"I'm Ripping My Hair Out!"

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Stress is something most of us experience every day.  Of course, depending on our circumstances and the trigger, it can range from mild to extreme, from a flash that lasts seconds to stress that lasts for a long time.  

Below I've listed a few ways stress can affect us.  Some might seem related,  but analyze.  As you read the ones I've noted, think about how stress has affected you before, and please share them with us.  Think about different sources of stress, and the consequences that come when it affects us.  Brainstorm.

The more we consider human behavior, and truly analyze it, the more naturally it will become infused into our writing.  The result?  Richer, more believable characters, and you can't go wrong with that.

Stress can result in:

more productivity
less productivity
a headache
tiredness/exhaustion
irritability
anger
retaliation to the person who made you feel stressed
withdrawal from others
confrontation
heart palpitations
over analyzing / being prone to paranoia
feeling overwhelmed
hard time breathing
depression
hysterical laughter to suppress tears
sarcasm
violence
lack of self control
distraction

Comments

  1. AprilJuly 26, 2011 at 12:27 PM

    Your post kind of sort of ties in to a series I'm doing on the personalities of my day job. But, let's see...stress.

    I find I do work better under stress. When I have a deadline, things that MUST get done or-else...I don't have time to procrastinate. So I do it.

    I had a co-worker once who did NOT work well under stress. She snapped at people and spoke down to them, and I'm not sure she realized it. People would come to me for stuff because they were scared to go to her, afraid she'd bite their heads off!

    Most of my stress comes from personal matters. I think work-related stuff just isn't as important to me. Not that it isn't, but family matters more to me than work. No matter what. So when my husband's ex is causing custody problems or my mother is...being my mother, I'm emotionally stressed. The only thing that relieves that for me is a good talk with my husband, a hot bath, and a glass of wine. Oh, and a good book. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carolyn ArnoldJuly 26, 2011 at 7:16 PM

    Aah, a hot bath sounds great! :)

    I hate to admit, but when I get extremely stressed out (at work) I'm the kind people want to hide from :S *blushing*

    ReplyDelete

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