Jeg har tidligere skrevet et blogindlæg om begrebet stress, hvor formålet var at få en overordnet forståelse for kompleksiteten i begrebet. Selvom blogindlægget bragte en vis klarhed over begrebet, så viser nedenstående citater den store bredde, som indeholdes i stress-begrebet.
Er afspænding modstykket til stress? Det er ikke nemt at svare klart på spørgsmålet formuleret på den måde, men afspænding er i hvert fald en af flere mulige løsninger på de problemer, som oplevelsen af stress kan medføre.
Efter de indledende citater handler dette blogindlæg om stresshåndtering i form af afspænding; mere præcist præsenterer forskning af Jonathan C. Smith, som har foreslået 12 typer af afspænding (relaxation states).
Citat nr. 1: Stress er forbundet med fysiologisk og psykisk aktivering som reaktion på øgede krav, trusler og udfordringer fra omgivelserne, og det er derfor oplagt, at stress kan føre til søvnproblemer. Stress er ikke i sig selv en sygdom eller en diagnose, men en konsekvens af samspillet mellem en person og dennes omgivelser. Stress er en proces, hvor trusler og krav i omgivelserne overstiger organismens kapacitet for tilpasning og resulterer i fysiologiske og psykologiske forandringer, som er forbundet med forhøjet risiko for fysisk og psykisk sygdom (Vidensråd for Forebyggelse – om Søvn, 2015).
Citat nr. 2 – Stress opstår, når en person oplever, at omgivelsernes krav og forventninger overstiger ens egen kapacitet. Her er altså tale om et samspil mellem omgivelser og individ samt en belastning, der har en sådan størrelse, at den har konsekvenser for individets velbefindende. Stress en tilstand i kroppen (organismen), som har både en fysiologisk og psykologisk side (Sundhed.dk).
Citat nr. 3 – Stress defineres som et særligt forhold mellem personen og omgivelserne, som opfattes som en belastning af personen eller som overstiger hans eller hendes ressourcer og truer hans eller hendes velbefindende (Netterstrøm, 2013).
Citat nr. 4 – Stress defineres som en tilstand karakteriseret ved anspændthed og ulyst hos den enkelte. Stress er en reaktion på ydre fysisk eller psykisk belastning og er altså ikke en sygdom. Omfanget af stress-reaktionen afhænger af, i hvor høj grad belastningen opfattes som truende sammenholdt med de ressourcer, man oplever at have til rådighed til at tackle situationen. Stress-reaktioner kan være psykiske, fysiske eller adfærdsmæssige (Sundhedsstyrelsen, 2007).
Citat nr. 5 – The stress response is a general alarm in a homeostatic system, producing general and unspecific neurophysiological activation from one level of arousal to more arousal. The stress response occurs whenever there is something missing, for instance a homeostatic imbalance, or a threat to homeostasis and life of the organism. The response is uncomfortable and drives the organism to provide specific solutions to abolish the source of the alarm. The stress response, therefore, is an essential and necessary physiological response. The unpleasantness of the alarm is no health threat. The alarm elicits specific behaviors to cope with the situation. However, if sustained, the response may lead to illness and disease through established pathophysiological processes (Ursin & Eriksen, 2004)
Citat nr. 6 – The stress system coordinates the adaptive responses of the organism to stressors of any kind. The main components of the stress system are the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and locus ceruleus–norepinephrine (LC/NE)-autonomic systems and their peripheral effectors, the pituitary–adrenal axis, and the limbs of the autonomic system. Activation of the stress system leads to behavioral and peripheral changes that improve the ability of the organism to adjust homeostasis and increase its chances for survival. The CRH and LC/NE systems stimulate arousal and attention, as well as the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system, which is involved in anticipatory and reward phenomena, and the hypothalamic b-endorphin system, which suppresses pain sensation and, hence, increases analgesia (Tsigos & Chrousos, 2002).
Citat nr. 7: Stress is a complex psychobiological state that occurs when there is a threat to homeostasis (DeVon & Saban, 2011).
Citat nr. 8: Subjective sensations commonly experienced in conjunction with “feeling stressed” are headache, shortness of breath, light-headedness or dizziness, nausea, muscle tension, fatigue, gnawing in the gut, palpitations, loss of appetite or hunger, and problems with sleep. Behavioral manifestations of stress commonly reported are crying, smoking, excessive eating, drinking alcohol, fast talking, and trembling. It is also commonplace for people to complain that stress negatively affects their functioning. It impairs their mental concentration, problem solving, decision making, and the ability to get work done in an efficient and effective manner (Lyon, 2011).
Citat nr. 9 – The term ‘stress’ can be used to cover the response to both psychological and physiological triggers and it thereby points to common reactions in the body. Physiological and behavioural mechanisms that are adaptive within a range can be stretched beyond this. Over a prolonged period, such stretching is associated with psychological and physiological disruption described as ‘stress’ (Toates, 2011).
Citat nr. 10 – It’s difficult to detect when someone is experiencing stress. Some people love skydiving for recreation; it’s others’ worst nightmare. Is jumping out of an airplane inherently stressful? The answer is no, and that highlights the subjective nature of stress (Medina, 2014).
Citat nr. 11 – There seems to be consensus that if there is anything common to the stimuli that produced the state of stress and the stress responses, it was not their physical characteristics. Whether a stimulus is pleasant or threatening depends on the individual appraisal of the situation, which is based on previous experience and expectations of the outcome. There are some stimuli that would be regarded as negative in most or all situations, and stimuli that will be perceived as positive by some individuals and negative by others. It also depends on the situational setting, and previous learning (Ursin & Eriksen, 2004).
Citat nr. 12 – We have a dichotomy—if you’re stressed like a normal mammal in an acute physical crisis, the stress response is lifesaving. But if instead you chronically activate the stress response for reasons of psychological stress, your health suffers. It is a rare human who sickens because they can’t activate the stress response when it is needed. Instead, we get sick, from activating the stress response too often, too long, and for purely psychological reasons. Crucially, the beneficial effects of the stress response for sprinting zebras and lions play out over the course of seconds to minutes. But once you take stress to the time course of weeks and months (referred to as “sustained” stress), you’ll be dealing with adverse consequences (Sapolsky, 2017).
Her præsenteres Smiths identifikation af de 12 såkaldte “basic relaxation states (R-states)”, hvor jeg har tilføjet en oversættelse for hver afspændingstilstand:
1. Accepting – Accepterende
2. At Ease/Peaceful (Mentally Relaxed) – Rolig/fredelig (mentalt afslappet)
3. Aware/Focused/Clear – Opmærksom/Fokuseret/Klar
4. Disengaged (feeling distant, indifferent, far away) – Uengageret (føler sig fjern, ligeglad, langt væk)
5. Joyful – Glad
6. Mystery (experiencing the “deep mystery” of things) – Mysterium (at opleve tingenes “dybe mysterium”)
7. Optimistic – Optimistisk
8. Physically Relaxed – Fysisk afslappet
9. Quiet (mind still, without thought) – Stille (sind stille, uden omtanke)
10. Reverent/Prayerful – Ærbødig/Bedende
11. Sleepy – Søvnig
12. Timeless/Boundless/Infinite/At One – Tidløs/Grænseløs/Uendelig/En enhed
Smith foreslår, at disse ord kan ses som begyndelsen på et grundlæggende leksikon eller universelt “naturligt sprog” for psykologisk afspænding. Og noget i den stil er grunden til, at jeg bringer dem op i dette blogindlæg: det giver inspiration til et mere nuanceret sprog om, hvad afspænding er! Uanset Smiths forskningsmæssige argumenter, så tænker jeg, at det er for firkantet med netop disse 12 afspændingstilstande – men jeg finder det interessant at få disse bud på mange forskellige tilstande, som er relateret til afspænding.
Efterfølgende samler Smith de 12 tilstande i fire overordnede kategorier af såkaldt “relaxation experience”, som nok kan oversættes til apspændingsoplevelser – se figuren nedenfor:
1) Basic relaxation (Grundlæggende afslapning)
2) Core mindfulness (Kerne/core mindfulness)
3) Positive energy (Positiv energi)
4) Transcendence (Transcendens)
