Stress Hardiness By Loretta LaRoche

Stress Hardiness

By Loretta LaRoche

Dr. Suzanne Kobasa developed the concept of Stress Hardiness, or resistance to stress, at City University in New York. Dr. Kobasa has studied many groups of people who have very stressful occupations. Those who seem to cope with their job stress, having a "hardiness" to it, have three specific characteristics. How do these apply to you? Commitment: People who are high in commitment are fully involved in what they are doing and they give it their best effort--best shot. They have a curiosity about whatever is happening to them versus feelings of alienation from people or the environment. Control: People who feel that they can influence events and surroundings, who feel that they can make things happen. They a strong sense of self-efficacy and an internal locus of control versus feelings of powerlessness or feeling like a victim of circumstances. Challenge: People who take on life as a challenge welcome new situations for the opportunities to learn, to grow, to develop on a personal level, rather than looking at everything new as a possible threat. I add a fourth "C" to this profile: Closeness: Everyone who wants to be stress hardy must have one person or one hundred people with whom to share the stress, a confidante who is willing to be there when times are tough.

Have Fun Now!

by Loretta LaRoche

The latest research on stress states that it can lead to weight gain, especially in the abdominals. So, what’s new? Stress is now the leading cause of just about everything. Not a day goes by without some article reporting on the increasing stress levels in modern-day America. The more you read about it, the more you begin to feel that you are constantly under assault. Whenever I meet someone for the first time and they find out I teach stress management, they immediately say, “Oh, maybe you can help me, I’m so stressed out.” I think we’re all aware now that everyone is crazed, fatigued and close to burnout. The constant need to discuss our stress does nothing but create more stress. It also trains the brain to act like a rat in a never-ending maze of self torture. I think we all get caught up in thinking that our very existence depends on how much we accomplished on any given day. No one ever approaches you and says, “I’m such a mess I had too much fun today.” This would be a totally illogical statement because fun cancels out stress. The chemistry of fun reduces our anxiety and puts us in the moment. When we’re totally in the present it allows our mind to stop punishing us with its incessant demands to keep going at all costs. Perhaps the way to handle stress is to give yourself permission to spend equal amounts of time thinking about how to enjoy yourself. If you’ve spent 10 minutes worrying about what you haven’t done, spend the next 10 minutes thinking about some fabulous thing you can do for yourself or with your friends and family. Imagine the event and how wonderful it will feel. It may be difficult at first, because I think a lot of us have been taught to think fun, pleasure and laughter are something to be earned. My mother used to tell me that I could have fun when I was done with my chores, or my homework, or any number of things. It always felt that life was an endless waiting room. And that someday I would finally get my turn to enjoy myself. Don’t wait! Incorporate fun into as many moments as you can. At the end of life your eulogy should contain a list of all the wonderful things you did for yourself and others. No one will care about how many closets you cleaned, or how often you endured your overburdened, stressed-out existence. I’ve never seen a tombstone that said ...Finished their To-Do list ... Finally Done! Copyright 2002 The Patriot Ledger