What major advice or tips have you discovered about stress that you find practical and important when it comes to managing stress?
I found counseling sessions with psychologists and therapy appointments with psychiatrists as well as tips and advice on coping most helpful (Doyle-Portillo & Pastorino, 2012). I have learned that I can use various methods to try to cope with stress, like problem-focused coping (targeted towards controlling or altering the environment) and emotion-focused coping (internal, subjective, emotional responses to stress). I can also cope using social support groups, guided imagery, and meditation. If I don't cope consciously then I may cope unconsciously using defense mechanisms. From the example of Theresa Paul in the video "How the Brain Handles Stress," I learned that a person can face several sources of stress in daily routine such as office work, feeding kids, and walking the dog, and time management is a good way of dealing with trying to do many tasks within a limited time (CBS News, 2007). It is important to cope with stress before reaching the exhaustion stage because then the body can suffer from wear and tear.
What have you learned from
psychology classes, workshops, and training seminars that will assist you in
managing stress in your life?
On the whole, psychology classes have taught me that psychology is different from philosophy and art because it uses the scientific method to derive hard facts about the mind. It proposes hypotheses and theories rather than opinions, which are then carefully and rigorously tested. While I still believe that every person is unique, the study of psychology has led to several useful general observations and principles such as the biology of the brain, the study of behavior, and responses that may be conditioned. It was intriguing to learn of the specifics of consciousness, learning, memory, cognition, motivation, emotion, personal development, sexuality, and social interaction. In general, I can use the knowledge gained in all these areas to manage my life like giving importance to sleep and socialization, and I also know more about the benefits that the field of psychology could provide me with in future (methods of therapy or self-improvement).
On the whole, psychology classes have taught me that psychology is different from philosophy and art because it uses the scientific method to derive hard facts about the mind. It proposes hypotheses and theories rather than opinions, which are then carefully and rigorously tested. While I still believe that every person is unique, the study of psychology has led to several useful general observations and principles such as the biology of the brain, the study of behavior, and responses that may be conditioned. It was intriguing to learn of the specifics of consciousness, learning, memory, cognition, motivation, emotion, personal development, sexuality, and social interaction. In general, I can use the knowledge gained in all these areas to manage my life like giving importance to sleep and socialization, and I also know more about the benefits that the field of psychology could provide me with in future (methods of therapy or self-improvement).
How do you benefit from what you
have learned?
Personality tests were particularly interesting to me, and to try to decide what I want to pursue a career in or major in for college I took a personality test online based on Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers's model (HumanMetrics, n.d.). The results have helped me plan ahead so I'd recommend the test to my colleagues. The knowledge gained from psychology classes will have an immense impact on my personal as well as academic and professional life moving on, because it has taught me new ways of assessing, approaching, and resolving issues relating to my own psychology as well as social and work situations. Simple things like studying the night before for exams (for better memory retention) to other principles that I found more complex like the effects of medication on reuptake of neurotransmitters will all help me better understand my own body and lifestyle as well as the world around me and how I interact with others.
Personality tests were particularly interesting to me, and to try to decide what I want to pursue a career in or major in for college I took a personality test online based on Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers's model (HumanMetrics, n.d.). The results have helped me plan ahead so I'd recommend the test to my colleagues. The knowledge gained from psychology classes will have an immense impact on my personal as well as academic and professional life moving on, because it has taught me new ways of assessing, approaching, and resolving issues relating to my own psychology as well as social and work situations. Simple things like studying the night before for exams (for better memory retention) to other principles that I found more complex like the effects of medication on reuptake of neurotransmitters will all help me better understand my own body and lifestyle as well as the world around me and how I interact with others.
References
Doyle-Portillo, S., &
Pastorino, E. (2012). What is Psychology?
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
CBS News (Producer). (2007, January 19). How the brain handles stress [Video file]. Retrieved May 16, 2013, from http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2380192n
HumanMetrics. (n.d.). Personality test based on Carl Jung's and Isabel Briggs Myers' typology. HumanMetrics. Retrieved May 16, 2013, from http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
CBS News (Producer). (2007, January 19). How the brain handles stress [Video file]. Retrieved May 16, 2013, from http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2380192n
HumanMetrics. (n.d.). Personality test based on Carl Jung's and Isabel Briggs Myers' typology. HumanMetrics. Retrieved May 16, 2013, from http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm