Stress and control

Stress can have a negative affect on our health.

Stress can also be deceptive. What we’ve always perceived as “high-stress” and “low-stress” jobs may be  backwards.

A supposed "low-stress" job isn't void of stress. It may actually cause worse stress in some people.

Our ability to deal with stress determines how unhealthy it will be.

Our perceived ability to control things determines how stress will affect us.

People with more control are not as negatively affected.

People with more control can therefore face more stress, and may even feed off it.

See this article: 'How To Turn Off Harmful Stress Like A Switch'  https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-turn-off-harmful-stress-like-a-switch?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 "Stress comes from anxiety about future problems and the lack of control over them."

"Stress is defined as “mental or emotional strain resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.”"

"... the story of Viktor Frankl, the inspiring psychiatrist who survived imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. He observed firsthand the profound difference between his fellow prisoners who lost hope—and soon died—compared with those who found a purpose. Focusing on that purpose allowed them to take back some measure of psychological control."

"Viktor Frankl knew something science would later verify: perception can mediate the effects of stress. In other words, two people faced with exactly the same stressful situation can have very different physical and emotional reactions."

"A classic study of two rats (journal article by D.L Helmreich et al) reveals an important insight about the role control plays in the experience of stress. The two rats are in separate cages connected to the same electrical circuit. The circuit administers random shocks through the metal floor of their cage. One rat has a lever in its cage that enables it to turn off the shocks while the other rat does not...

..Here’s what’s happening. The electrical shock is the stressor, and both rats experience exactly the same amount of that stressful stimulus. Yet one rat feels in control of the stress. He can turn it off at will. On a psychological level, this makes all the difference.."

"

The stress we experience is based on our perception of what’s going to happen next. If we anticipate a threatening situation, our body releases stress hormones to prepare us to face the threat.

But if we believe we have control over a threatening stimulus, then we don’t need to prepare for that threat in the same way. We don’t need to be on full alert with the fight-or-flight response gearing us up for survival."

" This change in focus—from the many uncontrollable aspects of life to the few controllable ones—can have a profound effect. That’s because our perception of reality is, to a large extent, created by the focus of our attention."

"Are you facing the stress of an uncertain future? If so, it helps to focus on what you can control."

"Our human tendency is to focus on threats and problems. For the sake of our emotional wellness, it makes sense to modify that automatic tendency. You can’t control the stressors that come your way, but you can influence the focus of your own attention."

"Want another tool to combat stress? Counterintuitively, one of the best things we can add to your tool belt is an entirely different belief about stress—one befriending it instead of battling against it."

"When people believed stress was something bad that must be avoided, it had a far worse impact on their health. In contrast, among those who perceive stress as a normal part of pursuing goals, there was no correlation between higher stress and poor health outcomes."

"Feeling out of control makes us feel even more stress, perpetuating the harmful cycle. Perhaps it’s time to consider an alternative view of stress. What if we stopped seeing stress as something abnormal or threatening to your future health and instead thought of it as something that empowers us to be our best?"

"The effect is less stress. Can you guess why? She has expanded her sense of what’s possible."

"Since stress comes from feeling out of control, you can sometimes put yourself back in the driver’s seat, deliberately steering toward stress so you have greater control over deciding when to steer away toward rest."

"Bottom line—stress isn’t your enemy. It’s not even a bad thing. Stress is, in a very real way, what you make of it. You can take control of it, or you can let it control you. The choice is yours."

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I jotted down some thoughts and quotes from the above linked article. I read it awhile ago and need a refresher.

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Psalm 25:1–2, 16–21

1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.

18 Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.

19 Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.

20 Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.