Re: Juggling as Stress Management
- From: Ed Provencher <eddie_provencher@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:53:52 -0700
On Oct 29, 4:18 am, andrew_giorda...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Dreg0)
wrote:
As all experienced jugglers out there know, juggling can be both a source
of stress AND a source of relaxation. As a university student, I've saved
my sanity countless times by taking a break from my studies to juggle,
relax, and feel good about being in control. It's especially important to
feel competent and in charge in the face of overwhelming workloads, to
assure ourselves that life is not actually a huge disaster, and that we
are capable of incredible things if we believe we are.
What I need though, and what I hope some of you other jugglers know about
is research that supports this claim, that juggling is an effective
activity for stress management. I have a 15-page paper due in a few days,
that I haven't started because I've spent all my spare time juggling
(oops...), and I need evidence to support my claim. For the first time in
my educational career, I have the opportunity to write a paper on how
awesome juggling is, and I want to do it justice. So if anyone out there
knows where I could find some research on juggling in this context, please
help me out. I want to give a good name to juggling, but I need the
evidence to support it.
Thanks in advance...
Andrew
--
----== posted viawww.jugglingdb.com==----
So if anyone out there
knows where I could find some research on juggling in this context, please
help me out.
I think most research on stress reducing activities focuses on broad
categories such as 'exercise'. You probably don't need to justify
juggling as a stress reducer based solely on studies about juggling in
this context. Simply provide your professor with enough background
information on the topic of stress to demonstrate you have studied it
and then make your analysis of juggling in light of the information
you cite. You've already made an interesting observation about how
juggling can be both stress releasing and stress producing. You may
even want to look into how being involved in a community that meets
regulary, i.e. juggling clubs, can effect stress.
As for resources, talk to your local librarians. They actually have
degrees in "library science" and should be able to point you in the
right direction if you are totally lost in a library. Talk to your
local Health Services Clinic. And of course, search the internet.
There is a book titled "The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy,
Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal ". It
isn't about juggling, but it does make a case for taking regular short
breaks from work to allow your body and mind to recharge. You might
find some information there or some references.
It's especially important to
feel competent and in charge in the face of overwhelming workloads, to
assure ourselves that life is not actually a huge disaster, and that we
are capable of incredible things if we believe we are.
Here is an excellent article by Albert Bandura, the man who invented
the term and dedicated his life to studying it, explaining Self-
efficacy: http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/BanEncy.html
Here is the introduction to the article:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perceived self-efficacy is defined as people's beliefs about their
capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise
influence over events that affect their lives. Self-efficacy beliefs
determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves and behave. Such
beliefs produce these diverse effects through four major processes.
They include cognitive, motivational, affective and selection
processes.
A strong sense of efficacy enhances human accomplishment and personal
well-being in many ways. People with high assurance in their
capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered
rather than as threats to be avoided. Such an efficacious outlook
fosters intrinsic interest and deep engrossment in activities. They
set themselves challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to
them. They heighten and sustain their efforts in the face of failure.
They quickly recover their sense of efficacy after failures or
setbacks. They attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient
knowledge and skills which are acquirable. They approach threatening
situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them.
Such an efficacious outlook produces personal accomplishments, reduces
stress and lowers vulnerability to depression.
In contrast, people who doubt their capabilities shy away from
difficult tasks which they view as personal threats. They have low
aspirations and weak commitment to the goals they choose to pursue.
When faced with difficult tasks, they dwell on their personal
deficiencies, on the obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of
adverse outcomes rather than concentrate on how to perform
successfully. They slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the
face of difficulties. They are slow to recover their sense of efficacy
following failure or setbacks. Because they view insufficient
performance as deficient aptitude it does not require much failure for
them to lose faith in their capabilities. They fall easy victim to
stress and depression.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good luck!
www.icantstopjuggling.blogspot.com
.
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