Meeting Life Challenges
Stress is a response to demands appraised as exceeding resources (Lazarus). Stressors may be physical or psychosocial; eustress is motivating, while distress is harmful. The exam tests the stress model, coping strategies, and the ten life skills.
Stress and adaptation
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome has alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages. Adaptation is adjustment to changing demands; prolonged stress can deplete physical and psychological resources. Primary appraisal asks “Is this threatening?”; secondary appraisal asks “Can I cope?”
Coping
Problem-focused coping changes the stressor; emotion-focused coping regulates distress. Social support, exercise, relaxation, and planning are usually adaptive; denial and substance use are often maladaptive. Coping is not one skill but a repertoire.
Life skills
WHO’s ten life skills include self-awareness, empathy, coping with stress, coping with emotions, communication, interpersonal relationships, problem solving, decision making, creative thinking, and critical thinking.
Worked example
A student fails a mock test. Primary appraisal: “This threatens my result.” Secondary appraisal: “I have time and a teacher.” Problem-focused coping: revise weak topics and seek feedback. Emotion-focused coping: talk to a friend and use relaxation. Both can be adaptive; only avoidance would be a poor strategy.
Traps
All stress is not harmful; coping is not simply “forgetting”; life skills are not optional “soft” extras. Do not confuse the alarm stage with exhaustion, and do not treat emotion-focused coping as always inferior.