Introduction
Psychology defines stress as a feeling of strain and pressure exhibited on an individual by internal or external factors. From a neurological perspective, stress is a state where an individual identifies a problem or an issue and is subconsciously preparing to deal with it, which results in various motoric reactions and stimuli being felt by the body (Burton, p. 938). Stress may be beneficial or negative to an individual, depending on its source, intensity, and longevity. Positive stress improves athletic performance and increases motivation, adaptation, and reaction to the surrounding environment. Negative stress, on the other hand, is associated with cardiovascular diseases, behavioral malfunctions, and psychological disorders.
Passing the Test
I passed the Holmes and Rahe stress test, according to which my stress level is at 118, which is considered moderate-to-low. I have a reasonably low chance of becoming ill because of stress soon.
The primary major stress on my life involved my wife’s pregnancy following by raising our first baby. These stressors are different in nature, as I had very little control over the former, and the only thing I could do was to ensure all of my wife’s needs were met for when baby birth would occur. Compared to that, the following process of raising a small child felt more controllable, even though the challenges associated with it proved to be numerous. In that regard, pregnancy was a major life event, and the subsequent child raising shifted from that to daily hassles and micro stressors, adding to ones being present already. To summarize, having a child is a lot less stressful than expecting one.
Groups of Stress-Resolving Strategies
There are three major groups of stress-resolving strategies that could be applied to nearly any situation. These groups include adaptive-cognitive, adaptive-behavioral, and emotion-focused strategies. Adaptive-cognitive strategies modify the way an individual thinks, adaptive-behavioral focus on solving problems and eliminating stressors, and emotion-focused therapy changes individual emotional reactions to specific stressors (Taylor, p. 134). All of these strategies could be used, to a certain degree, as a part of a complex stress reduction therapy.
During my wife’s pregnancy, I typically implemented an adaptive-cognitive strategy, which revolved around changing my thinking patterns from worrying over my wife’s condition to the anticipation of the newborn child. After her pregnancy was over, I switched to an adaptive-behavioral strategy, as it provided answers to a myriad of stress-related issues associated with caring for the baby. The emotion-focused strategy was never the primary focus but saw use in both scenarios.
Conclusion
The topic I wish to apply for is stress management in the workplace. According to Kinnunen-Amoroso and Juha, occupational stress is one of the greatest health-related risks for employees in Europe and the US, one that is present in every area of professional endeavor. Subtopics, such as stress management, life-work balance, and conflict resolution, could apply to my work as an architect as well as to my life as a father and provider for the family. Learning about different strategies that could be applied in that context would have positive consequences on my life.
Works Cited
Burton, Lorelle, et al. Psychology. 5th ed., Wiley, 2018.
Kinnunen-Amoroso, Maritta, and Juha Liira. “Work-related stress management between workplace and occupational health care.” Work, vol. 54, no. 3, 2016, pp. 507-515.
Taylor, Shelley E. Health psychology. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.