The hidden triggers of stress

A summary of stress triggers that are part of the unconscious realm.

Since the concept of stress was first introduced, it has been widely studied by different disciplines, including, of course, psychology.

Mainly, when trying to understand stress, our gaze has been focused on the changes that occur in human beings, apparently caused by sources extrinsic to the individual, that is, elements that are in the environment and that generate this response that ends up unbalancing physical and emotional harmony.

From a different point of view, the American psychiatrist David R. Hawkins affirms that what may be stressful for some is not really stressful for others, since stress emerges from internal factors that operate in the subjects, that which the individuals hold in their minds; therefore, it is not possible to run the risk of being stressed.Therefore, it is not possible to run away from it. But what are these internal determinants, how do they operate, and how should this problem be addressed if it is not caused by external factors?

Knowing stress and its triggers

Stress is not characterized as a negative response.It fulfills an adaptive and survival function.

However, according to Lazarus in 1966, if the individual has the perception that personal resources are insufficient to successfully face a situation, there may be a non-positive assessment of the stimulus, resulting in physical and emotional manifestations, such as Muscle pain in the neck or back, headaches, digestive discomfort, sleep abnormalities, anxious or depressive symptoms, among others, and depending on the chronicity of stress, triggering diseases.

The Human Mind

The human mind can be represented as an iceberg.. The part that floats on the water is what people are aware of, what they can see of their subjective world. However, there is a much larger portion of their interiority, which has great influence on how they feel and act, and which in this metaphor is represented by all that lies beneath the surface; this would be the unconscious.

The unconscious dimension of the human experience harbors an enormous accumulation of information about others and oneself, which is brought into play in every moment of our lives.which is brought into play at every moment of interaction. In this realm lies a collection of emotions, feelings, belief systems and memories that silently influence the way we feel and be in the world.

The role of beliefs and positionings

It is not uncommon to observe that different individuals react differently to the same situation, some listen to a certain type of music feeling calm and well being, while others just want the sound to stop; a highly complex intellectual work that for some may be frightening, for others it may represent a stimulating challenge. The list of examples is extensive.

These individual distinctions respond to those positions that are taken and belief systems that are operating, either consciously or unconsciously: "that music doesn't appeal to me", "classical music is relaxing", "I'm not capable enough to make it", "my boss doesn't value me", "I'm good at this", "boring people stay home on a Saturday night", "I must be productive, otherwise it will be a wasted day", "old age is not attractive", "I can't be alone", "at my age I should have achieved this by now", "I'm not good enough". ..

All these ideas, and many others, were inserted in the innocent mind of people from culture and society, and also as a consequence of upbringing, and they speak more about themselves than they do about their own age.They speak more about themselves than about the particular situation or stimulus, since it is human beings who give them a certain meaning or interpretation, conditioning their reaction to them.

The role of emotions and feelings

Having already understood the relevance of thoughts and beliefs, it is essential to connect these notions with those of feelings and emotions, since the rudder of the mind is held by them.

Each feeling corresponds to a condensation of a great quantity of thoughts, being repressed and suppressed even during the whole life cycle, since the human being has an important tendency to try to flee from what he feels. However, all this accumulated psychic energy seeks ways to express itself in unhealthy ways. seeks unhealthy ways of expressing itselfIt emerges through psychological illnesses, and also expresses itself bodily, through some psychosomatic condition or physical illness.

These feelings come to be expressed in a way that produces an imbalance, because each individual manages what he feels through certain mechanisms that allow him to continue functioning without having to directly confront his emotions and feelings, among them the best known are repression, suppression, expression and escape.

In suppression and repression, emotions and feelings are put aside, selected according to socialization.selected according to socialization. In repression, this happens unconsciously, and among the most used mechanisms to carry out this task are denial and projection, while in suppression it happens consciously.

The pressure of suppressed emotions is expressed as mood swings, irritability, tension in the neck and back muscles, headaches, cramps, menstrual disorders, colitis, indigestion, insomnia, hypertension, allergies, and other somatic conditions.

As far as expression is concerned, what happens is that emotional experience is externalized through language and/or the body.. However, this strategy only allows a sufficient amount of pressure to be relieved so that the rest of the energy can continue to be suppressed. In addition, this type of mechanism results in the feeling being amplified.

In relation to escape, it is related to the avoidance of emotions by with the avoidance of emotions by means of entertainment.. People's fear of facing themselves leads them to become absorbed in various avoidance activities such as social networking, television programs, constant internet surfing, video games, food, drugs and/or alcohol, among other behaviors.

About this, David Hawkins points out that the optimal state of the human being is characterized by happiness, satisfaction, peace and joy; however, these states are obscured by the clouds of repressed and accumulated negative emotions, which generate a specific type of perception of the human being.which generate a specific type of perception of the world.

For example, whoever has a high level of internal anger and resentment, will tend to see hostility and belligerence in others and situations, generating in turn thoughts of attack, injustice and revenge, while that person who is dominated by fear, will observe a frightening and dangerous world, producing the emergence of thoughts of vulnerability, tragedy, helplessness, among others. This happens with every negative emotion that covers like a veil the possibility of individuals to see reality.

Stress relief

When turning the problem of stress to the internal space of human beings, it becomes evident that the answer to stress relief should not be sought in the stimuli provided by the world, but in a personal work associated with the emotional dimension. that allows to release the accumulated pressure of repressed emotions and feelings, as well as to dismantle those systems that limit and propitiate the emergence of these negative emotions. Since that which physically and psychologically unbalances the subjects is what they hold in their mind.

Concluding remarks

As we have seen, stress is the consequence of hidden triggers within the individual himselfThe suppressed emotions held in the mind, and the associated belief systems. This implies a personal vulnerability to a stress response to certain stimuli, which will be conditioned by factors that often have an unconscious influence.

Thus, the way in which these processes operate implies a great wear and tear due to the enormous amounts of energy used in sustaining these mechanisms and maintaining in the unconscious all that is being repressed and suppressed, which generates a stagnation in the processes of personal growth, and the emergence of physical and mental illnesses.

In conclusion, since the cause of stress is not external, it is understandable that the best approach strategy is to focus on the inner world of people, since in this way it is possible to work to modify beliefs and judgments related to what is outside and inside, as well as to get rid of suppressed emotions, so that stress can be eliminated and prevented.