Nursing Case Study Stress Go Away

Stress, Go Away

On September 29, 2016, a female student nurse from San Joaquin Delta College took a “Life Stress Test,” a health tool that calculates stress level based a person’s life experiences in the last year. According to Health Central, a score of 150 or more in the “Life Stress Test” means that a person has a “50-50 chance of developing an illness,” and a score of 300 or more means a person has “90% chance of developing an illness” (2016). After the student nurse took the test which consisted of eight life event categories, she had found out that there is a 50-50 chance or moderate risk for her to develop an illness because she scored 168. Although she was not surprised on her stress score due to the workload of being a nursing student,

In addition, her score is within the range in comparison to the mean score for San Joaquin Delta College student nurse, which is 150 to 170.
According to Halter, stress is a natural physical response; it is a “negative emotional experience” that results in various changes of a human’s body and mind (2014, p. 166). It is essential that stress is managed to avoid negative stress responses such as loss of appetite, suppression of the immune system, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation (Halter, 2014, p. 166-172). To manage stress, there are several stress reduction techniques that can be used. One of them is the use of relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), meditation, and guided imagery (Halter, 2014, p. 172-175). Other stress reduction techniques are journaling, physical exercise, and using mindfulness techniques, humor, and other mind-body therapies (Halter, 2014, p. 175-177). As for the student nurse, the techniques that would be useful for her to learn are guided imagery, deep

Both discussed their coping style for dealing with stress. Her husband assessed which coping style she uses, and it was physical exercise or activity. When she is stressed, she cleans the house, arranges her closet, or does the laundry in order to distract herself. The student nurse assessed also her husband’s coping style, and it was the use of humor. He laughs out the problems and turns a negative or bad situation into a positive one. In addition, both have agreed that physical exercise, specifically going to the gym to exercise, is the coping style they wanted to use in order to reduce stress and to have a healthier lifestyle. Daily stress is difficult to avoid, but learning and applying coping skill mechanism in life is helpful in stress