UNIT - 3 - Meeting Life Challenges
UNIT - 3 - Meeting Life Challenges
UNIT - 3 - Meeting Life Challenges
Nature of Stress:
● We are facing various challenges /problems in our day to day life whether it
is as simple as crossing a road or appearing for exams. If we handle it
properly the threat would be reduced but if not then it creates anxiety &
stress.
● High stress can produce unpleasant effects and cause our performance to
deteriorate. Conversely, too little stress may cause one to feel somewhat
aimless and low on motivation which may lead us to perform slowly and
less efficiently.
● All stress is not inherently bad or destructive.
● ‘Eustress’ is the term used to describe the level of stress that is good for you
and is one of a person’s best assets for achieving peak performance and
managing minor crisis.
● Stress can be defined as the pattern of responses an organism makes to
stimulus event that disturbs the equilibrium and exceeds a person’s
ability to cope.
● The word stress has its origin in the Latin words ‘strictus’, meaning tight
or narrow and ‘stringere’, the verb meaning to tighten. These root words
reflect the internal feelings of tightness and constriction of the muscles and
breathing reported by many people under stress.
● Stressors are events that cause our body to give the stress response. Such
events include noise, crowding, a bad relationship, or the daily commuting
to school or office.
● Strain: The reaction to external stressors is called ‘strain’
● Hans Selye, the father of modern stress research, defined stress as “the
nonspecific response of the body to any demand” that is, regardless of
the cause of the threat, the individual will respond with the same
physiological pattern of reactions.
● Stress is a dynamic mental/cognitive state. It is a disruption in homeostasis
or an imbalance that gives rise to a requirement for resolution of that
imbalance or restoration of homeostasis.
● The perception of stress is dependent upon the individual’s cognitive
appraisal of events and the resources available to deal with them.
● This two-level appraisal process determines not only our cognitive and
behavioural responses but also our emotional and physiological responses to
external stressful events.
1. One factor is past experiences of dealing with stress. If one has handled
similar situations very successfully in the past, it would be less threatening
for him.
2. Another factor is whether the stressful event is perceived as controllable,
i.e. whether one has mastery or control over a situation. A person who
believes that s/he can control the onset of a negative situation, or its adverse
consequences, will experience less amount of stress than those who have no
such sense of personal control.
3. Other factors are -
Cultural Factors : The The cultural context in which we live determines the
meaning of any event and defines the nature of response that is expected under
various conditions.
1. Lack of concentration,
2. Memory loss,
3. Poor decision-making,
4. Inconsistency,
Types of Stress :
Physical stresses are demands that change the state of our body. We feel
strained when we overexert ourselves physically, lack a nutritious diet, suffer an
injury, or fail to get enough sleep.
These are stresses that we generate ourselves in our minds. These are personal
and unique to the person experiencing them and are internal sources of stress.
Some of the important sources of psychological stress are frustration, conflicts,
internal and social pressures, etc.
i) Frustration :
It results from the blocking of needs and motives by something or someone that
hinders us from achieving a desired goal. There could be a number of causes of
frustration such as social discrimination, interpersonal hurt, low grades in school,
etc. (Refer class XI book ; chapter -9 to elaborate your answer).
ii) Conflicts :
This may occur between two or more incompatible needs or motives, e.g.
whether to study dance or psychology. One may want to continue studies or
take up a job. (Refer class XI book chapter -9: types of conflicts )
This develops from beliefs based upon expectations from inside us to ourselves
such as, ‘I must do everything perfectly’. Such expectations can only lead to
disappointment. Many of us drive ourselves ruthlessly towards achieving
unrealistically high standards in achieving our goals.
Social pressures may be brought about from people who make excessive demands
on us. This can cause even greater pressure when we have to work with them.
These are induced externally and result from our interaction with other people.
Social events like death or illness in the family, strained relationships, trouble
with neighbours are some examples of social stresses.
These social stresses vary widely from person to person. Attending parties may be
stressful for a person who likes to spend quiet evenings at home while an outgoing
person may find staying at home in the evenings stressful.
Sources of Stress :
A wide range of events and conditions can generate stress. Among the most
important of these are major stressful life events, such as death of a loved one or
personal injury, the annoying frequent hassles of everyday life and traumatic
events that affect our lives.
1) Life Events
Changes, both big and small, sudden and gradual affect our life from the moment
we are born. We learn to cope with small, everyday changes but major life events
can be stressful, because they disturb our routine and cause upheaval. If several of
these life events that are planned (e.g. moving into a new house) or unpredictable
(e.g. break-up of a long-term relationship) occur within a short period of time, we
find it difficult to cope with them and will be more prone to the symptoms of
stress.
2) Hassles :
These are the personal stresses we endure as individuals, due to the happenings in
our daily life, such as noisy surroundings, commuting, quarrelsome neighbors,
electricity and water shortage, traffic snarls, and so on.
These daily hassles may sometimes have devastating consequences for the
individual who is often the one coping alone with them as others may not even be
aware of them as outsiders. The more stress people report as a result of daily
hassles, the poorer is their psychological wellbeing.
3) Traumatic Events :
These include being involved in a variety of extreme events such as a fire, train or
road accident, robbery, earthquake, tsunami, etc. The effects of these events may
occur after some lapse of time and sometimes persist as symptoms of anxiety,
flashbacks, dreams and intrusive thoughts, etc. Severe trauma can also strain
relationships. Professional help will be needed to cope with them especially if they
persist for many months after the event is over.
There are four major areas where effects of stress can be seen
i) Emotional Effects :
● Those who suffer from stress are far more likely to experience mood
swings, and show erratic behaviour that may alienate them from family and
friends.
● In some cases this can start a vicious circle of decreasing confidence,
leading to more serious emotional problems.
● Some examples are feelings of anxiety and depression, increased physical
tension, increased psychological tension and mood swings
● If pressures due to stress continue, one may suffer from mental overload.
● This suffering from high level of stress can rapidly cause individuals to lose
their ability to make sound decisions.
● Faulty decisions made at home, in career, or at workplace may lead to
arguments, failure, financial loss or even loss of job.
● Cognitive effects of stress are poor concentration, and reduced short term
memory capacity.
● Stress affects our behaviour in the form of eating less nutritional food,
increasing intake of stimulants such as caffeine, excessive consumption of
cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs such as tranquillisers etc.
● Tranquillisers can be addictive and have side effects such as loss of
concentration, poor coordination, and dizziness.
● Some of the typical behavioural effects of stress seen are disrupted sleep
patterns, increased absenteeism, and reduced work performance.
● Sometimes we fall sick during examination time and suffer from stomach
upsets, body aches, nausea, diarrhoea and fever etc.
● One must have also noticed that people who are unhappy in their personal
lives fall sick more often than those who are happy and enjoy life.
● Chronic daily stress can divert an individual’s attention from caring for
herself or himself.
● When stress is prolonged, it affects physical health and impairs
psychological functioning.
● People experience exhaustion and attitudinal problems when the stress due
to demands from the environment and constraints are too high and little
support is available from family and friends.
● The physical exhaustion is seen in the signs of chronic fatigue, weakness
and low energy.
● The mental exhaustion appears in the form of irritability, anxiety,
feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
● This state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion is known
as burnout.
● There is also convincing evidence to stress can produce changes in the
immune system and increase the chances of someone becoming ill.
● Stress has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disorders,
high blood pressure, as well as psychosomatic disorders including ulcers,
asthma, allergies and headaches.
This triggers the release of hormones producing the stress response. Now
the individual is ready for fight or flight.
2. Resistance stage :
The parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the
body’s resources.
3. Exhaustion stage :
Selye’s model has been criticised for assigning a very limited role
to psychological factors in stress.
Lifestyle :
Coping Strategies :
i) Problem-focused strategies :
1) Relaxation Techniques :
2) Meditation Procedures :
3) Biofeedback :
4) Creative Visualisation :
6) Exercise :
Life Skills :
● Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that
enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and
challenges of everyday life.
● Our ability to cope depends on how well we are prepared to deal with
and counterbalance everyday demands, and keep equilibrium in our
lives. These life skills can be learned and even improved upon.
Some important life skills that will help to meet the challenges
of life are -
1) Assertiveness :
2) Time Management :
● The way you spend your time determines the quality of your life.
Learning how to plan time and delegate can help to relieve the
pressure.
● The major way to reduce time stress is to change one’s perception
of time. The central principle of time management is to spend your
time doing the things that you value, or that help you to achieve
your goals.
● It depends on being realistic about what you know and that you
must do it within a certain time period, knowing what you want to
do, and organising your life to achieve a balance between the
two.
3) Rational Thinking :
4) Improving Relationships :
5) Self-care :
1)Perfectionists are persons who have to get everything just right. They
have difficulty in varying standards according to factors such as time
available, consequences of not being able to stop work, and the effort
needed. They are more likely to feel tense and find it difficult to relax, are
critical of self and others.
3. Positive Attitude :
Positive health and well-being can be realised by having a positive
attitude.
Some of the factors leading to a positive attitude are:
i) having a fairly accurate perception of reality;
ii)a sense of purpose in life and responsibility;
iii) acceptance and tolerance for different viewpoints of others; and
iv) taking credit for success and accepting blame for failure.
v) Finally, being open to new ideas and having a sense of humour with
the ability to laugh at oneself helps us to remain healthy.
Positive Thinking :
Social Support :
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