is purely individual. An indisputable fact: in order for a response to a stimulus to arise, this stimulus must have a certain strength. And each individual has a fickle, changeable threshold of sensitivity. An individual with a low threshold of sensitivity demonstrates a strong reaction to a stimulus of weak intensity, while a person with a high threshold of sensitivity does not perceive this factor as an irritant.

Biological and psychobiological stress

It is also customary to divide stress into two groups according to parameters:

• Biological;
• Psychological.

The definitions of psychological stress differ from one author to another, but most scientists refer to this kind stress caused by the influence of external (social) factors or formed under the influence of internal sensations. It is not always possible to apply the regularities of the stages of its course to psychoemotional stress, since each individual has purely individual properties of the psyche and personal characteristics of the autonomic nervous system.

Differentiating the type of stressful situation allows Security Question: "Do stressors cause obvious harm to the body?"... In the case of a positive answer, the biological species is diagnosed, in the case of a negative - psychological stress.

Psychoemotional stress differs from the biological species in a number of specific features, including:

• It is formed under the influence of both real and probable situations that are the object of an individual's anxiety;
• Of great importance is the person's assessment of the degree of his participation in influencing the problem situation, the perception of the quality of the chosen methods of neutralizing stressors.

The method of measuring stressful sensations (PSM-25 scale) is aimed at analyzing the emotional state of a person, and not at studying indirect indicators (stressor, indicators of depressive, anxiety-phobic states).

The main differences between biological and psychological stressful situations are:

Group	Biological stress	Psychological stress
Cause of occurrence	Physical, chemical, biological effects of stressors	Own thoughts, inner feelings, the impact of society
Hazard level	Real	Virtual, real
Targeting stressors	Somatic health, life-threatening	Emotional sphere, self-esteem, social status
The nature of the response	"Primary" reactions: fear, fright, rage, pain.	"Secondary" reactions: excitement, anxiety, irritability, anxiety, panic, depressive states
Time range	Clearly defined within the boundaries of the present and near future	Unclear, blurred, includes the past and an indefinite time in the future
Influence of individual character traits	Absent or minimal	Essential
Example	Viral infection, trauma, food intoxication, frostbite, burns	Family conflict, parting with a partner, material difficulties, change in social status

Stress: Major Stages of Development

The range of responses to a stressful event includes a variety of states of arousal and inhibition, including states called affective states. The process of a stressful state consists of three stages.

Stage 1. Emotional reaction of anxiety.

At this stage, the first response of the body to the impact of stress factors is manifested. The duration of this phase is strictly individual: for some people, the increase in tension disappears in a matter of minutes, in others, the increase in anxiety lasts for several weeks. The level of the body's resistance to external stimuli decreases, and self-control weakens. A person gradually loses the ability to fully control his actions, loses his self-control. His behavior changes to completely opposite actions (for example: a calm, self-possessed person becomes impulsive, aggressive). The person avoids social contacts, alienation appears in relations with loved ones, the distance in communication with friends and colleagues increases. The effects of distress have a devastating effect on the psyche. Excessive emotional stress can cause disorganization, disorientation, and depersonalization.

Stage 2. Resistance and adaptation.

In this phase, the maximum activation and strengthening of the body's resistance to the stimulus takes place. Long-term exposure to a stress factor ensures gradual adaptation to its effects. The body's resistance significantly exceeds the norm. It is at this stage that the individual is able to analyze, choose the most effective method and deal with the stressor.

Stage 3. Exhaustion.

Having exhausted the available energy resources as a result of exposure to a stressor for a long time, a person feels severe fatigue, devastation, and fatigue. Feelings of guilt join, repeated signs of the anxiety stage appear. However, in this phase, the body's ability to readaptation is lost, the person becomes powerless to take any action. Disorders of an organic nature appear, and severe pathological psychosomatic conditions arise.

Each person has been "programmed" from childhood with her own personal scenario of behavior in a stressful situation, reproduced in frequency, the form of manifestation of the stress reaction. Some experience the effects of stressors daily in small doses, while others experience distress rarely, but in full, painful manifestations. Also, each person is characterized by an individual orientation of aggression in a state of stress. One blames himself exclusively, triggering the mechanisms for the development of depressive states. Another person finds the reasons for her troubles in the people around her and makes unfounded claims, often in an extremely aggressive form, becoming a socially dangerous person.

Psychological mechanisms of stress

The emergence of emotional stress during stress - an adaptive response of the body that appears and grows as a result of the interaction of physiological systems and mechanisms in combination with psychological methods of response.

In the physiological group of stress mechanisms, the following are involved:

• Subcortical system, which activates the work of the cerebral cortex;
• Sympathetic autonomic system, preparing the body for the unexpected effects of stressors, intensifying cardiac activity, stimulating the supply of glucose;
• Subcortical motor centers controlling innate instinctive, motor, mimic, pantomimic mechanisms;
• Internal secretion organs;
• Reverse afferentation mechanisms transmitting nerve impulses through interoreceptors and proprioceptors from internal organs and muscles back to the areas of the brain.

Psychological mechanisms - attitudes, formed and fixed at the subconscious level, arising as a response to the impact of stress factors. Psychological schemes are designed to protect the human psyche from the negative consequences of exposure to stressors. Not all of these mechanisms are harmless, they often do not allow assessing the event correctly, and often cause harm. social activities the individual.

Psychological defense schemes include seven mechanisms:

• Suppression. The main mechanism, the purpose of which is to remove existing desires from consciousness if it is impossible to satisfy them. Repression of sensations and memories can be partial or complete, as a result of which the person gradually forgets past events. It is often a source of new problems (for example: a person forgets previously made promises). Often it becomes the cause of the occurrence of somatic diseases (headaches, heart pathologies, oncological diseases).
• Negation. The individual denies the fact of the occurrence of any event, "goes" into fantasy. Often, a person does not notice contradictions in his judgments and actions, therefore, he is often perceived by others as a frivolous, irresponsible, inadequate person.
• Rationalization. A way of self-justification, the creation of supposedly logical moral arguments for explaining and justifying behavior unacceptable by society, arising own desires and thoughts.
• Inversion. Conscious replacement of true thoughts and sensations, really carried out actions on completely opposite ones.
• Projection. The individual projects onto others, ascribes his own negative qualities, negative thoughts, unhealthy feelings. It is a self-justification mechanism.
• Insulation. The most dangerous response scheme. The person separates the threatening component, dangerous situation from your personality as a whole. It can lead to a split personality, cause the development of schizophrenia.
• Regression. Subject reverts to primitive ways of responding to stressors.

There is another classification of types of defense mechanisms, divided into two groups.

Group 1. Schemes of violation of information reception

• Perceptual defense;
• Crowding out;
• Suppression;
• Negation.

Group 2. Schemes of violation of information processing

• Projection;
• Intellectualization;
• Isolation;
• Overestimation (rationalization, defensive reaction, expiration, illusion).

Stress factors

Stress levels are influenced by many different factors, including:

• The significance of stressors for the individual,
• Congenital features of the nervous system,
• Hereditary model of response to stressful events,
• Features of growing up,
• The presence of chronic somatic or mental pathologies, a recent illness,
• Bad experiences in past similar situations,
• Having moral attitudes
• Stress tolerance threshold,
• Self-esteem, the quality of the perception of oneself as a person,
• Existing hopes, expectations - their certainty or uncertainty.

Causes of stress

The most common cause of stress is the emerging contradiction between reality and the individual's ideas about reality. Stress reactions can be triggered both by real factors and events that exist only in the imagination. Not only negative events lead to the development of a stressful state, but also positive changes in the life of an individual.

Research by American scientists Thomas Holmes and Richard Ray made it possible to form a table of stress factors that in most cases have the strongest effect on a person and trigger stress mechanisms (stress intensity scale). Among the events significant for people:

• Death of a close relative
• Divorce
• Parting with a loved one
• Imprisonment
• Serious illness
• Job loss
• Change in social status
• Deterioration in financial situation
• Big debts
• Inability to pay off loan obligations
• Disease of close relatives
• Problems with law
• Retirement
• Marriage
• Pregnancy
• Sexual problems
• The arrival of a new family member
• Change of job
• Worsening family relationships
• Outstanding personal achievement
• Start or end of training
• Change of residence
• Problems with leadership
• Unfavorable atmosphere in the team
• Changing the routine of work and recreation
• Changing personal habits
• Changes in eating behavior
• Change of working conditions
• Vacation
• Holidays

Stress factors tend to accumulate. Without taking effective steps, having driven their experiences inside, being left alone with their problems, a person risks losing contact with his own "I", and subsequently losing contact with others.

Psychological symptoms of stress

Manifestations of stress- are purely individual, but all the signs are united by their negative color, their painful and painful perception by the individual. Symptoms differ depending on which stage of stress the person is in and what protective mechanisms are involved. Among the main symptoms of stress are:

• Unreasonable;
• Feeling of inner tension;
• Hot temper, nervousness, irritability, aggressiveness;
• Excessive inadequate response to the slightest stimulus;
• Inability to control your thoughts and emotions, to control your actions;
• Decreased concentration of attention, difficulty in memorizing and reproducing information;
• Periods of dreary mood;
• Depressed, depressed state;
• Decreased interest in usual activities, apathetic state;
• Inability to enjoy pleasant events;
• Constant feeling of dissatisfaction;
• Capriciousness, excessive exactingness towards others;
• Subjective feeling of being overwhelmed, tiredness that does not go away;
• Decreased efficiency, inability to perform routine duties;
• - removal from one's own "I";
• - a sense of the ghostly world around;
• Changes in eating behavior: lack of appetite or excessive food intake;
• Sleep disturbances: insomnia, early rise, interrupted sleep;
• Change in behavior, decrease in social contacts.

As a result of exposure to stressors, the individual often tries to artificially replace the negative feelings experienced by “pleasant” external factors: he begins to take alcohol or drugs, becomes a gambler, changes sexual behavior, begins to overeat, and performs risky, impulsive actions.

Stress treatment

Being in situations that cause a state of stress, each person should strive to get out of this situation as a winner, to overcome obstacles with courage, dignity and without negative consequences for health. After all, each new battle with stressors is another step on the thorny path of self-development and self-improvement.

Medication for stressful conditions

The choice of a comprehensive pharmacological treatment program is carried out on an individual basis, taking into account a variety of factors, including:

• the prevailing symptoms, the severity and frequency of their manifestation;
• the stage and severity of the stressful state;
• the age of the patient;
• somatic and mental health of the patient;
• personality traits, way of responding to stressors, individual sensitivity threshold;
• a history of mental pathologies and borderline states;
• individual preferences and material capabilities of the patient;
• the received therapeutic response to previously used drugs;
• tolerance of pharmacological agents, their side effects;
• medications taken.

The main criterion for prescribing treatment is manifested symptoms. To eliminate stressful conditions, use:

• Tranquilizers;
• Beta blockers;
• Amino acids;
• Herbal sedatives, bromides;
• Antipsychotics;
• Antidepressants;
• Sleeping pills;
• Vitamin and mineral complexes.

If the patient is dominated by signs of anxiety (irrational fear, excessive excitement, anxiety for no reason), a short course of treatment with psychotropic drugs is carried out to relieve symptoms. Use tranquilizers benzodiazepine series (for example: diazepam) or more sparing anxiolytics other groups (for example: adoptol).

They can quickly control and minimize the painful physical manifestations of fear. beta blockers, the action of which is aimed at blocking the release of adrenaline into the blood and reducing indicators blood pressure(for example: anaprilin).

In overcoming emotional stress, reducing nervousness and irritability, a good therapeutic response is given by relatively harmless drugs that contain aminoacetic acid(for example: glycine).

With mild manifestations of anxiety, a long course (at least one month) is prescribed sedatives of the green pharmacy made from valerian, mint, lemon balm, motherwort (for example: persen). In some cases, drugs are used - bromides with significant sedative potential (for example: adonis bromine).

If there are "protective" obsessive actions in the picture of the disease, it is recommended to use antipsychotics- drugs that can eliminate severe mental conditions (for example: haloperidol).

With the predominance of depressive manifestations (apathy, depression, melancholy mood) use antidepressants different groups. With a mild form of depressive moods, a long course (more than one month) of herbal remedies is prescribed. So, the antidepressant effect will be provided by drugs based on St. John's wort (for example: deprim). In more severe and dangerous cases, psychopharmacological antidepressants of various groups are used. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - SSRIs (for example: fluoxetine) are easy to use, do not lead to overdose and show high results. The drugs of the latest generation - melatonergic antidepressants (the only representative of this class: agomelatine) - are capable of eliminating depressive symptoms and reducing anxiety.

If the patient notes a change in the mode and quality of sleep (insomnia, early awakening, interrupted sleep, nightmares), an appointment is prescribed sleeping pills, both of plant origin and synthesized agents of the benzodiazepine series (for example: nitrazepam) or the latest chemical groups (for example: zopiclone). The use of barbiturates as sleeping pills has lost its relevance today.

An important role in overcoming stressful conditions is the replenishment of the deficit in the body vitamins and minerals... In situations of emotional stress, it is recommended to take B vitamins (for example: neurovitan), drugs with magnesium (for example: Magne B6) or multi-active complexes (for example: vitrum).

Psychotherapeutic techniques for coping with stress

Psychotherapy for stressful conditions- techniques developed to provide a beneficial therapeutic effect on the psychoemotional sphere of activity, directly related to and affecting the functioning of the human body as a whole. Psychotherapeutic assistance is often the only unique chance that allows a person in a stressful state to overcome existing problems, correct erroneous ideas and get rid of anxious, depressive states without negative consequences.

Modern psychotherapy uses over 300 different techniques, including the most common, demanded and effective techniques:

• Psychodynamic;
• Cognitive-behavioral;
• Existential;
• Humanistic.

Direction 1. Psychodynamic approach

Based on the method of psychoanalysis, the founder of which was the famous talented scientist Sigmund Freud. Feature of therapy: transfer of memories, experienced emotions and sensations to the area of ​​consciousness (awareness) by the patient. The techniques are used: the study and assessment of dreams, a free associative series, the study of the features of forgetting information.

Direction 2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The essence of this method is to inform and teach the individual the adaptive skills necessary in emotionally difficult situations. A person forms and retains new model thinking, which allows you to correctly assess and adequately act when faced with stressful factors. In artificially created stressful situations, the patient, having experienced a state close to panic fear, noticeably decreases the threshold of sensitivity to disturbing negative factors.

Direction 3. Existential approach

The essence of therapy using this technique is to concentrate on existing difficulties, the patient's revision of the value system, awareness of personal significance, the formation of self-esteem and correct self-esteem. During the sessions, a person learns how to harmoniously interact with the world around him, develops independence and awareness of thinking, and acquires new behavioral skills.

Direction 4. Humanistic approach

This method is based on the postulate: a person has unlimited abilities and capabilities to overcome problems in the presence of a significant incentive and adequate self-esteem. The work of a doctor with a patient is aimed at liberating a person's consciousness, liberation from indecision and uncertainty, getting rid of the fear of defeat. The client learns to really understand and analyze the causes of existing difficulties, to develop correct and safe options for overcoming problems.

How to overcome the effects of stress on your own?

A person tends to get rid of pain, tension, anxiety. However, this ability to experience unpleasant sensations, oddly enough, is one of the valuable gifts of nature. A state of stress is a phenomenon designed to warn an individual about a threat to the integrity and vital activity of the body. It is an ideally operating mechanism that activates the natural reflexes of resistance, evasion, retreat or flight, indispensable in the battle with a negative hostile environment. The unpleasant feelings that come with stress mobilize hidden resources, stimulate effort, change, and tough decisions.

Everyone needs to learn how to effectively and efficiently manage stress. If the event that caused the stress is dependent on individual activity (for example: emotional stress due to excessive stress in professional field), efforts should be concentrated on developing and analyzing options to change the existing situation. If an emotionally difficult situation is caused by external factors beyond the control and management of the individual (for example: the death of a spouse), it is necessary to accept this negative fact, come to terms with its existence, change the perception and attitude towards this event.

Effective methods for relieving emotional stress and states of psychological stress

Method 1. Letting out emotions

To relieve accumulated tension, get rid of negative emotions are designed special techniques breathing. We perform vigorous movements (swings) with our hands, then close our eyes. We take a slow deep breath through the nose, hold our breath for 5 seconds, slowly exhale through the mouth. We perform 10-15 approaches. We try to relax the muscles as much as possible. We concentrate our attention on the sensations that arise.

Method 2. We open our soul

In the prevention and overcoming of stressful conditions, an invaluable role is assigned to emotional support from the outside and friendly communication. Problematic moments, frankly and freely told to a loved one, lose their global significance and cease to be perceived as catastrophic. Friendly communication with optimistic people allows a person to formulate and express aloud disturbing factors, throw out negative emotions, get a charge of vital energy, and develop a strategy for overcoming problems.

Method 3. We trust our worries to paper

An equally effective method of dealing with emotional stress is keeping a personal diary. Thoughts and desires set out on paper become more consistent and logical. Fixing in writing your negative feelings transfers them from the subconscious to the sphere controlled by the consciousness and controlled by the will of the individual. After such recording, stressful events are perceived as less large-scale, and the fact of problems is recognized and recognized. With the subsequent reading of their revelations, it becomes possible to analyze difficult situation as if from the outside, new ways to overcome it appear, an incentive is formed to resolve it. The person takes control of her condition and, accepting the past and living in the present, begins to make efforts for well-being in the future.

Method 4. Mapping our own stressors

As they say, in order to defeat the enemy, you need to know him by sight. In order to cope with the emerging negative emotions under the hour of exposure to stressors, it is necessary to identify and investigate what specific events can "unsettle".

Being in silence alone, we focus and try to concentrate our attention as much as possible. We select for analysis at least 12 aspects related to different areas life (for example: health, family relationships, success and failure in professional activity, financial situation, relationships with friends). Then, in each of the specific aspects, we highlight situations that present significant difficulty, deprive oneself of self-control and restraint. We write them down in order of importance (intensity of response, time duration of experiences, depth of emotional perception, emerging negative symptoms) from the smallest negative category to the most traumatic factor. After the Achilles heel has been identified, for each item we make a list of "arguments": we develop options for possible solutions to problems.

Method 5. We transform emotional experiences into vital energy

An excellent way to get rid of unpleasant manifestations of stress is to perform any physical activity intensively. This can be: exercising in the gym, taking long walks, swimming in the pool, jogging in the morning, or working on personal plot... Energetic physical exercises distract from negative events, direct thoughts in a positive direction, give positive emotions and charge vital energy... Running is the perfect natural way to escape stress by feeling pleasant physical fatigue, there is no room and energy left for crying about their own grief.

Method 6. We splash out emotions in creativity

A faithful assistant in the fight against psychological stress - creative activity, vocals, music, dancing. By creating beauty, a person not only gets rid of negative feelings, but also uses hidden potential, develops his abilities, and significantly increases self-esteem. Music directly affects the emotional status, transferring to the world of vivid original sensations: it makes you cry and laugh, grieve and rejoice. Through music, the perception of one's own “I” and those around them changes, the real world appears in its diversity, the significance of one's own “scanty” concerns is lost. Through dance, you can express your emotions, experience your negativity, appear before the light in all your inner beauty.

Method 7. We increase the level of psychological knowledge

An important factor for successfully coping with stress is the existing store of knowledge: complete, structured, varied. In the formation of resistance to stress play a significant role in humans cognitive processes that determine the skills of orientation in the environment, the consistency of actions, the objectivity of judgments, the level of observation. No matter how generously or sparingly nature has endowed a person with talents, a person is responsible only for the use of his mental abilities, and should not stop on the path of his development.

Method 8. Changing your belief system

A special niche in the perception of stress factors is occupied by individual system beliefs. Person regarding the world as a source of dangers, threats, problems, he reacts to stressors with strong negative emotions, which often disorganize his behavior. Quite often, the severe consequences of the stress experienced provoke the results of the discrepancy between the real complexity of the situation and its subjective assessment by the individual. Adequate, realistic perception of the world, where prosperity and misfortune coexist, recognition that the world is imperfect and not always fair, striving for harmony, optimism and gratitude for every positive moment help not to take problems to heart.

Method 9. We increase our own importance

A person who reacts to any stress with violent emotions is characterized by a lack of confidence in his abilities and a sense of his own inferiority. Due to low or negative self-esteem, a person has a minimum level of aspirations and takes a "position of a reinsurer" in life. Simple exercises - afhermations (positive statements about your personality, spoken aloud) help to increase and form adequate self-esteem.

Method 10. We carry out a difficult task

An excellent technique for emotional control is a strong focus on the task at hand, allowing you to distract and overcome situational stressors.

From the areas that bring satisfaction and joy, we choose one difficult category. We set a clear goal for ourselves, define specific deadlines for bringing the idea to life (for example: study French, construct a model of a helicopter, conquer a mountain peak).

In conclusion: Each person can overcome stress and control a difficult situation if they focus on the existing problem, and not on the emotionally manifested ones. protective actions... Active mastery of one's own consciousness brings exclusively positive results, gives the personality a sense of domination over stressors, strengthens a sense of self-worth, increases the assessment of their abilities, increases the chance of unlocking opportunities.

Another vast area of ​​human conditions is united by the concept of stress.

Under stress(from the English stress - "pressure", "tension") understand the emotional state that arises in response to all kinds of extreme influences.

Under stress, ordinary emotions are replaced by anxiety, which causes disturbances in the physiological and psychological terms. This concept was introduced by G. Selye to designate the body's nonspecific reaction to any adverse effect. His studies have shown that various unfavorable factors - fatigue, fear, resentment, cold, pain, humiliation and much more - cause the same type of complex reaction in the body, regardless of what kind of stimulus acts on it at the moment. Moreover, these irritants do not have to exist in reality. A person reacts not only to a real danger, but also to a threat or a reminder of it. For example, stress often arises not only in a situation of divorce, but also in anxious anticipation of a break in marriage.

A person's behavior in a stressful situation is different from affective behavior. Under stress, a person, as a rule, can control his emotions, analyze the situation, and make adequate decisions.

Currently, depending on the stress factor, various types of stress are distinguished, among which are pronounced physiological and psychological... Psychological stress, in turn, can be divided into informational and emotional... If a person does not cope with the task, does not have time to make the right decisions at the required pace with a high degree of responsibility, i.e., when information overload occurs, information stress can develop. Emotional stress occurs in situations, danger, resentment, etc. G. Selye identified 3 stages in the development of stress. The first stage is the anxiety reaction - the phase of mobilization of the body's defenses, which increases resistance to a specific traumatic effect. In this case, a redistribution of the body's reserves occurs: a solution main task occurs at the expense of secondary tasks. At the second stage, the stabilization of all parameters, unbalanced in the first phase, are fixed at a new level. Outwardly, the behavior differs little from the norm, everything seems to be getting better, but internally there is an overexpenditure of adaptation reserves. If the stressful situation continues, the third stage begins - exhaustion, which can lead to a significant deterioration in well-being, various diseases and, in some cases, death.

Stages of development of a stressful state in humans:

• growing tension;
• stress itself;
• reduction of internal tension.

In terms of its duration, the first stage is strictly individual. Some people are “turned on” within 2-3 minutes, while for another, the build-up of stress can disappear within a few days or even weeks. But in any case, the state and behavior of a person who has fallen into stress changes to the “opposite sign”.

So, a calm, reserved person becomes fussy and irritable, he can even become aggressive and cruel. A man in ordinary life lively and agile, becomes gloomy and taciturn. The Japanese say: “A person loses his face” (loses his composure).

At the first stage psychological contact in communication disappears, alienation appears, distance in business relationship with colleagues. People stop looking into each other's eyes, the subject of the conversation changes abruptly: from substantive and business moments, it turns to personal attacks (for example, “You yourself (a) are such (such) ...”).

But the most important thing is that at the first stage of stress, a person's self-control weakens: he gradually loses the ability to consciously and intelligently regulate his own behavior.

The second stage in the development of a stressful state manifests itself in the fact that a person experiences a loss of effective conscious self-control (complete or partial). A “wave” of destructive stress has a destructive effect on the human psyche. He may not remember what he said and did, or be aware of his actions, rather vaguely, and not completely. Many then note that in a stressful state they did what in calm atmosphere would never have done. Usually, everyone subsequently regrets it very much.

As well as the first, the second stage is strictly individual in its duration - from several minutes and hours - to several days and weeks. Having exhausted his energy resources (the achievement of the highest tension is marked at point C), a person feels empty, tired and tired.

In the third stage, he stops and comes back“To myself”, often experiencing feelings of guilt (“What have I done”), and gives himself the word that “this nightmare” will never happen again.

Alas, after a while the stress repeats itself. Moreover, each person has his own individual scenario of stressful behavior (in terms of frequency and form of manifestation). Most often, this scenario is learned in childhood, when parents conflict in front of the child, involving him in their problems. So, some experience stress, almost every day, but in small doses (not too aggressively and without substantial harm for the health of others). Others - several times a year, but extremely strongly, completely losing self-control and being, as it were, “in a stressful frenzy”.

The stress scenario learned in childhood is reproduced not only in terms of frequency and form of manifestation. The focus of stress aggression is also repeated: towards oneself and others. One blames himself for everything and seeks, first of all, his own mistakes. The other blames everyone around him, but not himself.

The stress scenario learned in childhood happens almost automatically. In these cases, a rather insignificant violation of the usual rhythm of life and work, how the stress mechanism “turns on” and begins to unfold practically against the will of a person, like a “flywheel” of some powerful and deadly “weapon”. A person begins to conflict because of some trifle or trifle. His perception of reality is distorted, he begins to attach a negative meaning to the events taking place, suspecting everyone of “non-existent sins”.

Stress conditions significantly affect human activity. People with different features nervous systems react differently to the same psychological stress. In some people, there is an increase in activity, mobilization of forces, an increase in the efficiency of activity. This is the so-called "lion stress". The danger, as it were, spurs a person on, makes him act boldly and courageously. On the other hand, stress can cause disorganization of activity, a sharp decrease in its effectiveness, passivity and general inhibition (“rabbit stress”).

A person's behavior in a stressful situation depends on many conditions, but, first of all, on the psychological preparation of a person, including the ability to quickly assess the situation, skills of instant orientation in unexpected circumstances, volitional composure and decisiveness, experience of behavior in similar situations.

Methods for dealing with stress

- This is the feeling that a person experiences when he believes that he cannot effectively cope with the situation that has arisen.

If a stressful situation is up to us, we need to focus more rationally on how to change it. If the situation does not depend on us, you need to accept and change your perception, your attitude to this situation.

In most situations, stress goes through several stages.

1. Anxiety phase. This is the mobilization of the body's energy resources. Moderate stress at this stage is beneficial and leads to increased performance.
2. Resistance phase. This is a balanced expenditure of the body's reserves. Outwardly, everything looks normal, a person effectively solves the tasks facing him, however, if this stage lasts too long and is not accompanied by rest, then the body is working to wear and tear.
3. Exhaustion phase (distress). A person feels weak and weak, working capacity decreases, the risk of diseases increases sharply. For a short time, this can still be fought with an effort of will, but then the only way to regain strength is a thorough rest.

One of the most common causes of stress - the contradiction between reality and human ideas.

The stress response is equally easily triggered by both real events and those existing only in our imagination. In psychology, this is called the "law of the emotional reality of the imagination." As psychologists have calculated, about 70% of our experiences occur about events that do not exist in reality, but only in the imagination.

Not only negative but also positive life events can lead to the development of stress. When something changes dramatically for the better, the body also reacts to it with stress.

Stress tends to accumulate. It is known from physics that nothing in nature can disappear into nowhere, matter and energy simply move or pass into other forms. The same goes for mental life... Experiences cannot disappear, they are either expressed outside, for example, in communication with other people, or accumulate.

There are several guidelines to help you deal with stress. At first, no need to run situations that lead to an accumulation of stress... Second, remember that stress builds up especially well when we are fully focused on what is causing it. Thirdly, it must be remembered that there are many ways to relieve stress, for example exercise, massage, sleep, singing, baths with salt and relaxing oils, sauna, aromatherapy, relaxing music, auto-training and others.

Mental stress is a state of the psyche (first of all), not the body. Mental stress is more stressful than normal motivational stress. It usually requires the perception of a threat to occur. Mental stress phenomena occur when the normal adaptive response is insufficient.

Since mental stress arises mainly from the perception of a threat, its occurrence in a certain situation can arise for subjective reasons associated with the characteristics of a given personality.

Here a lot depends on the personality factor. In the “man-environment” system, the level of emotional tension increases with the increase in the differences between the conditions in which the subject's mechanisms are formed, and the newly created ones. Thus, certain conditions cause emotional stress not because of their absolute rigidity, but as a result of the discrepancy between these conditions of the emotional mechanism of the individual.

In case of any violation of the balance “person-environment”, the inadequacy of the mental or physical resources of the individual to meet urgent needs or the mismatch of the system of needs itself is a source anxiety... Signs of anxiety:

Feeling of undefined threat;

Feelings of diffuse fear and anxious anticipation;

Uncertain anxiety is the most powerful mechanism of mental stress (which follows from the already mentioned, which is the central element of anxiety and determines its biological significance as a signal of trouble and danger).

Anxiety can play a protective and motivational role, comparable to that of pain. An increase in behavioral activity, a change in the nature of behavior, or the activation of intrapsychic adaptation mechanisms are associated with the occurrence of anxiety. But anxiety can not only stimulate activity, but also contribute to the destruction of insufficiently adaptive behavioral stereotypes, their replacement with more adequate forms of behavior.

Unlike pain, anxiety is a signal of danger that has not yet been realized. Prediction of this situation is probabilistic in nature, and ultimately depends on the characteristics of the individual. In this case, the personal factor often plays a decisive role, and in this case the intensity of anxiety reflects rather the individual characteristics of the subject than the real significance of the threat.

Anxiety, in terms of intensity and duration, is inadequate to the situation, prevents the formation of adaptive behavior, leads to a violation of behavioral integration and general disorganization of the human psyche. Thus, anxiety is at the root of any mental state and behavior changes caused by mental stress.

Psychological stress is a consequence, the result of the strongest nervous overstrain, which is provoked by this or that experience. Each emotion, positive or negative, can lead to this type, as a reaction of the body to a stimulus.

In turn, psychological stress is informational and emotional.

Features of psychological stress ...

Anything can provoke psychological stress - psychological trauma or an offensive word, a quarrel, or a low temperature.

What is characteristic, a person will react in the same way, both to a real threat to him and to a fictional one, at the same time, the peculiarity of behavioral reactions to stress is individual for each person, but the essence will be fundamentally the same. And this is psychological stress.

It can arise both within the walls of one's own home and outside it - at work or in a store, school or other place. In any of the cases and situations, it can provoke very serious and serious health problems.

... and differences from the physical

Physical and psychological stress differ in oneself and not only in the reasons for its appearance and development, but also in the consequences. So the reasons that provoke physical stress, there can be physical, chemical or biological factors, but the psychological one is more likely a social influence, as well as one's own thoughts.

With regard to the nature of the potential danger, the physical provokes a real threat, but the psychological one - such a threat can be both real and virtual in nature.

With physical stress - a negative effect, its consequences are aimed at the health of the whole organism, organs and systems, and with psychological stress - at social status, the level of self-esteem and other social parameters.

With regard to emotional experience, physical stress will manifest itself in the form of primary emotions, such as fear and pain, fear or anger, but emotional stress will manifest itself in the form of anxiety and depressive oppression, anxiety and melancholy, jealousy or envy.

In terms of time frames, physical stress will manifest itself only in the present time or in the near future, having a specific frame, but psychological stress will have a vague time frame.

Contemporary theories

In the question of existing theories about psychological stress, it is enough to highlight the following most popular:

Features and stages of a behavioral reaction

The process of psychological stress itself can be conditionally divided into the following stages:

1. Emotional anxiety... It is at this stage that the very first signs appear, a response to external stimuli. It can vary in duration - everything is individual here and in time it can vary from a few minutes to several days. Even weeks.
2. Stage of resistance and adaptation... In this case, the person adapts as much as possible and increases the internal and external resistance of the body to external and internal stimuli. If the irritation lasts long enough, there is a gradual adaptation to it, as to the usual habitat. It is at this stage that the patient can effectively analyze the situation and choose the most optimal scenario for himself and the way to overcome stress.
3. Exhaustion stage... If the patient exhausts his strength, with prolonged exposure to stress factors, the patient will feel tired and tired, chronic devastation. These unpleasant sensations are joined by a feeling of anxiety and hopelessness - at this stage, the ability to adapt and adapt is completely lost, the person simply loses the ability to take certain actions.

Clinic for stressful situations

Stress can manifest itself in different ways - here the symptoms are extremely individual. Moreover, the symptoms will vary, taking into account the stage at which psychological stress develops. However, practicing psychologists identify the following psychological symptoms of stress:

The root of the problem - you need to know and be able to look for it

In the question that provoke the development of emotional stress, practicing psychologists name, first of all, the contradiction that exists between internal ideas and the real world.

Among other things, stressful condition can be triggered by other factors and events that exist outside and in human consciousness. The main thing is that this event is significant for a person and it is no longer so important whether it is positive or negative.

Psychologists identify the following events that are significant for a person:

• death of a loved one or loved one, divorce or separation from your soulmate;
• imprisonment and injury to health by serious pathology;
• dismissal from work or a change in the social status of a person;
• the presence of debt obligations, moreover, for large amounts, and a deterioration in the financial position of a person;
• illness of relatives and friends, problems with law enforcement agencies and pregnancy;
• problems in the sexual sphere or change of place of residence or work;
• changes in own habits, diet and working conditions, deterioration of family relationships.

There can be a lot of reasons and factors - how many people, so many and their varieties, and they also have a bad tendency to accumulate, suppressing more and more.

Formation mechanism

In the field of psychology, there are 2 groups of mechanisms that trigger stress - these are physiological and psychological. So, when considering the physiological group of triggering the stress mechanism - in this case, the following will be involved:

• subcortical system- it activates the work of the human cerebral cortex;
• sympathetic nervous system- it prepares the body for the unexpected influence of stressful, provoking factors, stimulates a decrease in glucose production and cardiac activity;
• are involved subcortical motor centers controlling instinct, movements and facial expressions, pantomime;
• start to work organs of internal secretion and the mechanism of reverse afferentation itself is triggered.

If we are talking about subconscious attitudes, they will protect the psyche of each person from the influence of adverse factors, and practicing psychologists refer to these as:

1. Suppression- the mechanism underlying most other methods is a gradual repression of emotions, memory and memories into the subconscious, and the patient gradually begins to forget about the most unpleasant situation for him.
2. Design- in this case, a person, dissatisfied with his own deed, thoughts, will project them onto his environment, attributing a similar action to this or that person. Such a self-justification process is launched.
3. Regression- in this situation, the patient simply leaves his own reality, when he crosses the threshold of helplessness, becoming completely indifferent, does not make a decision and does not take the first step.
4. Rationalization- one of the ways to justify oneself and consists in finding the only culprit who provoked the entire negative, unfavorable situation.
5. Sublimation- the most favorable reaction of all that can develop to stress is effective both at the subconscious level and in reality. In this scenario, a person transforms unacceptable behavior, for example, fear or aggression, within the permissible, expressing it in boxing, sports games or other action.

Recovery methods

Finding yourself in an unpleasant situation, when psychological stress strikes and fetters, it is worth knowing how to act, how to defuse the situation and restore own strength... In this case, the following methods and techniques can come to the rescue:

Other methods of recovery include relaxation, as well as distraction, change of scenery and physical activity, which, in combination with favorite music and communication, will lead the patient out of an unfavorable psychological situation for him.

We suggest listening to music to relieve stress and nervousness right now:

Don't let yourself be stressed

There is nothing complicated in the question, and anyone can comprehend the basics of preventing and protecting oneself from negative situations and, accordingly, emotional, psychological stress. Practicing psychologists note many techniques that can help the patient, his body on a physical and psychological level.

First of all, walk more often in the park, near a lake or river, just on fresh air... This is an excellent, and most importantly, effective stress prevention.

No less effective is keeping a diary or making your own list of things to do and thoughts - this method helps you learn how to structure your own thoughts, finding the best solution in a given situation.

If you are overworked, your psyche is emotionally exhausted - a trip, a hike, or simple communication with a pleasant person, an animal in a calm and supportive environment will help you recover.

Special relaxation techniques will also help to enhance the positive effect - breathing exercises or taking a relaxing bath, a favorite hobby. And, of course, physical activity.

1). Introducing the concept of psychological (emotional) stress

The mental manifestations of the syndrome described by G. Selye were named psychological stress. R. Lazarus and R. Lanier in their works defined it as a person's reaction to the peculiarities of interaction between a person and the world around him.

Later, this definition was clarified: psychological stress is a reaction or a process in which the requirements of the environment are considered by a person, based on his resources and the likelihood of resolving the arising problem situation, which determines individual differences in reaction to a stressful situation. In addition to the term "psychological stress", the literature also uses the terms "emotional stress" and "psychoemotional stress". Various researchers (sociologists, psychologists, physiologists, psychiatrists) put their own meaning in this term, which, of course, makes it difficult to create a unified concept of psychoemotional stress. Some researchers note that the emergence of this term emphasizes the inextricable link between stress and emotion, and even the primacy of emotions in a complex response.

Most often, emotional stress was understood as negative affective experiences that accompany stress and lead to adverse changes in the human body.

Subsequently, it was found that unexpected and strong beneficial changes can also cause typical signs of stress in the body. Accordingly, emotional stress began to be understood as a wide range of mental phenomena of both negative and positive nature.

Despite the closeness of the concepts of "psychological" and "emotional" stress, it makes sense to more accurately define their content in connection with the following circumstances:

Emotional stress is inherent not only in humans, but also in animals, while psychological stress occurs only in humans with their developed psyche;

Emotional stress is accompanied by pronounced emotional reactions, and the cognitive component prevails in the development of psychological stress (analysis of the situation, assessment of available resources, construction of a forecast of further events, etc.);

The term "emotional stress" is more commonly used by physiologists, and the term "psychological stress" by psychologists. At the same time, both of these types of stress have a common pattern of development, include similar neurohumoral mechanisms of adaptive responses, and in their development, as a rule, go through three "classic" stages - anxiety, adaptation and exhaustion.

Nevertheless, taking into account the specifics of the subject of the course, as well as the leading role of the psyche in the formation of stress reactions of a person, in the future we will mainly use the term "psychological stress", keeping the term "emotional stress" only when citing other authors.

It should be noted that the authors of many basic textbooks on various branches of psychology often give rather vague and arbitrary definitions of stress, mixing the concepts of biological, psychological and emotional stress.

2). Features of psychological stress

Table. The difference between biological and psychological stress

Parameter	Biological stress	Psychological stress
Cause of stress	Physical, chemical or biological effects on the body	Social impact or own thoughts
The nature of the hazard	Always real	Real or virtual
What the stressor is directed to	For life, health, physical well-being	Social status, self-esteem, etc.
The presence of a real threat to life or health	There is	Absent
The nature of emotional experiences	"Primary" biological emotions - fear, pain, fear, anger	"Secondary" emotional reactions combined with a cognitive component - anxiety, anxiety, melancholy, depression, jealousy, envy, irritability, etc.
Time boundaries of the subject of stress	Specific, limited to the present or near future	Blurred (past, distant future, uncertain time)
Influence of personality traits	Minor	Very significant
Examples of	Hypothermia caused by prolonged bathing Hot steam burn Alcohol intoxication Viral infection Exacerbation of gastritis after taking acute food Trauma (bruise, fracture)	The reprimand received from the chief Increase in rent Fear of flying on airplanes Family conflict Concern for the health of close relatives Unhappy love Anxiety about the future

Psychological stress, in contrast to the biological stress described in the classical works of G. Selye, has a number of specific features, among which several important * features can be distinguished. In particular, this type of stress can be triggered not only by actually acting, but also by probabilistic events that have not yet occurred, but the occurrence of which the subject is afraid of. Unlike animals, a person reacts not only to a real physical danger, but also to a threat or a reminder of it. As a result, it happens that in a poorly performing student, mere thoughts about a probable unsatisfactory grade sometimes cause stronger autonomic reactions than getting it on an exam.

Another feature of psychological stress is the essential importance of a person's assessment of the degree of their participation in actively influencing a problem situation in order to neutralize it. It is shown that the active life position or at least the awareness of the possibility of influencing the stress factor leads to the activation of the predominantly sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, while the passive role of the subject in this situation determines the predominance of parasympathetic reactions

The mechanism of development of psychological stress can be demonstrated on the example of a student preparing to defend a thesis project. The severity of the signs of stress will depend on a number of factors: his expectations, motivation, attitudes, past experience, etc. The expected forecast of the development of events is modified in accordance with the already available information and attitudes, after which a final assessment of the situation takes place. If the consciousness (or subconsciousness) assesses the situation as dangerous, then stress develops. Parallel to this process, there is emotional assessment events. The initial triggering of an emotional reaction develops on a subconscious level, and then an emotional reaction is added to it, made on the basis of rational analysis.

3). Differentiating stress and other conditions

Differentiating stress and others emotional states rather complicated and in most cases conditional. The states closest to stress are negative emotions, fatigue, overload, and emotional tension.

With sufficient intensity and duration, emotional phenomena such as fear, anxiety, frustration, psychological discomfort and tension can be considered as a psychological reflection of stress, since they are accompanied by all manifestations of a stress reaction: from disorganized behavior to an adaptation syndrome. Most often, the question arises about the differentiation of stress from the process of fatigue. This task is facilitated by the fact that these two states have different physiological basis: stress is associated with humoral and autonomic changes, and fatigue is determined by the higher levels of the nervous system, primarily by the cerebral cortex. Fatigue has the ability to accumulate, gradually passing into a qualitatively new state - overwork.

Some stress specialists have identified another condition that is close to stress, but different from it - overload. According to this author, although stress and overload are two separate phenomena, they are closely related. Kasandra Williams notes that overload can lead to increased stress, as it causes fears and anxiety - fear that a person will no longer be able to withstand such a pace, fear of not living up to expectations, etc. a state of emotional tension. These authors believe that emotional tension, like stress, goes through three stages: emotional arousal, emotional tension and emotional tension.