Stress Reduction Intervention and Management - Term Paper Example

Stress Management In the past, the assumptions about the word stress were not inclusive of the application to the human body or mind. According to Webstar dictionary, stress is defined as the strain that is a result of a force exerted on an object that case course it to change or deform its shape. Ironically, although this definition did not account for stress in people, it correctly inferred the effect of stress on them nevertheless. It was Canadian doctor and researcher Hans Selye who proposed that it puts great strain on people and results in lack of sleep, malaise and memory loss however first described excessive stress in the medical circle (Selye. 1982). In extreme forms, it can have consequences that are more serious such an increased heart rate, palpitations and even cardiac arrest that could be fatal. Researchers have found that despite the belief that events causes stress, it is actually the human perception and reaction to them that brings the stress. HeartMath researchers for example have been engaged in a study of stress for the last two decades and they provided empirical backing for the above claim (Childre & Rozman, 2005). In one of their studies, they asked people what was their main course of stress; majority of them said that would often feel stressed when they did not have enough time to do what they need to do. The feeling of not having enough time was found to be the actual cause of stress rather than not actually having time. That feeling results in anxiety, which ultimately results in the building up of stress. The fact that most people have proven incapable of appropriately addressing such emotions in a healthy way is the reason stress has become such as burgeoning epidemic in the contemporary world. For most people, stress is depressing because of not only its primary causes but also the knowledge of the fact that the problems will not go away. There will only be so many hours in a day and if one has financial problems, the bills will still keep coming whether or not they are stressing them (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009). Stress management intervention can be done either with the help of a doctor or therapist or as an individual pursuit if it is not very acute. Concisely, it requires that one take charge of their emotions, thought process and the manner in which they deal with their problems. The first step in stress management is identifying the things that course stress in one’s life; this is however not as straight forward as it sounds since the courses of stress are not always obvious even to the victim. For example, when one is stressed about a deadline they may fail to notice that the procrastination rather than the demands of the job are the main sources of stress rather than the actual deadline (Grossman et al, 2004). One of the ways through which one can identify their stressing agents is by introspecting on their habits excuses and attitudes towards the stressing factors. For example, when one explains away problem by saying they have many things to do and it can wait. In addition, there is also a tendency to accept stress as part of everyday life especially if one works in a busy organization where they are always under pressure to perform. One will also need to ask themselves what they attribute the stress to other people, do they blame themselves or do they see it as a normal part of life? Keeping a stress journal has been found to be an effective way of addressing stress in one’s life, for example; when one feels stress, they should write down the things that make them feel stressed so they can later try to identify a theme or pattern in their stress. This way, they will learn more about themselves and the stress causing factors including how frequently they feel stressed and what causes it. Such a journal should include a description of how one deals with the stress and how long it takes them to get over it if they do. In addition, it is important for someone suffering from stress to reexamine how he or she copes with stress. Some people resort to drugs, alcohol binge eating and in some cases being abusive and violent. In many cases, stress is escalated not by the causative factors but rather the steps one takes in the attempt to cope with it (Sharma & Rush, 2014). For example, when one is failing in class, the may result to drugs to make them feel better about their dismal performance; however in the long run, the drugs will contribute to further deterioration of their academic performance. One should ensure their methods of dealing with stress are not in the end contributing to the stress and if they are, they should be reexamined and replaced with new ones. Under no circumstances, however should they resort to drugs or other chemical enhancers since they only help them forget the problem for a short time then become a bigger part of the problem afterwards (Boss, 2001). Among the other methods of dealing with stressors is to consider the four A’s which stand for avoid, alter, adapt and accept as a mode for managing stress. Given that people respond differently to stress, there can be no one size fits all, so people have to apply different techniques based on which works for them. The four A’s involves changing both the situation and the individuals reaction so that one can avoid and alter the stressor or adapt to and accept the stressing agent. Avoiding stress is the first management technique, but obviously not all stress can be avoided since many stressing situations are not within the control of the patient. In the same vein, while stress should not be ignored, elimination some stressors in one’s life can go a long way in making it less stressful (Moberg, 2000). One should learn to say no so they can avoid taking on responsibilities they cannot handle the extra stress hence. In addition, one should avoid people who have a tendency to stress them as much as possible if some topics make spark off stress such as watching news or listening discussing some controversial topics, one should make conscious effort to avoid these. One should also reduce the number of things in their commitment list; this can be done by arranging them in order of priorities and eliminating all that is not completely necessary. The second strategy is to alter the situation; if one cannot avoid stressful situations, they should try to alter it, which calls for, coming up with a strategy on how to alter circumstances so the situation does not recur in the future. To this end, it is important that one expresses their feelings and be willing to make compromises should they be needed; they should also be assertive and work at becoming more effective time managers. The third strategy calls for one to change themselves if they have discovered they cannot change the stressor; this requires reframing of the problem to view it from a positive situation. Instead of complaining about traffic on the road, one can take it as chance to calm their minds after a hard day’s work or simply observe people and perhaps reading a book. In addition, one should also consider the big picture which contexturising the stressor in the long term. This calls for the asking of questions like, “will it still matter in a week/month year?” if not “is it really worth stressing over?” one may also chose to accept the situation if they discover there is nothing they can do about it. One of the main reasons many people live in stress is because they are in denial and prefer to worry about stressor that they cannot change such as a HIV status or losing a loved one. While it may seem a simplistic suggestion; in such cases, it is simply best to accept the reality and move on with life since the more one worries about a situation the cannot change, the more depressed they become. One of the ways this can be dealt with apart from not trying to control what cannot be controlled is to look for the upside if there is one or share ones feelings with a friend of a professional counsellor. Contrary to common misconception, opening up is not a sign of weakness, but an excellent form of therapy even if not from a professional since talking about problems can be very cathartic. The other important aspect of moving on that can reduce stress is forgiveness; many people are stressed because of something negative someone did to them. Forgiveness is often seen as a religious concept, but in reality, it contributes a great deal to improving ones sense of wellbeing and reducing the effects of stress. In conclusion, stress can be handled in numerous ways, one only has to identify the most effective and practical one for them based on the stressors in question and their personality. As aforementioned, stress is fundamentally a mental rather than outside concept, which implies that in as much as people can be stressed by external factors they should pay more heed to their response to these factors. References Boss, P. G. (2001). Family stress management: A contextual approach. London: Sage Publications. Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta-analysis. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 15(5), 593-600. Childre, D., & Rozman, D. (2005). Transforming stress: The HeartMath solution for relieving worry, fatigue, and tension. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Grossman, P. et al. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of psychosomatic research, 57(1), 35-43. Moberg, G. P. (2000). Biological response to stress: implications for animal welfare. The biology of animal stress: basic principles and implications for animal welfare, 1-21. Selye, H. (1982). History and present status of the stress concept. Handbook of stress: Theoretical and clinical aspects, 2, 7-20. Sharma, M., & Rush, S. E. (2014). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Healthy Individuals A Systematic Review.Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 19(4), 271-286. Read More