Fighting with Stress - Essay Example

Human Stress: Assessing My Coping al Affiliation: Human Stress: Assessing My Coping Part I Although I had first thought that I would be quite okay with a move to a new town where I would get to live all by myself and away from my family, I quickly realized that this was not to be the case. After the usually excitement of unpacking and touring the neighborhood to discover my new surroundings, I soon discovered that I was getting severely depressed and stressed out as I found myself constantly longing for my family and old familiar surroundings. In coping with the stress of moving to the new location, I capitalized on using coping strategies that helped me to focus on the stressful situation I was in and actively trying to resolve it. In doing this, I endeavored to try and take things a step at a time as I slowly familiarized myself with my new surroundings and environment. I also called up my parents who would often encourage me and provide me with ideas on how I can overcome the stress of having moved to a new town all by myself. I employed the use of these strategies as I believed that it was eventually up to me to make the best of the stressful situation and resolve the stressful live experience that I was going through. In addition to this, I was also aware that my friends and family were far away and that I now had to depend on myself in dealing with the stressful situation. According to Snyder (1999, p. 10), the use of such problem-focused coping strategies can have the effect of controlling and successfully changing the source of the stress. The strategies I employed served the function of helped me to actively tackle the stressful situation. These strategies were successful as although it took some bit of time, I was eventually able to overcome the stress and grow to enjoy the experience of moving to a new town all by myself. Part II About two months ago, my friend’s parents called me up and informed me that my friend had been killed in action. This news was very devastating as he was one of my best friends. We had grown up playing together, attended the very same schools and planned to eventually get married and live in the same neighborhood as we really enjoyed our friendship. My friend eventually went to military school and I still remember how he beamed with pride during his graduation. After his graduation, he was sent on a number of tours overseas and always came back home safely with tons of tales about his experiences. The realization that my friend would never be around again was quite shocking and distressful. In dealing with this stressful situation, the strategies that I employed the most were those of managing the emotions that I was experiencing. Weiner (2003, p. 444) points out that such strategies are considered to be accommodative in nature and are usually designed to help in altering reactions to stressors as opposed to altering the stressor itself. Although I had not done so in a long while, I found myself praying about the situation and asking God to let the whole thing to be a dream, however but this was not to be. I also kept myself busy in a bid to try and distract myself from constantly thinking of the problem and would often lash out at others in the event that the stress and anger became overwhelming. I employed the use of these strategies, as I felt helpless and knew that that short of an actual miracle, there was nothing I could possibly do to reverse the situation. Although the use of these strategies did not help in changing the situation, the strategy did however have the effect of helping me to accept the situation. The use of these strategies was not effective in helping me cope the stress as although I would sometimes feel better, the strategies did not provide any long-term solutions as I often found myself slipping back into a stressed out state. Part III In dealing with the stressful situation where I had some control, I noticed that I used coping strategies that helped me to deal with and try to resolve the situation, on the other hand, the strategies I used in dealing with the stressful situation where I had no control were mainly focused on helping me to manage my emotions and accept the situation. In coping with the stressful situations, I found that the use of avoidant or emotion focused coping strategies was most effective when dealing with those over which I had no control over. This is because the emotion focused coping strategies were of great aid in helping me find suitable ways of accepting what I was facing and not letting it bother me. In addition to this, the strategies helped me in cutting down on chronic stress and give my body a chance of recovering from what might have otherwise been high stress levels. In coping with the stressful situations, I found that the active or problem-focused strategies were most effective in dealing with those over which I had some degree of control. This is because the strategies helped me in tacking the stress causing situation using a number of practical approaches and in the process, directly reduce the stress. There are a number of other emotion-focused or avoidant strategies that can be used to help them in coping with stressful situations, some of these strategies include; attempting to try and build up one’s self to expect the worse, listening to music, getting a massage and engaging in meditation (Albright & Lane, 2009, p. 26). The use of these strategies will help in creating a timely break or pause that will allow for the stressed individuals to have adequate time to gather strength and look at the stressful situation or problem from a different angle. In so doing, it will be possible for the stressed individuals to find the right resources and solutions to the problems. According to Carver, Scheier & Weintraub (1989, p. 268), some of the problem-focused strategies that people might employ to deal with stressful situations include, taking direct action targeted at resolving the problem, planning on measures that can be taken to resolve the problem and sometimes even forcing oneself to try and wait before resorting to taking any action. The use of these strategies will have the impact of helping the individuals to bypass or complete remove the source of the stress. References Albright, J., & Lane, R. (2009). Finding a New Direction. How to Survive and Thrive During Major Life Transition. Finding a New Direction. Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. Journal of personality and social psychology, 56(2), 267. Snyder, C. R. (1999). Coping: The Psychology of What Works. New York: Oxford University Press. Weiner, I. B. (2003). Handbook of psychology: 3. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Syllabus 137H “Human Stress” Attachment 2 Class Paper: Assess Your Coping PART I. Think about a very stressful personal crisis or life event you experienced in the last year that you had some control over - the more recent and stressful the event, the better for this exercise. How did you handle this situation and your stress? Some of the ways people handle stressful experiences are listed below. Mark an "X" in the space preceding each one you used. 1. __X__ Tried to see a positive side to it. 2. _____ Tried to step back from the situation and be more objective. 3. __X__ Prayed for guidance or strength. 4. __X__ Sometime took it out on other people when I felt angry or depressed. 5. _____ Got busy with other things to keep my mind off the problem. 6. _____ Decided not to worry about it because I figured everything would work out fine. 7. __X__ Took things one step at a time. 8. __X__ Read relevant material for solutions and considered several alternatives. 9. _____ Drew on my knowledge because I had a similar experience before. 10. __X__ Talked to a friend or relative to get advice on handling the problem. 11. _____ Talked with a professional person (e.g., doctor, clergy, lawyer, teacher, counselor) about ways to improve the situation. 12. __X__ Took some action to improve the situation. __3__ Total of Xs in first six coping strategies (these are strategies focused either on managing your emotions related to the stressful situation, or on avoiding the source of the stress). __4__ Total of Xs in second six coping strategies (these are strategies focused on the source of the problem and actively trying to resolve it). PART II. Now, think about a very stressful personal crisis or life event you experienced in the last year that was out of your control - the more recent and stressful the event, the better for this exercise. How did you handle this situation and your stress? Some of the ways people handle stressful experiences are listed below. Mark an "X" in the space preceding each one you used. 1. __X__ Tried to see a positive side to it. 2. _____ Tried to step back from the situation and be more objective. 3. __X__ Prayed for guidance or strength. 4. __X__ Sometimes took it out on other people when I felt angry or depressed. 5. __X__ Got busy with other things to keep my mind off the problem. 6. _____ Decided not to worry about it because I figured everything would work out fine. 7. __X__ Took things one step at a time. 8. _____ Read relevant material for solutions and considered several alternatives. 9. _____ Drew on my knowledge because I had a similar experience before. 10. __X__ Talked to a friend or relative to get advice on handling the problem. 11. __X__ Talked with a professional person (e.g., doctor, clergy, lawyer, teacher, counselor) about ways to improve the situation. 12. _____ Took some action to improve the situation. __4__ Total of Xs in first six coping strategies (these are strategies focused either on managing your emotions related to the stressful situation, or on avoiding the source of the stress). __3__ Total of Xs in second six coping strategies (these are strategies focused on the source of the problem and actively trying to resolve it). 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