Víctor Fernando Pérez: "The biggest driver of stress is control".

Víctor Fernando Pérez, founder of ENDI En Directo, talks to us about the origin of stress.

Stress can take many forms, and most of them are not problematic. However, sometimes excessive stress generates uncomfortable or directly painful experiences that lead us to self-sabotage.

It is in situations of this type that we tend to ask ourselves about the causes of the state of mind that makes us feel stressed; however, to understand the triggers of these problems properly, it is important to understand stress in general, it is important to know the stress in general, not only the one that makes us feel bad..

To learn more about the subject, today we offer you an interview with psychologist Victor Fernando Perez Lopez.

Interview with Victor Fernando Perez Lopez: the origin of stress

Víctor Fernando Pérez López is Founder of ENDI En Directo: Terapia y Coaching. In this interview he talks about the origins and triggers of stress.

Victor, for about 2 years now people in our world have been facing very high levels of stress, perhaps in part due to the drastic change in the way we lived and as a consequence of the pandemic. Could it be that change due to circumstances beyond our control is the triggering factor of pathological stress?

No. Although we may be seduced by the belief that change as a condition of adaptation is one of the factors that causes pathological stress, it is not. I put it to you through a question: What would happen if you had no change at all in your life and everything remained unchanged and "seemingly perfect"?

At first it would be comfortable but I think at some point I might get bored.

True, but in addition to that, it is likely that without having the illusion that you can direct your destiny in your hands, you would also feel enormously stressed by not being able to control anything.

Without emotions there is no stress but neither do we find meaning in life, that is why we need to "adopt" a certain degree of stress and feel emotions. Stress is linked to emotions and it is not possible to separate it completely from them.

I suppose that there are millions of people living with a stress that is not good for them, how is it that people get stressed in a negative way?

According to studies of human stress, pathological stress occurs when a large number of unusual conditions threaten a person's well-being or integrity. However, an isolated event can also occur, which has been defined as "Post-traumatic stress".

So, if change is not the most stressful factor, what would be the factor or factors responsible for people becoming negatively stressed?

In my opinion, pathological stress is established by some conditioning factors. For example, when the physical rest as well as the state of sleep-wakefulness are not adequate for extended periods of time and as a consequence we do not have what we call "restorative rest".

Also when there is an overload of demands that does not allow sufficient recovery so that our processes can take place in a normal way.

Or when a negative event demands from the person an immediate capacity of adaptation and it is a traumatic event, it derives in what I have mentioned, "post-traumatic stress".

Considering that stress is a form of adaptation in our organism and in our mind, is there any degree of stress that we consider positive?

I would not speak of positive stress, I prefer to call it normal stress.

Is it possible to live without any stress?

No; stress is part of life. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), when acute stress becomes repetitive it becomes episodic acute stress, and if, as part of beliefs, social, family and environmental pressures, it exceeds the limits within which it is possible for a person to cope with it, there is a risk of it becoming chronic stress.

As a consequence, in my opinion, we can neither speak of positive stress nor of negative stress. The perception and the condition in which the person is subjected to a certain type of stress and the tools he or she has to cope with it have a great influence.

What alternatives exist to face chronic stress in the best way?

It is highly recommended to exercise. Performed consistently and correctly increasing the degree of intensity, this activity is the closest thing to a type of stress, which can be a strengthening factor and reduce the risk of pathological stress.

Through exercise a person can choose the level of intensity of their physical activity and become stronger. Exercise, over time, becomes an enormously rewarding activity.

Another activity I recommend is the practice of Mindfulness; through this practice the body and mind have the opportunity to enter into healthy balance in the "here and now".

Finally, access therapy. With the help of a qualified specialist in Psychology or Coaching become powerful tools to correct pathological stress situations.

Is there a quick way to chronic stress reduction?

In my opinion, all the alternatives I have mentioned are of enormous help in normalizing our stress levels. However, when people go to a professional, it is precisely when they prove to themselves that they are ready for change and that is where the magic of renewal and real change happens with the help of an expert.

What conclusions can we draw about the causes of stress?

In my opinion the biggest driver of stress is control, not change.

We can recognize that change is a constant, permanent and unavoidable factor. Whereas control is optional and it is in our ability to choose to let go of that control in favor of something or someone and even decide when we want to have it back.

Thank you for the information you have shared with us, Victor, is there anything you would like to add?

Yes, of course. We know that there are millions of people living under chronic stress conditions due to multiple difficulties. At ENDI En Directo we have a qualified team of specialists and all of them can help people who are going through difficult stressful times.