There are five different ways to respond to stress. Which one suits you?

In professional life but also in certain personal life situations, stress can quickly invade us. To the point of making us lose our means or, on the contrary, react in an overexcited way. And you, what is your attitude towards acute stress?

The frontal lobe no longer fulfills its functions in a stressful situation

According to Chantal Donnelly, physiotherapist and stress researcher interviewed by HuffPost, “When we are stressed, our blood goes to our body and leaves our frontal lobe area. So the latter disconnects”. The frontal lobe being the brain area of ​​self-control, emotions and thought, these functions are inhibited in the face of intense stress.

“We also have cranial nerves that start in the brainstem” adds the expert. “They are associated with communication and connection, and these are compromised when we are in a stress response.”. This explains why in this type of situation, it is not possible to communicate with the other person: they are simply not in the present moment. Which also explains why it is so difficult to communicate during an argument.

Five ways to respond to stress

To go further, Chantal Donnelly details the five profiles that exist when faced with stress. There is therefore, according to her:

• The person who implodes : Faced with a stressful situation, this person loses his or her means. She feels hopeless, helpless and paralyzed;
• The person who explodes : as opposed to the first, these individuals will have an exaggerated reaction during a stressful situation. They become irritable, angry and frustrated;
• The person who plays appeasement : this response is expressed more by women, who when faced with a stressful situation will express calm, and by reassuring everyone, by reminding that “everything will be fine”;
• The person who denies the situation : the person who uses this strategy will use a bias, such as alcohol, gambling or drugs, for example, to cope with the situation and create a coping mechanism for stress;
• The toxic positive : This person exhibits toxic positivity in the face of stress and wants to see things in an overly optimistic way, to the point of denying reality.

Do you recognize yourself in several of these descriptions? According to the specialist, this is normal, we can present different responses to stress, depending on the person in front of us. We will not respond in the same way to a parent, as to a friend or to our boss, for example.

Exchange in a calmer and more peaceful way

Why is it important to know how you react to stress, but also that of others? Because this allows you to respond better to others when a stressful situation arises. “This allows us to anticipate how the other will react and build a calmer interaction and exchange.” concludes Chantal Donnelly.

Slide: 8 ways to make stress your ally