Sex

According to Meston and Buss (2007), despite the shared biology that underlies sexual motivation, reasons for having sex range from getting closer to God, to "getting my boyfriend to shut up!" hahahahhahahahahahaha.

With that being said, on a more positive note, lol, Psychologists have associated and compared sex to food, as they both depend on internal physiological factors of satisfaction.
According to Psychology Today, sex is part of what makes us human. It fosters sensual pleasure, enjoyment, excitement, and other earthly desires of the flesh.
But did you know that it is psychologically proven to lessen alienation, isolation and loneliness? It also creates a peaceful afterglow of relaxation following orgasms.

Now these aren`t my words eh! 😂 Infact, psychosexual theorist, Sigmund Freud, pointed out that sex reminds us that we are passionate creatures, motivated and driven by primitive, irrational forces operating just below the surface of civilization and rationality far more powerful than our puny little egos.
 So when your partner asks, dont think of sex as a bad thing. 

Let me show you some additional benefits of sex in a relationship/ marriage: 

• Physically, sex can produce a more youthful look. Research has shown that sex is also an exercise, and as such burns calories, and contributes to a healthier lifestyle. Sex also releases tension in the veins of the brain.
• Sex strengthens the muscles of both male and female, thus acting as a sport. 
• Sex can be used as an antidepressant, as it releases endorphins into the bloodstream and creates a state of euphoria. 

• Sex has been medically proven to produce better sleeping habits. Oxytocin which is released following an orgasm, creates a stronger immune system, as well as through the brain, can reduce heart problems, and can assist in helping with pain. 

• For women, gynecologists have proven that frequent sex leads to a lighter period and less cramps during your menstruation. 

Please note that this topic was requested, as persons found their partners viewed sex as a bad thing in a relationship, so hope the information was beneficial. 😊

Depression

Millions of people around the world suffer from this mental disorder, yet still we tend to ignore it😞 why is that?
Well let me first explain what is depression. Depression is a medical illness that negatively affects the way we think, feel and act. It can take the form of minor to major depression, seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder. Depression causes one to feel sad, lonely, unable to concentrate, loss of interest in a lot of activities, isolation, and also physical problems like loss of appetite leading to diseases such as anorexia and bulimia, and so much more.

Now dont get scared. lol Depression can be cured!. 

First let us seek to determine if you suffer from depression. Tick the following: 

• Do you often feel sad or in frequent depressed moods?
• Do you experience a grave loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed?
• Have you noticed major changes in your appetite unrelated to dieting?
• Do you experience problems to sleep or you`ve been oversleeping recently?
• Have you experienced increased fatigue?
• Do you feel like you`ve developed a loss of energy?
• Do you often feel worthless, purposeless, or guilty?
• Do you experience difficult, concentrating, thinking or always indecisive?
• Do you experience frequent thoughts of suicide or death?

NB: In order for your symptoms to be classed as depression, they must last for at least two (2) weeks

Ok so as we said, depression can be treated. Here are some tips :

• Therapy- therapy is one of the best remedies for mild to moderate depression. In Trinidad there is an Association for Psychologists, whereby you can access therapeutic services. The info is as follows :  Telephone (702-0232), Email (secretary@psychologytt.org) , Postal Address (P.O Box 887, 92Wrightson Road, Pos). Also for students, most highschools and tertiary level institutions provide counselling services. Please forget about peer pressure and do it for your own benefit!!! I myself attended counselling at UWI. Without counselling/ therapy, I would not have been able to cope with the workload. And please note that School Psychologists do not only focus on Education, they treat with other personal issues as well. 
• Antidepressants - these can be both prescribed medication or self-motivating activities. 
• Psychiatry - for more severe cases of depression, a therapist may refer you to a Psychiatrist, who will be able to prescribe medication for you. Also included in this is electroconvulsive therapy for persons suffering from bipolar disorder. 
• Self Help - for the persons afraid to seek external help, you can try self help. This is done through discipline. One can exercise regularly as exercise helps create positive emotions and healthy well being. Try to get at least (8) hours sleep a day, this way the body will get enough rest and have your mind relaxed, and for the oversleepers it will help control the amount of sleep, this way alleviating the constant tiredness you may feel from over sleeping. 
  

Physical Abuse

Under this category we are going to target sexual assault/ rape. Another sensitive topic, and one of the hardest to recover from. Within the past few months in Trinidad, if yall have been listening to the news, you would notice that every week there`s an incident of rape, especially amongst kids and young adults. And who do we later hear were the perpetrators? A family member, not so?
If you or someone you know is being sexually assaulted, please report it. Here i am going to tell you why.

Research has shown that approximately 1 out of every 5-6 women suffer from sexual assault. Did you hear what i just said????? Thats a wholeeeee lot! And to make it worse, 60% are not reported. Why?
The impacts of sexual assault goes way beyond what the mere eyes can see. Persons who suffer such trauma develop grave insecurities and mistrust. Moreso, victims and family members blame themselves for what happened. So before we go further, let me tell you now, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT!. It may feel like the end of the world, but alot of women who have reported it and gotten help, have overcome it and gotten married and have families. It is not going to be an easy journey, but it will profit you.
Always remember that you`re not alone and your feelings of helplessness, shame, defect, depression, etc, are normal reactions to traumatic experiences. When a traumatic experience occurs, your mind represses the memory into the unconscious of your mind. This way when any future events occur that have similarities to your past trauma, the emotions and memories play back in your mind.

We know just thinking about the assault makes you feel dirty and weak and make you afraid to speak out as persons may judge. You may even think that if you dont talk about it, then it didn't happen. False!! By not speaking out, the emotions are repressed and will keep reoccurring, thus making the long term coping mechanism harder.

Here are some ways to get help:

1. Get help – reach out to someone you trust to talk about the incident that occurred. We know after the assault you may feel like you can’t trust anyone. If that is the case, Trinidad has a rape hotline. The information is as follows : The Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago (RCS)
   North office: Port of Spain - 24 Hour Hotline (868) 627-7273
   South office: San Fernando - 24 Hour Hotline (868) 657-5355
2. Be active – By doing this, it will help your mind focus on positive factors. You can join a support group, do charity, etc. By helping other people, it will provide a sense of empowerment and accomplishment, thus helping with the depression or isolation.
3. Justice – make sure and report the incident so that justice is served. If it happened to you, it can happen to others. Don’t be afraid to identify the rapist and testify in court. If you don’t want to be identified on news or papers, simply let the judicial bodies know so they can restrict the access of the press during court.
4. Repressed Memories – prepare yourself for flashbacks. As I mentioned before about repressed memories being stored in our unconscious, our body becomes hyper sensitive, and will react to the smallest stimuli that relates to the trauma. You may also have nightmares. In order to prevent these from developing into post traumatic disorders, observe and be mindful of the things and places that trigger the memory, you may also experience dizziness, racing heartbeats, hot flashes and racing thoughts. When you notice any of these listed above, try to calm yourself. Something as simple as controlling your breathing through deep breaths in and holding for a few seconds, then out your mouth, helps.
5. Reassurance – reassure yourself that the trauma is over. This is just a flashback, but it is not reality. Think positively, and eventually you will be able to overcome it.
6. Exercise – physical exercise also relaxes the mind. Yoga as well is a great relaxant.  

Emotional Abuse

Emotional Abuse, the one we tend to ignore because we cant see any physical marks from it. But did you know that emotional abuse is just as bad as physical abuse? Do you also know that if left unaddressed can pose more harm than physical abuse? wow. 

So what is emotional abuse? 
One definition of emotional abuse is: "any act including confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation, infantilization, or any other treatment which may diminish the sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth and self esteem of an individual . 

Emotional abusers have the same signs and symptoms as a physical abuser, just without the physical harm or attacks. Their tactic is to tug at your emotions to make you feel weak, vulnerable, worthless, thus gaining power and control. 

If you are in an emotionally abusive relationship, be it spouse or family members, seek counselling. Parents also be cognizant of emotionally abusing your kids as this stays with them and sometimes the feelings are repressed, later causing just as much damage as a rape or trauma victim. 

Some common signs to look out for to know if you`re being emotionally abused are: 
   . They tend to have very low self-esteem, especially persons who use to have high confidence
    .  They tend to have a lot of mood swings, personality changes, unsure of their emotions, become isolated from friends, loved ones, family, etc
    . They become depressed, suffer from anxiety, and are sometimes suicidal. 

Recognizing Domestic Violence

So before i begin, let me draw a scenario, so you can conceptualize before we delve into the topic. 

Your significant other comes home with a bouquet of flowers, you feel happy, get all dressed up in something sexy, brings his dinner n sits with him. Your phone buzzes. A message from your girlfriends perhaps? The entire mood changes. Your bf/ husband starts to quarrel, not checking to even see who the message came from, you try to explain, he shuts you up with a punch to the face. You start crying. So he experiences self-directed guilt. He says, "I'm sorry for hurting you." What he does not say is, "Because I might get caught." He then rationalizes his behavior by saying you`re having an affair with someone. Trying to justify his action. He then acts contrite, reassuring you that he will not hurt you again, you made him do it. He tries to reassure you by giving you money to get something nice as his form of apology to convince you it was a mistake. Then when you go to the store, get yourself something nice, on your way home you`re caught in traffic and is a few minutes late, he feels completely justified in assaulting you again because "You're having an affair with the store clerk." and so the cycle continues. ......

So what is domestic violence? Domestic Violence is physical abuse directed by a family member or spouse (Giddens, 2009).

Still uncertain? How do i know for sure i am being abused? Many women often deny the fact that they or being abused, are not knowledgeable of the topic, or simply are afraid to speak out.
So let me show you the signs of an abusive spouse:

EXTERNAL FACTORS:

Ø  Does your partner belittle, criticize, humiliate or yell at you?

Ø  Does he frequently try to control you?

Ø  Does he treat you so bad at times that you`re afraid to let your family or friends see?

Ø  Does he ignore or put down your opinions, and doesn’t appraise your accomplishments?

Ø  Does he blame you when he ill treats you?

Ø  Does he have an uncontrollable, spontaneous or bad temper?

Ø  Has he ever threatened, hurt or tried to kill you ?

Ø  Does he threaten to take your kids away from you?

Ø  Does he sometimes destroy your belongings?

Ø  Is he always jealous at simple things that you have no control over?

Ø  Does he try to/ controls where you go, who you go with or what you do?

Ø  Does he find excuses to keep you from seeing your friends or family?

I

 If you`ve experienced any of these signs or most, if not all of these signs, more than likely you are in an abusive relationship and its time to get out!!!!!

Still not convinced? Lets look at how you feel in an abusive relationship: 

Ø  Do you feel fearful of your partner?

Ø  Do you feel like you`re walking on eggshells when your partner is around?

Ø  Do you always have to watch what you say or do infront of him to ensure he doesn’t have another “blow up” or because you don’t want to aggravate him?

Ø  Do you sometimes feel as if nothing you do is never good enough, or you cant do anything right for your partner?

Ø  Do you ever feel as if you deserve to be mistreated, because he`s made you feel that way?

Ø  Do you ever wonder if you`re the crazy one or the one who causes him to make you unhappy and hurt you?

No one deserves to feel like this in a relationship. A relationship is supposed to make you feel happy, make you want to spend every minute of the day with that special someone, want to touch them intimately, want to treat them good... Abuse is not love!!!!!

Abuse can cause long term health issues, physical harm, emotional trauma, suicide, and soooo many more negative impacts.

Abuse also quite often leads to death!!!!!!!!

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, read my next blog to find out how to get help for domestic abuse, or how to get out!!!!!

Abuse

Ok so we`ve touched a sensitive topic that can span into many different types. Here we will provide an insight of what exactly is abuse. In later discussions, we will focus on the different types of abuse, individually.
So what is abuse?????? Abuse can be defined as the improper usage or treatment of something or someone, to unfairly or improperly gain perceived benefit or satisfaction. Abuse can be categorized or take many different forms from physical, emotional, verbal, rape, crime, aggression, domestic violence, substance abuse (alcohol, drugs), and so much more.

How do we identify or know abuse?

•  Bullies
•  Always needy with unrealistic expectations
•  Talk down at you
•  Always jealous
•  Punishment when nothing wrong was done
•  Hypersensitive and Aggressive

As i said before, abuse takes many different form that will be addressed categorically. However, a common factor to note is that all abusers, no matter it be physical, or emotional abuse, share similar characteristics. Thus some common signs to note are:
     

• Abusers blame the victim. As we said before, abusers never believe that what they do is wrong. So how can you get help without first identifying you have a problem?

• Violence often stems from verbal abuse.

• Abuse, no matter what type, damages your self-esteem and affects many areas of your life later on.

• The abuser feels the need to be always right and in control at all times.

• The abuser is possessive and may try to isolate their partner from friends and family.

• The abuser is hypersensitive and may react with rage.

• Victims of abuse tend to become substance abusers as they resort to drugs or alcohol to help alleviate the stressor at hand. (temporary satisfaction)

Check out my other blogs for more information and how to get help with abuse. 

Parenting

According to Brooks (2012), Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child aside from the biological relationship. 

What does this mean? Parents need to understand there`s alot more to parenting than child bearing. Parenting or lack of effective parenting can make or break a child`s future. I think parents need to be more cognizant of the aforementioned statement. We often hear "yuh could make ah child but yuh cyah make he mind". Whilst some aspects of this may be true, setting the foundation for your kids is important and detrimental to their life. 

Erikson (1963), stated that at each stage of a person`s life, they have a psychosocial task, a crisis that needs resolution. The following diagram will explain. 

This table shows each stage of development from infancy straight to late adulthood, and explains the issue we tend to struggle with most, at the given stage/ phase in our life. For further explanation you can check the link or comment for more info https://courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development/

Some useful tips for parenting now: 

1. Quality Time - As a family, always set aside time for your kids, no matter how small or how big you think they are. IT`s better to develop such relationship as a toddler so that when the child grows older, and peer pressure starts to kick in, the child or young adult can come to the parent for advice, as this is where the foundation would have been set. This can prevent alot of rebellion, abuse, and ensuring your child stays on the right path. The bible says "train up a child in the way he should go, so when he gets old he will not depart from it" This is a true statement. 
Another thing i recommend is sitting around the table for dinner and lunches. As simple as this sounds, it sets the parameters for family time. It fosters togetherness and helps keep families together.  

2. Leisure - Always set aside time to do fun things as a family. Whether it means a game of charades, a day at the park, or at the beach, a trip to the zoo, or even just a nice Sunday evening drive together. These help foster togetherness and creates a special bond amongst the parents and kids.  

3. Arguments - Now we`re not saying you wont have arguments, but never argue in front of your kids, even if you dont agree with the disciplinary measure one parent took against the child. Wait till after dinner or movies or whatever event it was, ensure your child is sound asleep and their door locked, then both parents go to their rooms, lock the door and discuss the issue. Do not quarrel loudly in your room either, as you never know when your child could wake and hear the noise, and decide to come listen by your door. Remember children practice what they see or hear within the home, and arguments can lead to violence or abuse. 

4. Discipline -  Be sure to enforce discipline. When a child does wrong, be sure to punish them, after the punishment, explain to the child what the punishment was for. As small as you think a child may be, children understand that actions have consequences. Likewise, when your child does something good, reward them so they feel a sense of appreciation, this will motivate them. A powerful theorist who spoke on Conditioning was 1. Ian Pavlov (Classical Conditioning ) and 2. B.F. Skinner (Operant Conditioning). Feel free to research them or comment and let me know and i will explain further if needed. 

5. Observe -  always pay attention to your kids. As a parent you should know the regular behavior patterns of your child. Thus if something is wrong, sometimes children may be afraid to speak out, but by you always paying attention, you would know when something is wrong with your child, and be able to address the issue before it becomes worse. 

Study Tips

So to my scholars, we know studying poses a great challenge in our lives.
To the persons who think they are not "smart" enough to study, that`s a lie from hell! 😒

There`s no such thing as not smart enough!! remember that!

As difficult as it may seem, I am going to provide you with some tips to help you study. ....

First you must want to succeed! Think of the reward after you study. This will prove as a motivator to want to study. 

1. Understand your Learning style. Some are visual learners. Visual learners tend to learn through graphs, charts, pictures, things written in color, etc. For this type of learner, some useful tips will be to use colored pens in your notebooks, highlight handouts, and visualize what is being lectured and formulate it into a diagram or draw a picture explaining
Auditory learners- these persons are who learn through listening. Some tips for yall are to record lecture sessions and replay when studying, when reading books you can record yourself reading and replay, always read out loud so you remember as you hear yourself, and with group work always repeat ideas with peers to remember.
Third learning style is kinesthetic. This style targets persons who learn through physical activities. For these people, walk around your room whilst studying, always take short breaks during your study time as attention seems to break easily, write down things as you study, and any other physical activity you can think of doing whilst studying.

2. Acronyms -  something that always works for me is creating acronyms for definitions. If it is the first letter of each sentence, take it and form an acronym or word. So every time you say the acronym, you can remember the definition of each letter.

3. Study Repeatedly - by constantly studying, you will not only remember better, but you will also be less stressed as exams draw closer. As we spoke about procrastination previously, we tend to procrastinate especially when it comes to studying and when exams are around the corner, we become flustered. Landauer (2001) stated that in order to memorize specific facts one must rehearse the name or number or acronym you are trying to memorize, wait a few seconds, rehearse again, wait a bit longer and rehearse again, and continue with that said pattern repeatedly.

To ensure you are doing these things monitor yourself through logging your study time each day in a diary. The days you did not study, write why you were unable to study. B.F. Skinner who wrote on Operant Conditioning, expressed that by using this method when he began writing textbooks, he logged his time each day, and was amused to discover how much time he wasted each day (Myers p.315, 2010)

Found these tips useful? Comment if you need more study tips and info 😊

Procrastination

What is Procrastination???

I think we all suffer from procrastination. Procrastination is basically the avoidance of doing a task that needs to completed or accomplished. Rings any bells?? I know i procrastinate alot; and it causes negative impacts. 

The following video will speak more on Procrastination and ways to avoid it : 

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

 Be sure to write down the tips and practice them. I know i sure am! 😅

Relationships

So when we hear the term relationship, we think love/ romance not so? However, relationships can span across a widespread definition ranging from Interpersonal relationships (spouse, family, friends, coworkers, etc) or correlation (mathematics, or one causing the other). 

Fortunately for you, we are going to focus on Romance lol 😁

According to Myers (2010), the sharing of love and sexual relationships for most adults not only fulfills a biological motive, but also fulfills a social need for intimacy. Love is one of the most profound emotions we may feel. As individuals, we seek to find a "compatible" partner to form a romantic relationship, as we believe romance is one of the most meaningful aspects of life that provides a sense of fulfillment. Afterall, what is a life without love??? 

However, like everything else in life, we have this popular saying "nothing good lasts forever". So after the honeymoon phase in your relationship where everything seems like a fairytale, the problems start. Arguments, fight, less communication, less intimacy, and the list goes on. 

What went wrong? well let me tell you, there are alot of factors that can affect your relationship. 

1. Cognition - We need to understand first and foremost that NO relationship is perfect. Not even barbie and ken or cinderella and prince charming. In order to have a long lasting relationship, one must be willing to put in that work. 

2. The "One" - ok, so alot of people believe they`re waiting on "the one". Cut that thought out from your mind. As i said before, relationships take effort. If you meet someone and get into a relationship with them, there`s a reason you chose them. So work with them and help that person become "the one". 

3. Communication - Communication is key to having a successful relationship. Without communication, your relationship can NEVER work. It assists in understanding one another, shows value between both persons, and it makes your partner more comfortable when approaching with issues. In order for communication to work there must be trust, listen to your partner when they`re speaking, and don`t interrupt them when expressing themselves. After all, you wouldn't want another person giving your partner advice, then your role in the relationship will soon become extinct. 

Financial Stress

So here we are with one of the greatest stressors, finances! High debts, insufficient funds to comfortably live the life you want, what is financial stress exactly?

So we`ve defined and discussed stress holistically. Now financial stress, more so Acute Financial Stress is defined as a pattern of intrusive thoughts, disordered feelings and avoidable behaviors related to your finances. 

Have you ever experienced a period in your life where one not so good financial decision just kept creating more financial expense, and for weeks, only thing that has plagued your mind is your finances?  Trust me, you`re not alone!!!!

The American Psychological Association (APA) (2018), stated that 72 percent of Americans are stressed about money at least occasionally and 22 percent feel extremely stressed about their finances. WOW!! This means 92% of Americans are stressed because of their finances 😲

So how do we deal with this financial stress?

Along with all the other coping strategies we`ve listed in the previous blogs, here are some specific to your financial stress. N no we are not going to say find a better job paying more money!! lol. We know this is easier said than done. 

 So first up : 

1. Establish a budget – first you need to know and understand your financial debts. Yea we know just thinking about your expenses frustrates you. Lol. But understanding and creating a budget is the best way to solve your financial stress. A budget is actually a spending plan that will ensure you attain your retirement and savings goals. We all want to one day live comfortably and not stress about money; and travel the world. Bora Bora, Santorini Greece, Maybe? Well creating a budget can also help you discover extra money that can be put towards all these plans/ goals you have. It is possible!  Let me let yall in on a lil secret, this is how I do my budget. So…. I have a diary that I use for my finances. I list all my monthly expenses first, so every month when I receive my salary, I tick off all my expenses as they are paid. Then I minus all the expenses paid from my salary. Out of the balance I have, I set aside my monthly vehicle expenditure (gas, maintenance), then I take 10% of the remaining balance and transfer to my fixed savings account and forget about this account(so I don’t withdraw from it if I’m broken), then I take another 10% and buy myself something nice. One great tip, after you’ve worked hard every month, once you can, buy yourself something nice. Don`t wait for your significant other to get you gifts (not saying they shouldn’t cuz I love gifts. Lol), but rewarding yourself proves as an intrinsic motivator. Then the balance of your funds, if any, you can lime or do whatever fun activity you wish.
   
2. Establish an emergency fund -  so i`ve shown yall before about my hideaway savings account. So if I can do it, so can you. Can be a bank account (don’t take a card for it, as it will tempt you to withdraw for unnecessary expenses), a fixed deposit, personal volt, whatever savings mechanism that works best for you. An emergency fund is generally money that you have set aside to cover unexpected expenses, thus alleviating stress. If you know where your money is coming from, you can stop stressing not so? Starting with 10% may be difficult for you at the beginning, so start with what you can afford each month, and be sure to do it EVERY month. Once you get the hang of it, then you can commit to a fixed amount every month.  
   
3. External Assistance – it is ok to ask for help. Some persons are better at planning and discipline than others. So its ok to ask someone who you know has excellent budgeting skills. Financial Institutions in Trinidad also offer Financial Literacy sessions. Namely First Citizens Bank. For my friends under Ministry of National Security, we also do financial literacy and retirement planning courses which helps a lot, so you can let me know, and we can get you onto the next course we administer.
   
4. Last but not least, Change – why change? Well, most times, if you are experiencing high levels of financial stress, means that you are overspending. Thus, to control this, after you have written your budget, look at some of your miscellaneous expenses. Most times we buy a lot of things we want, and not what we need. Like those brand name jordans, or those weave bundles that we can only do for special occasions. As I said before, by putting aside a small portion of your salary for yourself, will help control your spending and still get you those extra glam you want, just in a more controlled method. For example, if you set aside $200 every month for yourself, you can buy a shoe, or top with $100 and save the other $100 to buy the bundles or jordans at the end of the year, or close to the date of your special occasion. 

How Do I Cope With Stress?

So… we have defined what stress is and shown you the positive outcomes of stressful situations. Now let’s be real, not all of us can commit to only positive reactions to stress. We quite often allow our circumstances to get the better of us. Not so?

Do you know, by allowing this, stress can lead to a lot of negative long term effects, that if not dealt with can lead to mental issues?

I firmly believe that as Trinidadians, we don’t take the side effects of stress seriously. Us “Trinis” believe that if we seek help for an issue like counselling, we are considered mad. Not so? Well it`s better to “look” mad in the eyes of others than to be clinically diagnosed as a mental patient.

So let me show you just a few side effects of stress if left unaddressed:

o   Depression

o   Abuse of alcohol and other illegal substances

o   Suicide

o   Crime and Violence

o   Heart attacks

o   Strokes

o   Erectile dysfunctions, Headaches, fainting, anxiety attacks

o   Insomnia (not the party! A sleeping disorder)

o   Obesity, Anorexia, fatigue

o   Low self-esteem

o   Relationship/ Marital Issues

o   Isolation

o   Social withdrawal

Believe now that stress can be detrimental to your well-being?

Ok well let’s look at some coping mechanisms for stress.

1.      Aromatherapy-  this involves the use of various oils that is said to foster psychological well-being. (Click the following link to see the types and benefits of aromatherapy https://www.aromaweb.com/articles/wharoma.asp )

2.      Exercise - Exercise on a regular basis helps to turn down the production of stress hormones and associated neurochemicals. In fact, studies have found that exercise is a potent antidepressant, anxiolytic (combats anxiety), and sleeping aid for many people.

3.      Time management- is basically the ability to plan and control how the hours in your life are spent. Through effective time management, one can not only accomplish all their tasks set out, but also set aside time for leisure, which reduces stress. 

4.       Support networks - as the name implies, this basically means having support groups. This can either be peer groups, chess clubs, dance groups, movie groups, etc. This would be based on persons that share common interest, this way when stressed, having support or persons to enjoy the stuff you love with, helps reduce the stress. 

         5. Writing – whilst verbally expressing one`s feelings is one of the best ways to treat depression, some person`s may be uncomfortable sharing their issues. Especially introverts, and persons who suffer from severe trauma. Psychologists have proven that writing not only expresses one`s feelings/ repressed thoughts, but it also helps conceptualize and understand certain things that may be puzzling and causing stress.