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We were living in stressful times before the pandemic hit the world. Some of the biggest stressors in the U.S. at the time included rising health care costs, mass shootings, discrimination, climate change, immigration and the upcoming presidential election, according to the 2019 year of the annual Stress in America survey overseen by the American Psychological Association. On the personal side, about 60 percent of adults report feeling pressured by work and money. Suffice it to say, 2020 has not improved the situation.
According to a new report from The Washington Post , stress affects many of us so deeply that we cannot simply focus on and perform the basic functions of our work and life. I first came to me thinking they might have ADHD, explained Roseann Capanna-Hodge, a Connecticut clinical psychologist. Compounding pressure has indeed taken its toll on a country that is already at an all-time high.
If you experience acute stress or any stress-related side effects - according to the Mayo Clinic, these include headaches, restlessness, angry outbursts, social withdrawal, muscle tension, sadness and depression, poor sleep, and lack of motivation or concentration - You might be interested in the results of a new study published in the journal mood Help you better manage your emotions.
According to the study's authors, people at the University of Zurich's Department of Psychology and University Psychiatry Hospitals respond differently to stress, which largely comes down to different levels of resilience.
They write that while a large portion of the population is resilient during stressful and potentially traumatic events, others are less robust and develop stress-related disorders. Draining events that some people experience seem to be a source of motivation and creativity for others.
In other words, scientists say, those who are better navigate stressful environments have more "self-efficacy" -- or believe that "we have the ability to influence things, at least to a small degree."
They explain that people with self-efficacy have greater problem-solving skills and greater perseverance. They also showed changes in brain activation in regions associated with emotion regulation.
This all begs the question: When we are stressed and life seems too unmanageable, is there something the rest of us can do to infuse ourselves with more self-efficacy? The answer is yes, and it's simple: You should take the time to breathe and then recall a very specific moment in your life when you felt "extraordinarily self-effective". Examples include you may have had a successful conversation, passed a very tough exam or exam, or you may have timed your presentation. The authors point out that in many cases, doing this work just once is sufficient for positive results.
It's important that you choose a moment that shows all the efficacy characteristics - your perform well and exert your influence. You came forward and succeeded.The authors conclude that our study demonstrates that recalling self-efficacy autobiographical events can be used as a tool for improving personal resilience in everyday life and clinical settings.
Interestingly, thinking about a moment of self-efficacy helped study participants reduce stress and forget about traumatic experiences more than simply imagining a positive event (like a good day or being with someone you love). The authors noted that people who actively recalled their self-efficacy behaviors found it easier to reassess a negative situation and see it differently. They rated negative experiences as less distressing than subjects, and they were instructed to reflect on positive memories unrelated to self-efficacy.
After all, in times of stress, it's important to remind yourself that "you can get through it" -- whatever it is. For many more reasons, you should manage your stress and make sure you are aware of what everyday stress is doing to your body.
https://www.eatthis.com/news-think-this-thought-stressed-out-university-zurich/
