Psychological and Biological methods of managing stress
There are two ways of managing stress; either psychologically or biologically.
One of the psychological methods is Stress Inoculation Therapy (SIT), which is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Meichenbaum developed SIT in 1985 to allow a person to cope with stress before the problem actually arises. SIT helps people inoculate themselves against stress and turn their negative thoughts into positives using inoculation. There are 3 steps to inoculation:
1. Conceptualisation phase – The therapist and client form a relationship and the client is made to think differently about their problem, after they are educated about the nature and impact of stress.
2. Skill acquisition phase (and rehearsal) – Cognitive and behavioural coping skills are taught to the client which addresses their particular problem. The client then practices these skills in the clinic, and then they are gradually rehearsed in real life.
3. Application phase – Clients are given opportunities to apply newly learned coping skills in different situations which become increasingly stressful.
SIT has been proven to be effective in 2004, when Sheehy and Horan examined the effects of SIT on the anxiety, stress and academic performance of first-year law students. The results showed that all participants who received SIT displayed lower levels of stress. SIT is also effective in that it can inoculate both future and current problems. On the other hand, SIT is time consuming as it requires the participant to partake in numerous activities. Some of the activities may be unnecessary in helping a client cope with stress.
One biological method of stress management is the use of anti-anxiety drugs. Benzodiazepines (BZs) are a group of drugs which help to reduce stress and anxiety. Drugs such as Valium, Xanax and Diazepam are included under this category. They work by connecting themselves to the GABA receptor in the brain. The GABA is one of the most common neurotransmitters in the brain; it is
One of the psychological methods is Stress Inoculation Therapy (SIT), which is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Meichenbaum developed SIT in 1985 to allow a person to cope with stress before the problem actually arises. SIT helps people inoculate themselves against stress and turn their negative thoughts into positives using inoculation. There are 3 steps to inoculation:
1. Conceptualisation phase – The therapist and client form a relationship and the client is made to think differently about their problem, after they are educated about the nature and impact of stress.
2. Skill acquisition phase (and rehearsal) – Cognitive and behavioural coping skills are taught to the client which addresses their particular problem. The client then practices these skills in the clinic, and then they are gradually rehearsed in real life.
3. Application phase – Clients are given opportunities to apply newly learned coping skills in different situations which become increasingly stressful.
SIT has been proven to be effective in 2004, when Sheehy and Horan examined the effects of SIT on the anxiety, stress and academic performance of first-year law students. The results showed that all participants who received SIT displayed lower levels of stress. SIT is also effective in that it can inoculate both future and current problems. On the other hand, SIT is time consuming as it requires the participant to partake in numerous activities. Some of the activities may be unnecessary in helping a client cope with stress.
One biological method of stress management is the use of anti-anxiety drugs. Benzodiazepines (BZs) are a group of drugs which help to reduce stress and anxiety. Drugs such as Valium, Xanax and Diazepam are included under this category. They work by connecting themselves to the GABA receptor in the brain. The GABA is one of the most common neurotransmitters in the brain; it is