What is a positive psychological response to stress?

Health
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Every person on earth has a different reaction and response to stress. Our response to stress is extremely important since it goes a long way in maintaining our mental health. Stress can end up being extremely fatal for us if we don’t handle it appropriately and in a positive manner. It is very hard sometimes to deal with stress especially if we are vulnerable to it, but following a few rules of positive psychology can help a lot. Read the next heading to learn what positive psychology is and what is says about handling stress.

What is positive psychology?

Positive psychology is a concept that was founded by Martin E. P. Seligman. It focuses on the positive aspects of psychology that makes life easier and worth-living for everyone. It is especially helpful and recommended for people who are prone to depression and suicide. Positive psychology sheds light on human experiences that are both related to one’s individuality and its relationship with society. It helps people understand that life is good for anyone who wishes to see it that way, and definitely worth-living. Positive psychology has three levels, such as individual, societal, and in groups.

Need for positive psychological response for stress?

Positive psychology has a model, known as PERMA. PERMA stands for Positive emotions, Engagement, Positive relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Now this model is what makes it an absolute necessity for coping with stress.

Summary: Stress makes a person hopeless and often makes them unable to focus or think clearly.

To combat this issue, PEMRA steps in to help the person give an appropriate positive response to stress.

  • The “positive emotions” in PERMA allows the person feeling stressed out to have a flow of positive emotions in them. It can help them put themselves in control and not do anything rash.
  • The “engagement” allows a person to distract themselves and engage in various activities that make them feel better and lighter. It can help them stay sane and composed.
  • The “relationship” part helps a person maintain their interpersonal relationships in a way that they seek comfort and nurturance from each other. The whole point of leaning on each other’s shoulders is to not feel alone which can potentially contribute to the person having suicidal thoughts and depressive symptoms.
  • The “meaning” in PERMA gives life a meaning and a purpose to live without regrets and worries. It motivates a person to live and that’s exactly what positive psychology aspires for.
  • Finally, the “achievement” provides a person with an elevated sense of achievement that makes them realize they have done something worthwhile and their existence on earth is worth it.

Ways to respond positively to stress:

There are a lot of non-toxic and meaningful ways where one can get rid of stress easily. Some of them are mentioned below:

  • You can do deep-breathing exercises. This exercise contains a simple method of breathing from your nose, letting it stay in your stomach for a few seconds, and breathing out from your mouth.
  • Taking a long walk helps a lot and clears your mind from the disturbing thoughts. It will also calm your nerves when fresh air will hit your face. Make sure to walk in places with natural greenery.
  • If you believe in spirituality, try meditation. It helps a lot in keeping you calm and blocks away all your negative thoughts from disrupting your peace.
  • Stay grounded. Keep your feet on the cold floor and take a deep breath. Then count at least five objects in your room that you don’t normally notice, like cracks on a wall, rust on the doorknob, etc. It will help distract you temporarily.
  • Just like it’s said dramatically, sleep away your troubles. If the matter stressing you out can wait, have some rest and wake up with a fresh mind and work on the solutions.
  • Clear your mind. Take a fresh piece of paper and write on every single that is in your mind, whether or not they bother you. When you run out of things to write, that’s where you think about potential solutions to your problem.
  • Workout. Some intense workout sessions are bound to calm you down and burn off the extra calories at the same time.
  • Hug your pet, sibling, or partner to relax.

Summary: Knowing properly how to respond to stress helps a lot in the long run.

Benefits of positive psychological response to stress:

There are multiple benefits of a positive psychological response to stress. Some of them are:

  • It can help calm a person who might be vulnerable to environmental stressors. It can literally help save them from risking their lives and getting different disorders developed in them due to stress.
  • It can help them find a perspective that they would’ve lost due to all the panic and stress. This could help them find fruitful solutions to their problems.
  • Positive psychological response to stress can improve relationships as well. If the stress is caused by problems in a relationship, it can help maintain and improve the bond by focusing on the problem effectively and finding solutions.
  • It will motivate a person for doing their best and takes away the fatigue and hopelessness from them.
  • Finally, it can embark them on a journey of success since they would be handling their stress so well that their mental heal.

Summary: positive psychological response can help a lot in dealing with stress more effectively.

Final Thoughts:

Positive psychology does a lot for helping a person stay happy and fulfilled in their lives. It focuses on making life worth living for everyone. When it comes to positive psychology handling stress, it does a lot in making a person gain enough strength to deal with the situation instead of letting it become a source of casualty for one’s mental health. Positive psychology makes sure that the response to stress given by a person is effective and fruitful.

Also visit the following articles:

How does stress affects us psychologically?
What is Diathesis Stress Model of Psychology?
Get to know the psychological symptoms of stress:
Psychological effects of stress on a human body and mind:

FAQs:

Q1: What are the psychological responses to stress?

A: There are various toxic and non-toxic responses to stress. The toxic ones include anger or aggression, hopelessness, depression, anxiety, overthinking, etc. while the non-toxic responses include healing, meditation, therapy, etc.

Q2: Can stress be positive psychology?

A: Yes, healthy stresses that motivate us instead of depressing us actually has a positive response on our behavior. Such stresses can be seen at job interviews, a night before exams, etc.

Q3: What are the positive effects of stress?

A: Stress in a right amount can prove to be very beneficial for you, as it can motivate you, boost your brain and thinking abilities, alert you, and prepare you for bigger things.

Q4: How do you respond to stress better?

A: You must know when to stop stressing by judging your mental health and body’s response on it. You must also exercise regularly, maintain your diet, get professional help once in a while to keep your mental health on check, and sleep well.

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Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human prosperity, and an approach to positive thinking. It helps to shape a particular human mind and enables one to thrive in a complex society.

What it is, and what it isn’t

In a 2008 article published by Psychology Today, the late Christopher Peterson, author of A Primer in Positive Psychology and professor at the University of Michigan, noted that it is essential to understand what positive psychology is as well as what it is not.

Positive psychology is a call for psychological science and practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness,as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology," he writes.

He emphasized however, that positive psychology does not involve ignoring the very realistic problems that people face and that other areas of psychology strive to treat. “The value of positive psychology is to complement and extend the problem-focused psychology that has been dominant for many decades,” he explained.

People should realize that worrying about something excessively won’t fix anything, but that doesn’t mean to simply let go or not care for particular problems. We should be mindful that problems can be fixed with an optimistic approach, not every problem requires stress, anxiety or nervousness. However, yes some may claim aforementioned feelings can’t be controlled or they just can’t be tamed; well they can be. Make up your mind, tell yourself that no matter how hard things will get there’s no going back. Train yourself to think positively in every situation.While happiness is influenced by genetics, people can learn to be happier by developing optimism, gratitude, and altruism.

Work can be important to well-being, especially when people are able to engage in work that is purposeful and meaningful.Using strategies from positive psychology, teachers, coaches, therapists, and employers can motivate others and help individuals understand and develop their personal strengths.

We should know that a certain amount of stress might be good for us, because at a certain level it does motivate us and push us to achieve our goal, but one should know when to stop worrying.

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TIPS TO OVERCOME STRESS

What is STRESS?

Stress is a feeling of being under abnormal pressure. This pressure can come from different aspects of your day to day life. Such as an increased workload, a transitional period, an argument you have with your family or new and existing financial worries. You may find that it has a cumulative effect, with each stressor building on top of one another.

During these situations you may feel threatened or upset and your body might create a stress response. This can cause a variety of physical symptoms, change the way you behave, and lead you to experience more intense emotions.

SIGNS OF STRESS

  • feelings of constant worry or anxiety
  • feelings of being overwhelmed
  • difficulty concentrating
  • mood swings or changes in your mood
  • irritability or having a short temper
  • difficulty relaxing
  • depression
  • low self-esteem
  • eating more or less than usual
  • changes in your sleeping habits
  • using alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs to relax
  • aches and pains, particularly muscle tension
  • diarrhoea and constipation
  • feelings of nausea or dizziness
  • loss of sex drive

STEPS TO OVERCOME STRESS

Be patient
when you start a new exercise program. Most sedentary people require about four to eight weeks to feel coordinated and sufficiently in shape so that exercise feels easier.

Be aware of smoking and drinking alcohol

  • Try not to, or reduce the amount you smoke and drink alcohol
  • Even though they may seem to reduce tension initially, this is misleading as they often make problems worse.

Exercise
Attempt to coordinate actual exercise into your way of life as it tends to be powerful in mitigating pressure

Indeed, even going out and getting some outside air, and taking some light actual exercise, such as taking a stroll to the shops can truly help

Sleep well
Good sleep doesn’t just mean lots of sleep: it means the right kind of sleep. Sleep affects our ability to use language, sustain attention, understand what we are reading, and summarise what we are hearing; if we compromise on our sleep, we compromise on our performance, our mood, and our interpersonal relationships.

Identify your problems

  • Try to identify the underlying causes
  • Sort the possible reasons for your stress into three categories
  1. those with a practical solution
  2. those that will get better given time and
  3. those you can’t do anything about
  • Try to release the worry of those in the second and third groups and let them go.

Notice positive things
Depression affects a person’s thoughts, making everything seem dismal, negative, and hopeless. If depression has you noticing only the negative, make an effort to notice the good things in life. Try to notice one thing, then try to think of one more. Consider your strengths, gifts, or blessings. Most of all, don’t forget to be patient with yourself. Depression takes time to heal.

CAUSES OF STRESS

A wide range of circumstances can cause stress. The most widely recognized include work, cash matters and associations with accomplices, youngsters or other relatives.

Stress might be caused either by significant changes and life functions, for example, separate, joblessness, moving house and deprivation, or by a progression of minor disturbances, for example, feeling underestimated at work or contending with a family member. Sometimes, there are no undeniable causes.

f you are experiencing a mental health crisis, or someone you love is in danger, we strongly suggest that you reach out to to a qualified mental health professional.

FAQs

How can you help yourself during stress?
Stress is a natural reaction to many situations in life, such as work, family, relationships and money problems.

We mentioned earlier on that a moderate amount of stress can help us perform better in challenging situations, but too much or prolonged stress can lead to physical problems. This can include lower immunity levels, digestive and intestinal difficulties, e.g. irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),or mental health problems such as depression. It is therefore important that we manage our stress and keep it at a healthy level to prevent long-term damage to our bodies and minds.

Can stress be positive?
Research has shown that stress can sometimes be positive. It can make you more alert and help you perform better in certain situations. However, stress has only been found to be beneficial if it is short-lived.

Excessive or prolonged stress can contribute to illness such as heart disease and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.