With April being Stress Awareness Month, we took the opportunity to focus on stress-related words for the month’s Diversity Dictionary theme.

Stress is one of those words thats gets thrown about quite casually: ‘That project is stressing me out’'…’The ending of that show was so stressful'.’ But stress has a very real function in our existence as human beings. Modern life, however has made our relationship with stress somewhat dysfunctional. And in the more recent context of a global pandemic, stress is at an all time high. It’s crucial we learn ways to better understand, recognise and manage stress, and proactively keep it at bay. Read on to learn ways we can do that.

stress

Stress is a state of mental, physical or emotional strain or tension, triggered when feeling threatened or under pressure, and a normal biological reaction to a potentially dangerous situation. When we encounter sudden stress, our brain floods our body with chemicals and hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. That gets the heart beating faster and sends blood to muscles and important organs. We feel energised and have heightened awareness so we can focus on our immediate needs. (Source: Healthline.com) 

Stress is a natural reaction to many situations in life, such as work, illness, relationships and financial problems. And it isn’t always a bad thing. Stress is what helped humans survive as hunter-gatherers, and it’s just as important in today’s world. 

But stress should be temporary. Once you’ve passed the fight-or-flight moment, your heart rate and breathing should slow down and your muscles should relax. In a short time, your body should return to its natural state without any lasting negative effects. (Source: Healthline.com) 

Yet in the context of a global pandemic, research has shown that 65% of people in the UK have felt more stressed since the COVID-19 restrictions began in March 2020. And the three key causes for concern are feelings of disconnection, uncertainty, and a worrying loss of control. (Source: The Stress Management Society) 

Systemic oppression and discrimination are further sources of disproportionate stress. Groups who face discrimination because of their race, sexuality, disability, gender or class (among many other factors) tend to report higher levels of stress. Even the anticipation of discrimination, based on past experiences, can lead to higher stress levels. (Source: Talkspace.com) 

Prolonged stress can be physically, mentally and emotionally harmful. It’s important we come to understand the many ways in which modern life can trigger stress, so that we can create holistic ways to manage and overcome stress in our daily lives.

burnout

Burnout is a reaction to prolonged or chronic stress that shows up in three main ways: exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of reduced ability. The term was coined in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger, in his book, Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement. (Source: Very Well Mind) 

Burnout is usually the result of prolonged stress, but it isn’t the same as stress. Stressed people can still imagine that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better. Burnout, on the other hand, means feeling empty, mentally exhausted and devoid of motivation. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. (Source: Helpguide.org)

According to the World Health Organisation, burnout refers specifically to the context of the workplace, and shouldn’t be applied to other areas of life. (World Health organisation). But in more recent years, and particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been other reported forms, such as parental burnout. 

Parents have had to juggle the uncertainties of job security or having to work from home, with additional stresses of juggling childcare, homeschooling and their children’s anxieties. While the reopening of schools and daycare openings may bring a sense of relief, it’s coupled with concerns around safety. The unrelentingness of these stresses through the pandemic has been leading to increased levels of parental burnout. 

Another form of burnout is activism burnout. A constant threat of violence, hostility from others, economic vulnerability, as well as hyper-awareness of structural racism and oppression can ultimately debilitate activists’ abilities to remain engaged and threaten the sustainability of social movements. (Source: Gorski & Erakat, 2019) 

Self-care is often stated as a way to remedy burnout, but it can also be a preventative measure to avoid burnout in the first place. As the feminist writer and activist Audre Lorde has said: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT RESPONSE

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that happens when we’re in a situation that causes extreme anxiety or fear. It’s also known as an ‘acute stress response’.

We’re evolved to have a complex chain of events take place automatically in our body during the fight or flight response, to help guarantee our survival in the face of perceived danger: 

The reaction begins in the amygdala, the part of our brain responsible for perceived fear. The amygdala responds by sending signals to the hypothalamus, which stimulates the autonomic nervous system (ANS). In general, when the ANS is stimulated, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormone. (Source: Healthline.com)

Fight-or-flight then shows up in our body in different ways. For example, dilated pupils, pale or flushed skin, rapid heart rate, heavy breathing, trembling muscles are all signs that our body is focusing its energies on surviving the threat it has perceived. 

There are also changes that we can’t necessarily ‘feel’, such as blood thickening, which increases clotting and is our body’s way of preparing for injury. Our perception of pain is temporarily reduced too. Usually, the body will return to its natural state after 20 to 30 minutes. 

In our ancestors’ hunter-gatherer days, fight-or-flight was a response to real dangers such as predators and harsh climates. Today our bodies are responding with fight-or-flight to non-threatening stresses such as email inboxes, bills and deadlines, sometimes multiple times a day. Prolonged exposure to stress in this way can have long-term negative consequences on our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. It is not sustainable.  

This is why it’s important to recognise the signs of fight-of-flight, so that we can be proactive in calming down and relaxing the body and counteract stress with techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, exercise and movement, and a support system of friends, family and other healthy social relationships. 

Stress management

Stress management encompasses a range of strategies and processes to help a person better deal with life’s stress and difficulties.

The process of stress management is one of the keys to a happy and successful life in modern society. Yet, it can be easy to de-prioritise stress management activities or think of them as frivolous or self-centred.

Existing within the white-supremacist-cis-heteoro-ableist-patriarchy means many of us are more stressed than we realise because of the risk and anticipation of discrimination. Managing stress proactively is much more sustainable than dealing with the consequences of chronic stress and burnout. Here are some techniques we can all use and adapt to manage stress.

One of the key ways is to identify the source(s) of stress. There could be obvious major stressors such as changing jobs, moving, or going through a divorce. But it’s also worth examining and accepting responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining stress. Regular journaling and self-reflection can help with this. (Source: @helpguideorg)

Being physically active is proven to help reduce and manage stress. It might seem contradictory, but regular movement lowers your body’s stress hormones (like cortisol) and helps release ‘happy chemicals’ like endorphins that improve your mood.

Deep breathing is also a way to calm the body when it’s in fight-or-flight. It counteracts the symptoms of stress, by slowing the heart rate, allowing the focus to return to the whole body and bringing a sense of peacefulness.

Connecting with others and spending time with family and friends can also help relieve stress, as a sense of ‘belonging’ is one of our most basic human needs. You could combine this with physical movement and another strategy of getting out in nature, by going for walks.

In general, doing activities that bring you joy, whether it’s dancing to music, listening to a podcast, reading a book or visiting an art gallery will help to reduce stress. Whichever activity you choose, schedule it into your diary to ensure you’re committed and making time for it and for yourself.

Part of our mission at The Other Box is to educate as many people as possible in the language of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). On all our social channels, we share weekly words and their definitions, with a different theme each month.

These terms are a taster and have been taken from our Diversity Dictionary™ module in our Know Your Bias™ course. If you'd like to learn more, check out our courses page and fill in the contact form. 

Is there a theme you’d like to see covered in Diversity Dictionary? Let us know! Our work is co-created by our community to work towards creating a world that is more inclusive and safe for everyone.

Words by Roshni Goyate

Header image by JJ Jordan on Unsplash