Classic mistakes in stress management all stem from the same root cause: an inappropriate response to the stressor, largely determined by the context in which it arises and by your personal history.
One of the most common mistakes in stress management is to respond to it in an inappropriate way. For example, you are reacting inappropriately when you turn to alcohol or food for comfort. Procrastination is also a typical strategy of escape or avoidance. These reflexes may give you an immediate sense of well-being, but they are in fact detrimental to your mental balance (1).
Failure to regulate emotions is another typical mistake whose repercussions we tend to underestimate. This may be what you are doing if you refuse to acknowledge your emotions, if you do not express them, and if you suppress them instead of seeking to understand them better. Over time, this emotional ‘suppression’ disrupts your body’s biochemical balance: it is a process of wear and tear that results in disruptions to your circadian rhythm and the atrophy of certain brain structures. Experts refer to this as ‘allostatic load’ (2).
Another mistake: dwelling on your problems. You engage in this so-called rumination when you go over your worries in your head over and over again, adopting the role of a bystander, without actively trying to resolve them. This strategy is far from harmless: it prolongs the body’s physiological response to the stressor by sustaining prolonged activation of the stress axis (3). It can even make your brain more reactive to emotional upheavals, which will help amplify your body’s reaction to future stress (4). In short: here, your stress is self-perpetuating.
You may be making these mistakes if:
You feel that your attempts to unwind, take your mind off things or relax are unsuccessful. They only bring you relief for a few moments, never for any length of time.
You are increasingly inclined to avoid any potentially stressful situation, by adopting strategies such as avoidance, procrastination or even cancellation.
Your stress symptoms are getting worse, a sign that your body is struggling to maintain its homeostasis: sleep disturbances, irritability, memory lapses, loss of enjoyment, etc.
