WHAT IS STRESS?
- Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response
This means that we experience stress if we believe that we don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to handle a situation. In short, we experience stress when we feel “out of control.”
We have two instinctive reactions that make up our stress response. These are the “fight or flight” response, and the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Both of these reactions can happen at the same time.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT: this is a basic, short-term survival response, which is triggered when we experience a shock, or when we see something that we perceive as a threat.
Our brains then release stress hormones that prepare the body to either “fly” from the threat, or “fight” it. This energizes us, but it also makes us excitable, anxious, and irritable.
The problem with the fight or flight response is that, although it helps us deal with life-threatening events, we can also experience it in everyday situations – for example, when we have to work to short deadlines, when we speak in public, or when we experience conflict with others.
In these types of situations, a calm, rational, controlled, and socially-sensitive approach is often more appropriate.
At GRACE COTTAGE, we recognize the harmful effects of stress in leading to BURN OUT, hence give our clients the needed training for them to be empowered to combat stress and de-stress.