Family Stress and Crises (Good and the Bad)

 Is crisis always a bad event in the family?  What is a crisis and what are some positive and negative effects of this event?  A crisis is different from a stressor.  A stressor is something in every day life that can cause some extra workload or weight to be placed on the family but a crisis is an event that changes around the family dynamic.  Once this event happens nothing will ever be the same.  

     Can stress be good?  When the body undergoes a certain amount of stress it pumps out does of epinephrine and cortisol into the body that gives it the extra push to work a little more effectively and helps with memory retention.  Without that little bit of extra stress that increases heart rate and hormones in the body it would be very difficult to have those fight or flight responses that help us to jump out of the way if a car is coming or help ourselves and others in times of danger. The key is to control your stress and not let it control you.  

     Bad stress is.....well bad of course.  Sometimes if a stressor is big enough it can evolve into a crisis.  An example of one of the worst crises that a family can undergo is the death of a child.  The family system is completely changed and this stressor comes from within the family rather than outside of it and it makes it completely unavoidable.  When a stressor comes from outside of the home it is a little easier to handle because you can get away from it slightly and rely on your family for strength.  Where do you turn when the stress is stemming from the family?  "Emotional stress that stays around for weeks or months can weaken the immune system and cause high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety and even heart disease. In particular, too much epinephrine can be harmful to your heart. It can change the arteries and how their cells are able to regenerate."

Metaphors always help me:

"Focus the energy like a laser beam on what you need to do," says Tan. "Very successful people, rather than feeling disempowered, take the extra stress energy ... and make it into a high-energy, positive situation."

Dr. Paul J. Rosch, president of the American Institute of Stress compares stress to the tension in a violin string.

"Not enough produces a dull, raspy noise and too much results in an annoying shrill or snaps the string.  However, just the right amount of stress creates pleasing sounds," he says.