Six Myths About Stress
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Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody. Completely wrong. Stress is different for each of us. What is stressful
for one person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us
responds to stress in an entirely different way. Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you. According to this view, zero stress makes us happy and healthy. Wrong.
Stress is to the human condition what tension is to the violin string:
too little and the music is dull and raspy; too much and the music is
shrill or the string snaps. Stress can be the kiss of death or the
spice of life. The issue, really, is how to manage it. Managed stress
makes us productive and happy; mismanaged stress hurts and even kills
us. Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can't do anything about it. Not so. You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you.
Effective planning involves setting priorities and working on simple
problems first, solving them, and then going on to more complex
difficulties. When stress is mismanaged, it's difficult to prioritize.
All your problems seem to be equal and stress seems to be everywhere. Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best ones. Again, not so. No universally effective stress reduction techniques
exist. We are all different, our lives are different, our situations
are different, and our reactions are different. Only a comprehensive
program tailored to the individual works. Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress. Absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of stress. In fact,
camouflaging symptoms with medication may deprive you of the signals
you need for reducing the strain on your physiological and
psychological systems. Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention. This myth assumes that the "minor" symptoms, such as headaches or
stomach acid, may be safely ignored. Minor symptoms of stress are the
early warnings that your life is getting out of hand and that you need
to do a better job of managing stress. From the APA Help Center, Adapted from "The Stress Solution" by Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D., and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D. |
Free Speakers for Your Organization
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PPA members are willing to provide free talks for your
business, club or
organization.
In recent years psychologists have given public lectures on topics such as:
Stress
Resilience
Depression
Communication
Motivation Body/Mind DivorceOf course, there are literally scores of topics that can be chosen for your talk. A typical
presentation may last 30-45 minutes with about 15 minutes for questions and answers. We would request that your audience includes at least 10 persons. For more information, please contact Marti Evans at Pennsylvania Psychological Association.
717-232-3817 This service is being offered as part of the joint mission of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association to advance public knowledge of the field of psychology. |
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Welcome...
Psychology & Career Change-- This issue of the E-Newsletter looks at the topic of work: finding the right career, changing careers, surviving when you're between jobs, and moving successfully into retirement.
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 The Nuts and Bolts
of Changing Careers
You spend half of your waking hours working. Your career affects your mental health and future, so it's not unusual to think about a career change. I made my own big career change 30 years ago, so I know the feeling. Here's what I've learned from my experience and from those I've helped navigate these difficult waters.
- Read the best book out there on changing careers.
- Assess your motivation.
- Know what really interests you.
- Know what you like & don't like about all your jobs.
- Take measure of your transferrable skills.
- Be sure you have good family support.
- Talk to everybody you meet that's in a career that interests you.
Read the best book:
Richard Bolles wrote "What Color is Your Parachute" more than 30 years ago, and updates it yearly. His book contains detailed instructions on networking, assessing your interests and skills, and figuring out the types of people you enjoy working with. His book helps provides exercises to figure all this stuff out. The latest editions are full of information about using the Internet for job searches and career changes. You need to know this book by heart.
Assess your motivation level:
If you're like most people, changing careers really challenges your identity and finances. so taking the career change risk is very scary. The more motivated you are to make the change, the better you'll be able to do the huge amount of work required.
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Resilience in the Age of Layoffs and Job Loss:
Things We Can Learn
From My Friend Charlie
Dana Fry, Psy.D.
Losing one's job, particularly if one remains out of work for a long time, often leads to depression and poor coping, including social withdrawal, inactivity, hopelessness, and avoidance. Studies have shown that depression and poor coping, in turn, often lead to a decreased assertiveness in seeking employment and decreased productivity overall.
Resilience is the ability to cope well,and even thrive, in the face of adversity. This is the illustrative and inspiring story of my friend, Charlie. Charlie is a skilled tradesman who is in the middle of a layoff, and union officials estimate at least six months of projected unemployment for him. Watching Charlie stay afloat in these turbulent waters got me thinking about the factors contributing to his resilience.
I met Charlie in early June, shortly after he lost his job, in a whitewater kayak class I was teaching. In the face of unstructured days and lots of free time, Charlie picked up a new hobby that he can do relatively inexpensively that occupies a lot of his time and connects him to a whole new social network. Charlie has embraced his new hobby, kayaking, with enthusiasm, experiencing much joy in it.
Admittedly, Charlie finds it harder to get going in the mornings when he doesn't have a structured activity or job. To combat this challenge, in addition to kayaking, Charlie meditates daily, exercises several times a week, enjoys cooking healthy meals, and attends self-help group meetings that he finds supportive. All of these activities help keep him active, socially connected, thinking positively, and feeling well during this challenging time.
Click here for complete article...
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10 Ways to Build Resilience
1. Make connections. Good relationships with close family members, friends, or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens resilience. Some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based organizations, or other local groups provides social support and can help with reclaiming hope. Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.
2. Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can't change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better. Note any subtle ways in which you might already feel somewhat better as you deal with difficult situations.
3. Accept that change is a part of living. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.
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How to Find a Career
That is Suitable to You
Joseph Wieliczko, Psy.D.
For many people in high school, college and beyond there is a struggle to figure out what career path to take. Some individuals know from a very young age what career direction to follow, although most struggle. Many people feel out of place in a job or career that does not provide a sense of satisfaction, fulfillment or joy. After some time they start to question if career fulfillment is ever possible. It is possible, but first you must find a career that is suitable.
There is a method to finding a suitable career. As a vocational psychologist, I use a four-step method. The first step is to know thyself, which includes knowing your job interests, work values, personal circumstances and skills/aptitudes.
Step I
- Job interest can be determined by a test which shows what type of occupations you are naturally attracted to. There are a multitude of inventories available to determine your specific job interests. The most well known is the Strong Interest Inventory. There are many Web sites which help to determine your job interests such as:www.self-directed-search.com.
- Work values refers to what you value in a work experience. These values play a significant role in your career selection and satisfaction. They include income, leadership opportunity, intellectual stimulation, prestige, independence, creativity, travel, professional development, and job security, to name a few. A Web site that provides a list of work values is: www.best-career-match.com.
- Personal life circumstances will play a part in the decisions you make about your career. The following factors should be considered when choosing a suitable career.
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 Successful Retirement
Retirement is one of our major transitions, and our success with this next phase of our lives should not be left to chance. When we retire, we leave a job that we have learned to do well, co-workers who have become friends, structured expectations for our work day, and skills that we no longer need.
Many people assume that an abundance of free, unstructured time will magically give them the life they have been hoping for, but exactly the opposite is usually true. Those who report the most satisfying retirements have put a lot of thought into how they will use their time.
To make your transition more successful, plan for it ahead of time:
- Decide what your basic needs will be. This includes how much income will be available, where you will live, whether or not a part-time job will be needed, how you will manage your investments, how often you can travel and so on.
- Recognize your mental needs. Because we usually have been mentally engaged and challenged at our job, it is important to replace this with new areas that stimulate your mind. Taking local classes, learning how to do new household projects, studying subjects we have always been interested in are ways to keep our minds engaged.
- Take care of your social needs. Creating opportunities to share time with others is very important, whether this is done with relatives, close friends or new people that you meet.
- Even if finances are tight, having fun, appreciating the little things in life and finding opportunities to laugh, dance or play is very important. Schedule activities that will give you physical exercise as well.
Click here for complete article...
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