Why People React Differently To Stress?

Q: OK! I understood the manifestations of stress. What should I do next?

A: When you fell any one of the manifestations mentioned earlier it means that your body is telling you that there is something is going wrong and you have to take action to reduce it.

Q: I told some of my friends which have similar manifestation(s) but I saw them react in a different way than I do, why?

A: Each of us is a product of nature and nurture. In other words, we are all born with a certain “personality” and we are all raised in a particular environment. So, when you put these two things together, that which you are born with and that which you are raised with, you end up with a developing human being. People who are prone to stress tend to share certain personality traits.

The following traits may be present to varying degrees in different individuals:

1- Perfectionism:
We all try to be perfect but this is impossible. You have a tendency to have high expectations about yourself, others, and life that are unrealistically high. When anything falls short, you become disappointed and/or critical. You tend to be over concerned with small flaws and mistakes in yourself or your accomplishments. In focusing on what’s wrong, you tend to discount what’s right. Perfectionism is a common cause of low self-esteem. It is critical of every effort and convinces you that nothing is every good enough. It can also cause you to drive yourself to the point of chronic stress, exhaustion, and burnout.

2- Excessive Need for Approval:
We all need approval. Yet, for some people this need is excessive. Being overly concerned with approval often arises from an inner sense of being flawed or unworthy. This leads to the mistaken belief that you are unacceptable just the way you are. In trying to be pleasing to others, they may accommodate themselves to others’ expectations, ignoring their own feelings and needs. Frequently, they have a difficult time saying, “no.” The long-term consequence of always accommodating and pleasing others at the expense of yourself is that you end up with a lot of pent up frustration and resentment. This leads to stress and anxiety.

3- Excessive Need for Control:
The excessive need for control makes you want to have everything in life be predictable. It’s a kind of vigilance that requires all the bases to be covered. You may go through life, always ready to put up your defenses in response to any situation that seems to challenge your sense of security. This is extremely exhausting and leads to stress.

4- Tendency to ignore physical and psychological signs of stress:
If you are anxious or preoccupied with worrying, you may be ignoring the rest of your body and mind. To the extent that you are out of touch with your body, you may ignore an entire range of symptoms that may be telling you to watch out. This can result in you simply ignoring that you are under high levels of stress.