February 2017 – Page 2

Holmes-Rahe Inventory

Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory Scale After conducting the Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory the scaled conveyed that I have a “50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next two years”. The Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory is based and scored around stressful life events that we may encounter ranging from major life change events (such as a death … Continue reading Holmes-Rahe Inventory

Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory Scale

After conducting the Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory the scaled conveyed that I have a “50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next two years”.

The Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory is based and scored around stressful life events that we may encounter ranging from major life change events (such as a death of a loved one, being made redundant from work, changes in financial state) and minor events that would only have a temporary implication on your life such as planning and going on holiday. The inventory requires to mark down life events you have experienced over the past year in order to achieve a score which determines the category and impacts that can have on health and stress levels.

The Holme-Rahe Stress Inventory stated my score to be 177, I was rather surprised at how low my scored transpired to. I would deem that my stress levels should have inflated over the past year due to sitting high school exams and the work required in order to get into university, however within the Inventory scale the aspects of exams and interviews is not take into consideration, implying results could be inaccurate. Therefore, over the year I feel more stress at some point when my work/life balance is not as good I struggle to find time to spend with family, meet with friends and have time to myself. However, I would not consider going on holiday to be stressful, this is a time I am able to relax and forgot about any stresses.

The Inventory identified that major stresses where ceasing from formal education and outside of university have seen extensive changes in my part-time job in which I have adopted greater responsibilities. The sector which I work within requires on-going career development and training, therefore it is important I find a good balance between university, work and having time to myself.

My Prime stress come from work and university life especially studying for exams it is important that I have strategies to reduce and combat the stresses. I enjoy to exercise and I exercise daily as I feel that I am relieved from my stresses. When studying, I listen this helps to keep me motivated and focused. Also when I am stressed I always speak to a family member who gives me advice and guidance.

Holmes Rhae Scale

I want to start this blog by stating that I am already aware that I am a very anxious person. I worry a lot and get stressed extremely easily, which leads me to suffer from regular panic attacks. My reading on the ‘Holmes Rhae Scale’ backed up what I was already aware of. After adding up my score, I … Continue reading Holmes Rhae Scale

I want to start this blog by stating that I am already aware that I am a very anxious person. I worry a lot and get stressed extremely easily, which leads me to suffer from regular panic attacks.

My reading on the ‘Holmes Rhae Scale’ backed up what I was already aware of. After adding up my score, I received a terrifying 325. What shocked me most about this was that my friends and the people around me were all in the low 100’s whereas I was nearly triple that. This score implies that I have a high chance (about 80%) of having a major health breakdown in the next two years. This is information is not new to me, I know that if my mind frame does not become more positive then I could be at serious risk later on in life.

I am forever in a constant battle with stress, be that good or bad. Though some flourish under pressure, I crumble. There is always a voice in my head telling me something is wrong, or I didn’t do that right or that I am not good enough. Though to some this would seem bad, to me that is just my life. However, I’d like to think that upon starting University this year things have gotten better because of the new mind frame that I am in.

My social support has increased greatly. I am now surrounded with individuals who bring out the best qualities in me, people who I am confident around and who are always there for me if I need them. In some sense they are my figurative security blanket, always there to reel me back from a stressful situation.

I would say that although there is still stress in my life, that is inevitable, I am finding better ways to cope with things. As a form of escape, I like to read, Anything from Stephen King to Veronica Roth. It is my favourite way to focus my mind into thinking about the positives and not the negatives. Walking is another thing that relaxes me, a nice walk with my dog early in the morning is what regulates my breathing and allows me to analysis and evaluate my situation.

A factor that any realist needs to take into consideration when relating to stress is what you feel/look like physically. I know that I am not physically fit and no matter how hard I try I cant shake the habit of comfort eating. Exercising is something that I enjoy to do (believe it or not) however, I have no one to do it with and that in turn makes me to self-conscious to start. A method to deal with this for me personally is to just put my earphones in and do what I came to do, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

I want to finish by highlighting that although I am naturally stressful, I try not to let that impact my life daily. I know there is always someone there to talk to, be that family or friend, to help me fight that little battle. There is also several coping mechanisms that I have developed such as bit my lip or play with my fingers, which in the right situation, helps me through my day

Stress Hardiness

Stress is something which everyone experiences at some point in their lives and it is often experienced due to certain triggers. Stress and its many triggers can have negative impacts on people’s health. In the Pengilly and Dowd (2000) article on Stress Hardiness, the concept of different categories of triggers is discussed. There are events … Continue reading Stress Hardiness

Pengilly and Doud (2000) Stress Hardiness

There are many factors that can negatively impact individual(s) health within society, one being stress. Stress achieves a very negative impact on individuals as this often results in depression which shows that stress and depression must be linked and that they both work in turn with one another. This therefore shows that high-hardiness individuals are … Continue reading Pengilly and Doud (2000) Stress Hardiness →

Holmes-Rahe Reflection

After adding up my score on the Holmes-Rahe Scale I had a total of 146, this implies that I have had a relatively low amount of life change and have a low susceptibility to stress-induced health breakdown. I’m quite happy with this score as it means that my stress levels haven’t been too high over the past year. Well actually, although the scale tells me that my stress levels have been pretty low, I know for a fact that they have been much, much higher over the past year. As much as I think the Holmes-Rahe Scale is a useful tool, it doesn’t take into account the stress from other life events such as exams, personal anxiety or depression as examples. I think if these were also options on the scale, my score would be much higher, as I struggled with exam stress not once but twice last year and I was also affected by some anxiety issues as well which caused stress in other areas such as holidays, social interaction, finishing high school, moving away from home, starting at university and even going out in public. More recently however I have been stressing about University work and the upcoming exams, as well as having these exams to study for, I have also been stressed over the Literacy resit that I have to do as well. It gets to the point where I stress so much about having to study for all these exams that I end up doing no studying at all and I begin to lose sleep too, which is not good! Relieving stress is something I find quite difficult, because I live away from home I don’t really get the chance to confide in my family and I don’t want to burden my friends because I know that they have their own problems to deal with and exams to study for. So really the only way I have to get rid of stress is either to bottle it up or to comfort eat, which is also not good. That’s usually my way to resolve stress that has built up over time but I have some other ways of relieving stress as it happens, for example giving a presentation. This is where I either take deep breaths in fresh air, fidget (wring my fingers), bob my leg up and down or sometimes if I’m really stressed I’ll dig my fingernails into the backs of my fingers or the palm of my hand. I know that some of my tactics are not the greatest but they seem to work for me, which is all that really matters.

stress workshop, society and lifestyles

stress-workshop-society-and-lifestyles

Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory

From completing the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory my score was 115, therefore I fall into the category of ‘150 or less’ which means a relatively low amount of my life should change and ill have a lower susceptibility to stress or an induced health breakdown. My score of 115 actually came as a surprise to me, … Continue reading Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory →

Mind, Body & Health

In today’s lecture and seminar we have been focusing on the Mind, Body and Health. We are been focusing on the factors that impact our health, the role of personality in determining health and methods to a support a healthy lifestyle. After completing the Holmes Rahe Inventory Test, the score I achived was 213 which […]

After completing the Holmes Rahe Inventory Test, the score I achived was 213 which implied that I would have a 50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next 2 years.

I think my score was high due to a lot of new beginnings. This year I started university which is said to increase stress. I also move house this Friday which is also said to increase stress.

Starting university was an emotional roller coaster. For me, stress began in 5th year when I had to finalise my choice and actually apply for university. After failing the first time around, I had to reapply which then caused more stress. The relief I experience when passing my college course and being accepted at UWS was like no other. However, stress began again when September came around and I was beginning the next chapter of my life.

Right now I am currently packing the things in my house as I move this Friday. This has added stress to my life as it is hard to keep up with university work when I have other stuff on my mind. I also have a part time job to keep up and it is often hard to find time to socialise with friends which is unhealthy. I am excited to settle into my new home so my stress levels decrease and life goes back to normal.

I was over all shocked when the results said that there is a 50% chance that I would have a mental breakdown in the next 2 years. I think is possible that I might have some issues due to uni exams. However I am a strong individual and can cope with stress well. I tend to face my problems before hiding them.

Hardiness and Social Support as Moderators of Stress

‘Hardiness and Social Support as Moderators of Stress’ explores the quantitative effect of social support and the elements of the hardiness scale of commitment and the challenges and controlling relationship […]

Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory

Upon completing the Holmes-Rahe stress inventory test, I found that I am 50% likely to suffer from a major health breakdown within the next two years as I received a score of 297. This could be understandable due to the fact that I am currently stressed and worried about university as well as other personal issues I happening in my life at the moment. These issues, especially feeling stressed about university, will most likely worsen and help cause this major breakdown. I feel that 50% is quite high and it worries me that this is quite likely to happen. Having had quite a few changes happen in my life within the past year, I feel that stress was inevitable and I am not surprised at the result I received. I am aware that these changes have had a significant impact on my life as I have left school and came to university, which is a completely different environment and requires me to be much more independent, and I have also lost a lot of friends due to leaving school. This is something which everyone expects to happen but is nonetheless still damaging to oneself. Some of the life events listed on the Holmes-Rahe test which I found applied to me are a lack of sleep, the revision of personal habits and a major change in social activities. I have found that since attending university, I have lost several hours of sleep per night from my usual routine as I try to balance uni, work and my social life. However, my social habits have still suffered as a result of time management and prioritising. This is something which causes me stress as I do not see my friends or family as much as I would like to.