PSYC-110N Week 6 Assignment: Managing Your Stress (GRADED)

Managing Your Stress Chamberlain College of Nursing PSYC 110N After completing the “How Do You Cope” handout, I found that my pre dominant coping strategy was problem solving. Problem-focused coping attempts to modify the stressful problem or source of stress. Problem-focused strategies lead to changes in behavior or to the development of a plan of action to deal with stress (Feldman, 2019). The scenario that I decided to focus on that stressed me out lately was just recently when I was trying to play catch up on missed assignments as well as making sure I was current on work assigned for the week at hand. It caused me stress because not only was I dealing with family issues, I was behind on more than a few assignments including two midterms. All I could think of was how do I catch up, how to I manage studying for current assignments, when can I breathe! I was focused on the problem and how it could be resolved by developing a plan to do so. Stress can be defined as a person’s response to events that are threatening or challenging (Feldman, 2019). Sometimes when you’re stressed, the first noticeable signs are how you are acting. These can include increased clutter in your personal or work space, forgetting what you’re doing or having trouble organizing yourself, and moving around very quickly or very slowly (Wilkens). Some negative effects of stress are feeling tired or anxious, substance abuse, sleep deprivation, and even weight loss. Even though it could be hard to believe, good stress is a thing. Our bodies are wired for fight or flight so we automatically respond to stress in one. Way or another. A few positive effects are the fact that it could improve cognitive function by triggering better brain performance, it can enhance child development, helps fight off viruses and colds, and makes you tough and able to handle those situations readily. One coping strategy a person could use to deal with stress is to use problem-solving coping. A person could take the day to go to a yoga class and work on meditation and focus while also relaxing. Another form of coping that I personally enjoy is aromatherapy. I love to light a candle and watch a movie or listen to music to take myself away from the issue for a little while. I even enjoy cleaning up and doing laundry because it is something that can calm me. Self- care activities are important to deal with stress. Everyone should have an activity they can do to help them wind down and take their mind off of whatever is stressing them. You see people who enjoy gardening, couponing, running, exercising, etc. as hobbies. In my opinion hobbies are just ways to manage stress. Another coping strategy that I also use is social support. The social and emotional support people provide each other helps in dealing with stress in several ways (Feldman, 2019). I have friends that I am extremely close with and can go to in times of stress or when I feel like I need advice. Social groups such as churches, therapists, friends, doctors, and professors. Being able to lean on someone and have them empathize with you and offer advice is always helpful when managing stressful situations. It also falls under the category of emotional coping because you’re able to outwardly express how you feel and release. One thing I have had to learn starting my journey through nursing school is how to manage stress and not let it affect my performance. It is not enough to manage stress outside of school, it is also important to manage stress caused by school. I have begun to cope by better utilizing my planner and making sure I look at it daily and put as much as I can in it so I can visualize my day and plan around activities accordingly. I have learned to honestly answer and open up when people ask me how school is going or how my day went, especially after a drawn out day. I appreciate learning this early on so that when I do move forward and start my NR classes, I will know from experience to not let stress consume me. I used to use sleep as a coping mechanism because it wasn’t getting anything done for me. I would wake up with nothing checked off my list and maybe temporarily feeling better until I realize. References 1. Feldman, R. S. (2019). Understanding psychology. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education 2. Higuera, V. (2018). 4 Surprising Health Benefts of Stress.