{"id":5991,"date":"2023-07-26T21:28:20","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T14:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5991"},"modified":"2023-07-26T21:28:20","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T14:28:20","slug":"why-do-i-stress-out-over-things-that-should-make-me-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5991","title":{"rendered":"Why Do I Stress Out Over Things That *Should* Make Me Happy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Just thinking about giving a big presentation at work can leave your palms sweaty and your stomach in knots. It might help to give yourself a pep talk, or take a few deep breaths beforehand, but mostly you want it to be over as quickly as possible. This is all super common, and something most of us can completely empathize with.<\/p>\n<p>But what if you\u2019re having similar feelings when you\u2019re about to graduate, get married, or reunite with friends you haven\u2019t seen in a while? These are generally thought of as <em>happy<\/em> moments, but you find that nerves and anxious thoughts are taking over instead. If being stressed over something like this is, well, stressing you out, know that you\u2019re not alone. This reaction is totally normal. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n<h2>What happens to your body under stress<\/h2>\n<p>For starters, it\u2019s helpful to know that not everyone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-stress-affects-body\/\">deals with stress<\/a> in the same way. Some people thrive under pressure, while going to a job interview might leave you tongue-tied as you experience what\u2019s known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/stress-responses\/\">\u201cfight-or-flight\u201d response<\/a>. When this happens, your body releases hormones like adrenaline that cause a cascade of physical effects. \u201cThe fight-or-flight response prepares you for emergency situations by increasing your heart rate, widening your airways, and pumping blood to your major muscle groups,\u201d says licensed psychologist <a href=\"http:\/\/www.drliennawilson.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lienna Wilson, PsyD.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>During the 1950s, endocrinologist Hans Selye proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/immunology-and-microbiology\/adaptation-syndrome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general adaptation syndrome<\/a> (GAS) to explain the physiological changes that occur in response to stress. The three stages of GAS are the fight-or-flight response, a resistance or recovery phase, and a period of exhaustion.<\/p>\n<p>Physical symptoms during the first stage include muscle tension, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, headaches, and dizziness. \u201cAs you move through <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30523843\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the stress response<\/a>, you may experience emotional changes, such as sadness, anger, restlessness, anxiety, fear, or dread,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentingpathfinders.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michelle Felder. LCSW,<\/a> founder and CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parentingpathfinders.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parenting Pathfinders<\/a>. It might be difficult to think clearly or make decisions. These symptoms tend to decrease during the recovery phase and then return again during exhaustion. The more often you go through these three stages, the more likely you are to experience long-term negative effects like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/healthy-lifestyle\/stress-management\/in-depth\/stress\/art-20046037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">headaches, depression, and sleep problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What triggers the stress response during happy moments?<\/h2>\n<p>While it may seem counterintuitive to feel anxious during happy events, there are several reasons for this, starting with how our brain responds to stress. For example, you\u2019re likely to duck or cover your ears when you hear a loud noise. This is because \u201cthe sympathetic nervous system is activated before you can process whether you\u2019re in danger or not,\u201d Dr. Wilson explains. Moments later, you might realize that what you heard was someone popping a balloon, but your first reaction is to retreat from the sound. Similarly, crossing the stage at graduation with everyone looking at you and taking pictures might make you jittery. Your sympathetic nervous system might interpret this as anxiety, and trigger the release of stress hormones.<\/p>\n<p>Another reason you might feel stressed during joyful occasions is due to a fear of the unknown. \u201cMost of us like stability and predictability,\u201d Dr. Wilson says. You hope that everything will go according to plan after spending months preparing for a wedding or moving across the country to start a new job. Still, you can\u2019t help but feel stressed because so many factors are beyond your control. Maybe the wind will pick up when it\u2019s time for your outdoor ceremony, or your new promotion might come with unreasonably high expectations.<\/p>\n<p>Any heightened emotions have the potential to trigger the stress response. When you\u2019re happy or excited, your brain may interpret these feelings as stress because it can\u2019t immediately distinguish between positive and negative. It&#8217;s why we laugh and cry at the same time when we&#8217;re happy. (And if you struggle with anxiety, your nervous system is hardwired to perceive threats and you may have a bigger stress response than someone who doesn&#8217;t have the same level of anxiety.)<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, this stress reaction isn\u2019t an all-or-nothing process. \u201cThere can be variations in the intensity and duration of the response, depending on the nature of the stressor and how we interpret it,\u201d Felder says. For example, you might be looking forward to a vacation; as you\u2019re boarding a flight, you start thinking about how you only have three days left before you have to go back to work, but are able to forget about that once you\u2019re having fun. Likewise, your initial excitement about moving in with a partner may be dampened when you\u2019re bombarded with questions about starting a family.<\/p>\n<p>Even the social pressures to be happy\u2014and stay happy\u2014during life changes or celebratory moments can stress us out. We might think we\u2019re supposed to feel a certain way, so any conflicting emotions could become stressors.<\/p>\n<h2>How can you prevent stress from ruining good times?<\/h2>\n<p>Although it might seem like we don\u2019t have much control over the stress response, \u201cour emotions and internal dialogue can influence how this response manifests and ultimately affects us,\u201d Felder says. \u201cReframing a stressor as exciting or challenging, rather than negative, harmful, or threatening, can help decrease the intensity of the stress response and minimize the adverse effects on our well-being.\u201d For example, if you\u2019re anxious about getting a new boss, you can reframe it as a fresh start rather than focusing on how much you dislike change.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Wilson agrees, explaining how you can train yourself to manage stress through something called <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/35497677\/\">cognitive restructuring<\/a>. \u201cOne of the ways to do this is by observing and describing what is happening in your body,\u201d she says. If your breathing gets faster, you can tell yourself that you\u2019re getting more oxygen to your brain. When you get those nervous jitters, you can say you\u2019re feeling excited rather than anxious.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to reframing your thoughts, practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques can also be helpful. \u201cBecause each of our bodies is different, it\u2019s important to become conscious of how you respond to stress,\u201d Felder says. Try taking a few deep breaths and noticing the physical and emotional symptoms you experience. She suggests repeating to yourself a statement like: \u201cI\u2019m feeling knots in my stomach. My palms are getting sweaty. My body is giving me clues that it\u2019s experiencing stress.\u201d Naming these feelings and sensations can make them feel less threatening and help you feel more in control of your body. It gives you some distance from your anxious thoughts and feelings to observe what&#8217;s happening in a matter-of-fact way.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed, Felder suggests saying something kind or compassionate to yourself like, \u201cThis feeling will change. I\u2019m safe.\u201d Continue breathing and reminding yourself that you\u2019re not in any danger in the present moment. You may also find it beneficial to practice gratitude\u2014think about how thankful you are for the opportunity in front of you. Cultivating this mindset can help you savor positive experiences and reduce the impact of stress.<\/p>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just thinking about giving a big presentation at work can leave your palms sweaty and your stomach in knots. It might help to give yourself a pep talk, or take a few deep breaths beforehand, but mostly you want it to be over as quickly as possible. This is all super common, and something most &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}