Stress Changes Our Personality Too
Stress is one of the factors that also changes our personality. You, who were once so optimistic, so confident, you who answered everyone with a smile. This same person who never stopped dreaming, sees himself today very differently? Everything bothers you, you lack patience, you are always in a bad mood, you have become more cynical and there is not a day when you can get rid of this apathy …
Does this feeling remind you of anything? Unfortunately, this is a reality for many. It is a condition that, without a doubt, completely affects our quality of life. What is most striking, however, is that in these cases the person is fully aware of their own change. The way she reacts to her surroundings creates a high degree of dissonance. “ I don’t recognize myself, why am I doing this ?” she often wonders.
Evidence of personality change
Yet many people cannot help but gaze wearily at the world, with that veil of darkness in which everything is unsettling. What not so long ago encouraged and energized them is now exhausting and lacking in motivation. Moreover, this difference between what we were before and how we behave now because of stress, is something that intensifies the suffering even more.
But as psychotherapist Carl Rogers has pointed out, just being aware of this discomfort and knowing that we don’t agree with what we are doing and what is happening to us is in itself a first step. It is then that we have the opportunity to approach the problem in a clear and courageous manner. The only thing we need to do is use the right resources.
Stress also changes our personality. How does he do this?
Stress also changes our personality in different ways. Someone who not long ago defined himself as motivation, dedication and kindness, can become irritable after just a few months.
We can see this not only in ourselves, but also in this collaborator, this friend or this partner who no longer seems to appreciate our company. They become reluctant, respond poorly, get frustrated easily, and always see problems where previously there was only room for solutions.
Why ? What is going on in us, in our head or in our brain, that we can change in this way?
Stress makes us pessimistic
Not so long ago, experts believed that the personality, after reaching a certain period in our life, becomes a factor of stability. That is, a dimension that does not change easily over time (Costa and McCrae, 1988). However, studies such as those conducted at the University of California by Dr. Grant Shields are showing us something very interesting.
- Our personality fluctuates and changes: it does so especially in the face of negative events or experiences from which we learn and which make us see the world (and ourselves) differently. This kind of change is positive because it allows us to grow and progress as human beings.
- However, on the other hand, there are also those less encouraging experiences where chronic and long term stress generates various more than obvious changes in us.
Chronic stress (not occasional stress) changes our personality because it makes us pessimistic. The state of helplessness and psychological exhaustion runs so deep that it exudes negative emotions such as pessimism, negativity and angst, which flood everything.
In addition to personality, stress also changes our neural circuits.
Stress activates a brain network made up of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal cortex. All of this results in the release of several compounds very similar to cortisone, such as glucocorticoids. The best known but also the one that has the most impact on the brain and on our body is called cortisol.
This is how stress also changes our personality. This is mainly due to the effect of this hormone. Generally speaking, we are more tired and we cannot focus our attention. In addition, we have blackouts and we suffer from what is called “environmental hypersensitivity”. Any stimulus is experienced in an intense way. That is why we lack patience, that we amplify the small things and that any circumstance is beyond us.
What can we do to reduce the impact of stress?
Stress, like anxiety, is a part of our life. The goal is not to make them disappear, but to place them at an intermediate point where they can be managed. The ideal is to try to have full control over these psychological realities. Thus, in case our stress is chronic, it is strongly recommended to contact specialized professionals.
However, let’s see some simple and fundamental avenues we should think about in order to generate changes:
- Establish priorities: as much as possible, it is advisable to simplify and organize our daily life
- Practices such as mindfulness are very effective in reducing stress
- There is a very simple rule that we should apply in our daily life. It’s about starting one thing at a time and finishing it. For this, it is therefore forbidden to think and do several activities at the same time.
- We should set positive goals for ourselves throughout our days. For example, taking a course, having two hours to yourself, going for a walk …
- Take care of our internal dialogue. This dialogue with ourselves should always work in our favor. He should be kind and skillful at the same time at detecting negative and disabling thoughts.
- It is strongly recommended to be able to count on significant people
- Identify and work on your stressors
In conclusion, since stress also changes our personality, let’s keep this fact in mind so that we can apply appropriate strategies. Do not let these conditions turn us into someone we are not. Let’s not become a person we don’t identify with.
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