Stress Busting Through Personal Empowerment

Thomas F. Holcomb, George John Cheponis, Richard J. Hazler, Eileen McPhillips Portner

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781135059217
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Excessive stress has become one of the world's leading health hazards, taking its toll on loved ones, friends and co-workers. Through books, magazines and newspaper articles, people are constantly exposed to the problem - but are not shown how to affect their own personal solution. Hard work, commitment and personalisation of problem areas are the keys to successful stress busting. Showing how to do the necessary work in a personalised format, this workbook provides varied exercises to help reach the goal of mastering stress. The authors feel that every individual can develop Personal Empowerment Skills - basic talents, abilities, and coping strategies that everyone has at their personal disposal - once they realise they are responsible and in control of their lives.

CHAPTER VI

EMPOWERING YOUR SYSTEM

No one else is like you. You are capable of thinking, feeling, setting priorities, and acting on specific commitments and goals. Your physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual aspects combine to make you a total system. Integrating these different aspects into a well balanced and evenly paced life activates your personal empowerment system. This total personal empowerment system is greater than the sum of its individual parts. It draws its energy from maintaining balance and keeping all the systems functioning at an optimal level. Neglect one aspect of your total self and other aspects of your self-system will be weakened and more vulnerable to the stress and strains of harried life-styles.

Work for your empowerment by first accepting who you are and what you are capable of accomplishing in five dynamic areas of your life. Combat the crises of negative stress by utilizing these areas and seek wholeness through your greatest asset—your empowerment system (Figure 13).

Figure 13. Hand representation of five dynamic areas to form your total self-system.

BALANCING AND PACING

Think of yourself and your life as a tightrope walker. It is full of excitement and challenge! It has risk and rewards! But it also takes practice and skills to make everything work. When you demonstrate commitment to coping with the continuous challenges that are presented, you can get it all done.

Imagine yourself now as a tightrope walker. You use your “balancing pole of life” consisting of your five systems working in harmony to keep yourself under control and balanced. Think about how the excitement, challenge, and balance apply to your life. Figure 14 is an illustration of balancing and out-of-balance. Look at all you have to cope and manage continuously. What are the skills and practice you need for success?

Figure 14. Illustration of balancing and out-of-balance.

The rest of this chapter will show you how to find the skills necessary to keep your balance in life. Just like any professional tightrope walker, some times will be scary. There will be challenges which will require the tightrope walker in you to keep things steady and get refocused before moving on. Coping and mastering life's challenge does require practice and the development of greater skills and strategies. You can do it!

STRESS BUSTING STRATEGIES

Many specific techniques will be presented in this chapter to help you obtain and maintain a balanced perspective for your life-style. Empowerment is enhanced by practicing stress busters. Three types of categories of stress busting strategies are provided to assist you.

The strategies you will be learning are the means of marshalling and concentrating your forces in coordinated ways. By utilizing the right personal skills, you can cope and manage difficult aspects of your life, including the management of negative stress, more effectively.

Prevention Strategies

Prevention of stress focuses on your unique life-style. Prevention is the proactive use of personal stress busters such as being in good physical shape, having a variety of social supports, viable goals, and a life of purpose. Prevention allows you to work for total fitness and wellness in all aspects of your life. It takes a sincere commitment to wellness to effectively utilize this strategy. It is an attitude and way of life.

Mediation Strategies

Mediation implies that you must activate certain strategies at critical times. These strategies are short term relievers of stress and revivers of your energy. They will empower you during difficult times. They will help you maintain or reestablish balance when you feel yourself getting out of control. Or they may simply give you that little extra boost we all need at times.

Remediation Strategies

Remediation, as used here, implies intervention during problem times. Emergency intervention is demanded when you cannot handle the battle alone. Chronic out-of-control stress can develop a crippling hold on you. Professional attention is needed when emotional or physical ailments develop into real health problems or concerns. Professional assistance includes the use of counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and physicians.

Summary of Strategies

These three types of strategies are summarized in Figure 15. Prevention and mediation are strategies you can use without outside help. Remediation is a strategy where you seek outside help from professionals because you need assistance in coping with and managing the negative stress of your life.

Strategies Used Independently	PREVENTION Wellness promotes helping yourself with a total orientation to healthy living
	MEDIATION Techniques to help yourself disrupt or lesson the stress response
Strategies Needing Outside Help	REMEDIATION Chronic health problems Professional help as needed

Figure 15. Summary of three types of strategies.

PHYSICAL EMPOWERMENTS

Physical exercise is an excellent prevention tool for controlling stress. Exercise builds your body so that you can operate at greater efficiency. Increased efficiency then helps you to withstand the demands that stress places on you physiologically. Getting your body in good shape and keeping it that way is a great prevention strategy for empowering yourself.

Exercise is also a great way to mediate stress by working off the stress that builds up in the body as tense muscles, headache, and other body pains. Finishing a workout also increases relaxation as the body regroups and the natural chemicals and physiological reactions associated with physical exercise and recovery work for you. It also helps build up your immune system.

Walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming are all methods of exercise that promote stress reduction. Keep in mind these few tips as you begin your planning for physical exercise.

1. See your physician. Get a physical to be certain of the best possible health plan for you.

2. Start slowly. If you begin too strenuously, your muscles will hurt more than necessary and you will be more likely to quit prior to any benefits. Pay attention to your body.

3. Set aside a regular exercise time. This encourages exercise as a habit rather than a rare event.

4. Be social. Exercise with friends to build a social support system as well as a physical one. Accomplish two things at once whenever comfortably possible.

5. Use the right type of footwear. Your feet are important to comfort and wellness, so treat them well.

Remember the old adage of...