Tag: Health

As part of today’s input and in order to develop a great understanding of stress factors we were asked to read Pengilly and Dowd (2000) journal based on the correlation of stress and hardiness. At some point in our lives it is inevitable that we will encounter a stressful event whether to be majorly life changing or an event that requires temporary or minor change to our way of life.

The journal examines the normal transitional of moving house and retirement to be crucial life changing events, but also the unexpected life changing events such as divorce and job redundancies/ loss. The journal also focuses on the stressors that we encounter can be connected to some illness and diseases. Likewise, there is can also be links between stressful events and depression/anxiety.

The journal also explains the Kobasa definition of ‘hardiness’ to be comprised of 3 C’s- ‘control’, ‘commitment’ and ‘challenge’. In other words, ‘hardiness’ can be defined as resilient. Kobasa expounds an individual who possess ‘hardiness’ to have positive outlook on stressful events, consider themselves to have the ability to make a difference and considers changes to be good. Alongside ‘hardiness’ it is important that we have strong social support around us, with people we can trust and can seek guidance, advice and can help us during times of stress.

The principle consensus of the journal article is individuals who lack ‘hardiness’ and social support have a higher possibility of developing depression, a factor of being stress. However, there is a range of methods that can combat stress such as breathing exercises, exercising, relaxing, being organised and in general having a healthy body and healthy mind.

After reading through the ‘Pengilly & Dowd (2000) article on Stress Hardiness’ I have found that there are several factors which can have a negative effect on your health. Some of these factors include: normative life transitions, non-normative life transitions, lack of human contact/touch, loneliness and lack of social support.

To begin with, normative life transitions are life events which can be expected or predicted. Examples are retirement or moving home. These types of events can cause stress which impacts an individuals life negativity however, non-normative transitions are more likely to cause the most long-term damage.

Non-normative life transitions are life event which cannot be predicted such as divorce or loss of a job. Effects caused by non-normative life transitions include: neurotic impairment, coronary heart disease and cancer.

Human contact/touch is a necessary and vital part of basic human nature as it helps to show various emotions and allows for individuals to connect with others around them. There are many positive effects gained from human touch, some being: stronger hearts, lower blood pressure, decreased stress levels and overall reduced tension. However if someone isn’t exposed to human contact they do not receive the benefits therefore damaging their health in the long run.

Loneliness is a term often confused with alone. However, both are completely different. Being alone means in the literal sense whereas being lonely is the feeling that no matter how many people are around you, you still feel lonely. Loneliness can have negative effects on the health of individual as it can cause extreme depression, decreased immune system, promotion of unhealthy behaviours, excessive reactions to stress whilst also leaving the individual 4x more likely to get sick.

Social support is having someone there who you can talk to and who can help you through your problems and any other thing that is bothering you. These people can include however are not limited to: family, friends, colleagues, help lines, help groups, educational professionals, your partner etc. If there is a lack of social support, then the individual may experience damaging effects to their health. it may lead to: negative feeling towards themselves, higher levels of stress, decreased life expectancy, longer recovery times from surgery, increased need for medication in some chronic illnesses and the promotion of negative health practises.

Factors which can help in supporting a healthy lifestyle include:

• Religion and spirituality
• Family Support
• Physical fitness
• Coping mechanisms
• Sense of control

After todays input I have taken into consideration the factors that impact on our health and the methods that can be used to support a healthy lifestyle. Stress is an important aspect in todays society and can impact positive and negatively on a persons health. After having read ‘Stress Hardiness’ an article by Pengilly and Dowd (2000) it has highlighted the main components of stress and how these are caused by major life events either normative events such as moving house or non-normative events such as divorce.

One factor that can negatively impact on our health is job stress. Having troubles or being under pressure at work can lead to huge amounts of stress and constantly being buried under your work load. This can cause people to have problems with their adrenal and thyroid glands as well as increasing their heart rate. However, to be able to support this we must consider it as a challenge in order to succeed. Penally and Dowd(2000) believes that challenge is an opportunity for growth and that change is normal when it comes to being challenged. This will allow people to relieve their stress and feel it more as a goal rather than a stress.

Major life events such as getting divorced is an area of stress that can particularly cause a great amount of stress and loneliness. People may fail to particpate in certain social events or just feel  constantly down with no one to talk to. A method that could increase a healthy lifestyle in this situation is social support. Talking to a friend or family member and being able to trust them will greatly help in a time of loneliness. People will be able to listen and gain advice from someone who has went through a similar problems in their life.

People who have common mental disorders for example, anxiety this may impact negatively on ones health. Anxiety can lead to people becoming very self conscious and unwilling to do certain things as they feel they are constantly being watched or worried about what other people may think. A method to combat this is to gain a sense of control. Try to cope with how things can change quickly and learn to deal with situations more positively rather than negatively.

Age related stress is another category than can cause people stress and particuarly decrease their level of health when it comes to worrying about certain stages of their live such as retirement. People may worry tat once they retire they won’t have things to do and will be bored  without work. A stress buffer of this could be to maintain physical fitness and exercise to keep a healthy lifestyle as well as having something to do as a replacement of work.

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.

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