Five Stress Reactions – And What They Can Teach Us

by Marcie Scranton, M.A.

People respond to stressful situations in different ways.  Fight, flight, freeze, faint: some reactions are purely physical, while others trigger dormant feelings of anxiety, depression, and so on.  But far from being something to be avoided, stress reactions can shine a light on deep-seated issues, bringing them out in the open and creating a unique opportunity to deal with them.

One useful way to think about stress reactions comes from Buddhist philosophy, which outlines five typical responses: anxiety, anger, depression, guilt, and sensual soothing.  Generally, these are simple to identify.  Anxiety can show up as sleepless nights, fretting, or ruminating over worst-case scenarios.  Anger might manifest as road rage, for example, shouting obcenities at the driver who caused you to miss a light when you’re running late.  Depression causes lethargy, a lack of interest in anything pleasurable, and feelings of despondency.  Guilt takes the form of self-blame, such as feeling like a loser for failing to cope with the situation.  Lastly, sensual soothing usually takes the form of food, alcohol, or drugs, or an over-reliance on any pleasurable activity.

Advice abounds as to how to manage stress – meditation, deep breathing, time and task management, reality-checking, and other forms of self-care.  Any or all of these can be effective in reducing situational stress.  However, on a deeper level, it might be important to check in and see which of the above responses tends to be yours.  If your go-to reaction is guilt, for instance, take a look at what else might be undermining your feelings of self-worth.  If you head for the refrigerator, ask yourself how your parents might have comforted you when you were a child.  And if you find yourself feeling depressed, it may help to examine what other aspects of your life are unsatisfying.

None of these observations can eliminate stressors, of course.  Financial pressures, traffic, unmanageable children, illness, and so on will always exist.  But your responses can provide valuable insight – not only as to how to cope with each situation individually, but into your overall psychological health as well.

Marcie Scranton is a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with a private practice in Brentwood.  Email her at marciescranton@verizon.net