Statement of Rationale

Stress management is a regular concept in today’s modern world and especially among adults due to the dynamic nature of life. It refers to a wide range of techniques geared towards the control of stress levels among people with the intention of enhancing their daily functioning. The incidence of stress is quite normal and arises from a reaction to the physical and psychological demands of everyday life. Recent studies point to an increasing problem of stress with the average person having challenges with the management of stress at least once in their lives. Perhaps the backbone of stress management is based on the causes of stress that evoke a huge array of stress inducing hormones. Indeed, the occurrence of stress is only but a reaction to the challenges identified by the human system in the course of its functioning. The release of stress inducing hormones is triggered following signals from the brain to the body indicating the detection of a threat to the body and requiring an appropriate response. Following the solution of the threat, the body is structured to go back to normal but that is not always the case. The continued exposure to stress inducing situations predisposes the human body to a continuous state of stress that calls for stress management. Stress management is therefore relevant in today’s modern world as it provides a variety of tools to deal with stress.

Correct Citations

Goleman, D. (1995). The Master Aptitude: In “Emotional intelligence”. New York: Bantam Books.

Burns, D. D. (1981). Understanding Your Moods: You Feel the Way You Think  (pp. 131-148). Signet Book.

Bolger, N., DeLongis, A., Kessler, R. C., & Schilling, E. A. (1989). Effects of daily stress on negative mood. Journal of personality and social psychology, 57(5), 808.

Stress Management. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2017, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm

5 Tips for Handling a Bad Mood. (2014). Retrieved January 23, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/turning-straw-gold/201401/5-tips-handling-bad-mood

Stress Management – heart.org. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2017, from http://www.bing.com

Summary of Central Ideas

Burns (1981) discusses the relationship between the moods and ones cognitive behavior I Understanding Your Moods: You Feel the Way You Think. Indeed, the change of moods is directly influenced by the thoughts occurring within one’s brains. For instance, the onset of depression confers the slumps in moods among the affected party. The paper asserts that negative thinking has the potential of a depressive episode resulting in a change in the moods of the person. In Goleman (1995) the emphasis is on stress management through emotional intelligence. Indeed, the author narrates his personal experiences in painting the evidence of stress as something stemming from the thoughts of a person. The author depicts stress as directly related to self inflicted terror that is derived from one’s personal thoughts.

Bolger et al (1989) look into the effects of stress on negative mood, again showing the relationship between the two variables. The influence of daily stressors among a community is investigated to show its impact on their mental health. The study identified the most distressing events to be interpersonal conflicts that even prevented emotional habituation to occur within the second day. The other online resources provide tips for the effective management of stress including the training of the body to function in a systematic fashion. Despite their differences in publication, the sources agree on the need for emotional intelligence in managing stress levels within human beings. Also, the online resources advise people on how to handle bad moods to avoid the onset of depression and/or stress.

Analysis

All the sources seem to agree on the need for effective stress management among human beings. While they draw different conclusions, they all agree on the need for emotional intelligence in handling stressors in daily lives. For instance, some of the resources assert the relationship between changes in mood and emotional aspects such as depression. Others provide useful insights on the concept of stress and the necessary steps in offsetting stress. Despite the varying degrees of study within the different sources, one thing is clear: that stress management is an important aspect in human life. Indeed, the use of the mind in controlling the body is an important aspect of stress management whereby a person uses his thoughts to influence emotional, psychological and physical situations.

Reflection

All of the sources used in this analysis are highly significant in forming an understanding of stress management. However, Goleman’s The Master Aptitude made the biggest contribution to my personal understanding of the concept. The insistence on the importance of having emotional traits like persistence and enthusiasm is perhaps striking as it puts stress management well within the confines of the human mind. In the book, the value of these emotional traits is emphasized and depicted to overrule cognitive capacity. It is no wonder that Asian students are depicted as highly successful compared to white students owing to their possession of the emotional trait of persistence. Overall, the article made particular sense to me in understanding the components of stress management.

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