Week 11: Stress and coping - Research Paper Example

Stress and Coping One recent stressful event in my life occurred when my father met an accident while he was driving home from office four month back. Somebody called us that he was in the hospital. I was very fond of my father. I saw my mother crying and we rushed toward the hospital. My parents somehow managed to come out of the stress but the event depressed me for a long time to come. I went under stress because my father stayed in hospital for two weeks and my mother committed himself to serve him.

I would stay at home and my final exams were around. My father used to teach me at home and he was not there. I missed him. Even now when he is back, I cannot forget this event and the stress has not gone until now. One day, I sat down and pondered upon what made this event so stressful for me. I found out that I have the habit of panicking over small things. I lose my nerves very quickly and am not able to think clearly in a state of depression.

Also, I am not able to come out of the stress even after the event is over. This is because I do not work out stress coping strategies which makes the stress effects stay longer. According to the Lazarus and Folkman theory of cognitive appraisal, coping evaluates one’s resources and options to determine if they are adequate to overcome stress (Barkway 2009). Keeping this definition in mind, I think that I have started my coping process by pondering upon my strengths and weaknesses after the stressful event I faced.

ReferencesBarkway, P 2009, Psychology for Health Professionals, Elsevier, Australia, Chapter 10.