The Anatomy of Stress

Dead Lock

In the "anatomy of emotions series", I am not only referring to the reasons behind such emotions, I’m giving you effective techniques that can help you get rid of these emotions, based on its anatomy. see The anatomy of social anxiety,The anatomy of acceptance and The anatomy of depression.

If you are familiar with the world of computer databases then you may have heard of the term deadlock, where two or more competing actions are waiting for the other to finish and thus neither does. Both instructions are waiting for one another to terminate the use of the processor. And this results in a deadlock. Am sure computer folks will be very happy with this article Eye-wink

So what does this have to do with stress? Actually deadlocks and stress are almost the same thing, but in the case of stress, there are two thoughts that occupy your mind at the same time and each of them is waiting for the other to finish.

The Anatomy of stress

Sam was busy replying to his delayed work emails when suddenly his wife calls and asks him to buy her something with his credit card because her card was not working. In the middle of all this mess, Sam’s boss comes in and asks him to finish an important assignment before noon. At this point sam’s stress doubles, he starts shouting at everyone and when his wife calls for the second time, he hangs up without saying a word.

Let’s examine this situation, Sam’s mind is deeply involved in answering the mails and when his wife calls,her request demands a part of his mind . Then his boss demands another part, resulting in having a deadlock situation, thus stress.

All these events contributed to sam's stress. However, if his wife had called after he had finished replying to these emails, if his boss had come after he had finished what his wife had asked him to do, he wouldn’t have felt stressed although he would have done the same amount of work anyway.

This is the case with stress most of the time, you get deeply involved in doing something then something else disturbs you, and so you get stressed.

What causes stress

Up to this point you may be wondering, sometimes I feel stressed even when I am working on one task only. And this is because, a deadlock occurs when anything tries to occupy your mind while you are busy, even if it’s some noise. To make it clear I will write down a list of items that can result in a deadlock, if they take place while you are doing another task.

Thinking about something else:If you were working but at the same time thinking of your shopping list then you may get stressed although you are obviously not shopping while working.
External stressors: Poor lighting, noise, bad weather or even wanting to go to the toilet could cause stress if accompanied by another task.
Suppressed problems: If you keep thinking about the problems you are currently facing while working then surly you will get stressed, even if they are just a few flying thoughts.
Stressful problems: Even if you are working on one task, if an unexpected problem occurs during the procedure, it might stress you out because your mind will become occupied with both; the unfinished task and the new problem.

How to overcome stress

In order to overcome stress we should try to limit these deadlocks or even get rid of them completely. The following are some very effective techniques that can prevent deadlocks and so reduce stress:

Respond to your subconscious mind: In my book, The ultimate guide to getting over depression I explained how responding in a timely manner to the messages your subconscious mind sends to you can help you reduce stress and prevent depression. Always keep a small notebook with you or a piece of paper while working or studying and whenever you remember an unfinished task just write it down. By doing so you will be notifying your subconscious mind that you will proceed with those other tasks later and so there is no need for stress.
Have a stress free work environment: When you are about to study or work, make sure that the chair you will be sitting on is comfortable, that the lighting is adequate and that all other external factors are favorable so as not to consume your mind's resources and so reduce stress.

Start by small tasks: If you have two tasks to finish, your mind will be thinking of both at the same time, so it’s better to get rid of the minor one first in order to prevent stress . Many people fall into the mistake of, proceeding with the most difficult task first, this is ok if you don’t have any problem with stress , but if you do then you have to get rid of the minor tasks first.

2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor a boring online encyclopedia but rather a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is backed by psychology and presented in a simple way that you can understand and apply. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself. The book “How to get over someone in few days” was released by 2knowmyself, the book is a 100% guarantee that you will get over anyone else you will be refunded.

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