Richardson once said that if the human mind is always busy thinking about every unsatisfactory thing in a pessimistic direction, there is no need for the appearance of an enemy, and you will be defeated first.
Stress is a cognitive and behavioral experience process composed of psychological stressors and psychological stress responses. The word comes from the Latin “stringere”, which means pain. Stress can be divided into distress and eustress. Distress can cause individuals to have an unpleasant, negative and painful experience, which is obstructive. And eustress can make individuals have a pleasant and satisfying experience, which is challenging and can promote personal growth and career development. Psychological stress, as a response to environmental stimuli, is to adapt to the stimuli of the stressor. In response to this stimulus, the body produces a series of responses. The stimuli that cause stress are accompanied by a series of non-specific physiological changes. If a person is completely free from stress, it is tantamount to death. Too high or too low pressure is not good for the individual.
According to Euler (2022), stress can damage physical health in three ways. First, stress can lead to a weakened immune system. A weakened immune system can lead to certain types of cancer, especially age-related cancers such as breast and lung. Stress may also indirectly cause cancer because it affects hormones. In addition, stress increases the production of different types of growth factors, promoting a greater blood supply to feed cancer cells, which in turn speeds up the development of cancerous tumors. In stressful situations, an individual’s behavior is often affected. For example, overeating or insomnia. Therefore, effective ways to relieve stress are necessary. Such as yoga practice, meditation or catharsis.
Combating stress from a psychological perspective, perhaps self-efficacy is one level of understanding the source of stress. Self-efficacy is an individual’s speculation and judgment on whether he or she has the ability to complete a certain behavior. Bandura’s definition of self-efficacy is the degree of confidence that an individual has in his ability to use the skills he possesses to complete a certain work behavior (Bandura et al, 1999). Self-efficacy affects or determines people’s choice of behavior, as well as the persistence and effort of the behavior. It can affect people’s thinking patterns and emotional response patterns, which in turn affect the acquisition of new behaviors and the performance of learned behaviors. People with high self-efficacy have high expectations, deal with situations rationally and are willing to meet the challenges of emergency situations. They are able to control their self-destructive thoughts and can use their wisdom and skills when needed. People with low self-efficacy deal with problems emotionally and are helpless in the face of stress. They are easily disturbed by fear, panic and shyness. Their knowledge and skills are not available when needed.
Reference:
Bandura, A., Freeman, W. H., & Lightsey, R. (1999). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control.
Euler (2022). Stress, Cancer and How to Cope. [online] Available at: https://www.cancerdefeated.com/stress-cancer-and-how-to-cope/