Introduction
Stress entails any type of change that leads to physical, emotional, or psychological strain. It tends to be the response of one’s body to anything which requires attention. Every individual in their lives must have experienced stress to some extent. Stress will slow down some of the bodily functions. There are different types of stress, such as acute stress, short-term stress, and the most common form; this type of stress develops when individuals consider the event’s pressure or face upcoming challenges. Therefore, it would be essential for one to identify and understand their primary stressors, coping challenges, strategies for managing the stress and the long- and short-term goals that keep one moving.
Primary Stress-Producing Areas in My Life
Since the beginning of this term, I have encountered a lot of stress. Some events that occurred concurrently in my life led me to develop acute stress. For instance, one of the primary stress-producing areas in my life during this term is my studies (Gustems-Carnicer et al., 2019). The other stressor is my health. These two aspects have contributed to my stress this term. My stress emanated from achieving poor grades despite studying and revising the course content thoroughly. It gives me stress since I have a big dream in my profession. Every time I fail my tests, I feel like I will not graduate with a good grade in my career. I get so stressed that I cannot even study or do my daily chores. The more I remember that I am emotionally attached to my academic career and see the grades I am getting I tend to be stressed. If I have good grades, I become very and my day is made as I develop the feeling of achievement and more energy.
The other stressor is my health, which has been a concern this term. For instance, I got very stressed when I had an appointment with the doctor. I was very stressed because I did not know what the results could depict. It was after I underwent surgery on my breasts to remove lumps and lymph nodes from my right breast. I was very stressed since I did not know if the samples would test positive or negative for breast cancer. Apart from the stress I went through in healing the incision, I also became stressed for not knowing what results in I expected. Everybody in my circle could detect that I was very stressed, which adversely affected my academics and health.
My Main Coping Challenges
The two main areas that necessitate an improvement of my coping skills include having responsibilities that I find overwhelming and feeling pressured. As I get older, I often feel that I am supposed to achieve various aspects of life, including getting a house and my dream job, among others. Additionally, I often anticipate the accumulation of bills, which require one to work hard to pay them. These responsibilities result to possible stress that derails me instead of boosting my zest to work. Besides, I often feel pressured by society in that, at my age I should have achieved something in my life. The two areas need improved copying skills since they stall my progress rather than promoting it.
Practised Strategies
Emotional focus is among the strategies that can be elevated to manage stress. The strategy focuses on regulating the negative emotional reactions to stress, such as sadness and fear. This type of strategy is commonly used in cases when the stressor cannot be changed. It is an essential strategy as it shifts how we experience potential stressors (Park et al., 2020). It is because our lives can reduce their negative impact. With this strategy, we do not need to wait for our lives to change what is inevitable. Another strategy that I have practiced is the use of meditation. It has helped me to separate myself from my thoughts as I react to stress. It has also helped me to stand back and choose a response rather than reacting out of fear or panic.
In order to cope, one typically has to accept or tolerate unpleasant situations or truths while attempting to maintain a healthy sense of self and emotional balance. Coping happens when there are believed to be stressful life adjustments. Losing a loved one or a job are two examples of unpleasant life changes that are frequently linked to psychological stress (Davis et al., 2019). However, every shift necessitates some form of adaptation. Even good things such as getting married or having children, can cause stress (Park et al., 2020). The need to adapt and adjust to changes makes them stressful. Too many changes in a short period of time can give us the impression that we are powerless over what happens (Mind Tools Content Team, n.d.). Low self-esteem is a result of this perspective, which may also play a role in the emergence of depression or anxiety.
Adjusting to exceptional tasks or pressures is part of coping. This adjustment necessitates exerting more effort and energy than what is required in ordinary activities. Long-term effort mobilization can result in increased levels of stress-related hormones, bodily deterioration, and sickness (Park et al., 2020). Acute stressors like relocating to a new place or starting to have marital issues may necessitate coping mechanisms (Davis et al., 2019). Longer-lasting stressors can also exist, such as persistent physical or mental disease, chronic pain, or persistent money issues.
Effective Strategy and Reasons Behind the Effectiveness
The effective strategy is being emotionally focused and talking to others. The strategy entails talking with individuals whom you trust about the concerns you are going through and how you are feeling. Sharing one’s problems and how you feel and cope with a parent, doctor or counselor. Engaging someone can help you feel less alone and know that you are not the only one going through such difficulties in life. For instance, if I could talk to my close friends and my pastor, maybe I could get relieved of my stress. It is because I might end up learning that I am not the only one getting poor grades. I would also have been encouraged that getting low grades does not necessarily mean I will not perform well in my academic career. If I had also engaged another doctor before, I might have noted that having breast complications does not necessarily mean I am prone to cancer. Talking and sharing the difficulties one is going through does not make the person you are talking to help solve the issue, but you would just want them to listen, and by so doing, you can do better after letting it out. The emotion-focused strategy is
Long-Term Stress Reduction Goal
Following the stress I have encountered this term, my long-term stress reduction goal is to reduce stress on my academic performance. Even though I will keep pushing for my academic performance, I will try very much to reduce stress due to little mistakes. I have set this goal because my highest level of stress, which was recorded during my stress tracking, was 9 out of 10, and this was a result of failing in class. I can remember well that during this day I had failed a quiz in stress class and even after retaking the test, I could not get a good grade. It made my stress levels to be so high. The whole of that day, I stayed stressed, and I could not sleep as I kept looking at my grade. I was not happy at all. After realizing that I was having a lot of stress from my studies, I decided to reduce stress in this area.
Short-Term Stress Reduction Goals
Stopping Negative Thoughts
It will apply to my case health issue as I have always thought I might be suffering from breast cancer. Instead, I will ensure that I only engage positive thoughts, like being optimistic that I have no breast cancer or serious health concerns. On the issue of poor grades, I am optimistic that I will peruse well in my academic career and be successful in life, as life is not all about academics. To stop the negative thoughts, I will try to be my best friend as much as possible. In this case, I will have to release it by letting it out to help the process so as not to dwell. I will be jovial and do away with the thoughts of health, bearing in mind that I do not show any signs of having breast cancer and, therefore, I should stay happy and focused (Hunter et al., 2019). By stopping the negative thoughts, I will be in a position to care for myself and have the capability to handle these life challenges.
Effective Studying for High Grades
The other goal I have put in place to aid in reducing my stress is studying hard to achieve good grades in my studies and ensure that I have good health. Studying hard in class and asking my tutors for clarifications where I have not understood will make me shine in my academics by getting good grades. If I get pleasing grades, I will not encounter the stress that was previously brought by failing my exams. To achieve this, I will ensure that I study and engage in group discussions during most of my free time. I will also ensure that I have good health by eating a balanced diet and doing physical exercises. I will not hesitate to have regular breast screening to find out if I have any signs of cancer.
Conclusion
Stress is detrimental as it can result to depression when one lacks better coping mechanisms. Therefore, I urge everybody to check on their friends and, if they suspect that they might be going through stress, to try and talk to them and help them get relieved from the stress. Individuals should also be cautioned to get rid of life’s stressors and live a simple life. People should ensure that they live a healthy life by eating balanced diets, getting enough sleep and doing physical exercises. For those individuals going through stress, I would propose they use strategies like being emotionally focused, stopping negative thoughts they might be undergoing, and talking to their close allies about the same matter.
References
Davis, M., Eshelman, E. R., & McKay, M. (2019). The relaxation and stress reduction workbook (7th ed.). New Harbinger Publications.
Gustems-Carnicer, J., Calderón, C., & Calderón-Garrido, D. (2019). Stress, coping strategies and academic achievement in teacher education students. European Journal of Teacher Education, 42(3), 375-390. Web.
Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y. P. (2019). Urban nature experiences reduce stress in daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 722. Web.
Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). Smart goals: Personal goal setting. MindTools. Web.
Park, C. L., Russell, B. S., Fendrich, M., Finkelstein-Fox, L., Hutchison, M., & Becker, J. (2020). Americans’ COVID-19 stress, coping, and adherence to CDC guidelines. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(8), 2296-2303. Web.