Adult Learning is affected by our ability to manage stress. Stress comes in many forms. Things like our environment, physiological well being, thoughts and social stresses can have an effect on our learning. The knowledge of stress’s impact on learning has resulted in a cottage industry dedicated to teaching methods of managing it. The ability to identify sources of stress and then ways to manage them are key to resolving and overcoming stress and opening our learning channels.

Environment is a major factor in causing stress and tension in all of us often without our knowledge. Noise can throw the body and mind out of synchronization and make concentration difficult. Studies have shown “that music which goes against the body’s natural rhythm - the heartbeat - induces a type of stress that even babies in the womb react to by kicking the mother’s tummy.” (“Heighten”). On the other hand music that fits with the bodies natural heartbeat causes relaxation and allows the mind to focus better and get into a flow zone, absorbing knowledge at a greater rate. (“What”)

Weather and pollution can also cause stress we may not even notice. (“Stress”) You know the feeling. It is a cloudy hazy day outside and you can not seem to motivate yourself to do anything. Going out feels like a huge chore and all you want to do is sit at home and be lazy. Studying and doing anything productive is out of the question. The reason is that your body is reacting to the stress the weather is causing. Relaxation techniques can counter this lethargy. (“Stress”) Don’t let the weather make you lazy, get out and do something constructive, you will feel better and be able to focus and make learning much easier.

Traffic and crowding (“Stress”) are well-documented causes of stress as well. Many of us have heard of cases of road rage. Finding parking at the mall during the holiday season is definitely a huge cause of stress. Again, relaxation is important in managing our stress so we do not hurt ourselves or others over something like parking spot or traffic conditions. (Nezu, Nezu, and Lombardo 2001)

The body itself can actually cause stress that will affect our ability to learn. Physiological causes of stress include “illness, injuries, hormonal fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition.” (“Stress”) Reflect back on your ability to study when your head is stuffed up, you are coughing, and your body is racked with aches. Or, imagine suffering a broken wrist and being in a cast for eight months. What if it was your writing hand and your thumb was immobilized so you could not write? It could make learning a major chore. Hormonal fluctuations such as those experienced during pregnancy might make focusing on studies very difficult (although it also provides a portable writing table and book holder so you can lay in bed and write a paper).

Finally, getting enough to eat and sleep is essential to learning. (“Stress”) Hunger can cause stress and detract from learning. Being overly tired can also cause stress. It can make it difficult to focus on anything but how tired we are and how badly we want to get some sleep.

Our thoughts have the capacity to control our stress levels. Self-doubt or negativity from others is a commencement toward negative thoughts. Picture yourself at the office. You are experiencing heavy activity around you; the phones are continuously ringing; your computer is refusing to cooperate; your appointment shows up early and you realize you put off preparing for them because you thought you had more time. Your first thought is doom. The attitude being expressed easily attracts the attention of those around you. This type of situation can happen to anyone. Seligman maintains that “[o]ptimism, a sense of personal control and the ability to find meaning in one’s life experiences are useful and important psychological resources long believed to be associated with the promotion of mental health.” (qtd. In Greenglass, 2001) Maintaining a positive attitude when facing situations like those stated above helps us control our thoughts that alleviate or reduce our stress levels while maintaining good mental health.

Financial problems may affect some of us at one time in our lives. The key is to get hold of the problem and fix it. Do not procrastinate. Be proactive or seek professional help if your bills are getting to the point where they are drowning you in debt. Do not wait until you receive a final overdue notice before you try to make a payment. If you know that you can not make the arranged payment then call the business, explain to them what your position is and more than likely they will be very willing to work with you because of your effort. (Davis)

Most people can relate to workplace stress. In its extreme, for example, the suicide rate among men in Japan has been climbing for the last 15 years and is “the 13th most common cause of death for men. (It’s 21st for women)”. (Lu) Whether it is from trying to identify our place in the corporate structure or simply impressing the boss by relating our dependability and worthiness, we may be setting ourselves up for tons of work related stress. If your boss gives you two or three assignments to complete by the end of the week and you already know that you are over-tasked, learn how to say no or respectfully decline the assignments and state the reason. What if we can not say no or decline a task? We may want to try delegating the responsibility to others in the workplace. Just because our boss signed up for greater responsibility does not mean that his efforts have to overwhelm us. (Greenglass)

Social events can manifest into chaos. From deciding whether or not to attend to who to bring or what to wear. Creating the best impression or knowing the correct model of behavior at these events will include many factors the most important of which is to simply know the rules. (Winfrey)

One way to relieve stress is to vary our environment. This can be accomplished by creating a pattern to help reduce stress: going to bed and getting up at certain times; taking time off of work to give ourselves time to relax; or by setting specific times to eat lunch and dinner. We could also take an hour or two after eating to study or work on an assignment that is due; go for a jog or a walk; study after exercise; spend time with loved ones; play games; hold each other or just sit and talk about the day’s events. We could try listening to some favorite music; going to the park or a movie; getting lost in a book; visiting with a friend; writing in a journal; or going out to eat. Try making a schedule, planning each day out and then including a rest and relaxation time where the most stressful points of the day occur. We simply need to be creative in relieving the tensions caused by stress. (“Stress”)

There are many different ways to relieve stress. Finding the right one that will work best for us is the challenge. There are seminars that can help identify areas of stress in our lives and what we can do to prevent it from escalating. Our coworkers, friends and family can also help us identify the areas of stress in our lives. Proper exercise, nutritional management, sleep, and recreational can be designed to reduce the amount of stress in our lives. Find the one that is right for you and use it to help maintain the goal of a stress-free life. (“Stress”)

Stress is experienced in both personal and professional venues. Personal stress can be identified with financial circumstances or the loss of a loved one. Professional stress can be caused by overloaded tasking or unrealistic deadlines to complete projects. In either case, they can cause feelings of being overwhelmed. Identifying the cause of stress helps us prepare for problem solving. Problem solving is identifying the situation and finding a possible solution. The problem solving process is breaking down the steps to reach your goal and complete the project. Problem solving is one of the methods that help manage our stress. (Nezu, Nezu, and Lombardo 2001)
One text notes that “problem solving is comprised of two major, partially independent overall processes – problem orientation and problem solving style.” (Nezu, Nezu, and Lombardo 2001) What is our character when confronted with a problem?

“Problem orientation” is our reaction to the problem. If we react under stress with negative actions or thoughts we will have a negative effect, but if we are comprised of positive emotions we are more apt to have a better solution. Positive and negative actions are the two characteristics associated with “problem orientation”. An impulsive and avoidance problem solving style will result from negative “problem orientation”.

One successful problem-solving style is “rational problem solving” which is based on optimism and is an approach that involves well-thought out processes with four basic “skill domains” 1) problem definition and formulation; 2) generation of alternatives; 3) decision making; and 4) solution implementation and verification. (Nezu, Nezu, and Lombardo 2001)

Evaluating oneself and taking a positive approach is a key factor in establishing the management of stress. When we act on a positive approach, we are formulating a pattern that will make us better colleagues or leaders in the workplace.

Relaxation is not a birthright, it is a learned ability. From childhood to adulthood, relaxing has always been on the bottom of the list. Every day we meet the demands of this high tech hustle and bustle society always seeming to forget to stop and smell the roses. Today the techniques for relaxation are ample, however, we either can’t afford it or just do not have the time. Some of these include; massage, aromatherapy, breathing and meditation, or even something as simple as taking a walk. Relaxation doesn't have to be as difficult as we make it seem. For the corporate person all they have to do is schedule it in, for the blue collar worker all they have to do is buy a planner and learn to use it. And last but not least, for the domestic workers (i.e., at home moms, self employed) all they need to do is to absolve themselves from taking care of everyone else for ten minutes. As you can see planning is an essential part of relaxation, how ironic that sounds when all we want to do is relax.

Values are simple truths that we base our main principles on. Our principles are what define our means of life. The principles on which our values are based upon are what we decide from life’s experiences. What is good or bad; right or wrong; left or right; up or down. What is important or not important and what is knowledge and what is not. To clarify these values which are instilled in each and every one of us gives us drive and motivation to push us forward to succeed. Values push us to maintain our goals and to push us to best ourselves to achieve almost anything we can get out of life.

Each individual has to decide for themselves what they want out of life. How each individual decides is by trial and error or by experiencing what life and others have to offer them. No one can tell what you should do but they can tell you what options you have in deciding what would be best for you to do to figure out what you, the person may want out of life for that sense of well being and spirituality.

Your well being is based on how you take what life has to offer and deal with it. Spirituality comes from your faith or what you may believe in. What you base your spirituality on may vary from organized religion such as churches, religious retreats or ministries or through nature and being in harmony with it and your surroundings. Volunteer work may give you insight and a chance to learn what you can from others lives and see what their experiences have to offer you. (Gross 66-67)

Understanding the issues that affect your ability to learn is critical to mitigating them. Resolution or implementation of any of the above techniques will improve your receptiveness to new ideas and open the flow to learning.

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