14 DAY TRIAL // For people who find it difficult to balance the daily stress they are subjected to at home, at the workplace, or even in school, experts have a very simple advice – take a step back, withdraw for a bit and reflect on things.
Scientists find themselves in a situation where they have to give this advice more often than not. This state of affairs was caused by the escalating pace of life modern society is attuned to. For many, it's simply too much to handle.
Withdrawal approached as a momentary break is not something to run away from, experts say, adding that self-reflection and introspection could help people in need get a better grasp of things, and find their balance in a hectic world.
The team that conducted the new work is based at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), in Canada. Associate professor of organizational behavior Dr. Julie McCarthy was one of the scientists in the investigation.
“People need to ask themselves, ‘What roles do I play?’ and ‘Are these roles working for me'?” she says. “And if they’re not working, we then need to ask, ‘What are the strategies I’m using to make things better'?” the expert explains.
Working together with Concordia University Tracy Hecht, McCarthy investigated a number of undergraduate students at the university. All of the participants had jobs outside school, and the team was interested in learning how these individuals achieved balance in their lives.
The three main, conflicting demands the participants were subjected to were time, attention and energy. The team was able to identify three main solutions that were generally used to achieve balance.
The firs tis solution-driven active engagement, which is a problem-focused approach. Another one, used a bit more commonly is venting feelings out on others, a method that is mostly emotion-focused.
The third approach was ignoring the problems entirely, and turning to other activities for distraction. Experts say that this method is focused on avoidance, PsychCentral reports.
But the bottom-line is that “people need time to refocus in order to learn or study well,” McCarthy explains. The third approach, traditionally viewed as a coward's way out of trouble, appeared to yield the most beneficial results overall.
“Maybe, by backing off and taking breaks, students are able to replenish their resources,” the expert adds. “People need to assess which strategies they’re using to cope with their problems and make sure they’re making time for resource recovery,” the expert adds.
“Too many roles can be detrimental unless we begin asking ourselves honest, pointed questions,” McCarthy concludes.