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Coping with Stress

Stress is a state of psychological and physical arousal which comes about as a result of a challenge, threat, or change in one's environment. It is normal and natural. It is designed to protect, maintain and enhance our lives. It is the body's response to an emergency situation, where adrenaline pumps through us preparing us to "fight" or "flee."

 

What Causes Stress?

All kinds of things. Some are obvious, like a divorce or death of a spouse. Others, like retirement, a son or daughter leaving home, moving, vacations and holidays are things that happen to everyone--but the stress they cause is less obvious.

• Feeling sick, nauseated, tired
• Financial problems
• Worrying about a recurrence
• Feeling scared, angry, nervous

Who would not be stressed with all this going on?

 

What are the Symptoms of Stress?

There are physical symptoms, emotional symptoms and changes in behavior that you will notice in yourself or your friend or family member. Many of us recognize these instinctively without realizing what they mean. You can have symptoms from one category or from all three categories.

Some examples of PHYSICAL STRESS:

• Never-ending exhaustion and fatigue
• Frequent headaches
• Gastrointestinal disturbances
• Respiratory problems
• Loss of appetite
• Weight changes
• Sleeplessness
• Continual colds
• Increased use of alcohol, cigarettes and/or drugs

Some examples of EMOTIONAL STRESS:

• Depression
• Irritability
• Feeling powerless
• Feeling unappreciated
• Overall feeling negative

Some CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR you might notice:

• Doing less than usual
• Easily irritated with family, patient
• Wanting to "do it all alone"
• Nightmares about patient, etc. to the point of interfering with sleep
• Inability to relax
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty remembering

 

What Can I Do About It?

The stress response, which prepares us to "fight" or "flee" is more useful when we are facing a physical danger than it is when we are dealing with illness, or the illness of someone we love. If we allow ourselves to feel stressed over a long period of time, we decrease our ability to cope effectively.

Here are some things you can do to MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER:

• Take breaks
• Exercise regularly
• Emphasize sustaining relationships
• Live for today
• Seek more information
• Learn relaxation techniques
• Use imagery - fight the battle in your head
• Share your worries with your spouse, a friend, or social worker
• Go easy on yourself
• Ask for help; let children, friends, neighbors, etc. know what they can do for you

Remember: loss of control, confusion and difficulty concentrating are TEMPORARY.

 

Prepared by Susan L. Ball, MA, CSW, UMHS, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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This site is part of the U-M Health System. The information presented is not a tool for self diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. © 2008 U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center