STRESS MANAGEMENT II

HEALTH PREFECT, AFROGRAMS 1972)

Sometimes, an individual may be going through a very stressful situation and may not feel its full impact. Certain factors or situations are known to lessen the impact of stress on people.

These factors include:

1. Prior experience: If a person has experienced a particular stressful event or situation before, next time he experiences it he is likely to be able to cope with it better. This is because the person has become familiar with the stressful event and he is able to predict its effects. For instance, speaking in public for the first time may be very stressful; not so when one gets used to it.

2. Perceived control: If one has a measure of control over a stressful situation, the effects will be less severe. For instance, the chief executive of an organization is occupying a very stressful position but because he is in charge, he has a great deal of control over the situation. This helps in ameliorating the stressful effects of his position.

3 Social Support: People who enjoy the support of their families, churches, and other social groups find it easier to deal with stressful situations. The sudden loss of a close relationship (e.g. the death of a spouse) has been found to be one of the most stressful of all life events because it represents a severe loss of support. Many people in such situation have been found to develop various emotional and physical illnesses.

4 Physical and Emotional Well-being: Being in good physical and emotional state helps in ameliorating the effects of stress. If, for example, a person’s nutritional status is poor, this will affect his ability to deal with situations perceived as difficult or threatening.

Management of Stress

The main approaches to stress management nclude:

1 Education: Understanding what stress is Many people experience the effects of stress without knowing that these are due to stress. The first step in the management of stress is to have a good understanding of the nature and manifestations of the condition. For those who are already showing the symptoms and signs of diseases associated with stress, they need to be helped (by their doctors and other therapists) to understand that their symptoms are related to stress; make the link recognize the stressful events and situations they are going through, and how these are related to their symptoms/signs (e.g. with respect to symptom onset, severity, etc.) know how to deal with these stressful situations, or how to cope with them more effectively. Once the nature of stress is understood, and one is able to recognize the stressful situations in one’s life, one will feel more competent to deal with these situations and thereby cope effectively with stress.

2. Coping with stressful situations: To cope with a stressful situation, one needs to respond in either of two ways. One is to focus on the problem and think of ways of dealing directly with it. For example, a student who is experiencing great stress because an important examination is approaching needs to think of how to prepare effectively for the examination. If he prepares adequately for it, he is likely to become more confident and the stress will be reduced. Similarly, a chief executive whose organization is having cash-flow problems may need to think of ways of improving his revenue generation and/or reducing his expenditure. If he is able to do either/or both of these effectively, he will be able to cope more effectively with the stress generated by his cash- flow situation.

Another way of coping with a stressful situation is to try and reduce the emotional impact of the problem. Even though this will not solve the problem directly, it will reduce the psychological impact and enable the individual to come up with a workable solution. For instance, crying and mourning when one is bereaved serves to reduce the emotional impact of the death of a loved one. This is a useful way of coping initially but it should not go on for too long. After crying and mourning for some time, the next logical thing to do is to think of ways of dealing directly with the situation, i.e., coping with life in the absence of the departed. Inappropriate (Maladaptive) Coping Methods to be avoided. Unfortunately, in trying to deal with stress, people sometimes do things that will in fact worsen their problem. For instance,

i.) some people engage in cigarette smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol, or misuse of prescription drugs in an attempt to deal with stress. All these are dangerous and will only worsen their situation, e.g., may result in addiction and other drug abuse-related health problems.

ii.) when under stress, some people will not eat properly or sleep adequately. These will have adverse effects on their health. For example, it may lead to the development of peptic ulcer in those who are predisposed to it. No matter how busy one may be, one should still find time to eat well and sleep adequately.

iii) when under stress, some people join the wrong groups e.g. cults (apparently in search of social support), and end up in a worse situation, with more serious problems. One must be careful of the company one keeps, more so when under stress.

3. Behavioural Skills Training – One may feel overwhelmed if one lacks the skill to carry out a challenging task. Stress management therefore includes training and practice in skills necessary for particular tasks especially when one is still new on the job. Issues like time management, effective priority setting, delegation of authority, assertiveness training, and social skills training often need to be addressed when dealing with stress especially at work.

4. General Measures

a. Improved nutrition. Balanced diet. Puts the body in a state of readiness to better withstand the

effects of stress.

b. Regular physical exercise. Decide on the specific time, type, frequency and level of physical activity you want to engage in and fit this into your daily schedule. Start gradually. May start with 15 minutes of brisk walk every other day.

c. Interact with others – friends, colleagues, etc. Share your experiences.

d. Relaxation. Develop personal interests and hobbies. Listen to music. Once in a while take a mini retreat or holiday.

Conclusion

The way one responds to stress determines how severe its effects would be. The most important steps in managing stress are:

1. Understanding its nature as well as its manifestations

ii. Recognizing how prone one is to stress

iii. Recognizing the stressful or potentially stressful situations in one’s life

iv. Recognizing any inappropriate coping methods one has been using, and taking steps to stop using them

v. Knowing the appropriate methods to deal with the stressful situation, e.g. what additional skills one needs to acquire, and how?

vi. Maintaining general physical and emotional well- being at all times – good nutrition, physical exercise, relaxation, work-life balance, etc.

vii. Knowing when and where to seek professional help, if personal efforts not helpful enough.