INFORMAL RESEARCH PAPER: Coping with Stress Assignment Help
Coping with stress
Mahatma Gandhi and his context
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar India (Arundale, 2012). Following his hard work, he became a lawyer, an activist, and a nationalist leader against the British in the country. Due to his achievements, Gandhi came to be known as the father of the nation. One of his greatest attributes is his decision to lead a nonviolent protest to achieve political and social progress in the country (Arundale, 2012). Following his achievements and dedication to serving his people, Gandhi always attracted huge crowds of people who gathered to see him whenever he visited.
According to Gandhi’s life history, an individual can realize the fact that he can be considered an epitome of peace and nonviolence. An individual can also realize the different sets of stress he went through during his early years of development and during his adolescent years and the steps and experiments, he adopted to cope up with the given issues (Arundale, 2012). When Gandhi got an opportunity to visit England where he experienced loneliness, Gandhi decided to change his life by transforming his thinking.
Research on coping with stress
Stress has become part of learners’ life due to the different Internal and external expectations placed on the shoulders of these individuals. Learners are vulnerable to the issues related to academic stress as the transition occurs at both individual and social levels. It is therefore essential for one to realize the sources and impacts of academic stress and come up with effective intervention strategies. Various scholars have conducted studies to determine the causes of stress among learners and the interventions they adopt to deal with the given issues as seen below.
Pereira and Barbosa conducted a qualitative study to investigate how medical students coped with stressful situations. The study made good use of 33 of the students pursuing a medical course through which individuals were able to realize stressors that affected the students and the strategies they adopted to cope with the identified stressors (Pereira & Barbosa, 2013). The researchers adopted questionnaires as a method of data collection.
During data analysis, Pereira and Barbosa were able to identify some of the stressors that affected the students in the focus group. According to the study, lack of time, excessive class content, competition among learners, and family problems were some of the notable stressors. The study went ahead and noted some of the methods that these individuals adopted to deal with the given pressure. For instance, some of the participants noted that they adopted methods like, respecting an individual’s limits, setting priorities, avoiding comparisons as ways that learners adopted to handle the given stressors (Pereira & Barbosa, 2013). The study also made it possible for individuals to realize some of the most popular methods that the participants adopted to deal with stressors. For instance, they adopted music therapy and relaxation exercise. A person can also realize that the majority of the participants felt that the class was worth their time. As a result, they were able to incorporate new strategies that can be essential in improving life. Conclusively, the study was essential in recognizing the significance of talking about stressing issues in an individual’s life.
Yefei Wang also conducted a study to examine the impacts of emotional intelligence and self-leadership on dealing with stressful situations and analyzing the role of self-efficacy in this process (Wang & Cui, 2016). Through the study, one can realize that self-efficacy has a direct effect on active coping.
A study conducted by Ozura and Sega (2013) indicates that individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis have a significantly lower capacity of coping with stress. Stress plays an essential role in the disruption of synapse regulation which can result in the loss of sociability with others (Ozura & Saga, 2013). According to the study, sharing an individual’s thoughts and feelings can play an essential role in dealing with stress. Building a support network of individuals who know about the illness and the difficulties faced is essential in gathering a wide range of opinions which can be critical in the healing process.
According to a study by LaRue & Herrman (2008), school emerged as the leading stressor among adolescents. According to the participants, maintaining a good grade and passing in class emerged as the leading stressors among the participants (LaRue & Herrman, 2008). The study identified the importance of having a role model to talk to during adolescence.
A study conducted by Yao, Reich & Lee (2021) sought to investigate the role of texting as a way of coping with stress among learners. According to the participants, their stress levels went down as soon as they texted their friends (Yao, Reich & Lee, 2021). The research concluded that both boys and girls can benefit from texting a friend after a stressful event.
With a thorough look at the above studies, one can realize that stress affects individuals from all walks of life. However, different individuals adopt different methods of dealing with stressful events. For instance, some can talk to their friends and role models as a way of coping with stressful events. One notable point from the above studies is that stress can interfere with the mental health of individuals and their capacity to cope with stress. In the study conducted by Ozura and Sega, individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis have a lower capacity for dealing with stress. This is an indication that mental health is very essential in dealing with stress. Also, an understanding of the above studies can make it possible for an individual to realize the effects of stress on motivation. Stress plays an essential role in reducing an individual’s motivation. According to the studies, learners who experienced pressure to perform well had poor academic results (Yao, Reich & Lee, 2021). However, through positive thinking, individuals can overcome stressful situations. When individuals live with hope, they can maintain high levels of motivation even in stressful situations. Increased excitement can also be essential in lowering stressors through an increase in mental health.
A thorough look at the above studies can help one to realize that there is no right way to cope with stress. According to the studies above, different individuals handle stressful situations differently. For instance, some opt to talk about it, text their friends while others opt to ignore the whole situation. If an approach works for one individual it does not necessarily mean it can work for another individual. People should therefore realize that no one method is inherently better or worse than the other.
What I learned about coping with stress
According to the articles on the study of coping with stress, I was able to realize the importance of effective stress management in an individual’s life. The capacity to cope up with stress makes it possible for an individual to live a happier, healthier, and more productive life. Through a thorough look at the life of Mahatma Gandhi, I was able to realize the different methods of coping with stress. For instance, I was able to learn the essential role that meditation plays in relieving stress (Yao, Reich & Lee, 2021). Also, I was able to realize that mindfulness mediation can be essential in reducing insomnia among individuals. Through mindfulness meditation, individuals can reduce total wake time and pre-sleep arousal.
Additionally, I was able to learn the essential role that patience plays in relieving stress among individuals. There exist different types of patience ranging from interpersonal stress to life hardship stress. Following the study, I realized that Gandhi made good use of the two types of patience to overcome the stressful events he was experiencing in his life (Yao, Reich & Lee, 2021). Stress management played an essential role in helping him focus on the most important things in life as opposed to events that were dragging him behind. Eventually, he was able to achieve much and left a legacy that makes individuals not only in the contemporary Indian society remember him but also other individuals from different parts of the world.
Following the life history of Gandhi, I was able to realize the role that spirituality played in his success. According to him, there existed a supreme power that is beyond human understanding and pervades everything. One can also realize that he believed he could not live without God. However, one notable thing in his spirituality is the fact that he held the belief that there is no religion higher than the truth (Ozura & Saga, 2013). This is a clear indication that he respected all the other religions even those that were different from his. Such an understanding was essential in helping him overcome stressful events and especially those brought up by the foreign government.
Conclusively, a notable lesson I learned is the importance of dealing with anger to avoid stress. However, I was able to realize that anger is essential in an individual’s life as it moves individuals to action. To deal with anger, it is essential for individuals to identify what makes them angry and deal with the anger triggers. One can therefore avoid people or situations that make them angry through which they can avoid stress in life. Individuals can also focus on what makes them happy and focus on more important things like getting quality sleep which can reduce tension.
References
Arundale, G. S. (2012). The Essence of Gandhiji. Mahatma Gandhi Essays and Reflections. Jaico Publishers, 39-40.
Kazmi, S. S. H. (2019). Gandhian Way of Resilience and Wellbeing. Available at SSRN 3493087.
LaRue, D. E., & Herrman, J. W. (2008). Adolescent stress through the eyes of high-risk teens. Pediatric nursing, 34(5).
Ožura, A., & Šega, S. (2013). Profile of depression, experienced distress and capacity for coping with stress in multiple sclerosis patients—A different perspective. Clinical neurology and neurosurgery, 115, S12-S16.
Pereira, M. A. D., & Barbosa, M. A. (2013). Teaching strategies for coping with stress–the perceptions of medical students. BMC medical education, 13(1), 1-7.
Wang, Y., Xie, G., & Cui, X. (2016). Effects of emotional intelligence and self-leadership on students’ coping with stress. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 44(5), 853-864.
Yau, J. C., Reich, S. M., & Lee, T. Y. (2021). Coping with stress through texting: an experimental study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(3), 565-571.
INFORMAL RESEARCH PAPER
This informal application paper (1500 words) is designed to provide you with the opportunity to apply ideas regarding stress/change and coping, that we are discussing in the course, to a relevant individual of your choice. Also, in order for you to deepen your understanding of coping and to give you beginning practice with APA documentation, you must include information from seven sources. Five of the sources must be scholarly sources and three must be academic articles. Additional scholarly sources can be scholarly books or book chapters or scholarly websites. (The textbook cannot be used for these three sources.) The scholarly articles are most likely used in the second section of the paper. The remaining sources can be non-scholarly.
NOTE: YOU WILL ONLY EARN A GRADE OF A IF YOU USE THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF SCHOLARLY RESOURCES.
Research Paper: Assignment Directions
Specific Directions
Choose an individual (from a book, movie, or play, or you can write about a living or deceased person about whom there is public written and/or oral and/or visual information). If you wish to write about a person for whom there is no public information, you must get permission from me and talk with me about how the situation should be approached.
Use the following 3 headings.
“Jane Smith” and his/her Context (4.0/25)
Briefly describe your person and his or her context (approximately 250 words). This is a
brief summary. This is likely where your non-scholarly sources will be used.
How “Jane Smith” Coped (16/25)
Analyze how a person copes with stress by referring to the research you collected. (approximately 900 words). Tell me about the study, the hypothesis and the conclusions the authors arrived at in their research. Compare and contrast the various sources. Include at least one idea from each of the 5 scholarly references.
Be careful the second section is about the research and use caution to not continue to describe who the subject is.
Cite all the sources within your paper and put them on a references page using APA documentation.
This is not a time to discuss your person. The focus is on the research and how it applies to the general population.
What I Learned about Coping (5/25)
Discuss what you learned about coping from doing this paper. Personal information should be shared with caution and yet the reflection should be personal. Be as specific as possible (approximately 350 words) and use “I”.
Within each heading, use as many paragraphs as you need to communicate clearly
All sources shall be no older than 10 years old. Some references are classics so please check with me if you want to use something older than ten years old.
Grading is based on your doing the following
– Expressing ideas clearly, using complete sentences, excellent organization and proper grammar and spelling
– Incorporating at least one important idea from each of the five scholarly sources regarding the individual’s method of coping with their circumstances.
-Ensure the sources work cohesively with one another to help the reader understand the person’s method of coping
-Adequate depth in the coping section as opposed to many ideas.
– Citing the seven sources in the paper and making a references list for them using APA format.
– Using “I” to express ideas to express your ideas and to talk about yourself in the third section only.
– Including the total word count on the front of the paper and the word count following each section
– Staying within the stipulated word ranges for the three parts of the assignment
– Submitting the assignment by the due date
Resources:
-The Library Work Session should help you to identify scholarly and non-scholarly resources, help you understand APA format and how to cite your additional references in your paper and to make your reference list
– The Application Paper Brief Conversations near the end of the course should further help you to clarify concepts
Examples of Movies
– Shake Hands with the Devil (2004)
– Gandhi (1982)
– Erin Brockovich (2000)
– Precious (2009)
Examples of People
– Romeo Dallaire
– Winston Churchill
– Gandhi