Víctor Fernando Pérez: «The greatest driver of stress is control»
Stress can take many forms, and most of them are not problematic. However, sometimes excess stress generates uncomfortable or directly painful experiences and leads us to self-sabotage.
It is in situations of this type when we usually ask ourselves about the causes of that mental state that makes us feel stressed; However, to fully understand the triggers of these problems, it is important to know about stress in general, not just the one that makes us feel bad.
To learn more about the subject, today we offer you an interview with the psychologist Víctor Fernando Pérez López.
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Interview with Víctor Fernando Pérez López: 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 people in our world have faced 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 trigger for 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 ask you through a question: What would happen if you did not have any kind of change in your life and that everything remained unchanged and "apparently perfect"?
At first it would be comfortable but I think at some point I could get bored.
True, but in addition to that, it is likely that without having in your hands the illusion that you can direct your destiny, 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 completely separate it from them.
I suppose there are millions of people living with stress that does not do them good, how is it that people stress in a negative way?
According to studies of stress in humans, pathological stress occurs when a large number of unusual conditions threaten the well-being or integrity of a person. Although an isolated event can also occur for which "Post-traumatic stress" has been defined.
So if change is not the most stressful factor, what would be the factor (s) responsible for why people stress in a negative way?
In my opinion, pathological stress is established by some conditions. For example, when physical rest as well as the state of sleep-wakefulness are not adequate for long periods of time and as a consequence you do not have what we call “rest”.
Also when there is an overload of demands that does not allow sufficient recovery for our processes to occur normally.
Or when a negative event requires the person to have an immediate capacity for adaptation and it is a traumatic event, it results in what I have mentioned, “post-traumatic stress”.
Considering that stress is a form of adaptation in our body 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?
Not; stress is part of life. According to the American Psychological Association, for its acronym in English "APA", when acute stress becomes repetitive it leads to acute episodic stress, and if, as part of beliefs, social, family and environmental pressures exceed the limits in which a person can cope with it, there is a risk that it becomes stress chronic.
As a consequence, in my opinion we cannot speak of positive stress or negative stress. It greatly influences the perception and the condition in which people are subjected to a certain type of stress and the tools they have to deal with it.
What alternatives exist to deal with chronic stress in the best way?
Exercise is highly recommended. Performed constantly and correctly increasing the degree of intensity, this activity is the most resembling a type of stress, which can be a strengthening factor and reduce the risk of stress pathological.
Through exercise the person can choose the level of intensity of their physical activity and become stronger. Exercise, over time, becomes an enormously rewarding activity.
Another activity that I recommend is practicing Mindfulness; Through this practice the body and mind have the opportunity to enter into a healthy balance in the "here and now".
Finally, access therapy. With the help of a qualified specialist in Psychology or Coaching they become powerful tools to correct situations of pathological stress.
Is there a fast track to chronic stress reduction?
In my opinion, all the alternatives that I have mentioned are of enormous help to normalize our stress levels. However, when people go to a professional, it is precisely when they demonstrate to themselves that are ready for change and it is where the magic of renewal and true change happens with the help of a expert.
What conclusions could 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. While the control is optional and it is in our ability to choose to release said control in favor of something or someone and even decide when we want to have it again.
Thank you for the information you have shared with us, Victor. Is there anything you would like to add?
Yeah right. We know that there are millions of people living conditions of chronic stress 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 times of stress that are difficult to cope with.