Although we all talk about stress, it is often not clear what stress is really about. In fact stress has existed throughout evolution. Every step of evolution is a test of survival, a matter of coping with stress. Relationship demands, chronic health problems, pressure at work places, growing- up tensions, adjustment to a new place, decision- making…can trigger stress conditions. People react to it in their own ways. In some people, stress- induced adverse feelings and anxieties tend to persist and intensify.

To our body, stress is synonymous with change. Anything that causes a change in our life causes stress. It doesn’t matter if it is a “good” change, or a “bad” change; they are both stress. Even imagined changes are just as stressful as real changes. (www.unl.edu.stress/mgmt/).

Young women in initial formation for religious life too undergo stress in various forms, this paper will explain the causal factors of stress and how it becomes a hindrance for young women in their commitment, if it is not dealt with in time. Today women religious are expected to play an important role in helping to bring about transformation of the community and society. Due to these great demands, religious need to look after their physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual wellbeing to become more effective as human, religious and consecrated persons. To meet these demands the young persons in formation go through periods of stress. Therefore in this paper I describe important aspects on this particular topic.

Chapter I, the definition, types of symptoms, and causes of stress are explained. The chapter also shows how it affects the formees in initial formation. Chapter II highlights various sources of stress that the formees encounter in the process of formation, and the factors that need to be considered, to prevent adverse effects of stress on the formees. Chapter III deals with various therapeutic measures and stress management skills, which the formators can avail of if needed, or the formees themselves can benefit by using them.

Chapter 1 Theory

Definition of Stress:

A physical factor, such as injury, or mental state, such as anxiety that disturbs the body’s normal state of functioning. Stress may contribute to the development of some illnesses, including heart disease and cancer.

In medical parlance ‘stress’ is defined as a perturbation of the body’s homeostasis. This demand on mind-body occurs when it tries to cope with incessant changes in life. A ‘stress’ condition seems ‘relative’ in nature. Extreme stress conditions, psychologists say, are detrimental to human health but in moderation stress is normal and, in many cases, proves useful. Stress, nonetheless, is synonymous with negative conditions. Today with the rapid diversification of human activity, we come face to face.

Stress is defined as any change that we must adapt to in our ever-changing world. In with numerous causes of stress and the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Life without stimulus would be incredibly dull and boring. Life with too much stimulus becomes unpleasant and tiring, and may ultimately damage ones health or well-being. Too much stress can seriously interfere with ones ability to perform effectively. The art of stress management is to keep oneself at a level of stimulation that is healthy and enjoyable.

Most people realize that aspects of their lifestyle and work can cause stress. In the case of religious life the initial stages of formation the very set up and change in lifestyle may lead to stress. Stress is a mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.

· Stress is a defensive result of the brain’s thinking process

· Stress affects mental and physical health

· Stress is not always bad

In order to differentiate between good stress and bad stress we consider a guitar string.

If the string is too loose no sound will be produced or it will be dull and muddy.

If the string is too tight it will snap and break or it will produce an annoying shrill sound. The string must have the proper amount of tension on it in order to make the correct sound. It is bad when there is no stress or too much stress. Good stress is when there is just the right amount of stress.

Stress is a commonly used term that covers a wide range of human experience. Some people describe as a perceived inability to cope, others as when demands exceed means. However we define it, it is the experience of stress on our minds and bodies which is of immediate relevance to us. (know thyself the stress management programme-Dr.Craig Hassed)

2. Categories of Stressors

Stress is usually thought of as psychological. But there are many different types, which can be divided into the five categories of stress: mental, physical, emotional, nutritional, and toxic. These general categories help people to understand the various stressors in their lives. The body undergoes stress anytime it encounters a challenge that is not easily overcome. What types of challenges and stressors do we commonly face?

(i) Mental

Mental stressors are those in which the thought process provokes the stress response. Of all five categories of stress, this is the category that people most commonly think of. When we approach people and ask about the sources of stress in their lives, most reply we get that work is their biggest stressor. This makes sense, because sustained mental focus and effort is obviously challenging, particularly in a competitive environment. Similarly, school can be a source of mental stress due to the demands of problem solving and creative thought production, especially when students are being graded on their performance. But work and school aren’t the only mental stressors. Other worries, like relationships with others, communication, and self-presentation are common examples. Thoughts like “What should I do for my birthday this weekend?” or “What if she doesn’t like what I am wearing?” or “I hope I say the right thing!” are all expressions of mental stress.

(ii) Physical

Technically, all stress fits into this category, as stress is measured by physical changes in the body. However, the physical category specifically refers to challenges like lifting heavy objects, hiking up a hill, and other forms of exercise. Another example is sustaining an injury such as a broken bone or cut. These events require an immediate increase in energy, and they have an obvious beginning, middle, and end.

(iii) Emotional

It’s important to separate emotional challenges from mental ones. Emotional processing occurs in a different, more primitive part of the brain. The emotional brain precedes the cognitive portion of the brain in the signal chain. If the emotional brain perceives a threat, it will trigger the fight or flight response before us even we have a chance to think. Examples of emotionally challenging events are experiencing the death of a loved one, witnessing violence, or even watching a horror film. There is a blurry line between mental and emotional stress, as the most exaggerated and common mental stress occurs when there is anticipation of an outcome which could represent success or failure—and this is when it becomes a thought-induced emotional stress.

(iv) Nutritional

Nutritional stress is a more complex category. Out of all five categories of stress, it is one of the most important to understand because diet and nutrition have such a huge impact on health. A nutritional challenge can be in the form of a missed meal or insufficient intake of calories. It can also be a deficiency of a specific nutrient, such as protein or certain vitamins and minerals. A third possibility is that the foods you consume are difficult to break down and thus create a demand on our body which exceeds the available energy for digestion. The end result in all cases is an interruption in the material necessary to balance the demand placed on the body and to maintain function.To help reduce nutritional stress, I recommend a diet that is high in fruits and whole foods.

(v) Toxic

A good example of a toxic stressor is the ingestion of or environmental exposure to a poison, such as arsenic or snake venom. The body will have a certain ability to resist the poison. But if the poison level exceeds your threshold of tolerance, it will become stressful and require significant action from the body’s immune and detoxification systems. Other substances that fit into this category are parasites, irritating portions of foods, microorganisms, and by products of bacteria and viruses. Even some of the by products of our own metabolism and bodily functions are toxic, such as lactic acid and nitric oxide.

Understanding the five categories of stress is the first step in learning how to deal with the various challenges in our life. The next step is learning how to prevent the harmful effects of stress on your body.

Situations that are considered stress provoking are known as stressors. There are many major events that occur in our lives: moving, leaving school, changing jobs, and experiencing losses. These “Life events” can be stress provoking. We also face many “daily hassles”. These are events that occur routinely. They also contribute to the levels of stress that we experience. Daily hassles include events such as being stuck in traffic, deadlines, conflicts with family members or community members, adjusting to a new place and dealing with bust city life. Between life events and day –to-day hassles, we are faced with many stress-provoking situations each day. Our attitude towards these situations determines our response.

According to Butcher, (2003) Stressors, stem from sources that fall into three categories:

a. Frustrations b. Conflicts c. Pressures

Frustrations

When a person’s strivings are thwarted, either by obstacles that block progress toward a desired goal or by the absence of an appropriate goal, frustration occurs. Frustrations can be particularly difficult for a person to cope with because they often lead to self-devaluation, making the person feel that he or she has failed in some way or is incompetent.

A wide range of obstacles, both external and internal, can lead to frustrations. Prejudice and discrimination, unfulfilment in a job, and the death of a loved one are common frustrations stemming from the environment; physical handicaps, limited ability to perform certain tasks, loneliness, guilt, and inadequate self-control are sources of frustration based on personal limitations.

ConflictsIn many instances stress results from the simultaneous occurrence of two or more incompatible needs or motives: The requirements of one prelude satisfaction of the others – for example, the woman who loves he job but must decide whether to uproot her family for a promotion. In essence she has a choice to make, and she will experience conflict while trying to make it. Conflicts with which everyone has to cope may be classified as approach-avoidance, double-approach, and double-avoidance type. Regardless of how we categorize conflicts, they represent a major source of stress that can often become overwhelming in intensity.

PressuresStress may stem not only from frustrations and conflicts but also from pressures to achieve specific goals or to behave in particular ways. In general, pressures force us to speed up, intensify effort, or change the direction of goal-oriented behaviour. All of us encounter many everyday pressures, and we often handle them without undue difficulty. In some instances, however, pressures seriously tax our coping resources, and if they become excessive, they may lead to maladaptive behaviour.

Pressures can originate from external or internal sources. Students may feel under severe pressure to make good grades because their parents demand it, or they may submit themselves to such pressure because they want to get into graduate.

Occupational demands can also be highly stressful, and many jobs make severe demands in terms of responsibility, time and performance (Snow & Kline, 1995). Although a particular stressor may predominate in any situation, we rarely deal with an isolated demand. Instead, we usually confront a continuously changing pattern of interrelated and sometimes contradictory demands.

Symptoms of Stress

Physiological Symptoms of Stress

· muscle tension in the jaw and forehead

· Digestive changes, such as constipation or diarrhoea

· Dry throat

· Fatigue

· High blood pressure

· Grinding of the teeth

· Headaches

· Indigestion

· Muscle aches

· Pounding of the heart

· Shortness of breath

· Stomach upset

Psychological Symptoms of Stress

· Anger

· Anxiety

· Apathy

· Cynicism

· Defensiveness

· Depression

· Difficulty in concentrating

· Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness

· Feelings of being misunderstood or unappreciated

· Hypersensitivity

· Insecurity

· Irritability

· Lack of direction

· Pessimism

· Resentment

· Sadness

· Insomnia

· Isolation or withdrawal from others

· Lessened enjoyment of activities that were once pleasurable

· Loss of appetite or, in contrast, overeating

· Loss of sexual desire

· Procrastination

· Readiness to argue

Behavioral Symptoms of Stress

· Increased smoking

· Increased use of alcohol or drugs

· Nail biting

· Neglect of responsibility

· Poor job performance

· Unusually poor hygiene (www.unl.edu./stress/mgmt/patho.html.)

Effects on Health

Many people suffering from excessive stress have symptoms of poor health. People with very high stress levels have feelings of being tense or anxious. In addition, headaches, stomach complaints or symptoms that mimic old illnesses are common.

In an attempt to cope with stress, some people drink too much alcohol, abuse drugs, blame others, and may become physically violent, most often with family members. Depression and anxiety may be the result of chronic stress. If mental health problems are ignored, they can develop into serious mental illnesses. Clinical depression, left untreated, leads to suicide in 15% of cases. Anxiety disorders take a variety of forms, ranging from general anxiety to panic attacks. Anxiety can become severe and disabling.

CHAPTER -2

Stress in Formation today

1. Stress during Initial Formation

Today, formation is the primary concern in every religious Congregation, formation that is human and mission oriented, relevant to the context. Our formation should lead to holiness and wholeness of the person. It is understood as a process of transformation of one’s self- image, thinking process, and one’s behavior. (Pinto 2003) says, that “Formation is a process which enables us to accept ourselves as we are and to feel accepted and to learn to love and be loved, so that we can develop/grow into the persons we are called to be/become.

Young women join Religious life with their own brokenness and woundedness of their life. Their goodness, freedom, generosity and enthusiasm can be veiled by these problems which are due to one’s emotional and psychological imbalances emerging from their environment of home or religious setting. All such elements can lead the young women experience stress. As sited by (Coleman 1988), a stress situation can be physical, chemical, viral, bacteriological or of inter-human relationship. (Conflict, frustration, deprivation). It may happen on a biological or psychological level and also on group as well as individual levels.

Stress during initial formation can be from two sources: (a) Stress originating from Family Environment (b) Stress originating from Religious Setting.

2. Effects of stress on the formees :

Stress is a function of environmental, social, and cognitive, as well as emotional processes. The person undergoing stress will not like to face life in all its dimensions, because one finds it difficult to cope with it. So, one will have recourse to certain reactions, depending on one’s personal character. “Our reactions to stress can give us the ability we need and would not develop without being challenged to do so. Stress can be damaging, however, if certain demands are too severe for our coping resources” (Butcher 2003). During initial formation the young women may not have the freedom to express their negative emotions which are suppressed by the individual.

(Rowshan 1994) says, that the reactions to stress can be any of the following feelings of emptiness, lack of forgiveness, meaningless in life, continuous guilt feelings, hostility towards companions, self-abuse in any form, feelings of hopelessness, isolation, bitterness or resentment, self-centeredness, loneliness, withdrawal, intolerance, lack of communication, irritability, rapid mood swings, anxiety attacks, anger, depression, worry, apathy, restlessness, feeling of despair, bursts of tears, nervous laughter, racing thoughts, poor concentration, difficulty in making decisions, constant negative self-talk, confusion and suicidal thoughts.

(Hurlock 2002) categorizes the following:

1. Settling down in a new place- settling in a new place with different life patterns and different individuals, to share their life pattern takes time.

2. Co-dependency - during the process of formation, when things turn out to be difficult due to stress, the individual establishes a dependency relationship with a companion.

3. Value change – many of the values that they hold dear are challenged by religious rules, structures and convent values.

4. Fear of commitment – they establish a new pattern of living, assume new responsibilities, and prepare for lifelong commitment. Fear leads to feelings of inadequacy.

5. Social isolation – entering into a religious set up means ‘letting go’ one’s peer group companionship, which may lead to isolation or loneliness( Hurlock 2002).

6. Guilt – guilt is one of the chief sources of self-devaluation. The stress will lead one not to admit one’s feelings of hostility toward parents or companions.

7. Anger – the young person experiences stress and loneliness, may tend to express her anger, passively or aggressively, towards her companions or authority. This could lead to dysfunctional relationship among the companions (Amalraj 2003).

2(a) Family Upbringing

The goals and means of family upbringing are determined by the socioeconomic structure and the level of cultural development. Family upbringing is usually organized on the basis of the ideology, morality, and system of interpersonal relations in the social stratum to which the family belongs. It is linked with adult self-education and with the development in adults of qualities and character traits that ensure an effective character influence on children. The source of dysfunction within a family system is any person, event, or situation that does not allow to have the family’s attention, and blocks the freedom of movement beyond set roles, and requires the commitment of members of the system to maintain it.(sammon 1997) says that we take our families with us when we come into religious life. While its members may not be physically visible, they do participate in some way in day to day life. Our Families shape and form us for good or bad. Each one brings to religious life what the person has learnt about oneself while living in her own family.

b. Climate of Formative Communities

Anything that causes change in our daily routine is stressful. Anything that causes change in our bodily health is stressful. (Shaw 1998) states that formation has always been the top priority of the religious congregations today. Genuine religious formation helps the candidates grow and create a deep respect for self and others.( Marcelino 1972) explained that formation is a process of gradual unfolding and of becoming oneself to the fullest form to which one has potential. Formation, therefore, calls for a realistic knowledge of self and for the adequate development of personality. It requires frequent adjustments and constant growth in both personal and intrapersonal levels. Therefore, there are several general sources that lead to stress in formees in formative communities.

The young persons during initial stages of their formation are introduced to religious setting, which is not a natural setting like that of their own home. At times the formative community acts as an agent of deformation, confusion or dissatisfaction due to unedifying lives of the sisters. And the candidates wonder about all this new situation, because many of them first time come out from their home. This can be more confution for the formees in their decision making, and their quality of commitment, which in turn leads them to a stressful situation. Some of the elements of the religious setting that create situations of stress to the formees are the following:

New set up of living –It means adjusting to a totally new place, culture, environment, people and a way of living.

Congregational Life Style– Every congregation has its own style, culture and specificity, it takes time and energy for the young formees to become accustomed to this life style.

Communication barriers -Not having sufficient communication skills and language (English) makes the formees feel discomfort and it is a barrier for them.

Religious activities and prayer – Even though devout practices exist in family set up, but they are limited compared to religious communities. In religious community, prayer and religious activities are more which makes the person sometimes bored.

Sense of insecurity – The young candidate may experience a sense of insecurity whether she will persevere in this way of life, or whether she made a right choice. Often superiors decide whether she has a vocation or not. This leads to insecurity and stress.

Group living and teamwork – Living in the reality of the competitive world of today the young candidate finds it difficult to cooperate with others. There is the ambition to be the first and the best, this creates conflict in the community. And the need for relationships and friendships also leads to stress.

High expectations of the formators – The high expectations of the formators and companions create disturbance and devalue oneself. This guilt feeling and leads to stress.

Practice of vows – In the world of consumerism, materialistic and individualistic tendencies of the young persons, which contradicts the religious life, could also lead to stress and tension.

Generation Gap – The generation gap, between the community members, formator and the young woman’s values, ideas and the views of their lives are different from each other. And for the young person it is very difficult to cope up. This causes conflicts, lack of understanding and stress.

3. Consequences for formees

Young women bring along their resources and cultural riches and their brokenness and woundedness, which is part of their life as they join religious life. However, the formees may encounter different sources of stress which are carried from their family background and developed in the journey of formation. Some of the sources are:

a. Apprehension about the vocation:

Vocation to religious life is a special invitation from God to a chosen individual. The person experiences inner grace of being ‘called’ by God to live a different and special form of life. The call of God in the initial stages is not really clear, it is like a seed that is placed in the soil to sprout with love and care. Same way, the call of a person is something like that which continues throughout one’s life, and it is capable of growing, and deepening into maturity. Sometimes, because of the vocation promoter’s invitation, the person enters, in few cases the parents’ desire is being fulfilled (Coughlin 1981).

During the period of formation the young persons are helped to understand that the person is called to serve God and his people in a special way. It is a period where they are introduced to a new form of life. In our changing times where the person is constantly challenged by our consumeristic, materialistic and broken world. Our religious formation need to be more human and integrated. Human formation begins in the family and in the formation houses are supposed to build upon the (healthy) foundation laid at home. And if unhealthy dispositions have crept into that foundation, it may not function well. Laying foundation for a good personality, needs, as we know, certain basic family factors like love, care, balanced discipline, good models, etc. (Srampickal 2001).

(Pool 2000) Suggests that, religious formation` is fundamentally focussed on forming a person to live in communities, we need to include five dimensions of emotional intelligence into everything we do to be healthy, mentally and spiritually.

1. Self-awareness: It is the basis for self-confidence. Self-knowledge enables oneself to know the strengths and limits and helps his/her interpersonal relationships.

2. Handling emotions gently: Knowing how to handle upsetting feelings, or impulses.

3. Motivation: Moving toward our goals is a third element of emotional intelligence. Without motivation there is no life possible. The meaning of the motivation becomes very essential for a formee to be more value oriented to face the challenges of formation in a multi-cultural context. The formator also has a vital role in forming the formee to purify her motivation in order to remain faithful in her vocation and be fruitful in the mission.

3. Empathy: It means reading persons’ feelings by tone of voice or facial expressions .In other words, enter into the world of others.

4. Social skills: This is the fifth element of emotional intelligence where a person’s interpersonal skills are considered.

Therefore, while the person in initial formation may be confronted by her own personal vulnerability, weaknesses, limitations, and that of her family or culture, this can create fear, guilt, lack of self-confidence leading to stress and doubt in oneself to move forward with the plan of God. The formator plays a significant role to intervene, encourage, and accompany the young candidate. In the Formation house the formator and formee relationship is very important for the matured growth of a future religious and priest. Both the formator and formee spend almost sufficient time together learning from one another the dynamics of committed life.

2.3.b .Low-Self –Esteem:

Attachment theory tells us that a secure sense of attachment results in a sense of safety, security, and the ability to regulate emotions, to manage anxiety and to feel safe that we will not be rejected by those we love. It is easy to see that one’s sense of personal value is intimately tied in with a secure sense that they will not be rejected by their parents and loved ones. Safety, in attachment theory, comes in part from a recognition of the parents’ prioritizing the child’s well-being – over their own if necessary. Rejection at a time of danger is a threat to the person’s survival. It is not a far leap then, to understand that a person with low self-esteem would not feel valuable enough that someone else would prioritize them, and why the risk of rejection is so threatening.In the male dominated society,today the conflict concerning gender roles continue to be approved. Attachment to traditional or basic concepts are at risk even in modern times. The traditional concepts of gender roles have a marked influence on young people’s personal adjustments. Males try to exhibit their masculine strength, or even devalue feminine characteristics to prove their superiority. Women, as a result are being put down and treated as inferior to men, often develop a typical “minority-group complex” – an emotionally toned belief in their inferiority. (Hurlock, 2002).

Young people who join us today are coming from a world that is heading towards destruction. The younger generation is confronted by ceaseless war, violence, intolerance, corruption, fundamentalism, hostility and immorality. In other words they bring along their own brokenness and confusion. “Self-esteem is not something we are born with; it is our feelings of personal worth and competence- and our inner beliefs. It also depends on how significant people treated us, particularly what they told us about ourselves and how they labelled us, or helped us to form the “baseline” for our self-esteem by the time we were about 5 years of age” (Malone, 1996).

Everyone whether male or female, becomes a victims of negative self-esteem. The differences that are made in our society and family between males and females have adverse effect on women. (Malone, 1996), “ a woman who is taught from childhood that she is of less value than males easily may come to believe it, and her lack of faith in her own value make it easier for others to keep her down.” Men have been trained to be superior, rational, active, objective, distinct dominant, and the norm, whereas women have been trained to be inferior, emotional, passive, subjective, connected, and subordinate. This system has negatively affected both men and women, but particularly women, because of their inferior and subordinate role.

Having a healthy self-esteem is an asset for the individual as well as others who live with her. During the time of formation, it is an important task to help the candidates to build a positive self-worth. To develop personal and interpersonal relationships prove to be instrumental in this area. Healthy self-esteem has no gender. It is all about learning how to have more self-awareness, self-acceptance in one’s finiteness and incompleteness, and self-confidence in taking responsibility for one’s life. “Deep within our Christian belief system is an idea that every person is a precious creation of a loving God. Experiencing the love of another person is a powerful way in which self-esteem is developed. To have someone deeply and genuinely care about us, not for what you do or give or bring, but simply for you, is to have the makings of a deeper self-esteem” (Zawisilak, 2000).

2.3.c. Intimacy Problem

The encounter of intimacy is rooted in the development of deepening human friendships (Futrell, 1981). Insists, “Intimacy requires disciplined living.” Intimacy simply doesn’t happen it is a long process. It needs time, care, patience, and a certain amount of reflective maturity. The enhancement of maturity is highly dependent upon our family background, upbringing, culture and early relationships. In our formation we get young people who have been victims of all kinds of child abuse, sexual abuse and damaged self-image, and people from dysfunctional families and traditional cultures with regard to relationships.

“Victims of sexual abuse also we find in communities. They do not enjoy inner freedom to relate to companions or community members and so fail to build friendships. They tend to criticize others and find fault with them as a mask to their feeling of low self- esteem or poor self-image. In this way, they unconsciously strive to fulfil their need of being loved and cared for. They tend to slight down others in the area of spiritually, and feel they are superior to others” (Pinto, 1999). Personality integration during formation is the most essential aspect and a challenge to the formees. It is a human limitation to put masks to hide our real self which is weak and wounded. Putting mask on oneself makes it difficult to accept failures and weaknesses. “Intimacy with the self requires acceptance of the authentic self. We must have the desire to grow. Adjustment to people and situations is always accompanied by emotional tension and anxiety and it is painful. Intimacy with ourselves enables us to be fully conscious of such emotional tension and anxiety. It enables us to make a “growth choice” rather than a “fear choice” (Agudo,1992). Therefore self-intimacy will enable the formees to develop healthy relationships in the community and mature interpersonal friendships and deeper union with God. And the person will enjoy integrated, meaningful life and fulfilment of her life as a religious and a deep personal relationship with God. It is essential to develop a healthy sense of self-identity. It makes the person capable for intimacy. And a person knows oneself how to relate with others.

2.3.d. Environmental Stress

Stress is the “wear and tear,” of our bodies, as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings. Very hot or very cold climates, very high attitude, toxins or poisons can be stresses for our body. Each of these factors threatens our body’s internal environment. Family, close friends and work can be sources of social support and a key element of helping a person maintains health and recover from illness. Greater self-esteem, positive feelings about future, and a sense of control are characteristic of people with strong social support. Not only gender but cultural background, age, ethnic group, and socioeconomic class are all important changeable aspects that affect our health. (Lefton, 1997).

Initial formation, like any stage of development needs favourable environment in order to foster growth. Formation is considered to deepen the candidate’s awareness of self and relationships with members of the community and with God. All normal people fight against the loss of illusion and delusion, even when it brings truth; all normal people are in stress at times of transition. The human organism is self-protective. When life and growth move fast, the human body will refuse to go along those paths it needs to avoid. Prolonged illness needs to be attended.

Entry into different phases of life is generally a terrifying experience. They see more and more of what they had buried out of consciousness, and yet still cannot accept what they are forced to admit. Feelings of anger, sadness, fear, hate, doubt, and despair rise up for acknowledgement. Selfish behaviours, prejudiced opinions, unwanted thoughts repulse them (Zuercher, 1992).

Lack of external supports-either personal or material – makes a given stress more severe and weakens an individual’s capacity to cope with it. Since formation is a growth process of human persons, its first law must be to begin where the person is. Environment, experience, and interrelated physical, spiritual, apostolic, academic, affective, and community elements must be adapted to where each person is in one’s own growth and to each successive stage in the process of growth. Careful attention is needed by each individual within a group, and the provision of concrete experiences is required to foster each person’s development. Within the formation programme for the group each individual must be known and progressive growth experiences must be provided, developing out of and building on previous growth through previous experiences ( Futrell, 1981).

2.3. e.Psychological Test

Psychological tests are good when administered for purposes of knowing the personality type of the candidate, overall personality functioning, general mental health, aptitude for community living and life of service, diagnosis and treatment planning. Emotional intelligence testing can also clarify on the emotional maturity of a candidate because religious basically live in communities and living together needs a lot of emotional maturity and the young persons can be helped by this. Generally, this very approach of psychological testing is looked at with negative implication, because it is understood as vocation testing, so this causes fear and stress in young people. People with limited or little knowledge tend to think that test results are absolute values or absolute predictors of a person’s behaviour but in fact, tests reveal only some aspects of a person’s behaviour.

Vocation is a free gift of God. If so, does God give this free gift to only those who have above average IQ? A person may be very low in verbal ability but high in interpersonal or intrapersonal ability, which are backbones for community life and other-cantered living.

Therefore psychological testing should be focused on measuring the emotional maturity of a person, her ability to live in community and desire to serve. It is necessary to explain to the person concerned the objective of the test and reduce from stress and anxiety. (Janetius, 2000).

2.4 Stress Related Disorders

There are innumerable cases of people suffering from stress related disorders. Depression and anxiety may be the result of chronic stress. If mental health problems are ignored, they can develop into serious mental illnesses. The severe stress-related disorder is termed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a mental disorder that may become evident after a person has undergone severe stress caused by some type of disaster. Victims of rape, natural disasters (tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods), and disasters caused by human beings (wars, train wrecks, toxic chemical spills) often suffer from PTSD. Common symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are vivid, intrusive recollections or re-experiences of the traumatic event and occasional lapses of normal consciousness (Lefton, 1997). Although the relationship between stress and heart disease is still being investigated, preliminary evidence suggests that stress may contribute to the development of heart disease and stroke. The stress related disorders can be classified into three categories:

1.Physical Disorders:

A physical disorder (as a medical term) is often used as a term in contrast to a mental disorder, in an attempt to differentiate medical disorders that have an available mechanical test (such as chemical tests or brain scans), from those disorders which have no laboratory or imaging test, and are diagnosed only by behavioural syndrome(such as those in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Physical disorders are: Hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, migraine and tension headaches, cancer, arthritis, respiratory disease, ulcers, colitis, and muscle tension problems.

2. Emotional Disorders:

When emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression, coexist with physical illness, quality of life suffers and outcomes for treatment worsen.

3. Behavioural Disorders:

Some recognized physical disorders produce significant behavioural changes. For example, fever, head trauma, and hyperthyroidism can produce delirium ( Dreyfus,2003).

Conclusion

Family and culture play a vital role in the life of a formee and shapes her future mission and it influences her so much, so that she finds very difficult to practice the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. There are also other challenges like the physical health, intellectual merit and emotional aspects like egoism, jealousy, envy, anger and sexuality. In every journey there is a destination and while reaching the destination there is joy and happiness. This joy is not because of the place where we are but because of the happiness which we enjoyed during our journey. Same way formation is a process and a journey. The duty of each Formator is to guide the formees to make a happy journey. Christ urges us to start again because life is a continuous starting again, with the risk that each departure involves, but also with new horizons and new hopes. Let us be aware of our duty and know we are on the have move not yet reached the destination. “Woods are lovely dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep” (Robert Frost).Since we are living in a multi-culture and post-modern society, our vocation and formation is challenged. The family and the social values are also changing rapidly today according to the worldly ideals. The formees who are coming to become sisters are also affected very much by the present lifestyle both during and after the formation. Hence, we cannot take for granted that all who come to join this way of life come with pure motivation to become a religious. And even if they became religious, many have wrong, insufficient, confused, misplaced and mixed hidden motives. . However, purification of motivation is a life-long process. The lack of proper motivation creates a lot of problems in the formation houses. Many of the Church documents have emphatically stressed the importance of assessment of the candidates especially their right motivation.

CHAPTER III

Pastoral Response

1.Formation Does not Just Happen

The factors that hinders the development of the young persons in formation needs to be corrected. In the formation houses the formators or the formative community can become the powerful mediators in to enhance the necessary growth in the formees. The most important work of the formator is as mediator who accompanies the young persons with love and care. A mediator is a link between God and the formees, she is the one who shows the way to the formees to imbibe the congregation charism, community life, prayer and mission. The formator is the privilege witness to the personal growth of young women. The formation director is one of those few women in the community who are called to become, for the sake of others, witnesses to spiritual level. She helps the young people at the depth level where only the Holy Spirit can be the master builder. The formator becomes confidante in spiritual ideals, contemplative and missionary; confidante of spiritual experiences: meeting God in prayer, confidante of community life struggles. She is the witness to successful efforts as well as failures. She must accompany a whole interior formation process, which brings her face to face with resistance, stubbornness, even revolts sometimes deeply rooted in past conflicts.

Role of a Formator as Mentor

In the Formation house the formator and formee relationship is very important for the mature growth of a future religious and priest. Both the formator and formee spend almost 8 to13 years together learning from one another the dynamics of committed life. We as formators must ask ourselves what is considered a good formator? All of us have gone through formation, and majority of us had good formators who have made a lasting impression on our life. It is not their intelligence, wisdom and ability to communicate and teach but their life example, which we cherish even today. A positive relationship between the formator and formee is very important for the growth of the formee who along with his/her own spiritual search looks for a mentor to get rooted in his commitment and call. A formator and formee who have the qualities of good communication, respect one anotherand show interest to help one other creates [T1] a positive relationship.

The formators need to continuously monitor the formee as she progress in her formation and make known to the formee any problems and difficulties the formee is having. An understanding formator will be a best one to look for in the formation house as she will be seeing the formee’s problem, fear, or confusion. This kind of understanding will give the formator a better understanding the formee’s growth in spiritual and learning difficulties. Once the formator becomes aware of the problems, she will have more patience with the formee to guide and lead her to her goal, thus making the formee feel secure or less confused while getting formed. She becomes more free and spontaneous. A formator is the one who accompanies. The accompaniment is the Emmaus style, icon of any accompaniment in faith. Accompaniment implies all those attentions that a good farmer dedicates and reserves to the little plant that is about to grow. Concretely, she stands beside it, in some way she sees it slowly flourishing, she cares for it and protects it. It is the involvement in the life of the formees. Then the formators life becomes the message to the formees.

Our presence becomes effective and witnessing when we are fully involved in the respective area of our apostolate and bring about the Kingdom values of Love, Peace and Justice to the people whom we serve. Molding the society in that dimension is challenging.We aim at getting more and more vocations to carry out this mission of Jesus entrusted to us through our Foundress.

2. Formation Process

This is the meaning of the call to the consecrated life: it is an initiative coming fully from the Heavenly father, who asks those whom he has chosen to respond with complete devotion. The experience of this gracious love of God is so deep and so powerful the person called senses the need to respond by unconditionally dedicating his or her life to God, consecrating to him all things present and future, and placing them in his hands.(vita consecrate 17) All Christians are called to holiness in virtue of their Baptism. Following from the baptism call, the religious sister is called by God in a unique way to witness to the priority of that life for which we have been made, eternal union with God. In order to mature in her vocation and live more deeply the life to which God has called her as a religious sister. A young Woman goes through years of religious formation .the first seven years of her religious life are a preparation for her profession of perpetual vows. The formation process is that of becoming more and more like Christ, growing in union with him, and sharing in his sacrificial gift.

There are three essential characteristics of accompaniment as pedagogical method:

1. The first depends on the real, physical sharing of life. To observe the conduct and to move from this to attitudes, and then to sentiments and motivation, it is indispensable to live in contact with the person with an intelligent attention. Daily life and living together are the best source of information for knowing an individual. Being able to pick up certain behavioral differences as reactions, likes, dislikes, emotions, depression, habits, jokes, intolerance, forgetfulness, nervousness, preferences, oddities, etc., enables having a relative complete picture and being able more easily to reach identification of the general situation and of the central inconsistency.

2. This condition depends on the competency-preparation of the formator who, if really wants to accompany the young person along the ways of the Spirit, must unite spiritual wisdom and knowledge of the human heart or of the laws of psychological development. It permits the Formator to intervene not only to indicate a point of arrival, but also to grasp the truth of the individual, at a conscious and unconscious level, to suggest a method for solving problem and help the young person let herself be formed by the Spirit’s action, overcoming resistance and fear.

3. Accompanying a young person toward consecration does not mean simply giving a spiritual direction to her life, or anyway, offering only teaching or establishing a relationship that goes in a single direction: but it also means to do or celebrate an experience together, which will always be new because it is an experience of God, between two persons who have made and are making a journey toward God. To accompany means essentially to share, and to share something vital like “the bread of the journey”, or rather one’s faith, the memory of God, experience of the struggle, of the searching, of love for him. The formator need not necessarily has to reveal her interior life, as though the relationship of accompaniment was only a friendly kind, but that, in any case, she must be aware of the inevitable personal involvement of her journey as a believer, to accept being close to the one she accompanies and to share with the formee what she herself has already experienced as important for encountering God and letting herself be loved. It is not a simple friendship, theirs, but friendship or company in the spirit (Cencini, 2002).

2.A.Physiological responses:

Crucial point in the formation journey is the moment in which the consecrated person recognizes in Christ his/her own identity. The truth-beauty-goodness of the value then become progressively the truth-beauty-goodness of the person, the sentiments of Christ become ever more the sentiments of the young person. Formation is like a journey of climbing up again and starting from a new center, which is the cross of Jesus, who imprints a new form and motivation, sentiments, attitudes and behaviors. It is the birth and growth of the new person.

During initial formation we also emphasize the international aspect of our charism, because at the time of their final vows the young person may be ‘sent on mission’ in any part of the world. They need to be prepared physically, psychologically and spiritually to face this challenge. Therefore integral formation with all clarity is needed, which will enable the young persons to commit themselves entirely.

2. B.Social Responses:

Christian love requires not only fulfilling all specific responsibilities toward others, but understanding and approaching the whole area of social responsibilities in a specially Christian way. The Church’s social teaching require the people participate in morally upright way in action for social justice and forbid abandoning and the public domain. Those teaching should be used be used to understand public issues, evaluate possible ways of dealing with them, and guide one’s action in respect to them.

By committing oneself to one’s vocation and carrying it out ,then the person fulfils one’s social responsibilities to the whole world as well as possible .It follows that those who seek, accept and faithfully their personal vocation should feel guilty when faithfulness to their personal vocations should feel something which plainly doing. Social responses may vary on the basis of culture and social values and attitudes. In general, a stressful event will increase an individual’s affiliation and integration into his sociocultural system. The stronger the bond of love and unity within the members of a family or community, the greater will be its healing power at the time crisis. Caplan(1983), points out the central importance of guidance and support that a distressed individual receives from those important to him in coping process. When this principle is applied to family life, one can appreciate the salient role of parental communication and guidance in the problem solving effort of their children at the time of crisis.

2.C.Inelectual response:

As educational institutions consider how best to prepare students for life and leadership in an increasingly interdependent world, including religious identity in their diversity initiatives is crucial to their becoming effective learning communities. Wellesley collage’s president , Diana chapman Walsh,(1993) describes her collage’s religious and spiritual life programme as affirming the understanding of a liberal arts education as a spiritual journey as well as an intellectual one. We are reaching toward a future in which managing the new global realities will require the ability to move from culture to culture, to collaborate and communicate with fluency across national, radical, religious and socioeconomic lines, and to appreciate diversity as a vital resource for learning and growth .The motive underlying the intellectual life of the candidates must be love for Christ and his church. This easily translates into a love for the truth as it comes to be known through faith and reason. Today the world is rich in scientific and technical knowledge, but threatened by relativism and an increasingly narrow scope of the human person. Today religious must have more than a competency in the teaching of the church; she must also know how to present this knowledge in the face of the present challenges. The church needs intellectually well-formed religious to answer the questions to the people, to assist family in crisis or those facing difficult and technical ethical issues, to defend the weak and vulnerable members of society, and to provide sound teaching to the faithful who are today so desirous for authentic catechesis.

The candidate is encouraged to engaged study and its related habits as a type of asceticism .In the monastic tradition, St. Benedict warns of distraction, wandering and lack of focus. It is the stable word of god that helps and heals the wound of distraction. Many candidates enter the convent already distracted and with minds easily diverted. The constant bombardment from a media- driven culture, technological escapism and its accompanying gadgets provide the candidates with many unhelpful opportunities that divert them from their end. So a formator must encourage the candidates to engage in moderate media use and to practice some type of virtual fasting .It is the formation of the life –giving and life –long habits of finding both intellectual and stimulation and mental relaxation in the contemplation of the things of God we seek to inculcate in the people. (www.formation .com>intellectual res…)

2.D.Spiritual Responses

The soul is an active and progressive fact of human reality and thus will not remain unaffected by the consequences of our interactions with the environment. According to ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the soul, like the body, has its own “individuality. “The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress and development of the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are independent of the physical body. If we are caused joys or pain by a friend, if a love prove true or false, it is soul that is affected. If our dear ones are far from us, it is the soul that grieves, and the grief or trouble of the soul may react on the body.

‘Abdu’l-Baha,(1972) elaborates on the two sentiments of joy and sorrow, which affect everyone, he states that sorrow and grief originate in the material world and will affect the person, while “the spiritual world bestows only the joy. If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and all the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion.” Under stress of a divers nature and intensity. The person may experience the following spiritual responses:

· Greater reliance on personal faith and belief

· Higher capacity to accept pain and suffering

· Consciousness of one’s helplessness and imperfection

· Awareness of a supreme Source of might and perfection: the Creator

· Reliance on prayer and meditation

· Increased sense of purpose in life

This type of spirituality is very effective for all people, but particularly it is essential to introduce it in the formation houses. God’s message is constant and sure .The letter to the Ephesian summarizes God’s intentions for us .God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery, the plan to be decreed in Christ in the fullness of time: to bring all things into one in Him, in the heaven and on the earth. That’s the plan and every sign that comes from God simply reminds us that ultimately our vocation will be a means to a lasting union with God. So that we are not alone on this journey. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us on the way.

3.Helping to cope with stress:

Stress is a state of physical mental and emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Stress is extremely difficult to define because it is so different for each individual. Something that stresses out one individual may excite another individual so there is a large variation. A little bit of stress, known as “acute stress,” can be helpful. It keeps us active and alert. But long term or “chronic stress,” can have detrimental effects on health. Stress management refers to the wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person's levels of stress, especially chronic stress, usually for the purpose of improving everyday functioning. If we look at the broad literature that has been don on religious and spiritual beliefs and practises and how they relate to human health the large majority of the studies points to a positive influence that when people are religious or spiritual they tend to have lower level of stress, anxiety. They tend to have better overall health outcomes. They can cope with various issues. And problems more effectively. But there are some times where religion and when people are struggling with their religious or spiritual beliefs, when people wind up engaging in ideas that are more negative, that are not inclusive of other people, but create feelings of anger or hatred in people. Those are things that actually increase the level of stress, anxiety and they can be detrimental to people’s health. So one of the things that we need to encourage people to think about is to look at their own religious and spiritual beliefs that creates more compassionate way of looking at people.

Coping with stress means using thoughts and actions to deal with stressful situations and lower our stress levels. Many people have a characteristic way of coping with stress based on their personality. People who cope well with stress tend to believe they can personally influence what happens to them. They usually make more positive statements about themselves, resist frustration, remain optimistic, and persevere even under extremely adverse circumstances.

Certain degrees of stress and strain are essential ingredients of life, and an entirely stress free life does not exist. Moreover, mild to moderate amount of stress will stimulate human growth and creativity. (Abdu’l-Baha, 1983)

Psychologists distinguish two broad types of coping strategies: problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. The goal of both is to control one’s stress level. In problem-focused coping, people try to short-circuit negative emotions by taking some action to modify, avoid, or minimize the threatening situation. They change their behaviour to deal with the stressful situation. In emotion-focused coping include rethinking the situation in a positive way, relaxation, denial, and wishful thinking. Some of the effective Coping Strategies and psychological techniques are explained below:

3.A. Psychological Technique:

Stress has been characterized as a physiological demand placed on the body when he or she must adapt, cope or adjust with situations. (nevid &Rathus, 2003)There are many ways of coping with stress. Their effectiveness depends on the type of stressor, the particular, individual, and the circumstances.(lazarus and folkman, 1984)suggested there are two types of coping responses emotion focused and problem focused. Emotion-focused coping involves trying to reduce the negative emotion responses associated with stress such as embarrassment, fear anxiety, depression, excitement and frustration. Emotions -focused coping does not provide a long term solution and may have negative side effects as it delays the person dealing with the problem. However, they can be a good choice if the source of stress is outside the person’s control. Problem focused coping targets the causes of stress in practical ways which tackles the problem or stressful situation that is causing stress, consequently directly reducing the stress. Problem focused strategies aim to remove the cause of the stressor, including: problem-solving, time- management &obtaining instrumental social support.

3.A.(i)Critical Evaluation:

In general problem –focused coping is best, as it removes the stressor, so deals with the root cause of the problem, providing a long term solution. Problem –focused strategies are successful in dealing with stressors as discrimination (Pascoe & richman 2009)Hiv infection ,and diabetes . However, it is not always possible to use problem –focused strategies. For example, when someone dies, problem focused strategies may not be very helpful for the bereaved. Dealing with the feeling of loss requires emotion –focused coping.

3.A.(ii) Social Support

This method can be particularly useful in dealing with the young persons experiencing stress in formation. Support from friends, companions, community members, family members and others who care for us goes a long way in helping us to get by in times of trouble. Social support provides us with emotional sustenance, tangible resources and aid, and information when we are in need. People with social support feel cared about and valued by others and feel a sense of belonging to a larger social network. Research and other studies confirm that social support ensures good health and a superior ability to cope with stress. Even the perception of social support can help people cope with stress. Research also suggests that the companionship of animals can help lower stress.

3.A.(iii)Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a technique in which people learn voluntary control of stress-related physiological responses, such as skin temperature, muscle tension, blood pressure, and heart rate. Normally, people cannot control these responses voluntarily. In biofeedback training, people are connected to an instrument or machine that measures a particular physiological response, such as heart rate, and feeds that measurement back to them in an understandable way. For example, the machine might beep with each heartbeat or display the number of heart beats per minute on a digital screen. Next, individuals learn to be sensitive to subtle changes inside their body that affect the response system being measured. Gradually, they learn to produce changes in that response system- for example, to voluntarily lower their heart rate. Typically individuals use different techniques and proceed by trial and error until they discover a way to produce the desired change.

3.A.(iv)Relaxation

Progressive muscular relaxation combines with meditation are very effective methods. Progressive muscular relaxation involves systematically tensing and the relaxing different groups of skeletal (voluntary) muscles, while directing one’s attention toward the contrasting sensations produced by the two procedures. After practicing progressive muscular relaxation, individuals become increasingly sensitive to rising levels and can produce the relaxation response during everyday activities. Meditation, in addition to teaching relaxation, is designed to achieve subjective goals such as contemplation, wisdom, and altered states of consciousness. Some forms have a strong Eastern religious and spiritual heritage based Zen Buddhism and Yoga. One of the most common forms of meditation, is Transcendental Meditation, it involves focusing attention on and repeating a mantra, which is a word, sound, or phrase thought to have particularly calming properties.Both progressive muscle relaxation and meditation reliably reduce stress-related arousal. They have been used successfully to treat a range of stress-related disorders, including hypertension, migraine and tension headaches, and chronic pain.

3.A.(v)Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise- such as running, walking, biking, and skiing can help keep stress levels down. Because aerobic exercise increases the endurance of the heart and lungs, an aerobically fit individual will have a lower heart rate at rest and lower blood pressure, less reactivity to stressors, and quicker recovery from stressors. In addition, studies show that people who exercise regularly have higher self-esteem and suffer less from anxiety and depression than comparable people who are not aerobically fit. (Gramling & Auerbach 2004)

3.A.(vi)Spiritual Coping

Behavioural scientists expect that when coping responses to stressors fail, psychological defences may break down with resultant neurosis, psychosis or severe psychophysiological disorder. Yet, history shows that human tolerance for suffering during a life crisis may go far beyond the psychological formulation of defences and adaptation and in some instances surpass the usual limits of physical pain and suffering. Faith and belief in a spiritual truth, whether it is affected by superstition or maintains its purity, comprises an integral part of human personality. According to the Baha’i teachings, the creative words of a divine revelation can transform the heart and the soul of individuals as a result of receiving a new vision of life and its purpose in this universe. This new meaning and purpose will dissipate their fears and anxiety and replace them with tolerance and tranquillity. When this vision is blurred with doubts or superstition, these individuals will no longer be able to maintain that sense of tolerance and blissfulness at the time of trials and tribulations. (Abdu’l-Baha, 1983)

3.A(vii)wareness Meditative Relaxation (AMR) in the Treatment of Stress-related Illnesses:

The exercises in AMR for meditation, relaxation, and awareness leading to healing, empowerment, and awakening are simple and profound, which could be easily followed. The various steps involved in AMR therapy are: a) Body Relaxation, b) Awareness of Breathing c) Awareness of Body Sensations d) Awareness of Stressful Areas of the Body e) Awareness of Stress Feelings f) Back to Awareness of Body Sensations g) Back to Awareness Breathing h) Awakening from Meditation.

There have been innumerable cases of symptom relief for people suffering from asthma and other stress-related illnesses by making use of AMR as therapeutic tool. This is a gentle and very powerful therapy recently in use to alleviate stress-related illnesses. For this purpose various awareness meditations have been of great therapeutic value(Kunnumpuram, 2002).

3.A(vii)Vipassana

Vipassana is a very ancient meditation technique of India, rediscovered over 2,500 years ago by Gotama Buddha, the Enlightened One. The techniques helped a large number of people in India to come out of their suffering and attain a high level of growth in all spheres of human activity.Vipassana is a technique of self-exploration, a system of self-transformation by self-observation. It focuses on the absolute interconnection between mind and body that can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. Life becomes characterised by increased awareness, reality-orientation, non-delusion, self-control and peace.vipassana offers relief to get rid of all accumulated stress and other stress-related disease illnesses. (Vipassana Research Institute, 1998)

B. Reducing long- term stress

The main emphasis in management of long-term stress is on adjusting your working methods and your lifestyle. Formal relaxation techniques do have a part in this, but equally important are time management skills, a positive attitude, a healthy diet with sufficient exercise and adequate rest, and a pleasant environment. Adjusting these things will improve the quality of your life as well as increasing your resistance to stress.

3.b.(i)Time Management

Time management is a set of related practical skills that help us to use our time in the most effective and productive way possible. Time management helps you to reduce work stress by being more in control of your time and by being more productive. The central shift of attitude within time management is to concentrate on results, not on activity. A range of skills that will help us to:

- Assess the value of our time, and how effectively we are using it.

- Focus on our priorities so that we know which tasks should be done, which ones can be delegated, and which ones can be dropped.

- Use the time we have more effectively.

- Ensure that we are in control of where we are going and what you are doing.

- Giving our more quality time to relax and enjoy life outside work.

3.b.(ii)Our Attitude and its Effect

Attitude is fundamental to long term stress management. Where your attitude is negative or hostile, we will create problems out of opportunities and cause stress by alienating and irritating other people. Where we have a positive attitude, we can maintain a sense of perspective and draw the positive elements out of each situation. We will find that people will be more helpful and co-operative as they find us a pleasure to work with.

3.b.(iii) Keeping things in Perspective

When we are under stress it is very easy to lose perspective. If we take a positive approach to life, trying to find a good side to every situation, then we will find less stress. We will worry less, sleep better and enjoy life more. An important part of this is learning to view mistakes as learning experiences – if we have learned something from a mistake, then it has a positive value. When we face what seems to be a huge and overwhelming problem, we need to ask ourselves the following questions: Is this really a problem at all? b) Is this a problem anyone else has or had? Does it really matter anyway?

3.b.(iv)Being in Control:

When we are in control of your life, we can control the level of stress on our face. When we are out of control and unable to schedule events, then stress keeps on growing. An effective method of doing this is to use personal goal setting .Part of this process of planning and goal setting should include self-improvement goals. This can include work on improving your self-image, being realistic about our faults, thinking positively, learning from mistakes and taking satisfaction from our success.

3.b.(v) Attitudes to other People

Relationship with other people can be either very satisfying or very stressful and unpleasant. It is important to improve your quality of relationships, and we should understand the difference between managing them and exploiting them. The following are important factors in forming harmonious relationships with other people:

- Take a positive approach

- Project a positive image

- Be assertive

- Pay compliments where they are due

3.b.(vi) Health, Nutrition and Exercise

A surprising amount of the stress we may experience on a daily basis can be due to the chemicals we consume. By eating or drinking certain things we can actually put our bodies under chemical stress. Similarly if we are eating an unbalanced diet we may be stressing bodies by depriving them of essential nutrients. Eating too much for a long period causes obesity. This puts our heart and lungs under stress, overloads our organs and reduces stamina. We should be aware of the effects of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and sugar. Therefore if eat a good, well-balanced diet then we can minimize chemical stress. Our body will be receiving all the nutrients it requires to function effectively.

3(c) Reducing Short-Term Stress

Short-term stress also has effect on us physically, in performance and behaviour. Therefore, it is important to understand the stress levels. if we are not under enough stress, then we may find that our performance suffers because we are bored and unmotivated. Some of the techniques are used for reducing short-term stress :

3.c.(i) Increasing Stress Levels – Psyching Up

When we are not feeling motivated towards a task, either because we are bored by it, or because we are tired, then we need to psych up ourselves. This will increase our arousal so that we can perform effectively. A few techniques to psych up:

- Focus on the importance task.

- set oneself a challenge i.e. to do the job in a particular time or to do it to a particularly high standard

- use suggestion – ‘I can feel energy flowing into me’

- Break job down into small parts, do each part between more enjoyable work, and take satisfaction from the successful completion of each element.

3.c(ii)Mental Techniques for Stress Reduction

Here we concentrate on techniques for controlling stress that comes from events or anxiety. This includes stress and anxiety before speech, exam, presentation or performance, and stress that comes from unpleasant or irritating events.

3.c.(iv)Anticipation and Avoidance

By anticipating stress one can prepare for it and work how to control it when it happens. This can be carried out in a number of ways such as:

Rehearsal: by running through a stressful event may be an interview or s speech several times in advance, one can polish one’s performance and build confidence.

Planning: by analysing the causes of stress, it will help to plan the responses to forms stress. Plan ahead is very important, to reduce stress.

Avoidance: where a situation is likely to be unpleasant, and will not yield any benefit to us, it may be one we can just avoid.

3.c.(v)Reducing the Importance of an Event

A number of factors can make an event take on a high level of significance and cause stress as a result, think carefully about the event – take every opportunity to reduce its importance in our eye:

- If the event seems big put it in its place along the path to your goals. Compare it in your mind with bigger events you might know of or might have attended.

- If members of your family/community are watching, remind yourself that they love you. If friends are real friends, they will continue to like you whether you win or lose.

- If people who are important to your goals are watching then remind yourself that you may well have other chances to impress them.

3.c(vi)Reducing Uncertainty

Uncertainty can cause high levels of stress. Causes of uncertainty can be:

- not having clear idea of what the future holds, or not knowing what will be wanted from you in the future

- not knowing what your superiors or colleagues think of your abilities

- receiving inconsistent instructions

In theses cases lack of information or the actions of other people will affect negatively . most effective way of countering is to ask for the information you need. If you ask in a positive way, then people are usually quite happy to help.

3.c(vii)Imagery in Stress Reduction

Imagery is a potent method of stress reduction, especially when combined with physical relaxation methods such as deep breathing. We are all aware of how particular environments can be very relaxing, while others can be intensely stressful. The principle behind the use of imagery in stress reduction is that we can use our imagination to recreate a place or scene that is very relaxing. The more intensely you use your imagination to recreate the place or situation, the stronger and more realistic the experience will be.E.g. one common use of imagery in relaxation is to imagine a scene, place or event that you remember as peaceful, restful, beautiful, and happy. You can bring all your senses into the image, with sounds of running water and birds etc.

3.c(viii)Thought Awareness, Rational Thinking and Positive Thinking

These three related tools are useful in combating negative thinking. Negative thinking cause stress because it damages our confidence that we are equal to the task we face. Negative thoughts occur when we put ourselves down, criticize ourself for errors, doubt our abilities, expect failures, etc. Some examples of common negative thoughts are:

- worries about how we appear to other people

- a preoccupation with the symptoms of stress

- dwelling on consequences of poor performance

- self-criticism

- feelings of inadequacy

Rational Thinking and Affirmation: It is useful to counter negative thoughts with positive affirmations. we can use affirmations to build confidence and change negative behaviour patterns into positive ones. Examples of affirmations are:

- I can achieve my goals.

- I am completely myself and people will like me .

- I am completely in control of my life.

- I learn from my mistakes.

- I am a good valued person.

First decide rationally what goals you can realistically attain with hard work, and then use positive thinking to reinforce these.

4. Ongoing Counselling and Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the treatment of individuals with emotional, behavioural, or mental problems primarily through verbal interaction. Whenever a religious becomes problematic person in the community or finds it difficult to adjust and accept either with self or others, she needs counselling and psychotherapy. Most dominant therapies can be classified as (1) psychodynamic, (2) behavioural (3) cognitive, (4) humanistic and (5) eclectic.

Psychodynamic therapy emphasizes the importance of discovering the unconscious conflicts by exploring one’s childhood and past experiences. Behavioural therapy do not focus on the unconscious rather focus on the observable and measurable behaviours. Cognitive therapy emphasizes the beliefs and thoughts in human behaviour, rather than unconscious or observable behaviours. Irrational beliefs or distorted thinking patterns can cause a variety of serious problems, including depression and chronic anxiety. Humanistic therapy focuses, on the client’s present life situation, aspirations and motivations in shaping or modifying behaviour. Clients are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, to accept themselves, and to recognize their own potential for growth and change. Eclectic therapy is an integrative approach of one or more theories and therapies put together. (Janetius 2000)

CONCLUSION

In the present article, ‘stress in the initial formation of women religious,’ an attempt has been made to explore the presence of stress in formees.In our day today life we are subjected to a wide range of pressures. We also have a wide range of resources and strategies for coping well and will not feel that the pressure is having any adverse effect upon us. At other times we will have difficulty in dealing with the situation and that is when we may use the term “stress.”This study throws light, on how the formees in initial formation experience stressful situations during the whole process.

In Chapter 1, I have presented the general understanding of stress, various categories of stress, and how to become aware of stress periods, by realizing the symptoms physical, psychological, emotional and behavioural. This is also helpful to detect the causes and origin of stress. In a particular way I have emphasized how stress affects the formees and their growth during initial formation.

Chapter II deals with the various sources and factors of stress that can be found in formative communities and formees, and the sources that prevent healthy growth in the young women.

In Chapter III, I have tried to explain some of the factors, particularly how the powerful mediation of the formators can lead to growth, integrated and holistic religious life. A number of therapeutic measures and other methods to cope with stress are discussed here. To detect stressful event, differentiate short-term and long-term stress and respond to it positively. These methods will help to boost low self-esteem, regain confidence and handle life with maturity.

Some techniques are provided to help to cope with stressful situations, so that they may be able to grow progressively during the period of formation. These techniques will help the formees to be effective and efficient, to take responsibility for their life and their respective mission. It will enable them to adapt to any situations and be the good news to all. They will be able to overcome their own limitations and weaknesses, and grow in a sense of belonging to the Religious family.

Finally, the application of the ongoing counselling and psychotherapy will be great help to live a healthy, committed and fruitful life.

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20.Dr.Craig Hassed,(2007).Know Thyself –The stress management programme:Mumbai:better yourself book.

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[T1]

SR. Byata Toppo

Stress in Formation today

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