Identify a Stress Reduction Pathway

The March 11th earthquake sparked an exodus of foreigners and Japanese from the central (Kanto) and northern (Tohoku) regions of Japan. Our school resumed classes following our normally scheduled spring break with approximately 80% of our students and 97% of faculty back on campus. Part of these high percentages were due to timing. We were fortunate that by the end of our spring break, the extreme concern about the nuclear power plant in Fukushima had started to subside. As a result of improvements to the north, embassies lifted travel bans and companies brought back foreign employees that had largely been working out of other economic hubs in Asia.

In addition to the timing with power plant, I have heard from many people that travel under duress contained similar themes to refugee experiences with one of the harder elements being the numerous friends and colleagues who have left without time to say goodbye. This lack of closure has been hard.

Other than those suddenly severed ties, we are back and building momentum again. Our process of recovery has been confounded, however, by our vulnerability that was highlighted by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami and sustained and exacerbated by the 1000 plus earthquakes and aftershocks since, the still unresolved nuclear plant, lost time at the end of the year compressing deadlines, and resulting stress related impact on concentration, sleep, and mood to name just a few.

On the surface most appear to be managing well-enough but there is no denying that we all continue to be impacted daily by our real or perceived concerns about the location of our homes with regard to tsunamis, the structural integrity of our buildings, our preparedness at home with water and food stores, and our own potential traumatization should we experience another big quake closer to home. The incredible power of our geologic adversary and taxed coping abilities leave many understandably feeling the effects of ongoing stress.

One of the most beneficial ways of helping with this has been to arrange opportunities where members of our community can come together to discuss our own stress levels, what we are stuggling with, and how we are coping. Use of Cohen, Karmarck, and Mermelstein’s (1983)  global measure of perceived stress (click) has been a very effective way to begin this discussion as it helps clarify in our own mind prominent stressors, our reactions, and the impact these two have on our day to day reality. (Click here for a pdf of the scale only)

The stress reduction pathway model has also been useful to help identify what stress is and what can be done to either reduce the stressor or better manage the resulting stress.

I have been pleased with how the sessions have gone so far but this afternoon I found an absolute gem of a video about stress that I will use with my grade 9 class tomorrow. I want to learn more about Sean Stephensen but what I know of him so far, I am completely enamoured with. Like other educators can relate, I spent the majority of a planning period today looking for just the right video to round out a stress discussion/presentation. After almost ending the search empty handed, in one last click I stumbled across this video and felt triumphant. Sean’s presentation on stress will absolutely reach my students. I look forward to hearing their responses to his humor and his wisdom.

Having participated in a number of discussions now across a wide range of ages several themes have emerged.

• While each person responds to stress in different ways, others share in very similar reactions and concerns.
• We need to be patient with ourselves to allow our bodies, minds, and spirits to heal. Take it slow and give yourself the latitude to just make babysteps in recovery.
• There is no right way to feel, think, or respond other than what we are feeling, thinking, and doing.
• The stress reduction pathway can help identify things we can do to help ourselves cope more effectively. In the words of Sean, “Don’t let your balloon fill up”.

References

Cohen, S, Karmarck, T, & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.

Malec, C., Hiebert, B., Young, L., Rose, J., Blackshaw, K., Felsky-Hunt, S., & Lea, S. (2000). Bridging Self-Care with Health Care. Calgary, AB: LifeLong Wellness Research Institute Inc. Ch. 2, Maintaining Balance, pp. 21-35.

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