Health 44 Case Study

Overview
A freshman in school by the name of Katya is investing all her energy in maintaining a
3.0 grade point average. She has trouble with anxiety especially before exams having a low selfefficacy outlook even after preparing diligently. In order to maintain a current scholarship Katya
must be successful in her Chemistry exam or she risks losing it. Because the stakes are high this
pressure has affected Katya to the point that shes had test anxiety and panic attacks while
studying. Katyas exam is now only two days away and she must overcome her current situation.
Personal Experience
Throughout my scholastic journey Ive experienced many different levels of stress and
anxiety due to the amount of work and deadlines school can implicate. When you really look at
things and understand them its really not the work but the situation at stake. I am certain the
student who has nothing to loose unlike Katya who is risking her scholarship isnt stressing as
much as she is. Through out life we learn different ways to deal with stress and anxiety and how
we are stretched to our limits at times. I think our first training ground in this begins in the home,
where we have seen how mom, dad or guardian, deal with the stresses of responsibility and
sustainability of a home. I grew up in a Christian home and I saw how my parents dealt with the
stresses and troubles in life, and believe me there were times things were grim. We came from
deep poverty immigrating to this country as refugees of a civil war. There were times that we
didnt know if there would be food on the table. During these stressful and anxiety driven
moments its when I saw my folks resort to prayer and faith. After witnessing this time and time
again I saw how there was a peace about them that its tough to place into words. And amazing
crazy things would happen that would leave me amazed to this day. There were moments were
friends would show without having a clue to what was going on and knock at our door and say
hey I got these extra eggs and milk from work and I remembered you guys in this area so I
thought you would enjoy them little did that person know my mother had just been praying

cause we had no food. Talk about stress and anxiety not being able to feed your hungry kids and
some friend randomly showing up. So how do I deal with stress and anxiety today? Well, this is
my personal experience as the header suggests but I actually do the same with a few extra tools
in my pocket. First thing I do is try to stop in the midst of my turmoil and pray. Theres this verse
found in the Bible that says this: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1
Peter 5:7, New International Version). This has helped me in that I am reminded that I dont have
to carry the burden of the weight, some people say it this way let go and let God. Stepping
outside of my struggles and doing this has helped me overcome my struggles with stress and
anxiety. I must say it is not always easy but it is a great way not to take things head on alone.
Secondly, I take time to relax and recoup, to take my mind off the things that are causing me
stress and anxiety. Its good to have an escape and take a break by doing something you enjoy.
Personally I play an instrument and this brings me peace and a time to recoup before I place my
hand to the plow again.
Recommendations
First Id have to visit the definition of stress and as outlined by Earnest D.O. (2010) who
also refers to it as in relation to work, job stress is "the harmful physical and emotional
responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources,
needs of the workers" (as cited in Palmer, 2003, p. 134). Thus, stressors can be thought of as the
conditions, contexts, or incidents that cause the stress response. Any organization, including
academic institutions, will contain its share of stressors. Students, whose "job" it is to complete
university courses, are certainly subject to becoming victims of job stress. As in our case study
with Katya she is experiencing high levels of stress and directly taking on its impact thus
creating one of the negative responses feeling the lack of self-efficacy. One coping mechanism

that Katya can use is, Distancing: using cognitive efforts to detach oneself and minimize the
significance of the situation (e.g., refraining ones goals to make those that cause stress seem less
important) (Earnest, 2010). By doing this she can better cope and focus on the task rather than
on the loss of a scholarship. There are several other responses mentioned by Earnest in the
College Student Journal, as the following: 1. Confrontive coping: aggressively attempting to
alter the situation (e.g., starting a fight to deter a bully), 2. Distancing: using cognitive efforts to
detach oneself and minimize the significance of the situation (e.g., refraining ones goals to make
those that cause stress seem less important), 3. Escape-Avoidance: using wishful thinking and
behavioral efforts to escape or avoid the problem. An example of Escape-Avoidance used by
Sailors would be leaving Advanced School because of stress associated with taking tests, 4.
Planful Problem Solving: dealing with stress by deliberately trying to alter the situation or solve
the problem (e.g., failing to meet swim test qualifications and working hard to pass the next
time), 5. Self-Controlling: the regulation of one's feelings and actions to combat stress (e.g.,
learning to control anger when in a frustrating situation), 6. Seeking Social Support: the seeking
of informational support, tangible support, and emotional support. An example of Seeking Social
Support would be an individual making new friends in Boot Camp, 7. Accepting Responsibility:
acknowledging one's own role in the problem and trying to make it right (e.g., failing a test
because of not studying and increasing study time to pass it later), 8. Positive Reappraisal: using
efforts to create positive meaning and focusing on personal growth (e.g., performing well in
classes).
Similarly other tools Katya may use to cope with stress and anxiety for her test taking are
those published by The Journal of Instructional Psychology, where students practiced relaxation
strategies incorporating techniques of breathing, concentration, and physical movements, with an

ancient Chinese art called Tai Chi. Specifically, the three-step program to stress management
was comprised of: breathing exercises - a series of controlled breathing techniques were taught
and practiced, Concentration exercises - consisting of 5 easy-to-learn meditations aimed at
enhancing relaxation, the Tai Chi form - a slow/gentle relaxing series of physical movements that
were easy to learn. (Glanz, 1994). These exercises helped students cope with their testing
anxiety and brought them better results in coping with future stressful situations.
Conclusions
Stressful situations will come and go and we must make a decision in how we deal and
cope with each and every one of them. The result of that decision will either affect our health or
make us stronger for when the bigger ones come. Its important to stay focused and use the tools
available to us in dealing with stress. Being practical and true to ourselves is key and reaching
out in faith is always good. If Katya applies herself to any of the examples mentioned in this case
study she would indeed have won half the battle already. The important thing to understand is
that no one coping mechanism is the answer to all, you have to build a toolbox so that you are
able to face lifes challenges without letting it affect your health.

References

Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 2011 by Biblica Inc.
Earnest, D. O. (2010). In Their Own Words: An online Strategy For Increasing Stress
Coping Skills Among College Freshmen. College Student Journal, 44(4), 888-900.
Glanz, J. (1994). Effects of stress reduction strategies on reducing test-anxiety among learningdisabled students. Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 21(4), 313.