home General biology Section of psychology what are stresses. Physical and psychological stress. The root of the problem - you need to know and be able to look for it

Section of psychology what are stresses. Physical and psychological stress. The root of the problem - you need to know and be able to look for it

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

Under stress(from the English stress - “pressure”, “stress”) understand the emotional state that occurs in response to all sorts of extreme influences.

Under stress, ordinary emotions are replaced by anxiety, causing physiological and psychological disturbances. This concept was introduced by G. Selye to denote a non-specific reaction of the body to any adverse effect. His research showed that various adverse 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 is acting 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, often stress arises not only in a situation of divorce of spouses, but also in the anxious expectation of a break in marital relations.

Human 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 may develop. Emotional stress occurs in situations of danger, resentment, etc. G. Selye identified 3 stages in the development of stress. The first stage is the alarm reaction - the phase of mobilization of the body's defenses, which increases resistance to a specific traumatic effect. In this case, the body's reserves are redistributed: the main task is solved at the expense of secondary tasks. At the second stage - the stabilization of all parameters, taken out of balance 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 adaptive reserves. If the stressful situation continues to persist, 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:

rising tension;
actual stress;
reduction of internal tension.

The duration of the first stage is strictly individual. Some people “turn on” within 2-3 minutes, while for another, the increase in stress can take place over several days and even weeks. But in any case, the state and behavior of a person under stress changes to the “opposite sign”.

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

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

But the most important thing is that in 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 of the development of a stressful state manifested in the fact that a person has a loss of effective conscious self-control (complete or partial). A “wave” of destructive stress has a devastating 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 later note that in a stressful state they did something that they would never have done in a calm environment. Usually everyone later regrets it very much.

Just like 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 noted at point C), a person feels devastation, fatigue and fatigue.

At the third stage it stops and returns“to himself”, often experiencing feelings of guilt (“What have I done”), and he promises himself that “this nightmare” will never happen again.

Alas, after a while the stress is repeated. Moreover, each person has his own individual scenario of stressful behavior (according to the frequency and form of manifestation). Most often, this scenario is learned in childhood, when parents are in conflict in front of the child, involving him in their problems. So, some people experience stress, almost every day, but in small doses (not too aggressively and without significant harm to 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: on oneself and on others. One blames himself for everything and looks, first of all, for his own mistakes. Another blames everyone around, but not himself.

The stress scenario learned in childhood occurs almost automatically. In these cases, a slight violation of the usual rhythm of life and work is enough, as the stress mechanism “turns on” and begins to unfold almost against the will of the person, like the “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."

Stressful conditions significantly affect human activity. People with different characteristics of the nervous system react differently to the same psychological stress. In some people, there is an increase in activity, mobilization of forces, and an increase in the efficiency of activity. This is the so-called “lion stress”. 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”).

Human behavior in a stressful situation depends on many conditions, but, above all, on psychological preparation a person, including the ability to quickly assess the situation, the skills of instant orientation in unexpected circumstances, strong-willed composure and determination, experience in behavior in similar situations.

Stress Management Techniques

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

If the stressful situation depends on us, we need to focus more rationally on how to change it. If the situation does not depend on us, we need to accept and change our perception, our attitude towards this situation.

In most situations, stress goes through several stages.

Anxiety phase. This is the mobilization of the body's energy resources. Moderate stress at this stage is useful, it leads to increased performance.
phase of resistance. This is a balanced expenditure of body reserves. Outwardly, everything looks normal, a person effectively solves the tasks facing him, but if this stage continues for too long and is not accompanied by rest, then the body is working to wear out.
Phase of exhaustion (distress). A person feels weakness and weakness, working capacity decreases, the risk of diseases increases sharply. For a short time, you can still fight with an effort of will, but then the only way to restore strength is a thorough rest.

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

The stress reaction is equally easily triggered by both real events and those that exist 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 drastically better side 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 applies to spiritual life. Experiences cannot disappear, they are either expressed outside, for example, in communication with other people, or they accumulate.

There are several rules that will help you deal with stress. Firstly, no need to trigger situations that lead to the accumulation of stress. Secondly, it should be remembered that stress accumulates especially well when we fully concentrate on what causes it. Thirdly, you need to remember that there are many ways to relieve stress such as exercise, massage, sleep, singing, baths with salt and relaxing oils, steam bath, aromatherapy, relaxing music, auto-training, and others.

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...

The concept of stress is firmly rooted in the vocabulary of modern man, and most of the inhabitants regard this phenomenon as negative, painful experiences or disorders caused by insoluble difficulties, insurmountable obstacles, unfulfilled hopes. More than 80 years ago Hans Selye, the creators of the theory of stress, emphasized in his works that stress does not mean pain, torment, humiliation, catastrophic changes in life.

Complete elimination of stress 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 non-specific adaptive reactions of the body to any requirements presented to it due to the influence of stress factors that led to a violation of its homeostasis. Nonspecific reactions are adaptive actions aimed at restoring the initial state of the body, producing specific effects on specific stimuli. Any surprise that introduces a change in the habitual life of an individual can be a stress factor. It does not matter whether 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 amount of necessary effort to restructure the usual rhythms of life, the intensity of energy expended to adapt to new requirements plays a role.

Types of stress

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

Distress renders Negative influence on the somatic and mental health of a person 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 psycho-emotional sphere goes wrong, which often leads to severe depression or to.

According to the nature of the impact of stressors, there are:

neuro-psychic;
temperature (thermal or cold);
light;
food (as a result of food deficiency);
other types.

Outstanding Psychologist Leontiev argued that in the case when the body demonstrates reactions to external phenomena not related to 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 stress theory is also a psychological phenomenon.

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

Biological and psychobiological stress

Stress is also usually divided by parameters into two groups:

Biological;
Psychological.

The definitions of psychological stress are different from different authors, but most scientists refer to this type of 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 psycho-emotional stress, since each individual has purely individual properties of the psyche and personal characteristics of the work of the autonomic nervous system.

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

Psycho-emotional stress differs from the biological species by a number of specific features, including:

It is formed under the influence of both real and probable situations that are the object of the 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 stress 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	Physical, chemical, biological effects of stressors	Own thoughts, inner feelings, the impact of society
Danger level	Real	virtual, real
Orientation of stressors	Somatic health, life threatening	Emotional sphere, self-esteem, social status
Nature of response	"Primary" reactions: fear, fright, rage, pain.	"Secondary" reactions: excitement, anxiety, irritability, anxiety, panic, depressive states
Time range	Clearly marked within the boundaries of the present and near future	Unclear, vague, includes the past and an indefinite future
The influence of individual character traits	No or minimal	Essential
Example	Viral infection, trauma, food intoxication, frostbite, burn	Conflict in the family, parting with a partner, financial difficulties, changes in social status

Stress: the main stages of development

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

Stage 1. Emotional reaction of alarm.

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 passes in a matter of minutes, for others, the increase in anxiety occurs within a few weeks. The level of body resistance to external stimuli decreases, self-control weakens. A person gradually loses the ability to fully control their actions, loses 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 relation to relatives, the distance in communication with friends and colleagues increases. The influence of distress has 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. Prolonged exposure to a stress factor provides a gradual adaptation to its effects. The resistance of the organism significantly exceeds the norm. It is at this stage that the individual is able to analyze, choose the most effective method and deal with stressors.

Stage 3. Exhaustion.

Having exhausted the available energy resources due to the impact of a stressor for a long time, a person feels severe fatigue, devastation, fatigue. The feeling of guilt joins, repeated signs of the stage of anxiety 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, severe pathological psychosomatic conditions arise.

Each person has been “programmed” since childhood with her own personal scenario of behavior in a stressful situation, reproduced in frequency, form of manifestation of the stress reaction. Some experience stressors on a daily basis in small doses, others experience distress rarely, but in the full extent of distressing manifestations. Also, each person is characterized by an individual focus of aggression in a state of stress. One blames only himself, triggering development mechanisms depressive states. Another person finds the causes of her troubles in the people around her and puts forward 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 reaction of the body, appearing and growing as a result of the interaction of physiological systems and mechanisms in combination with psychological methods response.

The physiological group of stress mechanisms involves:

Subcortical system, which activates the work of the cerebral cortex;
Sympathetic Autonomous 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;
organs of internal secretion;
Back afferent mechanisms, transmitting nerve impulses via interoreceptors and proprioceptors internal organs and muscles back to areas of the brain.

Psychological mechanisms- installations 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 effects of stressors. Not all of these mechanisms are harmless, they often do not allow to evaluate the event correctly, and often harm the social activity of the individual.

Psychological defense schemes include seven mechanisms:

Suppression. The main mechanism, the purpose of which is the removal of existing desires from consciousness in case of impossibility to satisfy them. The 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 previous promises). Often causes somatic diseases(headaches, heart disease, cancer).
Negation. The individual denies the fact of the accomplishment of any event, "leaves" in 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 to explain and justify behavior unacceptable by society, arising one's own desires and thoughts.
Inversion. Conscious replacement of true thoughts and sensations, actually carried out actions with completely opposite ones.
Projection. The individual projects onto others, attributes to other people his own negative qualities, negative thoughts, unhealthy feelings. It is a mechanism of self-justification.
Insulation. The most dangerous response scheme. A person separates a threatening component, a dangerous situation from his personality as a whole. It can lead to a split personality, cause the development of schizophrenia.
Regression. The subject reverts to primitive ways of responding to stressors.

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

Group 1. Schemes of violation of information reception

Perceptual protection;
Crowding out;
suppression;
Negation.

Group 2. Schemes of violation of information processing

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

stress factors

Stress levels are affected by many different factors, including:

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

Causes of stress

The most common cause of stress is the contradiction that has arisen between reality and the individual's ideas about reality. Stress reactions can be triggered both under the influence of 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 influence on a person and trigger stress mechanisms (stress intensity scale). Among the significant events for people:

Stress factors tend to accumulate. Without taking effective steps, having driven his feelings inside, left alone with his problems, a person runs the risk of 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. The symptoms vary depending on what stage of stress the person is in and what defense mechanisms involved. The main symptoms of stress include:

Causeless;
Feeling of inner tension;
Short temper, nervousness, irritability, aggressiveness;
Excessive inadequate reaction to the slightest stimulus;
Inability to control your thoughts and emotions, control your actions;
Decreased concentration, difficulty in remembering and reproducing information;
Periods of dreary mood;
Oppressed, depressed state;
Decreased interest in habitual activities, apathetic state;
Inability to enjoy pleasant events;
Constant feeling of dissatisfaction;
Capriciousness, excessive demands on others;
Subjective feeling of congestion, not passing fatigue;
Decreased performance, inability to perform usual duties;
- detachment from one's own "I";
- a sense of the illusoriness of the surrounding world;
Changes in eating behavior: lack of appetite or excessive food intake;
Sleep disorders: insomnia, early rise, interrupted sleep;
Changing behavior, reducing social contacts.

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

stress treatment

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

Medical treatment of stress 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 predominant symptoms, the strength and frequency of their manifestation;
stage and severity of stress;
patient's age;
somatic and mental state of health of the patient;
personal characteristics of character, way of responding to the impact of stressors, individual threshold of sensitivity;
a history of mental pathologies and borderline conditions;
individual preferences and material possibilities of the patient;
received therapeutic response to drugs used previously;
tolerability of pharmacological agents, their side effects;
medications taken.

The main criterion for prescribing treatment is the symptoms. To eliminate stress conditions use:

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).

Quickly take 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 lowering 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 "green" pharmacy made from valerian, mint, lemon balm, motherwort (for example: persen). In some cases, drugs are used - bromides, which have a significant sedative potential (for example: adonis-bromine).

If there are “protective” obsessive actions in the picture of the disease, it is recommended to take neuroleptics- 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 provide preparations based on St. John's wort (for example: Deprim). In more severe and dangerous cases, psychopharmacological antidepressants of various groups are used. Easy to use, do not lead to overdose and show a high result selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - SSRIs (for example: fluoxetine). The latest generation of drugs, 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 plant origin and synthesized benzodiazepine drugs (for example: nitrazepam) or the latest chemical groups (for example: zopiclone). The use of barbiturates as hypnotics today has lost its relevance.

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

Psychotherapeutic techniques to overcome stress

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

Modern psychotherapy uses over 300 different methods, among the most common, popular and effective methods:

Psychodynamic;
Cognitive-behavioral;
existential;
Humanistic.

Direction 1. Psychodynamic approach

Based on the methodology of psychoanalysis, the founder of which was the famous talented scientist Sigmund Freud. Feature of therapy: the transfer to the area of consciousness (awareness) by the patient of memories repressed into the subconscious sphere, experienced emotions and sensations. Techniques are used: the study and evaluation 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 informing and teaching the individual the adaptive skills necessary in emotionally difficult situations. A person develops and maintains new model thinking, which allows you to correctly assess and act adequately when faced with stressful factors. In artificially created stressful situations, the patient, having experienced a state close to panic fear, noticeably reduces the threshold of sensitivity to negative factors disturbing him.

Direction 3. Existential approach

The essence of therapy according to this technique is to focus on the existing difficulties, the patient's revision of the value system, awareness of personal significance, the formation of self-esteem and true self-esteem. During the sessions, a person learns ways of harmonious interaction with the outside world, 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 opportunities to overcome problems in the presence of a significant stimulus and adequate self-esteem. The doctor's work with the patient is aimed at liberating the human consciousness, liberation from indecision and uncertainty, getting rid of the fear of defeat. The client learns to really realize 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?

It is human nature to want to get rid of pain, tension, anxiety. However, this ability to experience discomfort, oddly enough, is one of the valuable gifts of nature. The state of stress is a phenomenon designed to warn the individual about the threat to the integrity and vital activity of the organism. It is an ideal operating mechanism that activates the natural reflexes of resistance, evasion, retreat or flight, indispensable in the battle with a negative hostile environment. Unpleasant sensations accompanying a state of stress mobilize hidden resources, encourage effort, change, and difficult decisions.

Everyone needs to learn how to effectively and rationally manage stress. If the event that caused the stress depends on individual activity (for example: emotional stress due to excessive workload in the professional sphere), efforts should be concentrated on the development and analysis of options to change the existing situation. In the event that an emotionally difficult situation is caused by external factors beyond the control and management of an 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 psychological stress

Method 1 Release emotions

Special breathing techniques are designed to relieve accumulated tension, get rid of negative emotions. We perform energetic 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 focus on the sensations that arise.

Method 2 We reveal the 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 close person lose their global significance and are no longer perceived as catastrophic. Friendly communication with optimistic persons allows a person to formulate and express disturbing factors aloud, throw out negative emotions, get a boost of vital energy, and develop a strategy for overcoming problems.

Method 3 We put our worries on paper

Not less than effective method dealing with emotional stress is to maintain personal diary. Thoughts and desires put on paper become more consistent and logical. Fixing in writing one's negative feelings transfers them from the area of the subconscious to the sphere controlled by consciousness and controlled by the will of the individual. After such a recording, stressful events are perceived as less large-scale, the existence of problems is recognized and recognized. With the subsequent reading of one's revelations, it becomes possible to analyze a difficult situation as if from the outside, new ways to overcome it appear, and an incentive is formed to resolve it. The person takes control of their condition and, accepting the past and living in the present, begins to make efforts for well-being in the future.

Method 4 Mapping your own stressors

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

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

Method 5 Transforming emotional experiences into life energy

A great way to get rid of unpleasant manifestations of stress is to perform intensively any motor activity. It can be: classes in the gym, long walks, swimming in the pool, morning jogs or work in the garden. Vigorous physical exercises distract from negative events, direct thoughts in a positive direction, give positive emotions and charge with vital energy. Running is an ideal natural method to “run away” from stress: feeling pleasant physical fatigue, there is no place and strength left for crying about your own grief.

Method 6 Spilling emotions in creativity

A faithful assistant in the fight against psychological stress - creative activity, vocal, music, dance classes. By creating something beautiful, 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 others changes, the real world appears in its diversity, the significance of one's own "minor" worries is lost. Through dance, you can express your emotions, survive your negativity, appear before the light in all your inner beauty.

Method 7 Increasing the level of psychological knowledge

An important factor for successfully overcoming stress is the existing knowledge base: complete, structured, diverse. In the formation of immunity to stress, a significant role is played by the cognitive processes that occur in a person, which determine the skills of orientation in the environment, the logic of actions, the objectivity of judgments, and the level of observation. No matter how generously or sparingly nature 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 the belief system

A special niche in the perception of stress factors is occupied by individual system beliefs. The person who evaluates the world as a source of dangers, threats, problems, reacts to stressors with strong negative emotions, often disorganizing his behavior. Quite often, the severe consequences of the stress experienced provoke the results of a discrepancy between the real complexity of the situation and its subjective assessment by the individual. Adequate, realistic perception of the world, where prosperity and troubles 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 Increasing our own importance

A person who reacts to any stress with violent emotions is distinguished 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 claims and takes a “reinsurer position” in life. Raise and shape adequate self-esteem help simple exercises- affirmations (positive statements about your personality, spoken aloud).

Method 10 Doing a difficult task

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

From the spheres that bring satisfaction and joy, we choose one difficult category. We set ourselves a clear goal, define specific deadlines for bringing the idea to life (for example: learn French in six months, design a helicopter model, conquer a mountain peak).

In conclusion: Each person can overcome stress and control a difficult situation if he begins to focus on the problem at hand, and not on emotionally protective actions. Active possession of one's own consciousness brings exclusively positive results, gives the individual a sense of dominance over stressors, strengthens the sense of self-worth, increases the assessment of one's abilities, and increases the chance of discovering opportunities.

The term "stress" (from English stress - pressure, tension) is borrowed from technology, where this word is used to refer to an external force applied to a physical object and causing it to tension, that is, a temporary or permanent change in the structure of the object. In physiology, psychology, and medicine, this term is used to refer to a wide range of human states that arise in response to various extreme effects. Initially, the concept of stress arose in physiology to refer to a non-specific reaction of the body (“general adaptation syndrome”) in response to any adverse effect (G. Selye). Later, it began to be used to describe the states of an individual in extreme conditions at the physiological, biochemical, psychological, and behavioral levels.

In modern scientific literature The term "stress" is used in at least three ways. First, the concept of stress can be defined as any external stimulus or event that causes tension or excitement in a person. Currently, the terms “stressor”, “stress factor” are more often used in this meaning. Secondly, stress can refer to a subjective reaction and in this sense it reflects an internal mental state of tension and excitement; this state is interpreted as emotions, defensive reactions and coping processes occurring in the person himself. Such processes can contribute to the development and improvement of functional systems, as well as cause mental stress. Finally, thirdly, stress can be physical reaction organism to a demand or harmful effect. It is in this sense that both Cannon and Selye used the term. The function of these physiological responses is likely to be the maintenance of behavioral actions and mental processes to determine this state.

Due to the lack general theory There is no generally accepted definition of stress. R. Lazarus also noted that different ideas about the essence of stress, its theories and models contradict each other in many respects.

To clarify the concept of stress, Lazarus formulated two main provisions. First, terminological confusion and contradictions in the definition of the concept of "stress" can be eliminated if, in the analysis of psychological stress, not only external observable stressful stimuli and reactions are taken into account, but also some psychological processes associated with stress - for example, the process of assessing the threat. Secondly, the stress response can only be understood in terms of the protective processes generated by the threat - physiological and behavioral systems reactions to a threat are associated with the internal psychological structure of the personality, its role in the subject's desire to cope with this threat. The nature of the stress reaction is causally related to the psychological structure of the personality, interacting with the external situation through the processes of evaluation and self-defense.

The consequence of the ambiguous interpretation of the concept of "stress", burdened by its biomedical and one-sided psychological ideas was that some domestic authors prefer this concept to another concept - "mental tension".

Psychological stress as a special mental state is a kind of reflection by the subject of a complex, extreme situation in which it is located. The specificity of mental reflection is determined by the processes of activity, the features of which (their subjective significance, intensity, duration, etc.) are largely determined by the goals chosen or accepted by it, the achievement of which is stimulated by the content of the motives of the activity.

In the process of activity, motives are "filled" emotionally, are associated with intense emotional experiences, which play a special role in the emergence and course of states of mental tension. It is no coincidence that the latter is often identified with the emotional component of activity. Hence the adjacent use of such concepts as "emotional tension", "affective tension", "emotional arousal", "emotional stress" and others. Common to all these concepts is that they denote the state of the emotional sphere of a person, in which the subjective coloring of his experiences and activities is clearly manifested.

However, according to N.I. Naenko, these concepts are not actually differentiated from each other, the proportion of the emotional component in states of mental tension is not the same and, therefore, it can be concluded that it is unlawful to reduce the latter to emotional forms. This opinion is shared by other researchers who tend to consider the concept of "mental stress" as generic in relation to the concept of "emotional stress".

A simple indication of the obligatory participation of emotions in the genesis and course of mental tension is not enough to understand their place in the structure of the corresponding states. Naenko's work reveals their role in reflecting the conditions in which activities are carried out, and in the regulation of this activity.

AT psychological structure mental tension, a special role belongs to the motivational and emotional components. In theoretical and experimental studies, the author substantiates the expediency of dividing the concept of mental tension into two types - operational and emotional. The first type is determined by the procedural motive of activity, which either coincides with its goal, or is in close relationship with it. It is characterized by a close connection between the objective and subjective content of activity. The second type (emotional tension) is determined by the dominant motive of self-assertion in activity, which sharply diverges from its purpose and is accompanied by emotional experiences, an evaluative attitude to activity.

An analysis of the work of researchers who have studied the state of mental tension allows us to define it as a non-specific reaction of the activation of the body and personality in response to the impact of a complex (extreme) situation, which depends not only on the nature of extreme factors, but also on the degree of adequacy and susceptibility of the organism of a particular person to them. , as well as on the individual characteristics of the personal reflection of the situation and the regulation of behavior in it. [Zankovskiy A.N. Mental tension as a property of personality., 1989, 2]

It is required to pay attention to the fact that the researchers do not give a clear semantic and phenomenal distinction between the concepts of "psychological stress" and "mental tension". Moreover, the vast majority of them use these concepts as synonyms that characterize the features of mental states in difficult conditions of activity.

In a number of cases, attempts are made to “divorce” the meanings of these terms according to the degree of severity of these conditions: stress is usually considered as an extreme degree of mental tension, which in turn is used to denote conditions that have a strong and negative effect on activity, in contrast to the state of tension, which characterizes the increased and adequate functioning of the organism and personality.

It can be assumed that the nature of the correlation between the categories "motive - goal" of activity will be significantly reflected in the characteristics of the development and appearance of psychological stress, and in this regard this concept is perhaps more capacious than the concept of emotional stress.

However, to date, both of these concepts are used, as a rule, as synonyms, and both of them do not have a sufficiently clear and even more unambiguous definition.

Different researchers use the term "emotional stress" to denote various states of the body and personality: from states that are within the physiological and psychological boundaries of psycho-emotional stress to states on the verge of pathology, mental maladaptation and developing as a result of prolonged and repeated emotional stress.

Singling out the category of "emotional stress" and contrasting it to some extent with the concept of "stress", which, according to Selye's concept, is defined as a general adaptation syndrome, was, of course, a progressive phenomenon. The introduction of this concept determined the objective criterion that allows one to generalize a huge variety of external influences oriented to a person or animal from one position, namely from the position of their psychological essence for the individual. Thus, the primary triggering (causal) factor is singled out, which determines the subsequent development of emotional reactions. It is a psychological state that occurs in a given individual in response to exposure. Therefore, along with the term "emotional stress", the term "psychological stress" is also used.

G.N. Kassil, M.N. Ruslanova, L.A. Kitaev-Smyk and some other researchers understand emotional stress as a wide range of changes in mental and behavioral manifestations, accompanied by pronounced nonspecific changes in biochemical, electrophysiological parameters and other reactions.

Yu.L. Aleksandrovsky connects the tension of the barrier of mental adaptation with emotional stress, and the pathological consequences of emotional stress - with its outburst. K.I. Pogadaev, taking into account the leading role of the CNS for the formation of a general adaptation syndrome, defines stress as a state of tension or overstrain of the processes of metabolic adaptation of the brain, leading to protection or damage to the body at different levels of its organization through common neurohumoral and intracellular regulatory mechanisms. This approach fixes attention only on the energy processes in the brain tissue itself. When analyzing the concept of "emotional stress", the question of its relationship with the concept of "emotions" is quite natural. Although emotional stress is based on emotional stress, the identification of these concepts is not legitimate. It has already been noted that Lazarus characterizes psychological stress as an emotional experience caused by a "threat" that affects a person's ability to carry out his activities quite effectively. In this context, there is no significant difference between emotion (negative in its modality) and emotional stress, since the influence of emotional stress on the activity of an individual is considered as a determining factor. In psychology, this constitutes the traditional and rather thoroughly studied problem of the influence of emotions on motivational-behavioral reactions.

In medicine, the main emphasis in assessing the essence of emotional stress is not on the initial states, but on the final phases of the emotional stress process, which are the pathogenetic basis of many diseases.

In the phenomenon of emotional stress, one should distinguish between:

Complex of immediate psychological reactions. Which in general form can be defined as the process of perception and processing of personally significant for a given individual information contained in the signal (impact, situation) and subjectively perceived as emotionally negative(signal of "threat", a state of discomfort, awareness of the conflict, etc.);

The process of psychological adaptation to an emotionally negative subjective state;

The state of mental disadaptation, caused by emotional signals for a given person, due to a violation of the functional capabilities of the system of mental disadaptation, which leads to a violation of the regulation of the subject's behavioral activity.

Each of these three states (they are fundamentally close to the general phases of stress development, but are assessed by psychological rather than somatic manifestations) is accompanied, according to the authors, by a wide range of physiological changes in the body. Vegetative, symptomatic-adrenal and endocrine correlates are found with any emotion or emotional stress (both positive and negative) in the period of psychological adaptation to stress exposure and in the phase of mental maladaptation. Therefore, according to the listed complex of reactions, it is not yet possible to differentiate emotion from emotional (psychological) stress, and the latter from physiological stress.

In the activity of a human operator, the main attention is drawn to the problem of the impact of the dominant emotional (mental) state on the process of his functional activity, on the effectiveness of work. The state of emotional (mental) tension is precisely determined by the occurrence of interference in this activity, the appearance of errors, failures, etc. During the period of development of a direct psychological reaction to an extreme impact, it occurs most of all in emergency situations. At the first stage of the stress reaction, an acutely developing emotional arousal plays the role of a disorganizer of behavior, especially if the content of the emotion contradicts the goals and objectives of the activity. violated difficult process analysis and plan for the formation of activities, the choice of its most optimal strategy.

Other concepts are also associated with the term "stress", such as anxiety, tension, etc. According to Ch.D. Spielberger, a state of anxiety occurs when an individual perceives a certain stimulus or situation as actually or potentially carrying elements of danger, threat, or harm. The state of anxiety can vary in intensity and change over time as a function of the level of stress to which the individual is exposed. This provision is consistent with the author's understanding of stress as a set of external influences (stress factors) that are perceived by a person as excessive demands and pose a threat to her self-esteem, self-esteem, which causes an appropriate emotional reaction (a state of anxiety) of varying intensity. The tendency to this kind of emotional reactivity is characterized as personal anxiety.

When describing anxiety as a process, it is essential not only to clearly separate the concepts of stress and anxiety, but also to focus on the concept of threat as a psychological reality. At one time C.D. Spielberger suggested using the terms "stress" and "threat" to refer to various aspects of the temporal sequence of events that manifest themselves in a state of anxiety. According to the author, the concept of "stress" should be used to correlate with stimulus conditions that generate a stress response, with factors that cause emotional reactions, as well as with motor-behavioral and physiological changes. Stress can be understood both as an intermediate variable and in a collective sense to reflect the entire scope of research.

Spielberger proposes to use the term "stress" to denote the degree of spread or the magnitude of the objective danger associated with the properties of the stimulus in a given situation. In other words, the term "stress" should be used exclusively to refer to environmental conditions that are characterized by a certain degree of physical and psychological danger. The author acknowledges that this definition of stress is obviously more limited, but at the same time more precise, than the one currently used.

In contrast to the concept of "stress", which reflects the objective properties of the stimuli that characterize the situation, the term "threat", according to the author, should be used to describe the subjective (phenomenological) assessment by the individual of the situation as containing a physical or psychological danger to him. Undoubtedly, the assessment of a situation as dangerous or threatening will depend on individual differences in abilities, skills, personality traits, as well as on the specifics of personal experience individual in such situations.

Spielberger believes that the term "state of anxiety" should be used to reflect the emotional state or a certain set of reactions that occur in an individual who perceives a situation as personally threatening, dangerous, regardless of whether there is or is no objective danger in this situation.

An analysis of the literature data indicates that the concept of "stress" has undergone significant changes since its inception, associated both with the expansion of its scope and, mainly, with the fundamental study of various aspects of this problem - causality, regulation, determination, manifestation, overcoming stress. The concept of "stress" is not always used justifiably, sometimes they are replaced by other terms that are close (but not always) in meaning - for example, quite often any emotional stress is called stress. The ambiguity of the concept of stress leads to differences in views on the essence of certain mental phenomena, inconsistency in the interpretation of the studied phenomena, inconsistency in the data obtained, the absence of strict criteria for their interpretation, the use of inadequate methodological techniques research, etc.

The logic of studying the problem and expanding the sphere of manifestation of stressful conditions necessitate further development of the conceptual apparatus in this area, differentiation and a clear hierarchy of basic concepts. This is evidenced by the fact that at present, along with the concept of "psychological stress", which, as noted above, is considered by some as a synonym for "emotional stress", differentiation of this type of stress in terms of "professional", "informational" is increasingly used. , "operational", "post-traumatic", etc.

Mental stress is a state of the mind (primarily), not the body. Mental stress is a more intense state than the usual motivational one. It usually requires the perception of a threat to occur. Phenomena of mental stress 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 may arise for subjective reasons related to the characteristics of a given person.

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

With any violation of the “man-environment” balance, the insufficiency of the mental or physical resources of the individual to meet actual needs or the mismatch of the system of needs itself is the source of anxiety. Signs of anxiety:

Feeling of a vague threat;

Feeling of diffuse apprehension and anxious expectation;

Indefinite anxiety is the most powerful mechanism of mental stress (which follows from the already mentioned, which is the central element of anxiety and causes it 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 inclusion of intrapsychic adaptation mechanisms are associated with the onset of anxiety. But anxiety can not only stimulate activity, but also contribute to the destruction of insufficiently adaptive behavioral stereotypes, replacing them with more adequate forms of behavior.

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

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

one). Introduction of the concept of psychological (emotional) stress

The mental manifestations of the syndrome described by G. Selye were given the name psychological stress. R. Lazarus and R. Lanier in their works defined it as a person's reaction to the features of the interaction between the personality and the outside world.

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 an emerging problem situation, which determines individual differences in response to a stressful situation. In addition to the term "psychological stress", the literature also uses the term "emotional stress" and "psycho-emotional stress". Various researchers (sociologists, psychologists, physiologists, psychiatrists) put their own meaning into this term, which, of course, makes it difficult to create a unified concept of psycho-emotional stress. Some researchers note that the emergence of this term emphasizes the inextricable link between stress and emotions and even the primacy of emotions in a complex reaction.

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 favorable 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, both negative and positive.

Despite the proximity 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 to humans, but also to animals, while psychological stress occurs only in humans with their developed psyche;

Emotional stress is accompanied by pronounced emotional reactions, and the development of psychological stress is dominated by the cognitive component (analysis of the situation, assessment of available resources, forecasting 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 general scheme development, include similar neurohumoral mechanisms of adaptive responses and in their development, as a rule, go through three "classical" 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 human stress responses, 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 danger	Always real	Real or virtual
What is the effect of the stressor	For life, health, physical well-being	On social status, self-esteem, etc.
The presence of a real threat to life or health	There is	Missing
The nature of emotional experiences	"Primary" biological emotions - fear, pain, fright, anger	"Secondary" emotional reactions in combination with a cognitive component - anxiety, anxiety, melancholy, depression, jealousy, envy, irritability, etc.
Time limits of the subject of stress	Specific, limited to the present or near future	Blurry (past, distant future, indefinite time)
The influence of personal qualities	Minor	very significant
Examples	Hypothermia caused by long bathing Hot steam burn Alcohol intoxication Viral infection Exacerbation of gastritis after taking spicy food Trauma (bruise, fracture)	Reprimand received from the boss Rent increase 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 actual, 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 actual physical danger, but also to a threat or a reminder of it. As a result, it happens that in a poorly performing student, the mere thought of a likely unsatisfactory grade sometimes causes stronger vegetative reactions than getting it on the exam.

Another feature of psychological stress is the essential importance of a person's assessment of the degree of his participation in actively influencing a problem situation in order to neutralize it. Shown to be active life position or at least the awareness of the possibility of influencing the stress factor leads to the activation of the predominantly sympathetic division 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 by the example of a student preparing to defend a graduation project. The severity of signs of stress will depend on a number of factors: his expectations, motivation, attitudes, past experience, etc. The expected forecast for the development of events is modified in accordance with the information and attitudes already available, after which the final assessment of the situation takes place. If the conscious (or subconscious) assesses the situation as dangerous, then stress develops. Parallel to this process, an emotional evaluation of the event takes place. The initial launch of an emotional reaction develops at a subconscious level, and then another emotional reaction is added to it, made on the basis of rational analysis.

3). Differentiation of stress and other conditions

Differentiation of stress and other emotional states is 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, such emotional phenomena as fear, anxiety, frustration, psychological discomfort and tension can be considered as a psychological reflection of stress, as they are accompanied by all manifestations of a stress reaction: from disorganization of 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 a different physiological basis: stress is associated with humoral and vegetative 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 turning into a qualitatively new state - overwork.

Some experts in the field of stress identify another condition that is close to stress, but different from it - overload. According to this author, although stress and overload are two independent phenomena, they are closely interrelated. Cassandra Williams notes that overload can lead to increased stress, because it causes fears and worries - fear that a person can no longer withstand such a pace, fear of not living up to expectations, etc. According to some researchers, close to a state of psychological stress is also a state of emotional tension. These authors believe that emotional tension, like stress, goes through three stages: emotional arousal, emotional tension and emotional tension.