Stress at work: types, consequences and prevention of professional stress. How to learn to cope with stress

Everyone has encountered various stressful situations in their daily life. It occurs especially often. When it appears periodically, this is normal. But it's dangerous. It can lead to very unpleasant consequences.

What to do if incessant stressful situations at work begin to ruin your life? How to overcome stress and what can be done in such situations? It is worth understanding these issues in more detail.

First measures

Changing your workplace or moving to another department can help you get rid of stress. If this is not possible, you need to change your attitude towards the current situation. You need to try to convince yourself that problems at work are not of a universal scale; in addition to this side of life, there are others that bring joy.

To combat stress in the workplace, you need to try to awaken an initial interest in work. Advanced training courses can help with this. It won't hurt to change your worldview either. We must try to get rid of negativity, not paying attention to what cannot be changed.

If problems arise, you should not immediately take on solving them. First you need to relieve tension, distract yourself. For example, disconnect from painful thoughts by focusing on what is happening outside the window. A few minutes of such contemplation will help reduce stress at work, gather strength, and make the right decision.

Effective methods

Very often, stress at work arises due to a high workload, in which it is difficult to get everything done. To solve the problem, you should start from your workplace. Conditions must be comfortable for performing duties. It doesn't hurt to have a comfortable chair. It should not be too soft, otherwise, instead of composure, you may end up with excessive relaxation.

It is necessary to maintain order in your workspace at all times, this helps to be more organized. For each thing you need to have its own place. It is necessary to promptly remove trash and unnecessary things from the table. Keeping your desk organized helps you complete your daily work tasks faster, which helps reduce stress at work.

Very often, the lack of ability to refuse prevents you from coping with your work.

You need to learn to objectively assess your strengths and capabilities without taking on an unbearable burden.

This will lead to increased nervous and physical tension. You should not turn helping colleagues and unnecessary assignments into a system. Sometimes it is necessary to say “no” in such a situation.

To reduce stress at work, you can divide your planned tasks into several stages. Achieving success in each of the intermediate chains helps increase confidence in own strength, enjoy routine work. Plan your further actions It's much easier with this approach.

Don't deny yourself 5-minute breaks. Constant workload increases stress. A break will help you take your mind off your routine, reduce stress, and increase productivity. Overtime delays at the workplace reduce stress resistance.

The role of rest

How to overcome stress in not working hours? It is very important to be able to switch. When leaving work, you need to leave all thoughts about it there. The inability to disconnect from problems and fully rest increases stress and deprives you of the opportunity to restore your mental and physical strength. This results in decreased productivity and increased stress at work.

You shouldn’t occupy your head with thoughts about work, unfinished business, colleagues, etc. Still, this will not help influence the current circumstances and change the situation. Thinking about work can only deprive yourself of normal rest.

Help in dealing with stress at work:

trips to theaters and cinema;
pleasant shopping;
trips to nature;
communication with friends and family;
listening to relaxing musical compositions etc.

If the cause of stress is fatigue from communicating with a large number of people, it won’t hurt to set aside a day for solitude. It is important to learn how to relax well during non-working hours and recover for the upcoming workdays.

Additional events

Getting enough sleep helps combat stress. It will help you cope more easily with stressful situations, perform your duties at work more effectively, and improve your well-being. It is worth increasing the duration of sleep by just 1 hour, and after 1-2 weeks you can feel changes for the better.

All troubles are easier to bear on a full stomach. This must be remembered. To make it easier to cope with stress at work, don't skip lunch breaks. You need a full lunch, not snacks on sandwiches. It is best to combine this meal with a change of environment, for example, visiting a cafe or canteen.

Foods rich in B vitamins, herbal and green teas help combat stress from work. To replenish your moral and physical strength during a difficult day at work, you can snack on nuts, bananas, and dark chocolate. They contribute to the production of joy hormones in the body.

To increase tone and resistance to stress, it is necessary to conduct active image life. According to most psychologists, physical activity significantly improves the condition nervous system. To relieve stress, you can resort to the following measures:

normal charging;
swimming in the pool;
fitness classes;
cycling, etc.

There are a huge number of options, you just need to choose the most suitable one for yourself. Even a brisk walk on the way home will significantly reduce the tension that has accumulated during the workday.

Another helper in the fight against stress in the workplace is fresh air. It is necessary to regularly ventilate the office space. Walking during your lunch break won't hurt. On weekends, it is worth setting aside time for such walks in the park, outings, etc.

To relieve stress, it is useful to master some meditation technique and calming breathing methods. For example: inhale air for 4 seconds, hold your breath for the same time, exhale and hold your breath again for a couple of seconds. Usage essential oils also helps relieve tension. Lavender, ylang-ylang, myrtle, mint, tea tree, and patchouli are suitable for these purposes.

To combat stress in the workplace, it would not hurt to visit a doctor (homeopath, neurologist, endocrinologist, therapist). can be caused by various diseases. This possibility should not be ruled out. If chronic stress at work has led to depression, medical help is even more necessary.

A continuous state of stress is very dangerous. We cannot close our eyes to this. How to cope with stress at work? Everyone needs to resist this possible ways. You can reduce its impact by properly organizing your work process and reconsidering your attitude towards such situations. It is important to learn to switch gears and relax during non-working hours.

There are various ways combating stress, for example: proper nutrition, fresh air, physical activity, various breathing and meditation techniques. It wouldn't hurt to get examined in medical institutions. If dealing with stress on your own does not help, then you cannot do without the help of a doctor.

Human life has always been subject to stress. At the dawn of time, stress was caused by the constant struggle for survival, in modern world you also have to survive - high competition and the desire for success, a huge flow of information, wars and terrorism, illnesses of loved ones, relationship problems, losses and failures, etc. All these phenomena provoke resentment and disappointment, anger and irritation arise, that is, a person receives enormous emotional overload and, as a result, serious illnesses and a reduced mood. Negative emotions and nervous tension have become so commonplace that most people simply do not pay attention to them. But modern society sees in stress main reason a weakened nervous system, the occurrence of serious diseases and a significant reduction in life expectancy. But is this really so?

What is stress

To begin with, you need a clear understanding that stress is a protective reaction of the body that occurs in response to a life-threatening, intractable or extreme situation. Doctors call it an integral part of human life; stress in a certain dose is even necessary for the body so that it does not lose the ability to accumulate all vital resources in the face of the threat of survival. There is even advice from scientists to perceive stress as a kind of training, without which the human body loses the ability to cope with external threats. It is generally accepted that there are two types of stress – positive (eustress) and negative (distress).

1. Eustress. The positive form of stress usually does not create serious problems. The causes of eustress are pleasant events or a form of stress that causes a surge of internal strength and helps a person adapt to the impact. This is a short-lived and completely controllable phenomenon that quickly passes without harm to the body. With eustress, resource activation occurs and mobilization to solve a problem occurs.

2. Distress. The impact of distress on the body is devastating. With this form of stress, the course of psychophysiological processes worsens. Distress is divided into two types - acute and chronic. Acute distress occurs when a sudden negative, possibly catastrophic, event occurs (attack, natural disasters, death of loved ones, etc.). Much more dangerous is severe, prolonged, chronic stress, which really damages physical and emotional health. Long-term negative relationships in the family or work team lead to chronic stress. Sometimes even minor events, for example, dissatisfaction with life or tense relationships with relatives, lead to serious health consequences. But what's the reason negative influence stress? Scientists say that the point is not at all in the strength of the emotions experienced and not in the long-term impact on the psyche. It's all about our attitude to stress!

What the research says

Study #1
French scientists conducted a long-term (prolonged) study. Over the course of 10 years, they interviewed more than 2,000 people who reported once a week about stressful situations, as well as about the diseases that appeared in them during the reporting period. In addition, specialists took saliva samples from the subjects to measure cortisol levels. After 10 years, scientists analyzed the results and came to the conclusion that people who focus on their problems and cannot forget about them for a long time are 20 times more likely to suffer from chronic diseases!

Study #2
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin conducted a similar study. They selected a group of 28,000 participants aged 45–50 years. For 8 years, scientists conducted an annual survey of subjects, asking them only 2 questions: “How do you assess the level of stress you have experienced?” and “Do you consider stress to be a health hazard?” In addition, the scientists monitored mortality statistics among the individuals surveyed.

The results of the surveys surprised the doctors. It turned out that those individuals who assessed the stress they had experienced as severe and showed concern for their own health in this regard had a risk of mortality almost 50% higher than those who were not worried about the events that happened to them! Moreover, according to scientists, almost 200 thousand Americans who suffered premature death over the past 8 years did not die from the effects of stress, but from the fact that stress was considered the culprit of deadly diseases. And these numbers significantly exceed the number of deaths from AIDS and murders!

Study #3
Most people associate stress primarily with cardiovascular disease. This happens because when a person is stressed, the heartbeat noticeably increases, and at the same time the blood vessels constrict. This combination greatly wears out the heart and can lead to death. dangerous diseases. Having studied this phenomenon, scientists from Harvard University conducted an interesting study. They recruited 2 groups, and explained to one that stress has a beneficial effect on the body - it increases breathing, supplying the body with oxygen, and also makes you sweat, removing toxins and waste from sweat. The second group was not given such explanations.

Long-term observations of both groups gave amazing results! It turned out that in people who treated stress as a positive phenomenon, in difficult moments the heart rate increased significantly less, and the blood vessels did not narrow, which almost completely eliminated the problem of heart attacks. According to doctors, a seemingly insignificant change in the perception of stress pushes the moment of a heart attack from 50 to 80 years!

Thus, numerous studies show that it is not stress itself that affects the body, but our reaction to it. This means changing your attitude towards stress is enough to disarm it.

How to develop emotional resilience to stress

It is a rare person who is born with natural resistance to stress. Everyone else needs to develop special skills that allow them to withstand the effects of negative factors. Each person finds his own, individual approach to cope with stress. However, there are several general recommendations that will help minimize the effects of stress.

1. Learn to plan your own life. This will allow you to avoid unforeseen situations or to anticipate them in advance and be able to prepare. Moreover, ideally, plan every day, however, always leave a reserve of time, which, firstly, will give you a break in a busy schedule, and secondly, will allow you to avoid stress due to possible delays.

2. Don't try to push negative emotions out of your head and/or suppress them. According to psychologists, suppressed emotions are the same stress that will soon manifest themselves as health problems. It’s better to take the time to analyze the negative situation, identify its causes and find a solution to the problem. In addition, think about how to behave so that such situations do not bother you in the future. Start talking about how you feel, especially when something is not going well and you feel your interests are being neglected, when you are offended, insulted, etc. You just need to do this without getting personal, politely and without insults, talk about how you feel, and not resort to insults.

3. Listen to soothing music. Don't underestimate the impact sound waves on the brain, and therefore if you feel anxiety or resentment, sit more comfortably, close your eyes and try to lose yourself in the music. Especially in this regard, the classical music of Mozart and Bach, as well as the soothing works of Vivaldi, will be useful. Such compositions have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, perfectly relax it and fill it with peace.

4. Practice peaceful contemplation of beauty. Learn from the Japanese sages absolute calm. Choose a time when you can sit in complete silence somewhere in the park, listening to the sound of the wind, rustling leaves and enjoying the unique beauty of nature. If you don’t have the opportunity to be outdoors regularly, think about purchasing an aquarium. Watching the unhurried life of fish, you will feel the necessary calm and relaxation.

5. Emphasize rest and sleep. After all, physical, emotional and mental overstrain eventually turns into stress. Remember, there is no job that is more important than your health. Try to go to bed on time, get a good night's sleep, and devote your vacations and weekends to your family and your own hobbies, and not to part-time work.

6. Start something you enjoy. A hobby is a unique weapon against stress that distracts from negative thoughts, gives positive emotions and helps to “unload” the brain. It has been scientifically proven that people who have hobbies are 5 times less likely to suffer from the effects of stress.

7. Don't forget about exercise. Sport suppresses the production of hormones that lead to stress, and at the same time activates the production of endorphins - the “pleasure hormones”, as well as serotonin - the “joy hormone”. Ideally, you should swim in the pool, jog or ride a bike more often. Roller skating or regular walks in the forest or park will be useful.

8. Eat right. Nervous tension and stress reduce the amount of magnesium in the body. Magnesium helps to withstand increased stress on the body; this element is necessary for the functioning of all body systems and especially nervous tissue. Magnesium inhibits excitation processes in the central nervous system, increases the threshold of sensitivity to external influences, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and irritability. Magnesium is found in foods such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sesame and flax seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, peanuts and almonds, legumes - beans and lentils, chocolate and cocoa, sprouted wheat grains, etc.

B vitamins also help resist stress, strengthen the nervous system, increase performance, and reduce irritability. These vitamins are found in eggs, poultry, nuts, asparagus, buckwheat, bran, whole grain bread, etc. In consultation with your doctor, you can drink the mineral and vitamin complex Magne B6.

9. Give up bad habits. Alcohol and smoking negatively affect the functioning of the nervous system; several cigarettes smoked significantly reduce the body’s resistance to overload, resulting in reduced resistance to stress. Alcohol and smoking (even cigarette smoke) contribute to the removal of magnesium from the body. Drinking alcohol reduces the absorption of nutrients in the intestine, which negatively affects the functioning of the entire body.

These are simple but effective advice will allow you to look at the negative factors appearing in your life with different eyes, and understand that stress is not the enemy, but faithful assistant in the fight for mental health.
Have wonderful emotions!

First, let's figure out what hides such a popular... lately the word "stress". To do this, let’s turn to Eastern wisdom, since in translation from Chinese stress means “danger” and “opportunity.” That is, stress implies “the possibility of danger,” a kind of state on the verge of health and illness.

Why is work one of the main sources of stress?

Yes, because it is to her that we devote a good third of our lives. This is where we spend 8 hours a day. And it’s good if the work brings satisfaction, the opportunity to realize oneself as a professional and an individual, if the team is friendly and united. But it also happens that relationships don’t work out, there is too much work, and so little time to complete it...

Just think about it: according to the results of research conducted by the HeadHunter Belarus research center among 820 respondents, it turned out that almost all citizens of our country experience stress at work. Moreover, 27% of them - every day, 50% - occasionally, and 20% can say that this is a rare phenomenon for them. But there are practically no people who are never exposed to stress at work.

What are the consequences of being constantly stressed at work?

The consequences of constant stress on the human body are complex and varied. At the same time, not only does it suffer psychological state, but also physical:

Yes, they arise muscle clamps, which are dangerous for the further development of stoop, radiculitis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, osteochondrosis and headaches.
From the nervous system due to DC voltage may arise neuroses. In the future, when stress becomes chronic, irritability, pain without cause in healthy organs, and fatigue may appear.
From the cardiovascular system it is observed overvoltage heart muscle (myocardium) due to vasoconstriction during stress. After 10 years of such a life, the heart wears out so much that it looks like it has had a heart attack.
In addition, due to the normalization of hormone levels due to the reserve of calcium, protein and vitamins found in our bones, teeth, skin, their demineralization, devitaminization, which is fraught with a decrease in bone mass density, the development of caries and skin problems.
Immunity also reacts with its weakening. A person becomes susceptible to viral, bacterial and autoimmune diseases.

What makes us nervous at work?

Scientists have conducted a number of studies aimed at identifying main reasons occurrence of stress in the workplace:

According to data obtained by Dutch scientists, the main source of stress is, oddly enough, Colleagues. Moreover, it is not even the leader’s habit of making public reprimands that is prevalent (this irritates only 37% of respondents). The most hated was the condescending manner of communication and tone of colleagues. This reason was indicated by 44% of respondents. Another 32% cited the presence of employees with very loud, loud voices who constantly distract from work by talking on the phone or with colleagues as the reason for constant stress in the workplace. And only 11% of respondents said that they do not like it when colleagues pester them with personal questions during work.
As it turned out, boredom and idleness The workplace can also cause stress! People who are bored during work hours have higher levels of aggression and hostility. In addition, such employees are more likely to experience emotional breakdowns and swings. blood pressure.
And, of course, the notorious rush at work and lack of time are another cause of stressful situations at work. Of course, constantly being late in completing our work makes us nervous and panicky. And if the situation becomes constant, emotional stress begins to accumulate and can lead to serious health problems and depression.
In addition, stress can absolutely lead to domestic reasons, from the lack of air conditioning in the room to disorder in the office or workplace.
And if you add to this fear of job loss, or the salary level remains in one place for many years, then stress is practically unavoidable.

What are the signs of developing “chronic office stress”?

Physical signs of stress include:

fatigue,
headache and toothache,
frequent dizziness,
shiver,
stomach pain,
constipation or diarrhea,
rapid heartbeat,
pain or discomfort in the chest area,
feeling of lack of air, suffocation,
sudden increase in body temperature or chills,
increased sweating,
loss of sexual desire,
insomnia,
numbness or tingling of the extremities.

Psychological signs of stress are:

anger,
fear,
anxiety,
fixation only on the negative,
memory problems,
feeling of powerlessness
obsessive anxiety,
irritability,
panic attacks.

In a state of stress, a person becomes very susceptible to external influences, sensitive. Mood swings, apathy and slower reactions may occur. A person can go from one extreme to another: either eat nothing, then absorb incredible amounts of food, smoke cigarettes one after another, or start drinking.

Nervous habits may appear (snapping fingers, biting nails). In addition, when under stress, some people prefer to isolate themselves and distance themselves from others.

So how can you prevent all this from happening and overcome constant stress?

Effective techniques for dealing with stress

In order to effectively deal with stress at work, first of all, it is necessary to establish and eliminate its cause.

Often, the cause of stress at work may not be overload and rush, but a simple inability to plan the work day. This is where it can help time management or the art of managing your time. It is important to learn to take on important matters first, to plan your day, highlighting certain blocks in it. However, it is worth warning those who like excessive planning: you should only write down the most important things and meetings in your diary. When caught up in planning, people may spend more time planning than completing tasks. In addition, the pleasant feeling one gets from crossing completed tasks off a to-do list can be achieved by completing minor, unimportant tasks. At the same time, important ones remain unfulfilled.

To become familiar with the basic principles and rules of time management, you can take the time to read books such as:

“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Powerful Tools Personality Development" by Stephen Covey;
“Get out of your comfort zone. Change your life. 21 methods for increasing personal effectiveness" by Brian Tracy;
“Time drive. How to have time to live and work” by Gleb Arkhangelsky;
“Time management. Workshop on time management" by Sergei Kalinin.

The following publications are devoted to specific time management tools:

“How to put things in order. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen;
“How to Stop Procrastinating” by Leo Babauta;
“Tight time management. Take Control of Your Life by Dan S. Kennedy.

Since the main principle of time management is planning, you can start a paper diary the old fashioned way, or you can use smartphone applications: Iso Timer for Android; Plan, Clear, Workflow for IOS.

Prevention is no less important. To cope with stress, learn to realistically assess your capabilities and don't try to jump over your head. Whether the task takes two days, two hours, or two months to complete is immaterial. The important thing is that you should not try to complete it in one hour or day. And don’t be afraid to tell your manager about this.

An excellent incentive that will make you look at your work differently can be own reward system. For example, after completing some boring task, you can treat yourself to a piece of chocolate. And when solving a complex problem - a purchase that you have long dreamed of. Don't forget about the ultimate incentives like salary increases and promotions.

Short breaks during the working day are extremely important, as well as sports after hours.

Besides don’t forget about your family, loved ones, friends. After all, they are the source of energy, the best advisers and will always come to the rescue. And a fair amount of optimism never hurt anyone. And stress fears him like fire.

Here's exactly what to do no need, so this conflict. Of course, you may not like your colleagues, but think about what you will achieve by arguing with them? Especially if you cannot answer the question of what is the purpose of the conflict? And even if you know the answer for sure, there is no point in conflict. It is much more effective to achieve your goal through negotiations.

And under no circumstances should you leave everything as it is. If you are completely unbearable, and even a short vacation cannot bring back your former passion, and the team only evokes negative emotions, you can always change your place of work.

The main thing is to remember about yourself and your health. Never let stress get the better of you and your success in the workplace.

Many physiological, biochemical and structural changes that occur in the body during aging and under stress are the same. Therefore, to prevent aging, for health and longevity, the ability to manage stress becomes very important.

There are three main ways to manage stress:

Avoiding the problem
Changing the problem
Changing your attitude towards the problem

As an example, we can simulate the situation. Let's say you are tired and sit down to rest on a park bench. A slightly tipsy interlocutor sits down next to you and wants to talk to someone. But you are not at all inclined to such communication.

The fastest and easiest option for your behavior suggests itself - leave the stressful zone. You get up and move to another bench nearby. But what to do if the annoying interlocutor sees you as a grateful listener and steadily follows you?

To solve the problem, you have at least two more options. This is to try to talk with your opponent in order to change his behavior and another option is to change your attitude towards the problem. After all, your neighbor is not aggressive, he is just chatting. And this does not prevent you from waiting until the fatigue passes in order to continue your journey.

There are problems that are quite difficult, and sometimes simply impossible, to get away from. Then the rule should apply: if you can’t change the situation, change your attitude towards it. For example, you are stuck in a traffic jam. You are not able to change the situation. The problem will not change just because you worry. So is it worth the hassle? You can simply turn off your worries and switch to something more useful: listen to music or an audiobook, think about tomorrow’s affairs, make necessary calls, etc.

It is possible to resist stress, or rather, manage your stress. Let's take a closer look at each of the proposed methods.

Method 1. Avoiding the problem

It is impossible to avoid all stressful situations in life, but in many cases a stressful situation can be avoided.

First, you need to learn to say: “NO.” Before you say “YES” to someone, make sure you are not saying “NO” to yourself. Allow yourself the luxury of not communicating with unpleasant people! Avoid people who evoke negative emotions in you if it is not possible to establish good relationships with them. It is better to limit such relationships as much as possible or stop completely.

Learn to control your behavior so as to avoid stressful environments. If some television programs irritate you, do not watch them. You can either change the channel or turn off the TV completely. Nobody obliges you to watch such programs. This is your voluntary choice.

When communicating, avoid topics that make you worry. If you are upset by conversations about prices, social injustice, politics, etc. - avoid them.

Do not take on extra work and additional responsibility that you are not able to handle, because... this will lead you to stress.

Method 2: Changing the problem

If it is not possible to avoid a stressful situation, you can try to change it.

There is no need to accumulate negativity or keep negative emotions inside. If you are not satisfied with something in the behavior of the person with whom you have to deal, you can talk about it tactfully and kindly with him. If you don’t do this, the situation is unlikely to change for the better, and stress will not leave you.

But at the same time, you yourself need to be ready to compromise. If you want your interlocutor to change his behavior, you must be ready to take a reciprocal step on your part. If two people are ready to change their behavior, this is a guarantee that stressful situation will be eliminated.

You must be persistent in eliminating obstacles to achieve your goals. You need to be able to anticipate and prevent them. So, for example, if you are preparing for some important event that requires your full concentration, but a friend calls you with the goal of having a pleasant chat, it is better to immediately inform him that you have no more than five minutes for him.

Inability or improper organization of your personal time can cause you stress. While reasonable planning can prevent it.

Method 3. Changing your attitude towards the problem

If you are unable to influence the situation, then you need to change your attitude towards it. You can change your point of view on the situation or adapt to what is happening.

In reality, we react not to the events themselves, but to what we think and how we evaluate what is happening.

There are often cases when we are unable to influence the source of stress. This could be a divorce, a crisis, the loss of a loved one, etc.

The only way out of stress under such circumstances is to come to terms with the state of affairs.

The situation will not change no matter what we worry about. At least for the better. And it is not our plan to change it for the worse. If we continue to worry, we will only make it worse for ourselves, we will destroy ourselves.

In this case, you must try to accept the situation as it is and continue to live. Because it is impossible to control the uncontrollable. It is much more useful to focus our attention on what we can control - this is on our behavior and our attitude to what is happening.

Many things in life are beyond our control. So, we cannot and do not have the right to control the behavior of other people. No one has to live up to our expectations. Just like we ourselves are not obliged to meet the expectations of others. There are no ideal people. Try to change yourself and you will understand that it is impossible to change another person. We must either accept people as they are, or choose from those who are close to us in spirit, but in no case try to remake people in accordance with our beliefs. Learn to forgive.

Switch to positive thinking. Try to find something good in every bad situation or extract some benefit from it for yourself. Look at things from a different perspective.

Didn't go to college? Perhaps this is not your profession and you have not lost several years of study. Has your business gone bust? No! It was you who bought the experience. There is a chance to start a new business more intelligently, etc.

Nothing is good or bad in itself. This is just our interpretation of what is happening. The ability to find the good in the bad is the key to happiness and success. It is impossible to unbalance a person who finds its advantages and advantages in any situation.

Your physical and emotional state depends on your thoughts. A cheerful person with positive thinking feels confident, makes a good impression from the outside and is popular with others.

Unproductive ways to deal with stress

These stress management techniques may have a short-term positive effect by reducing stress, or may create the illusion of such an effect, but in the long term they are only harmful.

Such unproductive methods of struggle include: smoking, alcohol, drug use, stress eating or refusal to eat, sitting for long periods in front of the TV, self-isolation or hermitage, sleeping too much, using strong medications, taking out dissatisfaction on others.