Stress & Processing

Anxiety and stress impact all aspects of functioning. It should be no surprise that when anxiety is reduced, processing ability increases, and long-standing, negative habitual behaviors can be modified. However, even when it appears that long-standing habitual behaviors have been controlled, a high anxiety situation can reverse the progress. Anxiety needs to be acknowledged as a threat to communication and judgment, and thus relationships. Education on how to identify stressors, anxious behaviors, and coping strategies to manage stress is critical to functioning. Friends Groups are very effective in addressing social anxiety exacerbated by the difficulty of making and keeping friends.

Example 1:

A college level student joined the Friends Group exhibiting repetitive behaviors of touching his face, lacking eye contact, looking at his phone, and interrupting as others spoke. The sense of safety, acceptance, and the motivation to be a part of the group enabled this member to gain awareness and actively redirect these habits within just a few months. He was very proud of his social progress, as were the members of the group. However, a significant stressor before arriving at the meeting one night caused his awareness and restraint to be gone; out came the phone, the eye contact was erased, and it was as if he were back to Day 1. This is so important to recognize, so that we can help each other to become aware of the impact of stress on one’s behaviors. Within a safe, non-judgmental group of friends, we can identify stressors and learn to actively control anxious behaviors.

Example II

A young adult had word-finding difficulty, such that by the time he could find his words to participate in a conversation, a new topic of conversation had already been introduced. He found his friendships on the computer. After joining the Friends Group, his anxiety reduced, and his processing ability increased. In fact, he is now one of the most loquacious members in the group. This higher processing speed and greater self-confidence has impacted all aspects of his work and personal life. When he started to consider dating, his word-finding ability started to falter again. But this time, he was able to recognize the impact of his anxiety and establish a plan; he practiced his questions and responses, so he was prepared and more confident.

The exciting aspect of these stories is that they demonstrate that slow processing and habitual behaviors aren’t permanent or just “who we are.” Slow processing and habitual behaviors are consequences of stress. Reduce stress, improve function. Increase stress, decrease function. This is not rocket-science, but if we don’t truly appreciate the impact of stress, we may accept stress and anxiety as “who we are,” and miss out on “who we could be.” Creating a safe, accepting environment of friends may be one of the simplest solutions to reducing enough stress for one to recognize their own potential.