Stress affects everyone's lives, from totally dependent children to hard-working adults. The psychology of stress studies the effects of stress on a person's well-being, its sources and coping mechanisms. Psychologists treating patients for stress might address negative coping techniques, such as substance abuse, while promoting positive ones, such as progressive muscle relaxation.
Stress
In psychology, stress is defined as the person's physiological (i.e., pertaining to the physical body) reaction to environmental demands. Stress does not necessarily need to be positive or negative, yet people tend to use the word "stress" in a negative tone. Stress can be induced while playing a game of tennis and the person is about to hit the winning shot; or it can come from an over-tasked schedule. Some symptoms of stress include a rapid heart rate, anxious thoughts, focused concentration, high levels of energy or extreme muscle tension.
Control
Negative stress, according to many psychologist studies, can be attributed to lack of control in a situation. Workplaces are a perfect example. Psychologists note that situations such as not having support to complete the job, unwanted long hours and high workloads given by superiors actually lead to health problems. The Health and Safety department of England reports that a third of their workers' new health-related problems was directly related to job stress and that work-related stress accounted for 30 days of absence per case.
Negative Coping Mechanisms
Negative coping mechanisms for stress can happen if a person gives up on trying to control the stressful situation. It can be perceived as punishment for not being strong enough to handle the stress. Examples of negative coping include excessive drinking, smoking and binge eating. Others may try to exert too much control over a smaller aspect of their lives, such as their children or a specific area of their homes. Sometimes negative coping mechanisms can lead to disorders like body dysmorphic disorder, where a person's perception of his or her physical self is grossly exaggerated, resulting in overcompensation.
Progressive
Progressive muscle relaxation is a mental and physical technique that can help people cope with stress symptoms by exerting slow control over their bodies and releasing tension one muscle group at a time. For example, a person would start by tensing up his right fore-arm for 15 seconds and then completely relaxing it for 15 seconds. He would then move onto the other forearm, then the upper arms and then the shoulders. This would continue until all major muscle groups have been used, resulting in a relaxed body.
Self-Administered Desensitization
Self-administered desensitization is another stress-reduction technique, during which a therapist might guide a patient into slowly exposing himself to certain stressful situations. This is usually applied to those with stress from anxiety and anxious situations. For instance, a patient who exhibits stress from being in possibly germ-contaminated public places might be instructed to approach a public restroom door but not open it. She might be told to first imagine what could happen from touching the door and compare it to an actual reality. The next day she might be instructed to open the door and then stand next to it, considering both the perceived outcome and the actual result. This could continue until the patient feels little to no stress from approaching public restrooms.
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