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An Ecological approach to address stress among nurses requires multi levels of influence. For example, nurses seeking opportunities for accurate health information from peer reviewed stress management journals and textbooks represent the intrapersonal emphasis. Group discussion seminars between nurses, stress management therapists, and faculty members who teach stress management courses represent the interpersonal emphasis. Administrators in hospitals and nursing homes who actively recruit and give incentives to nurses for participating in worksite health promotion programs reflect the institutional emphasis. Collaborating with community church initiatives and other organizations such as the American Institute of Stress represents the community emphasis. Finally, local, state and federal policies that provide rules and guidelines to follow (nursing code of ethics) reflect the policy emphasis. Since stress is so complex an ecological approach for nurses to reduce stress is far more effective than a single level influence.

The working environments of nurses (hospitals, nursing homes) serve as an important venue for influencing community and institutional factors of the ecological model. In the United States registered nurses constitute the largest health care occupation, with about three out of five jobs being located in hospitals (U. S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006). The worksite has significant potential to influence and support health norms and values due to preexisting institutional and local structures (Reardon, 1998). Therefore, employee health promotion programs offer hospital administrators with opportunities for nurses to reduce their stress while they reduce their health care cost (Forouzesh, Ratzker, & Leslie, 1984). Therefore, when the faculty from the department of Health Promotion and Physical Education at Ithaca College was asked by the administration from the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center at Ithaca College to design a stress management program for the nurses at the Cayuga Community Health Network Center, the first priority was to design a program that uses an ecological framework. The purpose of this study is to design and implement how nurses at the Cayuga Community Health Network Center can reduce stress by using an Ecological Approach on health promotion programs.

Methods
The Cayuga Community Health Network Center consists of 340 nursing employees. Of this group 275 agreed to attend the Stress Management for Professional Caregivers workshop. All of the participants were female, with the majority (90%) being Caucasian. Levels of education varied among nurses. Approximately (22%) have a LPN degree, less than half (45%) have a RN in nursing, while (18%) have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a little less than one-quarter (15%) have a Master of Science in Nursing.

In the United States registered nurses constitute the largest health care occupation; with about three out of five jobs being located in hospitals Everyday more and more nurses describe their profession as increasingly hectic and stressful. The purpose of this study is to design and implement how nurses at the Cayuga Community Health Network Center can reduce stress by using an Ecological Approach on health promotion programs. Two-hundred and seventy five nurses agreed to attend the Stress Management for Professional Caregivers workshop. All of the participants were female, with the majority being Caucasian. A majority of the nurses stated the workshop made them think about how they handle stress. Nearly all of the nurses stated that the information in the stress management workshop was valuable to them professionally. The success of this stress workshop demonstrates that implementing health promotion programs from an ecological perspective has the potential to reduce stress among nurses.
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Over the past 20 years, the proportion of women entering the nursing profession has risen steadily (Kane, 1996). Although women are entering the workforce at a steady rate they still remain one of the highest professions to experience burnout due to high levels of stress (Robinson-Kurpius, Keim, 1994). Whether in a nursing care facility, clinic, or hospital setting worksite health promotion activities can provide numerous benefits to both the employer and the nurses who experience stress.

Many health educators believe that in order to achieve the goals of Healthy People 2010 of increased quality of life, and job satisfaction especially among nurses, it is necessary for program interventions to be viewed from an ecological perspective. (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). McLeroy, Bibeau, Steckler, and Glanz (1998) offered, “An Ecological Model on Health Promotion Programs,” as a framework that identified multiple levels of influence (or factors) in the design, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion programs. The Ecological Model is described as a dynamic interaction between the individual and the environment. Intrapersonal factors consist of health education activities based on ones knowledge, attitudes and skills. The second level described by McLeroy et al. is interpersonal, which provides social identity, support, and role definition. Institutional factors are another level of influence which provides rules and regulations that help guide the group members within the organization. The fourth level consists of community factors where there is a connection among groups to protect, promote, and preserve the health of the entire community. The fifth and final level of influence includes policy such as changing laws at the national, state, and local levels.

Everyone experiences some form of stress from time to time. When the signs of stress are high enough, or prolonged, it can have quite harmful effects on your well being. One type of stress relief that men and women have turned to is stress reduction balls, in particular, Chinese stress relief balls.

Chinese Stress Balls, or as they’re sometimes referred to, Chinese training balls, Chinese health balls or Baoding balls are one of the legendary treasures of Baoding, China where they’re referred to as ‘Miracle Balls’. They have been found in history since the Ming dynasty ruled China and when the handicrafts and other industries flourished under them. They’re one of China’s most time-honoured products that claim all kinds of therapeutic relief to people around the world.

The Chinese Stress Balls are about the size of golf balls, but there are lots of distinct sizes to suit varying hand sizes. It’s recommended that you begin with a size that can be handled effortlessly, and then work your way up to a larger dimension. The most common sizes range from a diameter of 1.25 to 2 inches.

They always come in pairs and are made of colored metal. Mostly in traditional Chinese colors. Most of these Chinese Stress Balls emit a jingling sound when moved around. These stress reduction balls are meant to be held in the palm simultaneously and rotated in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions alternatively.

But just how can Chinese Balls decrease your stress? It seems too simple that these Chinese health balls can assist relieve stress. Chinese Stress Reduction Balls operate in a incredibly basic way. When the balls are rolled around and handled, it stimulates the numerous acupuncture points on the palms of the hand, that in turn passes healing effects onto numerous organs in your body that the acupuncture channels reach starting from the fingers by means of to the brain. This enhances a smooth energy flow by means of the entire body and is really a quite powerful exercise when the signs of stress appear.

Chinese Stress Balls are believed to help decrease fatigue and worry, are claimed to prevent and lessen high blood pressure, and aid with arthritis inside the hands among other things. For some, the physical motion of Chinese Stress Balls, helps release mental and emotional stress. Some use visualization strategies to relieve stress when working the Chinese Stress Balls. They visualize the stress being transferred from their hands into the balls as they rotate them. As they grow to be more proficient with the exercises, they also get better at their visualization technique, making stress relief a lot more efficient.

Adults often look back on their childhoods as a stress-free time of fun and play. But we often forget the stress we felt as kids. Children can, and do, feel anxious and worried. When they reach school age, they are forced to encounter a whole realm of new experiences. Preschoolers might wonder what kindergarten is like, if they will be able to make new friends there or if the teacher will be nice. Older kids might feel insecure about their ability to successfully complete a difficult course, if they will be allowed to participate in sports, or whether they will be accepted by peers or the opposite sex. Just like adults can have a bad day at work, kids can experience a bad day at school.

The more kids know about how to handle stress when they are younger, the more confidence they will have to take on new challenges when they grow older. Here are some simple stress-relieving techniques you can teach nearly any age student.

Take 5 slow diaphragmatic breaths. A good time to practice this technique with your class is just before a test or competition, or when you would like your students to transition to quiet time. Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, is done when the breath is drawn in through the belly – not the chest. Have your students place one hand on their chests and the other hand on their abdomens. Have them slowly inhale through the nose, as they feel the abdomen expanding. Then they can exhale slowly through pursed lips. A good way to show younger students how to breathe properly is through blowing bubbles, since successful bubble blowing requires slow, controlled breaths. Taking long, slow inhales and exhales has a positive physiological effect on the body by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure and decreasing levels of a stress hormone called cortisol.

Music therapy. When kids have excess energy to burn, turn up the music and let them dance about. Teenagers respond well to music, too, and might open up a little more about what’s bothering them if they’re listening to a song they enjoy. Ask older kids to explain what they like or dislike about a particular song and whether they ever feel the emotions expressed in the song. Younger students can be asked to draw what the song describes, such as a cow jumping over the moon, or a twinkling star in the sky. Karaoke is another fun way to use music as a stress reliever in your classroom.

Write in a daily journal. Many adults journal their thoughts, and the experience can be just as rewarding for kids. If you teach younger children, you can ask them to draw a picture of how they are feeling and use the drawing as a starting point for a discussion about those emotions.

Make a joke. Kids love a funny joke, and laughing is a natural stress-reliever. There’s evidence that a good laugh relaxes the entire body, boosts the immune system, releases of endorphins and protects the heart by increasing blood flow throughout the body. Encourage your students to utilize their senses of humor in the classroom – when appropriate, of course!

Stress, anxiety and anger and such similar emotions are common to everyone in the world. But sometimes such emotions outlast their ephemeral stay, much to the agony of the individual. Such emotions if present in the extremes can easily disrupt normal life functions and give rise to despair and emptiness, which just won’t do away. Such circumstances if prevalent over a period of day or weeks, could directly lead to severe depression.

Depression, as we know, is already a leading cause of suicides among teens. These teens reach a stage when their sadness, anger or the so called “blues” exceed their temporary status and lead the individual towards a state of hopelessness. A negative attitude towards life takes over them and the will to do almost anything is lost somewhere in between, thus seriously denting the psyche of the individual. In teenagers, hormones and sleep cycles show dramatic changes during adolescence and such factors have an adverse effect especially on teenage girls, who are particularly prone to depression. As much as 20% of all teens experience mild to severe depression and sadly a few of them receive proper counseling to overcome this phase.

Before anything, the patient should be subjected to immediate counseling, so as to know the root cause of the problem. Anti-depressant medication too is an option which is chosen by almost everyone suffering from depression. Though the effects of these medications are immediate but if the patient is taken off anti-depressants at a premature stage, then it might lead to further complications. Also if the medications usage is stopped abruptly, it could lead to other side-effects life nausea, diarrhea, agitation, insomnia, and headache.

In such cases the patient could also apply self-help activities in his routine to overcome depression; some of which are:

• Eat healthy foods and giving your body appropriate rest.
• Being expressive about your feelings in general
• By setting realistic and achievable goals for yourself
• Making efforts to be in someone’s company and participate in activities that make you feel better

An alternate way that could provide an amazing remedy for depression can be Ayurveda. This method of treatment along with a healthy lifestyle could lead to better benefits as compared to any other form of treatment. Ayurvedic herbs like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Cardamom (Elattaria cardamomum), Guggulu (Commiphora wightii) and Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) have proven to be highly effective at combating depression. But one of the most effective remedies for depression is provided by another superb ayurvedic supplement, DeprsnCare. It brings calmness to the mind and helps the body’s natural autonomic nervous system to be restored with alkaline and acidic balance. Recommended as a natural medium to long term treatment combined with exercise and a diet of fresh fruits, juices and vegetables, DepresnCare is an all-natural way to ease yourself out of all your depression troubles.

Trust Ayurveda to treat your depression and put your life back on track through its all-natural healing powers.

In this complex and changing society it is recommended that parents become aware of the need to safeguard the mental health of children. Mental health, of course, is not just the home environment, but when the family atmosphere is healthy and the relations established within it love, children are likely to develop properly.

The concept of psychological disorder does not admit a single definition. To this must be added that in the continuum normal-pathology is not always easy to pinpoint where health breaks. Often the presence of a cluster of symptoms that create discomfort or interfere with children’s activity can speak of mental disorder. The anomaly occurs in cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social and relational or alters a child’s life considerably.

Mental disorder itself involves a loss of mental balance which limits the possibilities for personal fulfillment. Not to be confused with juvenile psychopathology, very common during the growing stage, as the Onychophagia (nail biting), opposition, lies tiny, poor hygiene, night terrors, etc.., Which may express mild immaturity, anxiety before certain situations or improper acquisition of a habit.

The higher infant-adolescent psychopathology may vary by age and gender, but generally affects aspects such as learning, development, behavior, nutrition, sleep, communication, etc.. The range is so wide that when parents have doubts, what is most appropriate to consult a specialist. Beyond the psychological or medical treatment is essential to involve the family.

Causes of disorders

The study of the causes of mental disorders usually reveals a combination of physical, psychological and social. Sometimes the causes predominantly biological (genetic abnormalities, brain dysfunction, etc.). Sometimes, however, the key is to be found in traumatic childhood experiences relating to assault, neglect, rejection, etc.., Whose negative impact depends partly on the strength of the personality of the child. The mental weakness in the early developmental stages can prevent assimilation of the conflict, which in turn increases the vulnerability and hampers development.

A third group of leading causes of psychopathology can be traced to social experiences. This applies, for example, family situations chaired by excessive rigidity, poor communication, lack of affection, overprotection, and so on. Nor can it ignore the sociocultural environment in the assessment of risks posed to children and adolescents. An environment characterized by corruption, repression, manipulation of mass media, economic poverty, pollution and alienation from nature, the abuse of technology, etc.., Is fertile ground for mental illness.

Clearly, the intervention of social factors is not readily separable from the psychological causes and biological aspects.The weighting of the different dimensions, to the extent possible, would probably require a detailed study of each case.

Family Changes

The family in Western countries are experiencing major changes known to all. Which is to say that the family is not exclusively a traditional system consisting of the father, mother and children born within marriage. The consequences of the conditions under which the family is vary, but it certainly increases as the break in the household, its members will be exposed to a greater number of psychological problems.

The model of family relations chaired by poor communication, the structural weakness or stiffness is one of the real causes of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Parents are now absorbed by the hustle and work the remaining time to devote to their children. Creature comforts at home are not always accompanied by interpersonal quality. A familiar landscape filled with electronic equipment leaves no room for the emotional meeting. In this context of increasing depersonalization find at least the following sources familiar mental disturbance:

The parental permissiveness established as a reaction to the authoritarianism of the past has proved to be equally harmful to the social and emotional development of children. The structure corresponds to permissive family communities in which parents do not take their responsibilities or establish any kind of rules, which leads children to a dangerous confusion. Consider, for example, alcoholism and other drug dependencies.

We must also take into account the isolation and individualism emphasized by some technologies (television, internet …) that are often used inappropriately or abused. In these circumstances, it is no wonder that in the younger segments of the population have increased electronic addictions.

Family disintegration caused by separation or divorce. The consequences of cases vary considerably, but the conflicts and tensions at home can have negative effects on children and may push them toward violence, marginalization, and so on.

The stress family situations of distress generated by economic requirements, etc.., harms mental health. In fact, children who come from disadvantaged social groups are more likely to experience psychosomatic illnesses: asthma, headaches, intestinal disorders, etc..

Life events (death of a loved one, sexual abuse, leaving home for a parent, serious illness, addiction of a family member, etc..) also have negative impact on the mental health of children and adolescents.

Mental disorder itself involves a loss of mental balance which limits the possibilities for personal fulfillment. Not to be confused with juvenile psychopathology, very common during the growing stage, which may express mild immaturity, anxiety before certain situations or improper acquisition of a habit.

The higher infant-adolescent psychopathology may vary by age and gender, but generally affects aspects such as learning, development, behavior, nutrition, sleep, communication, etc. The range is so wide that when parents have doubts, what is most appropriate is to consult a specialist. Beyond the psychological or medical treatment, it is essential to involve the family.

Family life requires permanent care, touch, affection, understanding, values, attention to the seemingly trivial, sufficient stimulation and sensitivity to the uniqueness of each child. A family atmosphere of these features lights and gives the child the healthiest personal resources for the adventure of life.

It is the diagnosis that nobody wants to hear. Despite all the advancements the field of medical science has made especially in the treatment and cure of cancer, cancer as a diagnosis is dreaded by all people alike. Cancers are of many kinds and they affect many parts of the body. Some cancers are found predominantly in women while others like prostate cancer are exclusively found in men.

Cancer can be extremely stress inducing. Stress is a state of physical or mental unrest. Stress is the condition when you find things not going your way and worrying and anxiously pondering over the situation again and again adds to the tension. Any illness can lead to stress and also stress can lead to many other illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and even cancer.

Cancer has become very much treatable today and there are many individuals who have survived the once fatal disease. Having cancer can cause people to become depressed due to the thoughts of death and mortality which become very active in their subconscious.

Depression if not checked can lead to further stress. Another stressful thought caused by cancer is the thought of the mounting medical bills. Chemotherapy and radiation sessions are not inexpensive. Add this to the hospital, medication and doctor’s costs and you have a huge medical bill in front of you. Your medical insurance many not cover all of these expenses and it could all lead to a drain on your finances. Worrying about depleting finances can lead to stress and other negative conditions.

It is important to keep a check on stress because untreated stress can lead to many other health complications. There are ways to tackle the stress which an illness brings on. It is important to stay in a positive frame of mind and in a cheerful demeanor. It is definitely not easy when one is undergoing treatment for a possibly fatal disease but at least that effort should be made. The treatment of cancer or any other life threatening condition becomes faster and quicker when a positive attitude is maintained.

In order to stay in a positive mind frame one can join a cancer group where patients with cancer or cancer survivors meet and speak about their battles or victories. These real life stories can be inspiring and can give one the determination and courage to go through the treatment. Another way to beat the stress is to read awe inspiring books about people who have beat the odds and come out victorious.

Taking the effort to make those little lifestyle changes while undergoing treatment for cancer can make the recovery faster and smoother. You can change your diet and increase the intake of fresh fruits, leafy green vegetables, and mineral and protein rich foods and anti oxidants rich foods like green tea for instance. The body becomes strongest and gains immunity which in turn is good for the treatment of cancer.

No matter what kind of cancer one has acquired, treatment and cure are not impossible if every sincere effort is taken along with constant prayers to God.

Latest medical research and studies have shown that cardiac problems can be 6-times more fatal in women as compared to men. Heart problems are more dangerous than cancer in women, especially in the United States of America. Therefore, it is very important for you to learn about the heart disease risk factors in women. Once you know what causes this disease, you can make appropriate lifestyle and diet changes accordingly to reduce the chances of heart attack.

Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a condition that specifically affects women. In this condition, too much fat is accumulated around the abdomen, which eventually results in heart disease, diabetes, high triglyceride levels, spiked blood-sugar levels, and high blood pressure. Therefore, women need to be more cautious about their weight. Just like men, they should also do regular monitoring of high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.

Age Factor
Older women (65 and above) are more likely to develop this type of problem, but it does not mean that younger women cannot be affected. As per a recent study, it has been found that heart attack has been the 3rd leading cause of death in women aged forty-four or less. It has been the 2nd leading cause of death for women aged between forty-five and sixty-four. And, it is the biggest cause of death in women aged sixty-five and above. Therefore, women of all age must be well aware of the various heart disease risk factors in women. In particular, those who have a family medical history of such diseases need to be more watchful.

During Perimenopause
In particular, the time just after menopause and just before menopause can be very problematic. During these periods, the levels of estrogen go very low, which substantially increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease or small vessel heart disease in women.

Depression And Stress
As compared to men, women who are under depression or stress are more susceptible to experience cardiac problems. Stress is one of the biggest heart disease risk factors in women. Those who are depressed are at a much higher risk of developing cardiac problems – three times more likely than those who are not under depression. When you are depressed, you don’t pay much attention to your lifestyle, including diet and exercise. In such cases, you don’t even care about the treatment programs suggested by your doctor. You are recommended to talk to your doctor about it because if depression remains for a long time, it can lead to very serious outcomes.

Once you get a good idea about the possible causes of heart related problems, you must start taking some preventive measures even if you are not experiencing any symptoms. It is recommended to everybody (both men and women) to maintain healthy weight by following a good diet and exercise program regularly. A bad lifestyle, such as smoking and drinking, can also be one of the heart disease risk factors in women. Therefore, you may also consider some heart healthy lifestyle changes.