Letting Off Steam

I'm under a lot of stress!"

If so, you sleep poorly; you get a headache and feel like going to the bathroom whenever you see your boss; you keep wanting to eat something; you spend money uncontrollably; you drink; you smoke; you may even hit someone.

In fact, stress is not necessarily all negative in effect. We often hear words like, "He'd do better if only he were pressured a bit." Says Ch'en Chiao-mei, an associate professor of psychology at National Chengchi University: "An appropriate amount of encouragement and pressure can stimulate a person's potential."

But just how much pressure is appropriate? Are there any symptoms that reveal the limits of stress so that preventive measures can be taken beforehand?

Ever since research on stress first came into vogue during the 1930's, scientists have been trying to find a way to describe this abstract concept concretely.

The American psychologists R. H. Rahe and T. H. Holmes tried to evaluate stress quantitatively in a 1967 study. They selected 43 events that represent major changes in people's lives and asked respondents, "If this event happened to you, how much effort would it take you to readjust?" Based on the answers, they drew up a "Social Readjustment Rating Scale," which is still widely used today.

The major aim of evaluating stress is for medical purposes. Dr. Lu indicates that stress has long been recognized as related to neurological disorders--only the amount of the relation has yet to be determined.

A study on stress conducted jointly by the National Defense Medical Center and the National Science Council found that depression is related to the death of relatives and loved ones and that ulcers and other digestive disorders are connected with changes in living conditions, such as a new job.

In addition, people with certain personalities are particularly susceptible to certain ailments. For example, neurotics and workaholics suffer more readily from myocardial infarction.

Dr. Lu indicates that although stress is not the sole cause of illness, "almost no illness is absolutely unrelated to environmental pressures."

The most common symptoms of stress are depression and anxiety, what doctors call "the stress syndrome." More seriously, both psychological and physiological symptoms may occur at the same time. For instance, hypertension, restlessness, irascibility, and irrational fear combined with rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, headache, and indigestion may indicate neurasthenia, or a "nervous breakdown."

Stress is well-nigh ubiquitous in its effect on health and bodily systems, and the illnesses most closely related to it are termed psychosomatic. The duodenal ulcers, headaches, and hyperthyroidism that often plague businessmen and women are prime examples.

Psychosomatic disorders or neurasthenia can be improved with medicinal or psychiatric treatment, but the speed of recovery is tied closely to the patient's attitude toward stress. One popular treatment now is biofeedback, in which the patient observes physiological indicators and learns to relax and reduce discomfort voluntarily.

Relaxation is a key to relieving stress, and ways of relaxing differ from person to person. Some people find curling up with a good book helpful; many turn to a friend to talk about their troubles; and for others, lighting a cigarette and watching the smoke rings rise has a calming effect. Besides one's own efforts, having a "social support system"--friends, relatives, or co-workers--is important in helping a person maintain an even psychological keel through rough times.

The ways of relieving stress are numerous. Chang Tien-ch'i, formerly director of neurology at Mackay Memorial Hospital, proposes a radical solution: Don't take on pressure you can't handle; much stress is avoidable. "The worse you are at turning people down," he says, "the more stress you'll feel." Don't think that you have to do everything yourself. No one has the emotional capital to cope with that much pressure.

Ch'en Chiao-mei often says that stress crops up because we measure ourselves by the standards of others and others by standards of our own. The result is dissatisfaction all around.

Be clear about what you can and want to do, and be brave enough to refuse the rest. Don't worry what others will think, and don't force yourself to do something you don't want to in order to live up to others' expectations. Treat yourself this way, and treat others the same.

The ancients had a saying: "Step back and the sea looks broad and the sky blue." For people in the stress-filled world of today, a step back may mean a step away from depression, neurosis, and a raft of psychosomatic disorders.

[Picture Caption]

Let yourself go and put your worries behind you. (photo by Huang Hua-sheng)

Blue sky and a jade-green sea are refreshing to the spirit.

Psychiatric wards are not just for the mentally ill. They are also places to relieve stress.

Tachiale gamblers seek excitement only to get more stress. The enthusiasts shown here are asking the gods to give them a lucky number. (photo by Vincent Chang)

Blue sky and a jade-green sea are refreshing to the spirit.

Psychiatric wards are not just for the mentally ill. They are also places to relieve stress.

Tachiale gamblers seek excitement only to get more stress. The enthusiasts shown here are asking the gods to give them a lucky number. （photo by Vincent Chang）