Posts Tagged ‘stress’

Self Concept, Stress and Health

Apparently, stress is keenly felt by a person who suffers from a problem of personal and social maladjustment. He feels uncertain and confused of who and what he really is inadequate and inferior in his functioning as a person and insecure in his relationship with other persons. All of these feelings stem from a low self esteem.

Though such “spectacles” of self-concept, they have views the world with indifference and suspicion resentment and mistrust. The works he hears and the actions he sees from other are given some negative meanings. Eventually, he easily feels threatened. As he mulls over his interpretations, his general functioning is affected.

A person tends to be over conscious and extra sensitive and defensive. Among his favorite defense mechanisms are rationalization scapegoating , denial, regression, or repression. Another source of maladjustment and stress is the discrepancy between his real and ideal selves. Social adjustment a sense of persona, worth and feelings of belonging are all correlated with proximity of real and ideal selves or self-satisfaction This was corroborated and discovered that adolescents with a high discrepancy between real and ideal selves felt themselves unable to meet parental expectations and were tense ,distractible anxious, restless, unhappy, and oversensitive.

Self- concept is also related to success or failure in career life. Researchers and clinicians have known for years that if in a given situation a person devalues his self perceives himself as helpless and certain of failure , this perception would virtually ensure failure in that situation. The likelihood of yours failure at some task will greatly increase If you imagine yourself as failing even before the task in question had begun. Conversely, If you imagine yourself succeeding at your task, your probability of success will be greatly enhanced.

Just as self- perception affects stress reactions and task behavior; it can greatly affect the eventual onset of disease. In of the more intriguing aspects of the role of a devalued self image in disease emerges from the study of cancer. According to W.W. Meissner of the Harvard Medical School, cancer patients are relatively “selfless” individuals. They often display signs of great sacrifice and self-effacement. Finally most exhibit feeling of “hopelessness” and helplessness” which is typical before the onset of cancer.

Based on his clinical observations, they concluded that one of the major personality correlated of cancer was a severe degree of poor self expectation coupled with self dislike, Similarly Simonton observed that a very pessimistic outlook on life characterized many cancer patient. More importantly, those with the lowest self-perceptions eventually succumbed to the disease, whereas those patients who maintained optimism and the conviction that they could “win” over cancer survived. Such level of self-esteem may be related to other psychosomatic ailment like asthma, peptic, ulcer, skin disorders, obesity, etc.

What is Distress?

Distress is a word that has lots of meaning.

Here, we use “distress” to describe unpleasant feelings or emotions that may cause problems for you as you cope with cancer and its treatment. Distress is also common in the family members and loved ones of people with cancer. It can make it harder to deal with all the changes in your life caused by cancer in someone you love.

Saying that you are distressed can mean that you feel:

* Sad
* Hopeless
* Powerless
* Afraid
* Guilty
* Anxious
* Panic
* Discouraged
* Depressed
* Uncertainty

The stress of dealing with cancer may affect areas of your life other than your feelings. It can affect your thoughts, your behavior, and how you interact with others.

Some distress is normal

A certain amount of distress is normal when you or a family member has cancer. Cancer causes distress, in part because of the attitudes and fears people have about cancer. For example, one of the big fears people have is that cancer means death. But the idea that cancer always leads to death is wrong. About 11 million Americans are alive today who have had cancer.

Of course, people are upset when they learn they have cancer — no matter how much progress has been made in treating it. There are many things that suddenly seem uncertain. People have fears and concerns about what may happen to their bodies. They worry how their loved ones will cope with their cancer and all the things that may happen to them. And they have fears about what the future will be like. People often wonder, “Am I going to die?” and “Why is this happening to me?”

Once you learn that you or a loved one has cancer, you may no longer feel safe. You may feel afraid, exposed, weak, and vulnerable. Such feelings often last through treatment and may be joined by anxiety and sadness.

It is normal to worry when you are waiting for the first treatment. “The worst time for me was waiting for that first chemo treatment,” said one patient. “Once it was over, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I was OK. I felt better because I was finally doing something about the cancer.” Waiting for surgery is also a time of major concern. People often worry about the operation itself, but also about whether the cancer is growing while they wait for surgery. Fears about the changes in your body that surgery will cause can be a major source of distress.

Then there are concerns about work and home life and how they will change as a result of cancer. Insurance and financial issues often add to the worries.

Stress Test for Stress Signals

STRESS TEST

This Stress Test was developed by Keith W. Schnert. It contains 10 terms by which you rate yourself and total the number corresponding to your answers.

To score this test, add up the numbers you that correspond to your answer. Then read the analysis of your total score below:

Total Score 40 – 50: You are treating your body very well. You are to be commented.

Total Score 30 – 40: Your lifestyle habits are good.

Total Score 20 – 30: There are some things that need adjustment. You had better ease up and listen more carefully to the signals of your body.

Total Score 10 – 20: You are not listening very well to your body. There are several danger signals being sent.