Staying Calm In Stressful Situations

Stress leads to mistakes, increases in bug reports, and pull requests not being accepted. When under stress we don’t perform at our optimum. We tend to focus too much on the problem and not how to solve it or what to do to reduce the issue if it can’t be solved right away. In times of high stress people tend to regress to behaviors used in childhood when facing an emotional threat. For some this may be running and hiding under the bed whereas for others it means getting defensive and arguing. To the uninitiated the ability to stay calm in stressful situations appears as an inborn trait that only a select group of people possess. However, science, specifically the science of the brain, has shown evidence that remaining calm under pressure is a skill that can be learned. Stress can be motivating or debilitating. Some people naturally thrive under pressure, they wait until the last possible minute to get their work done because they enjoy the challenge. Others have learned how to work under strain because they have found themselves in that situation and have a desire to succeed or they take on more than they can handle and either have to fail or learn to be successful under stress. No matter the reason, there will be times you find yourself in a stressful situation. Use these techniques to not only survive the situation but to be ready for when it comes and you will be able to thrive even in a stressful environment. Episode Breakdown Understanding Your Response to Stress Do You Fight or Do You Flight? When under stress our bodies go into an acute stress response also known as fight or flight. This is a physiological reaction to a perceived threat, real or not, that involves the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. Physical symptoms of an acute stress response can include dilated pupils, tunnel vision, dry eyes, pale or flush skin, sweating, increased heart rate, quick, shallow breathing, dry mouth, and muscle tension. Emotional manifestations include but are not limited to fear, anxiety, and aggression. When under stress people have shorter fuses and tend to react rather than respond. Since many times these reactions are not appropriate for the stress inducing situation (public speaking for example) the body doesn’t get a release and can end up in a feedback loop that creates chronic issues (such as depression, heart disease, GI disorders, and lots more) due to sustained stress response. Understand the biochemistry behind stressful feelings. The human body is a system of checks and balances that regulates itself through feedback loops. Long term stress can create or occur because of a dysregulation of the system designed to prepare you for dealing with dangerous situations. Your amygdala is the part of the brain that recognizes danger and releases hormones that tell hypothalamus to get ready. The hypothalamus then signals the pituitary gland to release hormones that then have the adrenal gland (on top of the kidneys) to release cortisol. Cortisol sometimes gets a bad rap as the “stress hormone” when in reality it is the over stimulation of the adrenal glands or too much cortisol that is the problem. In the right amounts cortisol helps to regulate blood pressure, reduce inflammation, regulate your blood sugar, and boosts energy when needed. Label the emotions you are feeling. In order to avoid a reaction that could get you into trouble or issues with chronic stress you need to break the feedback loop that is sustaining the stress. Psychological and neurological research has found that labeling emotions takes the stress inducing anxiety out of them and actually reduces the amount of stress hormones produced. By giving your emotions a name and a label you are taking back control of the situation. Many times stress comes from lack of control,