Social Support and Stress Tolerance

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(Focus) Social Support and Stress ToleranceNathiya E*

Sinu E**In t roduc t ion shares his difficulties or sufferings.

Stress is a common phenomenon 2.Making them talk about stress.and inevitable part in our every day 3.Listening to them.lif e. Stress may be personal or 4.Being available and being withenvironmental, short or long term. In them in times of crisis. .general stress ~rises out of life 5.P roviding emotional support byevents, which may be threatening showing genuine concern and Ior challenging the individual and his caring.well-being. In this context social 6.P roviding factual information.

support is an indispensable 7.Referral to access the resourcesresource f or an individual to cope where help is available.with and to deal with stress by a.P roviding tangible help whenmeeting the demand. Social needed.support includes the affective 9.Giving suggestions, guidance,(emotional) and instrumental assistance in whatever they do at(helping) qualities of relationships. time of crisis.Relationships f rom family, relatives, 10.P roviding accommodation to afriends, colleagues, agencies, stressed person during thegovernment institutions and other emergency period.non-governmental organizations are 11.Showing love, care and genuineconsidered as sources of social concern by taking them to suitablesupport available for an individual. places like hospital! park.Social support is based on the Im por t ance o f soc i al supp or tformaland informalrelationships one Social support is effective inhas with the sources and the help minimizing the negative effect of one receives to meet the crisis stress. Social support has indirectsituation. effects on well-being by playing

Elem en ts o f soc ia l sup po r t buffering and mitigating role in1.Showing empathy when a person reducing the impact of stressful event

Natlli ya E B.ScNurs ing IIIyear, Navo da ya Inst itut e of Nursin g, Mand ya, K amataka .

.* Sinu E MSW. Ph.D Scholar , Department of Psyc hiatric Social work , NIMHANS ,3an galore 560 029

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or situation protecting people from Form s of Socia lSuppo r tstress. Individual perceives stress (Ralf Schwarzer, 1991)when there is imbalance between This is how you f eel when you haveenvironmental demand and the social support.available resource to meet those Ins tru m ental

demands, Social support strikes the *1 know somepeople upon whom Ibalance between these two, Social can always rely.support system assists in setting and * When I am worried, there isreaching our goals, someone who helps me.When we f ace challenges in our * There are people who offer melife, our social support system helps help when Ineed it.to come up with ways to overcome vWhen everything becomes too

our challenges and succeed. much f or me to handle, others areHandling stress is a n important there to help me.component of maintaining good Info rm ativemental health. *People helpme to f ind somethingHaving a strong social support positive in my situation.system helps a person in maintaining * People suggest activities thatgood mental health. In most of stress might distract me.situations, social support system gets * People give information onthreatened and breaks down due to availability resources, referral, andmaladaptive coping styles with contact persons.stress. Em o tionalSocial supports can also help you * There are some people who trulydeal with dif f icult experiences. If we like me.talk to someone whom we trust. we *Whenever I am not feeling well,would find it easier todeal with other people show me that they areproblems, If we are f eeling stressed, f ond of me,sharing our feelings with our friends * Whenever I am sad, there areor family members may help us f eel people who cheer me up.better. If one feels sad or angry * There is always someone there forbecause he had a disagreement with me when I need comforting.

a friend, other social supports can Ways t o bui ld soc ia lsupporthelp him f ind a way to work out the Social support systems are notproblem. formed automatically. One needs to

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work hard to form social support conversation.systems and keep them strong. 2.Have smiling face which improvesEff ective communication skills are the first impression.very essential in strengthening social 3.Look at people's eyes and talk.support. If one's communication is 4.Express your genuine concern

notgood, then he automatically tends towards them.to lose whatever support he already 5.Be reinforcing.has. Ways to build a strong social 6.Be truthful.support system are l.Be appreciative.1.Strengthening our relationships with 8'when you are very close to them,friends and existing supports by touch and talkgoing together to eat outside, having 9.Act interestedly.f un together, going to temples and 10.Share a common activity.pleasure trips at regular intervals. 11.Call people by names when2.Making phone calls and keeping addressing them.in touch with them when we are unable 12.Present yourself well.to meet them f requently. 13. Talk aboutpositive things.3.Sending greetings on festive 14.Accept them as they are.occasions. 15.Respond to peoiple but don't4.Reciprocating help. react.5.Attending important family functions 16.Express love through verballike marriage, birthday and expressions, gifts, cards and also byexpressing genuine concern. helping them.6.Making new friends when we try Deterren t s o f soc ia l r e la t ionsh ipsnew activities. 1.Being selfish.

7.Being available for friends when 2.Scowling or frowning and notthey need support. smiling.a.Sharing their thoughts and feelings. 3.Being critical and complaining.9.Listening and showing interest in 4. Telling yourtroubles to everywhat's being shared. one.10.Being kind and understanding. 5.Not responding.11.Respecting the rights of others. 6.lgnoring people.

12.Communicating honestly. 7.Poor grooming.Bui lding b l o c k s of soc i al s u p p o r t 8.Acting or talking impulsively.1.Greet people when you initiate 9.Bullying and making fun.

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10.Expressing negative thoughtsfrequently.11.Compelling/ forcing people to dothings..12.Not sharing things, not believing,

not having faith and trust.Life style changes tocombat stress

1.Adequate sleep: Minimum 7 hoursof sleep is a must.2.Decrease caffeine: Avoid coffee,tea, cola and chocolate as these may

aggravate anxiety, insomnia,nervousness and trembling.3.Decrease consumption of junkfood, fast food.4.Eat slowly and have well balancedmeals at regular intervals.5.Leisure time: Do something for

yourself everyday, take warm bath,go for a walk, and get in touch withold friends.6.Regular exercise: At least for30minutes, 3 times per week andaerobic exercises-minimum 20minutes a day.

7.Relaxation exercises: Relaxationtechniques like prayer, yoga/meditation) deep breathing (1Omin),focus on object, focus on sound"OM", imagery (can think of location-

place, hear the sounds, mell thearomas, feel the temperature and themovement of the wind)SWell balanced diet: Excess sugarmay cause frequent fluctuation inblood glucose levels and add stressto the physiological functions.

ConclusionFamily serves as a natural socialsupport that helps in tolerating andcounteracting the effects stress.Social support is the mediator of stress. Seek help from families isbest effective strategy to tolerate

stress.So seek help from the immediateand primary social support networkand strengthen the family socialsupport by above mentioned ways.East or West Home is Best! This isa jingle worth its weight in gold!

References:Burke R J, Greenglass, E R and Schwarzer R (1996): Predicting Teacher Burnout Over Time:Effects of Work Stress Social Support and Self-doubts on Burnout and Its Consequences. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal, 1996; g, 261-275.Schwarzer Rand Leppin A (1991): Social Support and Health: A Theoretical and Empiricaloverview. J ournal of Social and Personal Relationships. 8,99-127.

Focus for August 2007: Academic Skill s. Please se nd dr af t articlesbefore 18th July 2007 by email to jssw.india @gmail .com or jssw .india @aoI .in Special Editor: Dr Muralidhar R , NIMHANS.

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Social Support and Stress Tolerance

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