Stress Effects and Management Report Stress is an inevitable part of life.
Although everyone experiences stress in some form, each person has a different reaction to his or her stress. The varying responses to stress depend upon methods used by the individual to relieve the pressure or tension from them. I will define the four components of psychosocial health and why they are important. Donatella (2010), identified various methods used to manage stress.
I selected visualization as a new tool to help limit and reduce my stress level.I will discuss the effectiveness of the technique, if I will use the technique again, and if the stress management tool should be referred to others. Components of Health The four components, emotional health (feeling), Social health (relating), Mental health (thinking), Spiritual health (being) psychosocial health are equally important (Donatella 2010). The components are dependent of each other providing stability and balance. A person who is mentally healthy is able to process and sort information.Those who are mentally healthy are able to communicate and express emotions without hostility.
Emotional Health is described as feelings or emotional reactions. People that are emotionally healthy respond to events with a level head, they express themselves in an appropriate manner and do not let their feelings take them over. Social health is described as having intimate partners, and interactions with friends, family and acquaintances (Donatella 2010). Social healthy people spend time working with others, developing relationships overall enjoy being with others.
Spiritual health is described as people who seek answers to life’s questions. Spiritual health is more than seeking religion; it is the feeling of belonging (Donatella 2010). Material possessions might satisfy basic needs but do not bring happiness. Spiritual health relates to peace; inter harmony, nature, and intimate relationships. In some cases spiritual health can mean someone finding himself or herself and understanding that they are or what they want to be. Effectiveness Visualization is a stress reduction tool that I recently learned.
Visualization is a tool used in relaxing the mind to overcome obstacles. I had knee surgery on Jun 1st 2011. I was nervous about the procedure, thinking of all the possibilities of things that could go wrong. The pre-op nurse was startled by my high blood pressure before the procedure.
As a relaxation tool, she turned to a hospital channel with comforting images and a nurturing soundtrack. By watching the images and listening to the music, my blood pressure dropped back to a normal level.After surgery, I was connected to a machine that dispensed pain medication to me. Unfortunately, I did not feel the IV pain medication in my system.
My pre-op nurse was now my post op nurse. She turned on my T. V. to the visualization channel and told me to lay back and take deep breaths.
Approximately 20 minutes later, my pain level subsided and I was able to relax peacefully. For the next two days, I watched this channel whenever I began to feel uncomfortable and practiced the breathing exercises prescribed by the nurse.Repeat Performance and Recommendation I was inclined to use the visilutation stress reducing tool again. I did continue to have discomfort while at home.
The hospital provided a complimentary copy of the program shown on a Compact Disk (CD) to me upon discharge. I have used the CD several times after my release. I will continue to use the CD provided when I am in pain, feel stressed or overwhelmed. I would definitely recommend visualization therapy to everyone as a stress-reducing tool.
ConclusionThere are several recommended stress management techniques, such as down shifting, exercise, and progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, and massage therapy. I have tried exercising and found it does release a great deal of stress, however I do not stay committed. I fall right back into my old habits. Massage therapy has been another favorite of mine, however it is costly. I found visualization at a time of need, the cost was minimal and results were noticeable. Reference Donatella, R.
J. (2010). Managing Stress, Coping with Lifes Challenges . San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings / Pearson.
