Stress: Take control and worry less

Today, I came across this phenomenon called ‘stress’. My friend was telling me how his wife abruptly started feeling overwhelmed with her work. Meetings now make her anxious and she often has trouble remembering what she has to say, while previously she used to have a flair for public speaking and even enjoyed doing so. The anecdote of ‘moths to a flame’ holds true in this context of people being drawn to her, and she had no trouble resolving any queries that anyone might have had.

However, these days it scares her and she ends up sleeping for only a few hours the night before, if at all. Involuntarily, she has also started biting her nails and chewing her bottom lip, something she never did before.

On further research, I found out what exactly people mean when they use the word ‘stress’. It was completely different than what I knew, and therefore, I swore to unearth the truth.

Now that my research is finally completed, I realised that people could not be any more wrong in their aspects regarding stress. More than half of what we consider truth, are actually myths, but don’t worry, I’m here to help you debunk these myths.

Myth #1: Stress comes from your circumstances.

Stress is a result of what you think about your circumstances and not what the circumstances themselves are. This can also be observed by the way people react distinctively to the same situations under the same circumstances and conditions. Just the same way, the period of time that a person remains stressed also differs from person to person.

Sometimes, a stressful situation lasts just a few moments while some situations can last for much longer. In these situations, feeling unhappy or overwhelmed by it might only accentuate the stress and ultimately wear us down. Developing a positive attitude will help emotionally while also boosting the problem solving required for the stressful situation.

Myth #2: Stress is the same for everyone.

One thing my friend kept emphasising on was how stress is the same for everyone, but my research led me to show that this isn’t the case. No one experiences stress the same way nor does everyone show the same symptoms. Stress is different for every individual, with its impact also being subjective. Something that is stressful for one, may not be stressful for someone else.

Stress can also be different for men and women. Women have been proven more likely to ponder over what is causing them stress and then reach out for support and talk about it, while men are more likely to deal with stress using distraction, i.e., something that offers them an escape from their stressor.

Myth #3: Stress causes cancer.

Stress can increase the risk of falling victim to diseases, including cancer, due to a weaker immune system, but it cannot and does not cause cancer. People turn to unhealthy lifestyles and behaviours such as excessive drinking, smoking or even overeating due to stress which can also increase the risk of contracting cancer.

Therefore, stress makes a body more susceptible and hospitable to cancer, but it does not cause cancer.

Myth #4: Stress is a motivator.

People often think that they won’t be able to perform well unless they are pushed by stress since they believe it motivates them. Despite this, the benefits of being motivated by stress do not outweigh the overall negative effect that it may have on one’s health.

Acute stress, commonly known as short-term stress, can increase an individual’s focus and attentiveness, helping them perform their best and think creatively when solving problems. However, short-term stress acts as more of a motivating factor than long-term stress does. This is prominently because long-term stress, also called chronic stress, has more negative implications on a person’s health in terms of physical, emotional and mental well-being, proving to be more of a burden than a motivation.

Myth #5: Only major stress symptoms require attention.

Short-term or acute stress can quickly advance to long-term or chronic stress if the symptoms are not addressed properly. When stress reaches the chronic stage, it can be linked to many serious health problems due to your body being in a heightened sense of stress most of the time. Chronic stress can disrupt the normal functioning of your body, if not taken care of in the earlier stages.

Therefore, it is important to pay attention to how you deal with major and minor stressors, so you are aware of when you need to reach out for help.

Myth #6: Stress causes grey hair.

Stress doesn’t just cause your hair to go completely grey, there are several other reasons for it as well. Age is one factor that is majorly responsible for your hair turning grey. The pigment that naturally colours your hair is produced less as you grow up, thereby resulting your hair colour to turn grey and then finally white.

However, too much stress for a prolonged period of time can cause your hair to turn grey prematurely by affecting the stem cells that are responsible for regenerating hair pigment.

Myth #7: Stress is not a big deal.

A genuine conception about stress is the thought of the anxiety induced by deadlines or being late for something important. All these are things that don’t seem too stressful, but the word stress is not just confined to these notions. Stress is anything from the frustrations you may have about your work, be it for school, college or office, to every concern or frustration you may have about your relationships, both at home and at work, which can cause anxiety, anger, irritability, or in severe cases, depression, personality disorders, or even health problems.

The idea of ‘stress’ is negatively associated in society which prevents us from dealing with it effectively and getting the professional help that we may need.

Hopefully, these debunked myths will help you unravel the truth about stress so that instead of simply managing it, we can start eliminating it.

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