Category: Stress

Introduction

According to Maran (2005), “yoga is derived from the Sankrit word “yuj,” which means to unify or to yoke” (p. 6). Origin of the term “yoga” and its practice have a close relation. The aim of practicing yoga is to “unite” one’s body, mind and spirit. Attaining this union enables one to connect with the inner self, resulting in a sense of satisfaction and calmness. Yoga began more than 5,000 years ago in northern India. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wall paintings of people in yoga positions. These paintings are believed to be around 5,000 years old. For many years, the practice of yoga had not been documented. The art was however passed down from one generation to the other. The first documentation of the practice took place about 2, 000 years ago.

Individuals practicing yoga should do so with an open mind and heart. Doing so enable people achieve physical and emotional tranquility. There are various yoga types. These include Hatha yoga, Raja yoga and Pranayama. Hatha yoga emphasizes on physical movements (asanas/postures). This involves stretching and movement of the body. It is the activities that take place in a yoga class. Raja yoga is yoga of the mind. There is a lot of meditation and prayer involved in this kind of yoga. It is practiced with an aim of achieving inward freedom. Pranayama is the act of controlling one’s breathing. Scientists believe that individuals who can control their breathing can control their mind. Cuomo (2007) stated that, “any type of yoga practiced allows an individual to slow down, relax, and feel present and aware” (p. 9).

Yoga and stress reduction

A state of stress is the mixture of an individual’s take on situations and physiological responses of the body. Some of these situations that can increase stress levels are problems within the family, challenges, issues at work place and tragic events. Joyous occasions such as weddings and birth of a child can also make an individual have stress. Strauss (2004) stated the following:

The practice of Yoga is well-demonstrated to reduce the physical effects of stress on the body, and has even been found to lower cortisol levels. This effect is noticeable, and it is one of the primary reasons why people often take up Yoga. People find that they feel more relaxed after practicing Yoga. The asana, or physical postures of Yoga, are helpful for reducing muscular tension, which reduces stress. We have a tendency to store stress not only in our nervous system, but distributed throughout the musculature and other tissues of the body; our digestive system, for example, responds very quickly to stress. Yoga can be a valuable and effective tool for releasing this stored stress. This can be true even for post-traumatic stress and recovering from the after-effects of traumatic events. (p. 203)

Other than physical postures (asana), classes of yoga involve some poses whose aim is relaxation (savasana). The yoga teacher makes the students undergo relaxation procedures that enhance the body’s relaxation. An individual who is relaxed experience less stress (Yoga, 2008). The merits of practicing Hatha yoga may be felt immediately after the session. The body becomes more at ease and the mind is made clearer just after one yoga session. Other benefits occur with regular practice of hatha yoga. These are better strength and appropriate body posture.

Through the practice of yoga, an individual may develop a more optimistic outlook on life. Practicing yoga enhances personal reflection and meditation. It helps one to be less anxious, hostile and depressed. The peace and relaxation that yoga offers improves a person’s mood and overall well-being. Yoga also serves as an effective instrument for improving mental functionality. For example, one’s memory and ability to concentrate can be enhanced through the practice of yoga (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010). Many yoga poses can also improve the hand-eye coordination, reaction time, dexterility and fine motor skills. This reduction in disease implies reduced stress levels. Greater self confidence is achievable by the practice of yoga. This is mainly due to the fact that yoga is non-competitive. It allows an individual to focus on own capabilities without relating to other people. It allows one to sit, walk, stand and run with confidence. A boost in confidence makes the mind more relaxed and at ease (Claire, 2010).

Yoga practice improves breathing. This is achieved by an increase in the lung capacity. Release of tension in the body comes as a result of deep breathing that is included in yoga classes. This makes the body have less acid that is destructive to tissues of the body and bones. Harmed tissues and bones are a cause to discomfort which include headaches, fatigue and depression. Through yoga practice, the body’s metabolism can be regulated. Internal organs are massaged by some of the poses in yoga classes (Feuerstein & Payne, 2010). This facilitates improved body functions such as digestion and helps avoid discomfort of the bowels and constipation. A body that is not vulnerable to discomfort is also stress free.

Conclusion

Stress reduction is one of the most documented merits of yoga. The practice of yoga poses, reflection and breathing exercise are all clinically verified methods of mitigating stress. Practicing yoga can help reduce stress by clearing an individual’s mind. Stress relief can have a constructive effect on health, especially since doctors consider stress to be the root of a lot of illnesses.

References

Claire, T. (2010). Yoga for Men: Postures for Healthy, Stress-Free Living. London: Career Press.

Cuomo, N. (2007). Intergrated Yoga : Yoga with a Sensory Integrative Approach. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Feuerstein, G & Payne, L. (2010). Yoga for Dummies. New York: For Dummies Publishers.

Maran, R. (2005). Maran illustrated yoga. New York: Course Technology publishers.

Stahl, B. & Goldstein E. (2010). A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. New York: New Harbinger Publications.

Strauss, S. (2004). Positioning Yoga : Balancing Acts Across Cultures. London: Berge Publishers.

“Yoga.” U.S. News & World Report. 2008: 39.

Although some people are sure that housewives do not perform extremely difficult tasks, it is worth highlighting that is a demanding profession. Several factors prove that being a housewife is not a profession, to those aspects belong to the system of payment, supervision, schedule. However, according to the dictionary, a housewife is a profession. Thus, it is essential to examine the economic aspect of being a housewife, stress challenges, and difficulties that the representatives of this occupation might face.

Although the world is changing, and nowadays women have more rights than they used to have even a century ago, it is worth pointing out that not all females have a job, and thus, become housewives. There are a lot of factors that influence such a decision. As at every workplace, the housewives perform certain tasks; among them are the following ones, namely:

1. Cooking;
2. Cleaning;
3. Laundry;
4. Child care;
5. Taking care of the husband (Mutari & Figart, 2003).

Barbara Bergman highlights that all the aspects contain economic risks. In case a housewife seeks for a job, there are a lot of chances for her to be dissatisfied with the salary and social status (Mutari & Figart, 2003). The employer is not likely to hire a woman that does not have career experience. Such women usually perform the role of a servant; however, do not get paid for this work. The sexual aspect and taking care of husband involves the need for women to be attractive and good looking. Also, the housewife should take care of children, however as they grow up, there are bigger chances to be displaced.

There are a lot of threats for a woman to get injured at home. Millions of people get injured at the workplace and get compensation. Domestic violence is another relevant aspect. The aggressive behavior against the employee would consequently lead to the criminal penalty; however, domestic violence can lead only to charges. The fact that the housewife does not get paid for a job might result in a difficult situation in case a woman wants to divorce. In this situation, females will be the vulnerable party. She will lose the place of living, support, and other benefits of marriage. So, women are not protected.

Giving birth to children is not the duty of a woman, it is her choice. In case, a woman can dedicate her time to children and home, and the husband performs the role of the breadwinner, the mother should be provided with several benefits and compensations (Kian, 2014). The housewife combines several professions, namely the servant, educator, and a cook. The servant is paid at least 10,73$ an hour (Personal care and service workers, all other, n.d.). Thus, women should be provided with the salary and treated as a worker.

In conclusion, it should be pointed out that in case women chose to become a housewife, they should be protected and provided with the benefits that have all the employees. Housewife is a profession, and it is complicated. Paying a housewife is likely to promote the image of the family and the housewives will be more secured and protected because they will be treated equally. The work of the housewives should be encouraged, and it will consequently lead to the improvement of the attitude towards women who do not work in the ordinary meaning of this word.

References

Kian, A. (2014). Gender social relations and the challenge of women’s employment. Middle East Critique, 23(3), 333-347.

Mutari, E., & Figart, D. (2003). Women and the economy: A reader. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Personal care and service workers, all other. (n.d.). Web.

Stress is one of the challenges that have affected humans for ages. People are mostly stressed about problems occurring in their lives, responsibilities, and busy schedules.

Many specialists have attempted to help people solve stress-related problems by writing articles that suggest things that stressed-out people can do to reduce their levels of stress (Posen, 1995, p. 1). This paper examines one of these articles and critically analyses their strengths and weaknesses.

The strengths of Smith’s article outweigh its weaknesses. It provides a systematic way of coping with stress that is bound to help readers struggling with stress.

For instance, the article suggests that before attempting to deal with stress, a person should ensure that he/she identifies his/her stressors (Smith, 2008, p. 1).

This is bound to be helpful since without knowing what is stressing them, people will be unable to know which method is appropriate for use in curbing the stress. Thus the identification of the stressor is perhaps the prerequisite to dealing with stress.

The second suggestion about evaluating the current method that the victim currently uses to deal with stress is also important. The person will be able to know what they need to improve on to fight stress effectively.

Also among the strengths of Smith’s article is the fact that Smith offers a holistic approach to managing stress. She views all dimensions of stress and gives a viable remedy for each. For instance, her text evidences her advocacy for avoiding thence of importance in the first place.

She thinks that a person should only cope with the stress that is inevitable per se. This means that she recommends the avoidance of unnecessary stress and thus the victim will have low levels of stress to deal with.

As stated above, she then addresses each facet of stress which could be a source of inefficiency in a stress management program and suggests ways of dealing with them.

It can thus be summarized that if a stress victim adheres strictly to the suggestions made in the article, the victim is bound to reduce his/her level of stress.

On the other hand, the article fails to give a one-dimensional approach to stress management. This opens loopholes that give way to implementation inefficiency. This is because it may prove to be rather challenging to implement all the suggestions made in the article efficiently.

Another weakness in this article is that some of the suggestions it makes may be unrealistic. For instance, the suggestion that the article offers about altering the situation that causes the stress may be unrealistic.

For instance, if a person is stressed out due to the death of a member of his/her family, it will be impossible to alter the stressful situation.

This is even though the article goes on to give a solution for such situations; accepting the things that the person who is suffering stress cannot change (Smith, 2008, p. 1).

In a nutshell, although this article has some negligible weaknesses, it is good, and it is bound to bring about a positive impact on a stressed out person who applies it.

The website is well laid out with useful links on ideas that people could use to avoid getting stressed out in the first place. It has links about relationships, family life and the like. The stress management information is also well presented with clear headings that make it easily readable.

Reference List

Posen, D. (1995). Stress Management for Patient and Physician. Canadian Journal of Continuing Medical Education. Web.

Smith, M. (2008). Stress Management. Rotary Club of Santa Monica. Web.

Assessment occurs whenever a person has to find a solution to a problem or make a judgment. However, this process might be performed professionally by means of various tools that include interviews, tests, and evaluations. Assessment takes place in different settings such as schools, workplace, and neighborhoods. Therefore, it has become a significant part in counseling. There are different assessment tools, but they all should abide by principles of ethics. The stress assessment questionnaire (SAQ) is a very effective assessment tool that is applied worldwide. The main goal of this paper is to discuss the SAQ, taking into consideration the ethical use of this type of assessment.

Evolution and Purpose of Assessment

Assessment is an important practice that is necessary to identify, discuss, and deal with the existing problems of a client during a counseling session. This practice helps to build a foundation for diagnosing and further interventions. Therefore, assessment is crucial for all aspects of counseling. Regardless of counseling settings, this practice plays a significant role. Assessment involves not only measuring but also specific procedures aimed at helping a person or different groups. However, counselors’ involvement is limited with respect to methods, concepts, and types of clients. Therefore, a counselor has to perform with the understanding of appropriate procedures of assessment.

Many scholars differentiate between testing and assessment. While testing is necessary to measure psychological constructs by means of different tools, assessment is focused on collecting information. However, these both processes are very important to understand the client’s problems. Hence, assessment and testing are interrelated activities. Sometimes they can be even interchangeable because testing always goes together with an evaluating process.

Therefore, one may suggest that these are parts of a single procedure. Also, there are two different types of assessment: standardized and non-standardized. The first one is linked to formal processes that abide by different guidelines. Such guidelines provide tools for administration, scoring, and interpretation that might be applied to a wide segment of a population. Standardized assessment demonstrates accurate results because instruments such as achievement, aptitude, and personality tests are very effective. The second type of assessment is applied when it is necessary to collect information without abiding by strict rules. For example, such assessment might involve clinical interviews. The nature of personal communication helps to address individual problems.

In order to understand the importance of counseling, it is necessary to discuss the evolution of assessment. The history of this practice helps to demonstrate why some procedures are widely applied nowadays. Moreover, it underlines the ineffectiveness of specific assessment tools that were used in the past. Therefore, the history review can ensure more successful assessment practices in the future. The problems of testing are quite new to the current social sciences.

The modern testing methods appeared in the nineteenth century. They were designed by various scientists. For example, Charles Darwin described the connection between human development and animals (Desmond, 2017). In addition, he suggested the idea that there are individual differences related to the relationships between parents and children. These two factors were significant contributions to the modern assessment tools.

His works demonstrated that anything could be measured and there is no connection between physical characteristics and mental abilities. Subsequently, it resulted in standardized methods for collecting information and recording results. They had a considerable impact on the existing assessment approaches. In the mid twentieth century, assessment methods were designed to address different psychological constructs, for example, stress and depression. Nowadays, counselors use a wide range of tools to measure such conditions. Many of these instruments are applied to identify problems and rely on self-reports.

Theoretical Basis for the Choice of the Stress Assessment Questionnaire

The SAQ is an effective standardized assessment tool that helps to identify causes and symptoms of stress. It is also used to implement strategies aimed at reducing stress, taking into consideration personal traits of a client. Therefore, the tool improves mental health and alleviates consequences of stress (Carlson, Geisinger, & Jonson, 2017). The SAQ is used for guidance and designed to enhance the understanding of problems related to stress.

The SAQ helps to determine whether a client needs professional help or not. This type of assessment is provided to the general public, companies, or patients of psychologists. The target population is mostly adult people aged 16 to 65. It is an online questionnaire, thus it requires sufficient English language skills, literacy, and the ability to work with online systems. The SAQ provides a profound and accurate assessment of reasons for stress, which involves a deep background inspection. It helps people to understand causes of their stressful conditions. Participants rate their feelings to various irritants on a five-point scale.

It does not require a formal scoring procedure because the results are calculated automatically. There are sixteen dimensions that are divided into four groups depending on causes, symptoms, strategies, and stability. The theory on which the SAQ is based describes four main areas of stress that include sixteen characteristics. Stress is a complicated construct. It leads to various unfavorable outcomes such as emotional problems. The main advantages of this assessment tool are that it provides an easy way to evaluate causes and symptoms related to stress and suggests strategies to enhance emotional stability. It is also a very timesaving method that is why it might be applied to big groups of people.

Ethical Considerations to the Administration of the SAQ

The ethical aspect of the administration of the SAQ is also very important. There are different responsibilities that counselors who applied this tool should take into account. Every client should be treated with respect regardless of their origin, age, social status, sexual orientation, gender, and personal beliefs and values. Also, every client should obtain full information that is necessary to self-development.

In addition, all possible options should be explained to participants, so that they could see the whole picture. Another important ethical aspect is privacy (Hendricks, Bradley, Southern, Oliver, & Birdsall, 2011). The online questionnaire evaluates issues related to stress, taking into consideration the existing ethical rules. There are several ethical principles on which the SAQ is based. First, it promotes the client’s interests (ASCA, 2016). Second, it honors the clients’ dignity and provides fair treatment to all of them. Third, the SAQ is not intended to harm any clients or put them at risk.

Ethics in the questionnaire contribute to clear and objective questions. There are no leading questions that can prompt an answer due to specific word choice or an inappropriate range of response. Also, there are no questions that can be considered to be embarrassing or rude. The purpose of the SAQ is clearly explained to all responders. Therefore, clients have adequate expectations. In addition, all personal information is protected, which ensures clients’ confidentiality.

Assessment Concept for Ethnic and Culturally Diverse Populations

Cultural and ethnic aspects are necessary to take into account when it comes to assessment. They are essential in the process of analyzing the client’s problems. Minorities often require different attitude, and thus, assessment procedures should be designed with the close consideration of the background of such people (Lu, Lim, & Mezzich, n.d.). Counselors have to increase their cultural awareness and competent skills.

The knowledge about the client’s cultural identity is very important for such specialists. In addition, counselors should clearly understand their personal attitudes toward different ethnic groups. The SAQ is designed to avoid biased cultural perceptions that often lead to ineffective assistance. The non-discrimination section of the ACA Code of Ethics forbids “discrimination based on age, culture, disability, ethnicity, race,” thus complying with these principles allows the SAQ to make fair, ethical judgments considering diverse groups of clients (American Counseling Association, 2005, p. 10). The questionnaire underwent certain modification regarding specificities of different cultures.

Conclusion

Assessment plays a significant role in counseling practice. Counselors use different methods to address the problems of their clients. However, they need to apply tools that comply with the principles of ethics. One of the most successful instruments is the SAQ, which is an online questionnaire. The SAQ is used to determine the causes of stress, and it offers effective strategies to deal with such a condition. The SAQ ensures confidentiality and abides by other ethical norms. Therefore, it might be applied in various settings and to culturally diverse populations.

References

American Counseling Association (2005). Code of Ethics. Web.

ASCA (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Web.

Carlson, J., Geisinger, K., & Jonson, J. (Eds.). (2017). The twentieth mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Center for Testing.

Desmond, A. (2017). Charles Darwin. Web.

Hendricks, B., Bradley, L. J., Southern, S., Oliver, M., & Birdsall, B. (2011). Ethical code for the international association of marriage and family counselors. The Family Journal, 19(2), 217-224.

Lu, G., Lim, R., & Mezzich, J. (n.d.) Issues in the assessment and diagnosis of culturally diverse individuals. Web.

Introduction

Nowadays, it is not an easy task to create a good marriage and keep it for a long period of time. Men, as well as women, get an access to a number of temptations. Sometimes, people are just not able to resist the possibilities they have and become the main begetters of their own mistakes and frustrations.

Among the existing variety of mistakes and wrong decisions, infidelity is the main cause of a family disruption, divorce, and stress disorders. Infidelity is a serious issue for consideration due to the myths existing around and the inabilities to comprehend how to cope with the cases of infidelity and overcome possible stress disorders.

Divorces, as well as stress disorders, may be caused by different reasons, still, the idea of infidelity is rather provocative as people themselves have a right to choose whether to cheat and break the vow like “till death do us part” or not; and the current paper discusses the aspects of infidelity, its myths, reasons, and outcomes, analyzes the impact of infidelity on the development of stress disorders, and explains how people can avoid infidelity and save their families.

Definitions of Infidelity

One of the strangest things about infidelity is that people may understand its essence in many different ways because of their own attitudes infidelity or because of the myths people create from time to time to try to justify their actions. For example, the Oxford Dictionaries (2015) explain infidelity as an action of being unfaithful to a spouse. In fact, this explanation seems to be too general as it provides a person with a chance to interpret the idea of faith in a family differently.

Many researchers and philosophers have made the attempt to introduce their own identification of infidelity and offer their explanations. Brown (2013) indicates that infidelity is the act in which more than 55% of men and about 45% of women are involved. Stosny (2013) introduces infidelity as the act that presupposes lies, manipulations, stealing, or cheating separately or together and leads to divorce. In fact, the act of infidelity is everything that contradicts the principles of a successful marriage.

Two people make a decision to spend the rest of their lives together, create their own vows, and swear to support each other under different circumstances. However, there are not many people, who can truly predict their future and be sure of the loyalty of the chosen spouse.

This is why, unfortunately, the cases of infidelity are usual and understandable. Anyway, infidelity should be defined as an act of betrayal, either emotional or sexual, by one or both spouses that can or cannot be forgiven. People, who make a decision to break the vows given at the beginning of their marriages, should realize that their infidelities usually touch upon several people (parents, fellows, and even the lives and families of those, whom they betray with).

Myths about Infidelity

An affair that causes the act of infidelity can happen to anyone. Nowadays, people are eager to defend their rights and promote the abilities to choose what they want and when they want. It is hard to prove their incorrectness unless some legal perspectives are considered. Nowadays, the law is the only thing that can stop people from making mistakes or take responsibility for something already done. However, the law usually has nothing in common with infidelity unless some points are discussed in a special prenuptial agreement.

Why is it so difficult to survive infidelity and just not to cheat staying a loyal to the chosen spouse? Many people think that infidelity leads to divorce because those, who begin affairs, usually look for someone younger and more attractive. The current examples of the celebrities (Jude Law, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Woody Allan) prove that marriage infidelity may be not based on beauty or age.

People can break their promises because of different reasons. Sometimes, they do not even need the reasons. People also believe that infidelity happens because something goes wrong with their marriages and a person, who cheats once, can cheat again. All these facts are false indeed.

Everything depends on people and their abilities, and the nature of each person is unique indeed. Some people cannot even realize why they actually cheat and let infidelity in their family. There are also many men and women, who like to cheat because they can do it or because someone else is doing it. These myths about infidelity help to realize why it is so difficult to understand how infidelity may become the first reason for divorce.

Infidelity in a Marriage as the First Cause of Divorce

Infidelity may be of two types: sexual and emotional. The former takes place when one of the spouses begins sexual affairs with another person. The latter may have nothing in common with a real cheat; the spouse may betray talking to another person with something too personal, refusing doing something with another spouse, or being unable to understand what happens around (Subotnik & Harris, 2005).

It happens that sexual infidelity and emotional infidelity lead to different outcomes: sometimes, people are ready to forgive sexual infidelity and continue living, but can hardly forget or understand an emotional type of infidelity. Borst (2015) admits that the experiences of infidelity create certain injuries to a person, a couple, and a child in a variety of ways on the basis the reduction of relational satisfaction and the intention to try something new to change the situation.

Infidelity does not lead to divorce all the time. If infidelity is caused by the dissatisfaction of one of the spouses, a simple desire to have an affair or an occasional meeting, the marriage can be saved. Both spouses have to be ready to talk to each other directly, define their mistakes, share their expectations, and explain their behavior. If the spouses are ready to forgive and forget, the divorce may be avoided. However, the following situations may certainly end in divorce:

1. The spouse that has been caught with cheating continues rejecting the fact of having an affair. This case of infidelity is difficult indeed because the betrayed spouse realizes that it is impossible to trust a person again and provide him/her with a second chance.
2. Many people get to know about the case of betrayal and start supporting only one of the partners. In fact, people are free to judge, share their own opinions, and make conclusions. Still, they should never interrupt the relations within a family, give some pieces of advice, or stand one’s side. As soon as infidelity takes place, only two people, the spouses, have to discuss this problem and find the ways out.
3. In case infidelity touches upon the financial aspect, the marriage is usually over. Nowadays, people put their financial needs more than anything else in this life. As soon as the point of infidelity is mentioned in the agreement, the spouses try to check each other and make sure they can benefit from it.

Anyway, even if infidelity does not lead directly to divorce, it certainly creates a crack that may be increased with time without any reasons. This is why it is correct to define infidelity as the first cause of divorce.

Chances to Overcome Infidelity and Save a Happy Marriage

Snyder, Baucom, and Gordon (2014) admit that a case of infidelity may be survived if three steps are taken: to take an initial impact, to find out the meaning, and to come to one decision on how to move on. In contradiction to the above-mentioned facts and identification of infidelity as the first cause of divorce, it is possible to say that there is also a little percent of the cases, when the partners are ready to forgive cheating and save marriage. As a rule, the following factors may promote this kind of decision:

1. The necessity to take care of mutual children;
2. An evident blame of the spouse, who makes another spouse cheat (a wife/husband may suffer from poor attention from the husband/wife’s side, the absence of sex, etc.);
3. Some financial benefits of saving a marriage (nowadays, many people put their financial interests on the first place);
4. A pure love of one of the spouses or even both of them and the desire to give one more chance to change everything (there are many couples that re-evaluate their relations after an act of infidelity);
5. If infidelity is not disclosed by a spouse, it can hardly be a reason to divorce.

Post-Infidelity Stress Disorder

Stress disorders are one of the possible outcomes of infidelity. Betrayed people are under a threat to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to some extent. As any other kind of stress disorder, the post-infidelity stress disorder is usually caused by the spouse’s inability to forget what has happened.

The situation when a beloved person betrays with another person repeats in the mind a lot of times. It turns out to be impossible to stop thinking about the possible words, actions, kisses, etc. given to another person. These flashbacks and nightmares serve as a solid basis for stress disorders. Unfortunately, these are not the only signs of a stress disorder. Families may also suffer because of avoidance of the fact of betrayal and a kind of emotional numbing.

Betrayed people try to turn off their emotions and start feeling nothing. Such solutions usually lead to a number of wrong decisions and actions that can hardly be changed or forgotten. A broken heart is not only a lyrical word-combination. It is a reality that makes people feel anger or feel nothing and become socially dangerous, at least, for some period of time.

Conclusion

In general, infidelity is something people can hardly avoid in their lives. Of course, there are the examples when families live long happy lives till death separates them. However, the cruel reality proves that many people suffer from betrayal and have to do something to survive it.

Of course, the marriage can be saved even after infidelity takes place in case people want this to happen and do everything possible to change the situation. Still, infidelity usually changes people, and the most terrible thing about infidelity is that people cannot even guess how they can be changed by this act. Infidelity does lead to divorce as well as to stress disorders. However, it is not the worst options available to people, and they have to know it.

References

Borst, J.B. (2015). A systematic review of the effects of family conflict: Focusing on divorce, infidelity, and attachment style. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers.

Brown, E.M. (2013). Patterns of infidelity and their treatment. New York: Routledge.

Oxford Dictionaries. (2015). Infidelity. Web.

Snyder, D.K., Baucom, D.H., & Gordon, K.C. (2014). Treating infidelity: An integrative approach to resolving trauma and promoting forgiveness. The ACPARIAN, 8, 18-21.

Stosny, S. (2013). Living and loving after betrayal: How to heal from emotional abuse, deceit, infidelity, and chromic resentment. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Subotnik, R.B. & Harris, G. (2005). Surviving infidelity: Making decisions, recovering from the pain. Avon, MA: Adams Media.

There are numerous approaches to managing stress through the nuanced understanding of connections between the human body and mind. For instance, Elizabeth Kűbler-Ross envisioned stress as a sequence of psychological stages of grieving similar to those a person goes through when grieving death (Seaward, 2020). In her opinion, all people experience stress because of unmet expectations of varying magnitude, from an inability to live a long life because of cancer to losing one’s wallet. The relief from stress comes only after the grieving person goes through all psychological stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression – and reaches the stage of acceptance. In Kűbler-Ross’s opinion, grief is a natural response of the human psyche to unexpected circumstances, and true peace of mind is attainable only after passing through all those stages to adapt (Seaward, 2020).

The position of Viktor Frankl on stress and its connection to the human mind and body is different. A survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, Frankl dedicated his life to the study of human suffering and meaning-making in that process. In his opinion, suffering is an integral part of every person’s life, and human pain and misery have an in-depth meaning and purpose. Thus, by assigning a vital meaning in the human emotional life to it, Frankl proposed not to get rid of stress and suffering. Instead, he advocated digging deeper into it to find meaning and grow spiritually. Frankl called it logotherapy – a form of existential analysis targeting the search for life meaning (Seaward, 2020).

As one can see, both Kűbler-Ross and Frankl focus on human stress as a form of suffering in the face of insurmountable life troubles, such as death or suffering. A major similarity in these two psychiatrists’ positions is the perception of stress as a form of mourning about life’s misfortunes and a certain adaptive process for overcoming that stress to survive. Kűbler-Ross approached grieving as a path to full acceptance and peace of mind, suggesting that there can be no true harmony without suffering. For Frankl, the approach of tragic optimism also involved the perception of suffering as a meaningful experience, a life lesson that promised happiness once learned well. Therefore, the approaches of both theorists assign stress an important position in human self-development, spiritual growth, and healing.

However, one may also note a striking difference in the perspectives on stress taken by Frankl and Kűbler-Ross. For Frankl, suffering and pain serve as driving forces in the search for life meaning, spiritual growth, and the formation of resilience. Kűbler-Ross envisions grieving as an unfortunate, undesirable, yet manageable condition that can only inform spiritual growth when constructively addressed. While Frankl advises remaining in the state of stress for some time to derive life lessons from that experience, Kűbler-Ross offers help for transitioning through the negative emotional states to reach peace of mind and inner harmony.

The theory of Kűbler-Ross seems to be more applicable to people’s daily lives as it is more universal for stresses of all scales and magnitudes. Frankl considers suffering a fuel for creative energy and offers stressed people to stay in that condition and take a deeper look into the transformative experience of their suffering. Such a lifeway is not for everyone, as only a few people can find the willpower to overcome grief and transform it into constructive ideas. On the other hand, going through stages of grieving and finding a non-traumatic, constructive exit from stress due to acceptance seems much more attainable for most people. Therefore, Kűbler-Ross’s theory is more suitable for stress management in various life situations.

References

Seaward, B. L. (2020). Managing stress: Skills for self-care, personal resiliency and work-life balance in a rapidly changing world. (10^th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning LLC.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common occurrence among veterans, which might be induced by the nature of the given occupation. Veterans are more likely to be exposed to a stressful episode, which can lead to abnormal changes within one’s perception. However, it is important to note that vets are not merely impaired or permanently damaged people. The main reason lies in the notion of recovery, which is possible through deliberate support. Therefore, veterans are not broken individuals because PTSD is a mere reaction to a traumatic event.

The term stress can rightfully be considered one of the symbols of this time. One of the integral components of this concept is the problem of traumatic stressors, as is customary in international classifications, the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder. In other words, it is a common occurrence with a more severe presence among certain occupations, such as military personnel. Moreover, the distance in time from the traumatic event does not remove these problems. In most cases, there is a complication of the psychological and psychiatric consequences of combat trauma. The severity of the stressor factor plays an important role in the formation and development of post-traumatic stress disorder (Moore and Penk. 390). It is also possible to attribute the individual’s vulnerability to trauma, premorbid personality traits, victimization tendencies, and other negative traits.

Currently, there are a limited number of measures, which can be utilized to help vets with PTSD, but it does not mean that they are permanently impaired. The main reason is the fact that some approaches showed improvements in the veterans’ well-being. The mental health of military personnel participating in local wars is one of the urgent problems of modern psychiatry. Medical and social consequences of combat mental trauma, its clinical, psychopathological, and therapeutic, and rehabilitation aspects are the subject of numerous studies. Despite the increased interest of scientists in the problem of combatting post-traumatic stress disorders, many of its elements remain unresolved. However, there are indications that certain measures can lead to major improvements in the overall mental health among military personnel and veterans, such as mindfulness stress reduction techniques (Polusny et al. 463). In other words, PTSD is not a permanent impairment, which means there is a steep recovery process.

It is important to emphasize some psychological aspects of stress, such as the significance of life events, a person’s attitude to a threatening situation, taking into account moral values, religious, ideological, and other worldviews. The physiological state of the body at the time of injury, especially somatic exhaustion against the background of a violation of the stereotype of sleep and food intake, is considered a pathogenesis-based factor (Quitangon 136). These and a number of other factors are highly important in the initial period of PTSD development at the stage of acute stress disorders and then at the background of the actual clinical manifestations of PTSD.

In conclusion, PTSD is a major issue among veterans who suffer from the undesired consequences of their stressful occupation. One might argue that vets’ condition should be considered as an impairment or permanent situation due to their predisposition. However, it is critical to understand that PTSD is a mere reaction to a high-stress event, which is prevalent during on-field combats. Evidently, veterans are more exposed to such traumatic experiences, which makes them more susceptible to PTSD. Regardless of the notion, treatment and recovery measures should not be abandoned due to future prospects and potential.

Works Cited

Moore, Bret A., and Walter E. Penk. Treating PTSD in Military Personnel, Second Edition: A Clinical Handbook. The Guilford Press, 2019.

Polusny, Melissa, et al. “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans.” JAMA, vol. 314, no. 5, 2015, pp. 456-465.

Quitangon, Gertie. Vicarious Trauma and Disaster Mental Health: Understanding Risks and Promoting Resilience. Routledge, 2015.

Stress at the workplace is on the rise in economies especially in these times of economic hardships. Some of the stress people and organizations experience is part of a normal life. But excessive stress may affect productivity in the workplace and it may affect the health of an individual emotionally and physically. When the demands of the job are not matching with the abilities, needs and resources of the worker, he or she is likely to experience stress because the worker is not comfortable.

The levels of stress in different countries vary depending on the causes of stress. The table below shows the causes of stress to the workers and their percentage levels in six countries. They are from a survey carried out among the US worker by The Regus group.

Table 1: Source: The Regus Group, 2009

Employees in these countries have been experiencing a rise in stress levels during the period of the financial crisis. This has caused a lot of challenges to many countries because the management of the company has been impaired. Also, professionalism may be undermined by employee conflicts and the motivation of the workers could also be damaged. When these problems arise, the company may start experiencing declines in financial and commercial performance and it will be a problem to regain significant growth (Regus Group par. 3-4).

It is evident that the sources of stress in different countries although the percentage levels are varying. The focus on productivity is the major cause of stress in most countries. This could be a result of the global recession. Stress levels in the larger companies are high with a percentage of 71% of the workers. In the medium and small firms, 54% 0f the workers had a high level of stress.

Different countries have different causes of stress and what worries one country is not a major worry in another one. Like in Malaysia, financial factors are the major source of stress among its residents. The financial status of its residents affects the decision-making of most people and to them, this is what they care about most. In other countries like Russia and France, personal factors are the leading cause of worry among their residents. They are more concerned about their families than their financial status. Occupational factors are however the major concern among the residents in the UK. Most people are worried about their careers and, among the young people, about where to work after they have completed school. China being a very high populated country, their biggest worry is pollution. They are much worried about environmental, air, and noise pollution caused by their people. They worry more about how to improve this so that it reaches the level of major countries in the world and they have put restrictive measures on births. In Italy, most people are worried about their health status. Most countries in the world put this among their last issues of concern (Claire par. 4-7).

Apart from the economic crisis that has affected every country in the world, it shows that other issues stress other countries than others. The issues of major concern among residents of different cultures vary depending on the importance they attach to various issues. Countries try to find ways to manage their causes of worry so that they promote and come up with a healthy nation.

Works Cited

Claire, Barthelemy. “Poll: Money worries world’s greatest cause of stress.” 2009. Web.

The Regus Group. “Regus-commissioned survey reveals stress level rising among US workers.” SYS-CON Media Inc. 2009. Web.

Introduction and Problem Statement

There is sample evidence that chronic stress is a companion to college life. Student stress can interfere with learning (acquisition, application, and processing of knowledge), affecting academic performance. Academic difficulties, in turn, also create discomfort, leading to increased overall stress. Some researchers have also found problems with finances, housing, safety, and weight among college students (Morgan 276). The student must overcome the difficulties of the transition period, master new roles and change old ones, which can also lead to stress.

The problem of stress is complex and multifaceted that should be regulated to ensure an effective learning process. This is the task of the students themselves and their teachers, psychologist, and social educators. The primary goal is to reduce or prevent stressful rection rather than to deal with its consequences (Morgan 277). However, since it is impossible to eliminate all the sources of negative emotions, the solution is to focus on strategies that help to enhance students’ psychological sustainability. This paper aims to investigate stress management practices for college students to address the issue.

Solution

In the science of stress management, there are a number of practices aimed at strengthening the mental health of the student, thus improving their response to potentially stressful events. Morgan (283) describes the following instruments as the ones that has proved their efficiency:

• Yoga practices. All kinds of breathing and mindfulness exercises were established to greatly contribute to the ability of coping with negative emotions and overcome stressful situations more calmly. Yoga being more than just a short stretching session combines “relaxation, proper exercise, proper breathing, proper diet, positive thinking, and meditation” (Morgan 283). All of these favorably influence mental state of students by providing essential elements of recovery and control over body and thoughts.
• Mindfulness hiking. This practice differs from the conventional hiking or walking in that the person is required to focus on their breathing and sensations (Morgan 283). Thus, the activity can be compared to a kind of meditation.
• Equine-assisted activities. In general. It is widely known that animals are able to have a beneficial effect on the emotional state of people. Communication with horses is often used as therapy, as it reduces anxiety and stress levels, helps to feel an emotional connection with the animal and companionship (Morgan 284). By and large, instead of horses, it can be dogs or other animals.

In fact, there are other practices aimed to lower negative impact of stress. Mainly, all of them focus on physical activity combines with mental relaxation. In addition, a simple positive human communication experience is proved to help as well (Morgan 285). Hence, consultations and group activities are crucial in dealing with anxiety and depression. Moreover, the factors that reduce the load on the environment and its negative impact on the body are the predictability of external events, the ability to prepare in advance for them, as well as the ability to control events, which significantly reduces the strength of the impact of adverse factors. Therefore, these are the essential elements of any stress management strategy applied to college students.

Conclusion and Call of Action

Students critically need tools to provide a stable mental state capable of dealing with stressful circumstances. Stress management education should be integrated into the school curriculum to make learning more effective and prepare young people for later adulthood. The discussed instruments or any other practiced involving mindfulness, exercises and positive communication could be used for this purpose. Students should also be able to seek professional help with stress management.

Work Cited

Morgan, Barbara M. “Stress Management for College Students: An Experiential Multi-Modal Approach.” Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, vol. 12, no. 3, 2017, pp. 276–88. Crossref. Web.

Community Stressors Contributing to the Selected Issue

Since the community issue, I have selected is the lack of transportation for low-income people inhabiting rural areas (which makes it impossible for them to apply for assistance in their local Social Services), the primary stress factor that is to be discussed is the lack of mobility. Evidence proves that people from rural areas generally live beyond the poverty line and do not have private means of transportation. The mobility stressor not only affects the ability to apply for financial support but also implies limited access to health care, social and human services (Shmool et al., 2015). As a result, another stressor emerges: The dwellers of rural areas develop dangerous health conditions, including both mental and physical disorders and disabilities. Due to the lack of financial resources as well as the opportunity to file an application to social organizations, the community is also suffering from inadequate living conditions and malnutrition–the two stress factors aggravating health problems (Shameem, Momtaz, & Rauscher, 2014).

Lacking Resources

First and foremost, the community is short of financial resources that would help them solve the problem with individual transport. Moreover, an increased level of income would improve the living conditions and eliminate the issue of malnutrition, which exacerbates diseases. Another essential resource that is currently lacking is home care service (including adult day care) as well as counseling for those who are unable to go to the city due to health problems. Finally, it is also evident that people in rural areas need human resources since the number of social workers that could render help in program participation is very small (Wacker, & Roberto, 2013).

I believe that the proposed community program will help remove all the enumerated stress factors since it will establish the connection between the city and the rural area by providing transportation. The community will have better access to health care and social services while social workers will have the means to track the improvement of the community life.

References

Shameem, M. I. M., Momtaz, S., & Rauscher, R. (2014). Vulnerability of rural livelihoods to multiple stressors: A case study from the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh. Ocean & Coastal Management, 102(1), 79-87.

Shmool, J. L., Yonas, M. A., Newman, O. D., Kubzansky, L. D., Joseph, E., Parks, A.,… Clougherty, J. E. (2015). Identifying perceived neighborhood stressors across diverse communities in New York city. American Journal of Community Psychology, 56(1-2), 145-155.

Wacker, R. R., & Roberto, K. A. (2013). Community resources for older adults: Programs and services in an era of change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.