Coping Strategies Needed in Modern Society

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Coping Strategies Needed in Modern Society

Coping Strategies Needed in Modern Society

Have you ever heard someone say, “I just don’t know how I’m going to cope?” What is coping and how is this accomplished? To begin we first need to understand stress. What it is; What are the effects it has on the body and lastly, what strategies we can use to combat stress?

Stress

As defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “stress is a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.” Another definition has stress as being an altering of an existent equilibrium as in the case of a job related stress. So, why are we more stressed as a society today than fifty years ago?

Our lives are moving at a much faster pace with less quality down time. A recent survey, by the American Psychological Association, Dealing With Stress, (2007), states that” 63% of those surveyed said money issues were their greatest source of stress, while 44% said national security is their stressor and another 31% said that job security is their greatest source of stress.” The ability to provide for and protect our families is at the forefront of most of our adult minds. Many feel, for the first time since World War II, the ability to financially provide for their needs is not assured. Adult children are moving back in with their parents, aging parents are moving in with their grown children and everyone is in fear of being able to provide food, shelter and medical care for each other. What other “stressors” do humans deal with?

On the issue of healthcare we have more to deal with than generations past. Due to a higher standard of healthcare we are now living longer. According to the W...

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...http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bloggers/carlin-flora

Friedman, M & Rosenman, R.H. Type A Behaviour and your Heart. New York: Knopf

Mayo Clinic Staff (2008),

Merriam-Webster Dictionary, (www.Merriam-Webster.com) copyright © 2010 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Surgeon General’s Report on

Physical Activity and Health, PCPFS Research Digest, (1996), Series 2, 6, 7.

RachBeisel, M.D., J (2009). Stress-The Body’s Response, Retrieved from http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_biological_effects_of_acute_stress_000031_2.htm

Sarullo, C. (2009), Dealing with Stress, Mind/Body Fitness Magazine, Retrieves from http: http://mindbodyfitness.suite101.com/article.cfm/dealing_with_stress#ixzz0pcwe2H9o.

World Bank Group, (2010), World Development Indicators. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator.

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