Stress management is an essential life skill, as it helps one manage and cope with daily challenges. When anticipating stress in this situation, my sister must prevent it by maintaining a positive attitude and thoughts, spending time with loved ones for social support, and accepting that some events will be beyond her control. Coping with and managing stress will require physical and mental activities, such as exercising, meditation, enough sleep, a balanced diet, and breathing exercises. The coping mechanisms she can use fall under either appraisal, emotion, or adaptive behavior strategies.
When applying appraisal or adaptive cognitive methods, my sister has to change how she thinks about the school situation. For example, she can create a positive outlook by reevaluating her values and goals. If she has set extremely high standards for the college semester, such as scoring all As in the subjects, she should consider adjusting to realistic ones. Another strategy is to think about the end of college years when she will graduate. The thought of completing and earning a degree will encourage positive thinking and alleviate stress.
My sister can use social coping strategies that involve the community and environment around her. These include talking to family members or friends about her fears concerning entering college. The people will offer social support through encouragement and guidance and reduce her stress. For example, she can share her worries with someone who has been through the experience and listen to their success story, drawing the inspiration to succeed. It also provides a platform to release pent-up emotions that could include unanswered questions, unrealistic expectations, or anxiety. Finally, she can prevent stress by organizing herself through timetabling and scheduling.
I have a friend who is almost sinking into depression because of focusing on the negative side of life more than the positive one. She married a wealthy young man who inherited massive wealth from his parents immediately after high school graduation. Although she has all her financial needs met overwhelmingly, her failure to proceed with her studies and get employment makes her feel unsatisfied. For example, she compares herself with former classmates who have acquired degrees and work in prestigious companies. Although she can afford much more than these friends can, it still does not make a difference to her.
My friend has high negative feelings but enjoys life and has reasonable life satisfaction. She needs some radical life changes to enrich her experiences. The first step should be to improve her happiness levels by practicing the three good things exercise. By writing down three things that went well in the day and indicating why they did, she will increase her positive affect. Another strategy would be to expand her social networks by interacting with more people and making friends. She spends most of her time alone and does not go to parties, depriving her of a stable social life.
Getting into a job or starting a business may provide a significant opportunity to improve her overall SWB. Since she has access to capital, I would suggest that she establishes a company she can manage every day to feel more valuable and at par with her age mates. Since people with jobs are generally happier than unemployed ones, my friend’s happiness will improve. However, if she needs to hire and manage a skilled workforce, this step might backfire, as she might feel that the employees are superior to her. Therefore, pursuing further learning will also be crucial in improving her SWB.