In this weeks lecture we focused on stress to start off with. We had to identify the things that made us stressed, if they were good or bad and how we could help prevent them. We discussed stress triggers such as job stress, daily hassles and age related stress (this being something I had never thought about before). We then spoke about our responses to stress. This is where I found out that I didn’t deal with stress very well, I just cry, although after going though the slides and hearing suggestions from others in my year, I have thought about more positive ways to deal with stress such as going a run or seeking social support. We also looked at mental health and how religion and spirituality could help this. Next we looked at how mental health affects physical health, having positive mental health means that the person feels;
- Sense of empowerment and personal control
- Sense of connectedness
- Sense of purpose and meaning
- Hope
This then means that they use less health services, meaning less stress on the government. They also have positive recovery rates as they feel in control and they know they can get better. Lastly we spoke about the importance of social support and why it is vital that people feel like they have someone to talk to, so that it doesn’t lead to being lonely and feeling excluded.
Holmes Rahe Inventory
In the tutorial we were asked to complete the Holmes Rahe Inventory to work out our stress levels and the affect this could have on our health. Shockingly I scored 265, this meant I feel into the category 150 to 300 points meaning a 50% chance of health breakdown in the next 2 years. I was very shocked to be placed in the category, and as far up in it. I do feel stressed at this time although not as much as it is suggesting and it is scary to this that this could mean I have a 50% chance of having health problems in the years to come.
I feel like one of the main things I get stressed about it work, uni work and my job. I need to work so I can earn money although working too much means I don’t have enough time for my studies. This does put a lot of stress on me and it is something I struggle to balance and cope with. I think I noticed this as I started having an increase in arguments with my friends and family, this is when I noticed that I had so much going on in my head that I was taking it out on other people.
I feel like to combat this I need to be more effective with my time management. I need to create a timetable of what I am going to study and when so I can fit my job around this (as my university work comes first). I also need to ensure I leave enough time in the week to get out of the house and do things, even if it is just going a drive with my friends I have released that this was part of the reason I was so stressed, because I was over working myself.
In the future I also aim to do more exercise when I am stressed. I would say I live a fairly active lifestyle although when I am stressed or feel overwhelmed I hope to make an effort to get out the house even if it is for a walk, as it is benefiting me in more ways than one. I will also trying listening to music to calm me down, this is something that I have never tried before so I hope to try this technique to see if it works for me.
Stress Hardiness Article
From reading this article in the tutorial I have a deeper understanding of the term ‘hardiness’ and its three components, control, commitment and challenge. I learnt that a ‘hardy’ individual is someone who tackles stress and takes on challenges for personal growth. This article highlighted how major life events can cause stress in certain people, it also discussed how several factors can have a negative effect on your health.
One factors discussed that can negatively impact your health is normative transitions. These are life events that are expected to happen, for example retirement and moving house. These types of events are likely to cause stress to the individual, however the impact doesn’t tend to be long-term or cause much damage.
Next non-normative transitions. These have more of a serious effect on peoples life. Non-normative events include a divorce or loss of job, they are unpredictable. The effects are long term and are things such as coronary heart disease and cancer. It causes high stress levels for anyone involved.
Loneliness is another factor that could negatively impact on health. As we previously learned being alone and being lonely are completely different. Being alone means being psychically alone, for example in a room, however someone could feel lonely even when surrounded with a room full of people. It is the feeling of not being able to speaking to anyone around you. This can cause major depression, promote unhealthy behaviours, such as drinking, and cause excessive reactions to stress. Feeling lonely also means that you are 4 times more likely to get sick. This in turn can effect your health majorly in the long run.
Another factor that can negatively impact your health is lack of human contact. From a hug to a high five to a pat on the back this allows emotion to be shown and for people to connect with others around them, basic human contact daily can have many benefits. Simply touching someone can decrease stress levels, lower blood pressure and reduce overall tension. Lack of this means they are not receiving the benefits that this brings which could intern effect there mental health in the future.
Social support is the last factor that I will talk about that can effect our health negatively. Having social support means that you have someone to talk to and you know is there for you when you need them. These people can include friends or family, colleagues at work, help lines / groups and professionals. Lack of social support in someones life could negatively impact them as they may start to experience higher stress levels, decreased life expectancy and feeling down about themselves. This may also mean that it takes them longer to recover as they don’t feel obliged to get better for someone else, it could also increase the need for medicine in some long term illnesses, thus negatively impacting their health.
However, from what I have learned today I now know of many different way to combat these problems and methods that could support a healthy lifestyle.
One being finding the right coping mechanisms for you. Some include getting enough sleep, managing your time and keeping a stress diary. The next is physical fitness, exercising is a good way of releasing stress and getting fit and healthy at the same time. Exercising releases happy endorphins making you feel more positive about yourself. Social support from family and friends is another way that could help support a healthy lifestyle. Knowing you have someone to talk to and help you through your problems makes you feel safe which should in turn make you worry less. Religion could also help. Researching and attending church is a good way of keeping a healthy lifestyle, it means you are less likely to take part in risky behaviours and it gives you a senses of personal control and connectedness. A last way that could help support a healthy lifestyle is through learning to be optimistic. Being optimistic means you believe in yourself, you realise and make small changes, set goals and stay flexible. This means you look on the positive side of things and overall you believe in your self which in turn should decrease the chance of stress and support a healthy lifestyle.
