Life events are built around the idea of significant change (marriage, new job, new relationship) yet much stress arises from chronic or repeated living conditions such as:
• Job pressure
• Boredom
• Tension in a family relationship
• A general feeling that your life is spiraling out of control
Through his research, Dr. Richard Lazarus of UC, Berkeley, has found that daily hassles are more closely linked to, and may have a greater effect, on our moods and health than the major events in life.
"Hassles" can take the form of disagreements, disappointments, accidents or unpleasant surprises. They range from getting stuck in a long line, or in a traffic jam, and on and on…
The following were found to be what Americans resent most as "burdens" (which can be translated into "hassles"):
• Standing in line
• Commuting to work
• Household chores
• Grocery shopping
• Paying the bills
• People who talk too much
Your Practical Application Work for Lesson 2
- Analyze your weekly activities and find a common occurring hassle: some event that is less stressful than a life event.
- Select an event that, if handled better, would make your life run more smoothly. We will call this your Daily Hassle (DH) and use the event to practice stress management techniques.
- Find some way to quantify (count) this event.
To "quantify" the event you can:
• Count the number of times it occurs during the day
• Count the amount of time an aspect of the event takes (i.e., how long your anxiety lasts, what are you feeling, etc.).
• Write a ¾-1page typed written description of the situation and how it affects you.
Sample Solution