Stress Management Across the Lifespan: Adaptive Strategies and Interventions
Author(s):
Nicole Gorra
Over the course of a lifespan, encountering stress, adversity, and hardship are but a few guarantees of the human experience. Often, these experiences are shaped by a complex mix of circumstances and influences. Furthermore, the construct of stress is subjective. What one person finds stressful may not affect another the same way, yet the discomfort and potential impact on well-being are nearly universal. Just as stress is subjective, so too are the emotional and physiological responses it provokes. With effective coping strategies and the ability to manage stress, we can navigate even the most difficult situations. A critical component of resilience lies in shifting perspective— for example, choosing to see the glass as half full, and other times, a brief exercise of a shift in mindset
is simply not enough, and one requires professional support. With ego strength, determination of will, and faith in the form of the individual’s choice that elicits comfort, we are capable of surmounting even the most daunting challenges. Whether stress is engendered from prior experiences, present-day demands, or an unarticulated internal tension, treatment engagement and learned skills are guided by curiosity that deflects internal judgments often associated with an inability to adequately manage stress. A person in environment model of care recognizes and integrates the full complexity of lived experience.