There are many different factors that influence reactions to stress. Are you the type of person who panics in a stressful situation, or do you handle it calmly? Are you calling 911 when all the person needs is a band-aid? Can you be left in charge and or make a good decision when it comes to someones life? Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. Natural coping mechanisms can be overwhelmed by stressful situations that people experience. Learning about the factors that influence reactions to stress, can help you to learn to manage them.
One factor is personality traits. Some people over respond from their own personality traits in a stressful event. Someone who is neurotic, may get stressed easily and they will turn to a dangerous behavior. The way children are brought up definitely teaches them how to handle a stressful situation. Parents that respond by panicking have shown children that is how to respond, so chances are they will learn that trait. Also, children who were abused have long term abnormalities with their pituitary system which regulates stress.
Another factor is the amount of support you have or the help that is available for you. People who have great support from their families and or friends tend to react more calmly. They know they have a support network to lean on for help. The lack of this kind of support sets you up for stress-related health problems.
People also have genetic factors that affect their reaction to stress, such as having a more or less efficient relaxation response. If you have good relaxation techniques you can decrease stress levels. These techniques improve the quality of life helping you with clarity that is needed in making quick decisions. Relaxation gives you more energy, helping you to get rid of negative emotions.
Other people are just biologically prone to stress. There are those who are less emotionally stable, or maybe have high anxiety levels. These people tend to experience events more stressful than healthy people would.
A huge influence is the length and quality of stress, too. The effects can be more harmful to a person if the situation is long and intense. It is better to get out of stressful situations, if avoidable.
Today, our stress response is dealing with all the noises of the world around us. There are so many noises that are almost impossible to block out, for example: cars, trucks, freeways noise. All this adds to our stressful impact, and these are things that are uncontrollable. Learning to manage our lives so they are a little more stress free is the key! You can not avoid all stress in life, but the factors that influence peoples reactions to stress, are very important by learning to manage them!
