The United Nations Volunteers

HOW DO YOU HANDLE STRESS? _LEARN THE 4 WAYS WE HANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS_ Even with the best intentions, many of us believe that our emotions are out of our control, that they happen spontaneously, and that we handle them in a multitude of ways. But in fact, there are four basic ways in which people deal with emotion. Do you recognize any of these? Once you identify your primary strategy for dealing with emotions, you can shift to an approach that truly works for you. *Avoidance* The first defense against negative emotions is avoidance. We all want to avoid difficult or painful emotions. As a result, we tend to avoid any situation that could lead to the emotions we fear, or worse, try not to feel any emotions at all. While avoiding negative situations may protect us in the short term, it also keeps us from feeling the very emotions — connection, energy, excitement — that we desire most. *Denial* The second defense against stress is outright denial. When you experien...

POSITIVES in NEGATIVES  A young woman was sitting at her dining table, worried about taxes to be paid, house-work to be done and to top it all, her extended family was coming over for festival lunch the next day. She was not feeling very thankful at that time. As she turned her gaze sideways, she noticed her young daughter scribbling furiously into her notebook. “My teacher asked us to write a paragraph on “Negative Thanks giving” for homework today.” said the daughter. “She asked us to write down things that we are thankful for, things that make us feel not so good in the beginning, but turn out to be good after all.” With curiosity, the mother peeked into the book. This is what her daughter wrote: “I’m thankful for Final Exams, because that means school is almost over. I’m thankful for bad-tasting medicine, because it helps me feel better. I’m thankful for waking up to alarm clocks, because it means I’m still alive.” It then dawned on the mother, that s...

What is the Pygmalion Effect? This is a theory which says that higher expectations lead to an increase in performance. For instance,  if you have a boss who believes in your ability, praises and rewards you, your performance will keep going up and you will be motivated. This is also true of students. If their teachers believe they are brilliant and can learn anything, they tend to do better. Teachers' expectations shape their students' outcomes. Imagine how well students will do with a teacher who tells his or her students: * You are smart* *You can do it* *I like your brain* *You are intelligent* *You learn fast. * The Golem Effect The opposite of the Pygmalion Effect is the Golem Effect, which also says that low expectations lead to a decrease in performance. Bosses who never believe in the ability of their workers will not only destroy their companies, but will also destroy the self-esteem and self-perception of their workers. It will not be long befo...

Think the Thinking Thoughts! Teachers often say to students `Let's think about this ...' or `Put on your thinking caps ...' or `Think hard'. There is, however, little agreement about the nature of the thinking the teachers expect. Many hope for the `right answer' that they are silently holding in their heads and some may anticipate an attempt that offers insight into their pupils' misconceptions. Very few will expect an unprompted `I think that ... because ...' type of response. Many teachers will not know the extent or nature of the thinking most of their students engage in because, as Astington and Olson (1995) comment, `A major problem is that ... thinking does not have any behavioural indices.' It is therefore difficult for teachers to observe it in action. Teachers can only really infer what kind of thinking may have taken place by listening to children's speech (through responses to questions, conversation between peers), watchi...

Thinking about intelligence As thinking is an abstract concept, so is what constitutes intelligence. There are numerous theories regarding the nature of intelligence. Some ideas are briefly described here to provide context to the perspective of thinking in this book. Arguably one of the most influential theorists suggesting a psychometric model of intelligence is Charles Spearman (1927). He proposed a two-factor theory of intelligence. He suggested that any intellectual act requires a combination of general intelligence (`g') and specific intelligence(s) (`s'). He argued that different tasks will vary in the proportion of `g' or `s' required to solve them. He suggests that `g' is a core or common level of intellect required for any task. The `g' or innate general intelligence is much more easily measured, by psychometric means, than `s', which will vary in every task. Thurstone (1935) developed from this a more comprehensive description of `g'...

"Emotions at Work : What Do People Feel, and How Should We Measure It?" Well, most people don't need strategies for managing their positive emotions. After all, feelings of joy, excitement, compassion, or optimism usually don't affect others in a negative way. As long as you share positive emotions constructively and professionally, they're great to have in the workplace! According to Fisher's research, the most common negative emotions experienced in the workplace are as follows: 1. Frustration/irritation. 2. Worry/nervousness. 3. Anger/aggravation. 4. Dislike. 5. Disappointment/unhappiness. From "Emotions at Work: What Do People Feel and How Should we Measure it?"   Below are different strategies you can use to help you deal with each of these negative emotions. Frustration/Irritation Frustration usually occurs when you feel stuck or trapped, or unable to move forward in some way. It could be caused by a colleague blocking ...

Essentiality of recreational activities in this emerging life style Taking part in recreational activities, especially outdoors, can greatly improve physical health. People who take part in park activities such as walking, hiking, or skiing, schedule fewer office visits, maintain lower body fat percentages, and have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Along with an increase in physical activity, recreation offers the chance to socialize, an important benefit in itself. Mental wellness is critical to overall physical health. Participating in recreational activities helps manage stress. Taking time to nurture oneself provides a sense of balance and self-esteem, which can directly reduce anxiety and depression. Recreation allows some to rejuvenate, calm the mind, improve their outlook on life and increase positive affect. It’s all about balance. Nowadays everyone are busier than ever before. Finding a way to balance the pressures of work and family with physical and ...