Dealing with Stress

Stress? What Stress?

Many people change due to stress and don't even realize it. People change because of stress, mainly because they either don't realize what is going on or they know too much. For instance, imagine the stress of not knowing what is happening to a loved one overseas in the war. My father has been deployed for almost four months now and already I can see the changes in me, my siblings, and most prevalently, my mother. They do things they never have before and act differently. Sometimes they seem like completely different people. They can let this time of thought help them grow as a person or let it hurt them. There are so many positive and negative things people can do that may help them with deal with their stress.

Spending money is a major way to deal with stress in today's world. It is definitely not the best solution, but still people do it all the time. For example, when people are stressing or hurting, they tend to buy more items they feel will make them happy or at ease. These things can range anywhere from food and clothes to drugs and alcohol. For me, I like to buy video games or sports related apparel to help get my mind off of stressful thoughts, but as I have noticed to no avail. So many people spend money on useless items and don't see it that it becomes somewhat of a habit or an addiction.

Drugs and alcohol, or other addictions, can feel like a good way for people to deal with stress in the moment. That is why so many people choose to turn to drugs or addictions to cope with stress. For instance, my uncle has been through multiple divorces. Over the years he has developed a strong addiction to alcohol because he says it helps him to forget about and cope with the bad memories that cause him stress. A person may say that they are only doing these things to deal with the stress, which they probably are at the time. As this progresses though it could become an addiction which could, in turn, just cause more stress in the long run so it defeats the purpose. People try to replace one good feeling with another, but that may not be as effective as they would like.

Replacement is another major stress coping mechanism. If people feel they can replace what is stressing them out, then they may try to replace it. For instance, if someone is stressing out about not seeing a loved one, they may try and replace that person with a new pet or even another person. Too often, having an affair while the other person is overseas or away on business is an easy out for the person who is stressing out. The sad part is that this coping method is effective so people end up leaving the people, causing them stress. I've seen it happen a few times now with some of my father's friends in the war. The quality time with someone else got their mind off of the stress and the stressor. So much so, that they didn't feel they even needed that person any more.

Quality