Everybody has to note that no one person is free from stress, so it is an inescapable aspect of life. Stress is a complex issue that has drawn the attention of many people from the dawn of history. There may be stress at home, in the school, at the market, at work, on the streets and community. It is noteworthy that when a person is under stress, he/she is faced with disrupted emotional, cognitive and psychological functioning. One thing about stress is the fact that the effects of the environment or the psychological demands on the individual are dependent on how he/she perceives it. Therefore, not everyone reacts to the same situation in the same way. Your ability to tolerate stress depends on several factors, including genetics, your emotional intelligence, your general outlook on life, and the quality of your relationships. Below are five major factors that influence your stress tolerance level.
1. One’s knowledge and preparedness
Stress can be heightened when one is not aware of what to expect in the stressful situation. But it is easier to cope when you have knowledge of what you are facing and when it is going to come to an end. For instance, a surgery patient who has a realistic picture of what to expect after the surgery and how long it is going to last will be able to manage the pains and trauma than when he/she is expecting to recover immediately. The more information you have about your problem the less stress you willface when dealing with it.
2. Understanding of behavior
when a person knows he is getting stressed out under certain conditions the chances are there that he or she would be able to cope with it by diverting the attention towards positive aspects of a certain situation. Or one may also try to relieve teh stress using certain known tactics as well.
3. Optimistic approach
Research has proven that those who tend to be optimistic in all spheres of life tend to cope better with stress than those who are pessimistic. They are more likely to concentrate on the positive, are more willing to get social support, and are more action oriented than the pessimists who are more likely to react to stress by engaging in denial or by giving up.4. Hardiness and stress fight
Several researches have proven that certain personality characteristics can actually moderate the impact of stress in an individual. This stems from the fact that stress affects some people less than others. Hardiness is a personality syndrome marked by control, challenge, and commitment that is relatively linked to strong stress resistance.the more you have control over your behavior, thoughts and external influcnes the betetr you are capable to cope with the stressful influnces.5. Sensation Seeking behavior and stressful situations
People who are high in sensation tend to enjoy challenges and are easily bored by something that is not extra ordinary. These set of people usually engage in stressful activities and take it as a normal way of life. They satisfy their urge for high stimulation by trying to have novel experiences, having numerous sexual partners, and experimenting with drugs. They partake in activities that may involve high levels of physical risks such as surfing, white water rafting, and mountain climbing. They also tend to relish unusual friends, wild parties, provocative art, foods, and gambling.Suppressed people, peopel who are afraid of everything that is new and are not capable of confronting challenges develop more stress and may experince high level of tension and depression due to cosnitent stres son tehir nerves.
These are high sensation seekers and they normally pursue activities that some people would normally regard a stressful. These set of individuals have less stress and can easily adapt to stressful situations because very few things will surprise them.
However, their tendency for high sensation can sometimes be unproductive rather than productive.
They are likely to engage in impulse behavior, exhibit unhealthy habits (such as driving too fast or smoking), have difficulty in school, or indulge in drug abuse. So, the shortfalls of high sensation seeking might outweigh its benefits.
6. The possible availability of Social support
The quality of your friendship has great impact on how well you can respond to stress. Social support here means different succor and aids provided by members of your social network. Social support seems to work great wonders on the mind as well since it is associated with mental health. During times of tress, social support serves as a protective shield for the individual which minimizes the negative impact of the stressor.Your stress tolerance level can also be boosted not only by human social support but also by pets. A study by Siegel in 1990 found out that elderly pet owners need lesser medical care than their counterparts who did not own pets.
However, social support should not be confused with social bond, because some people in your social circle can be a source of more stress than support. Friends and families can break promises, make you feel guilty, and put you under pressure, which will definitely increase your stress levels. So, there are good and bad sides when measuring the impact of social relations with respect to stress tolerance level.
7. Availability of a cure or solution
Similar to the fact that when people have enough social support available or someone with whom they can share their stress factors they can also cope with stress quite efficiently when they ahve some sort of cure available to them. availability of a counsellor, a metal health sanctuary, a doctor or a person who knows how to relive your stress and help you regain your energies are some of the options whihc could help peopel dealing with stress.
Above all, your own will-power and the determination to fight stress back is the main factor that influnce your stress tolerance level. never lose hope, never get things wrong, and never let otehr drive you wrong because life is precious and you have to keep your moral high thinking about the positive energies and venting out the negative ones. You can surely beat stress!