According to Sapolsky, a neuroscientist of great renown, a “Stressor” is an event in the outside world that knocks you out of balance. For this paper, I will be discussing my encounters with stress after keeping a 10-day stress journal. I have recorded the time, date, stressor, stress responses, coping strategies, and the effectiveness of these methods. Throughout this process, …show more content…
The most evident of them all was a feeling of depersonalization, also known as derealization. According to the British Medical Journal (1972), “Depersonalization is a strange, complex, and essentially private experience, one characteristic of which is the individual’s difficulty in communicating a comprehensible account of it… the description ‘unreal’ or ‘detached’ is usually accepted” (p. 378). Derealization follows after a traumatic event. In my case, I felt a strange and uncomfortable feeling beyond words. This happened for a couple of minutes. Then my body was in complete shock and pain followed. I started sobbing so much I was barely breathing. My chest felt like it was being squeezed. My headache persisted due to the emotional distress I was enduring. This was by far one of the most dire and uncontrollable situations I’ve ever encountered. The stressor affected me cognitively, socially, and physiologically from when I found out and even days after. I experienced cognitive and emotional stress responses directly after the stressor. As stated by Horowitz (1975), “Rumination is a general stress response tendency”. I kept pertaining to events that happened prior to the event. I reflected upon what I could’ve done differently, or how I could’ve avoided the event. I lingered on trying to create some sort of meaning upon Jerry’s death, which took a mental toll on me. It …show more content…
I noticed a pattern after experiencing a traumatic life event: acute stressors (which I’ve also recorded on my journal) felt miniscule in comparison to Jerry’s death. Some of these stressors included stress from work, class, and other responsibilities. However, I realized that having an optimistic and positive mind is important for my mental health, because it will ultimately affect my daily performance. For example, in reference to my stress log, I experienced stress from someone breaking into my car. I was scared at first because I didn’t feel safe. However, after recognizing the situation as manageable, I started implementing problem focused strategies. Instead of being upset about the situation, I recognized my resources, became proactive and immediately called the cops and told my parents. I realized that my broken window and everything that was stolen in my car is replaceable and repairable. I noticed that my duration of dwelling in negative and stressful situations have improved (shortened). Having the right mindset is crucial for a person’s health. I’ve learned to accept situations better, and learned how to implement effective coping strategies to regain balance and homeostasis quicker. In addition to being optimistic, personal control is also