Stress Can Be Helpful

One important discovery researchers have made is that a certain amount of fear and worry about

a stressful situation can be helpful. Indeed, it may even be necessary for coping successfully with the situation.

As an example, investigators cite a study of people going into surgery. The people reacted to the situation in three different ways. Some were moderately fearful, asking questions about the operation and showing tension from time to time. They showed they were concerned about the dangers of the situation. Others were highly fearful. They tried to postpone the operation and slept poorly. The third group gave little evidence of feeling fear. They were cheerful and optimistic and gave no indication that they felt they would come to harm.

Interestingly, the ones who made the best emotional adjustment after the operation were the first group—the moderate worriers. It seems that their "constructive worrying" had pared them for what was to come. The highly fearful ones remained in that state, showing great anxiety after the operation.

They were very reluctant to help in the recov­ery procedures. And the outwardly calm ones were most likely to be resentful and angry. They had not come to terms with the fact that the operation would have unpleasant effects. When they found themselves uncomfortable, they became emotionally upset. This study in­dicates that a little worry and apprehension be­fore a stressful situation can help people cope with it. It helps them to build inner defenses and prepare for what is to happen.

You may have noticed something similar when one of your classmates was preparing to give a report to the class. You saw how he or she practiced, worrying about what it would be like to stand in front of the whole class. This worrying and anticipation probably helped the student. A student who did not worry might have an unpleasant surprise. She or he may be caught off guard and suddenly freeze up.

Avoiding Unnecessary Stressors

One way of dealing with stress is to avoid un­necessary stressors. You can do this by avoid­ing potentially stressful situations or circum­stances. For example, overwork is a stressor. It makes you feel anxious and tired. If you let school assignments pile up, you will suddenly find you have too much to do. You will feel

Controlling Stress Responses

You can deliberately develop skills to help you cope with stress. Sometimes something as simple as getting away from a situation for a few hours or for a weekend can help. You can also try to alter the way you interpret a stressful situation. For instance, if a teacher is abrupt with you, you might feel anxious. You proba­bly think he or she is angry with you. But think about it; there might be another explanation. Perhaps the teacher has had a bad night's sleep, or is feeling sick, or is troubled by things that have nothing to do with you. Or say a friend passes you in the hall and ignores you. Your immediate reaction might be to feel hurt and assume that the friend is upset with you. But it's also possible that the friend is preoc­cupied and simply didn't see you. Once you begin to think of alternative explanations for stressful events, you may be able to reduce your own stress.

Open, honest communication can also re­lieve stress. Many of the interpretations we make are incorrect. If we check out our as­sumptions with another person, we learn the truth and, in the process, feel relief from stress are useful for easing the severe effects of stress. However, they do have drawbacks. They can cause adverse reactions. They can prevent people from facing up to a stressful situation. And there is always the possibility of developing a dependency on them. Drugs should be seen as a short-term measure only. They are useful for crises, but they are not ap­propriate as a day-to-day method of coping with normal stress.