Whether it is the deadline at work, an argument with your family or challenges in daily life, stress has become an inseparable part of modern life. Over time, these can be stacked up and leave an overwhelmed, which can further aggravate things. So, how do you really navigate through stress and not crush things?A new study by researchers from Penn State may have found the key to beating daily stress. The results of the study are published in Communication psychology.
How tackle ?
The researchers found that the best way to solve everyday problems is to have an idea of control over things. The study showed that even minor measures that increase a person’s sense of control can help them manage everyday stress factors more effectively. On days when people felt more control over stressThey were 62% more likely to take action, such as calling a plumber or having a tough conversation, and this effect was stronger in older adults.“This research shows that even small increases in how much control they feel they have over everyday hassles makes it more likely that these hassles are actually solved. Learning to find and act on these pockets of control in daily life may not only reduce the stress, but also supports long -term health and well -being,” said David Almeida, professor in human development and family studies Said. Said.
The study
The researchers wanted to see if they feel in control of daily stress factors makes it more likely that the stress will be solved.“If the perceived stress control promotes stress resolution, can we utilize it as a modifiable resource to influence stress resolution and therefore our emotional health and well -being?” The lead author Dakota Witzel, who was a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Healthy Aging in Penn State during the research and is now assistant professor at South Dakota State University, asked. The researchers asked 1700 participants in the study to report daily stress factors that occurred over the past 24 hours and if the stress was resolved at the end of the day. The stress factors included common types of stress, such as interpersonal tension, including arguments and avoided arguments, jobs or home-related stress or work overload and network stress stressors who happen to other people, such as family or friends, but are stressful to the participant.
Participants were also asked about how much control they knew about these stress factors in each situation. The participants were investigated after ten years. What they found was striking. They found that a person’s perceived sense of control over everyday hassle and challenges varies greatly from one day to the next. At the beginning of the study, on days with higher perceived control, participants were 61% more likely to solve the stressor that day. Ten years later, the same boost in perceived control in the same people had a 65% chance that a stress would be resolved.
“This work also begins to show that as we get older we not only have more control, but that control helps us to become better at managing stress,” Witzel said.“It is encouraging news that daily control is not stuck. It can be strengthened through practical strategies such as setting priorities or reshaping what is within reach. We need to find out how we can create context and attitude to let people feel more control, ”Vided Almeida.In this study we talk about daily stress factors, the minor problems that occur during the day, but there is also chronic stress where people are constantly affected by stress factors again and again. Exploring the idea of resolution can be a mechanism that reduces the effect of chronic stress is an interesting area to explore, ”Witzel said.
