Is Sarah Palin stressed?
There is no doubt that Sarah Palin has hit the American scene like a moose crashing through your front garden. She presents a compelling combination of features. First off, and the media doesn't play this up, she is extremely attractive. The media call this telegenic and she is the most telegenic politician in America. She also has a popular appeal of being a smalltown mom in America's last frontier. And some people say that she is the Princess Di for the US.
Why am I writing about Sarah Palin? If Sarah Palin is qualified to comment on Russian affairs because she lives in Alaska, perhaps I too am qualified to comment on Sarah as I live in Alaska some 40 miles from Wasilla. But this is not the reason. I write about stress and how this affects people in the workplace and at home. Having read dozens of news articles about Sarah, I began to wonder how well she copes with stress.
I would love to interview Sarah and ask what her secret is for looking so continually composed, relaxed, excited, and on top of her game. As everyone knows, she is a wife, mother, Governor, and now vice presidential nominee. She has a five-month-old baby. She has been thrust into the international limelight in a way that few people ever have outside the entertainment industry. So what is her secret for managing stress?
There are two kinds of stress – distress and eustress. Stress can be either brief or sustained. Distress can create many dysfunctional characteristics: sweating, a nervous state, uncertainty, constant tension, lack of confidence, and a failure to be able to cope with daily life. Sarah Palin certainly doesn't fit this picture. Then there is eustress. This is an elevated state of excitement with increased neurochemicals, for example, cortisol and adrenaline. Eustress helps deal with pressures and new challenges. This is Sarah Palin's special brand of stress.
But stop and think for a moment. What exactly are the sorts of stressors confronting Sarah Palin right now? And how is she handing the stressors? These are the questions are prompted me to write this article.
Cary Cooper, a British psychologist who has a huge research background in stress, recently reported on his study of stress in politicians. The study found that six months after taking up office, politicians were reporting elevated levels of stress. The signs included loss of confidence, sleeping problems, drinking and eating too much, feeling constantly under strain and showing increasing lack of motivation. The reasons for the stress were clear: a large workload, up to 70 hours work per week, a lot of travel, and very little time with family.
At this stage, Sarah Palin is not vice president but she is still Governor of Alaska. There is mounting criticism in the local press about Sarah's absence from the State and from her responsibilities as Governor. She is a very responsible and ethical person. This must be causing her some tension. She also has the spectre of Troopergate lurking in the background. She has had to hand over a lot of responsibilities to the McCain political team. She has her daughter's pregnancy and marital state to worry about. And a son has just been deployed to Afghanistan.
But there are other sources of stress as well. Sarah has been thrust on to the political and international stage. While there is no doubt that she has the background and skill to handle Alaskan issues, political journalists have questioned her credibility in national and international affairs. Given the current bailout and economic crisis, how competent is she to address major financial issues? Given Russia's recent incursion into Georgia, can she handle sophisticated diplomatic negotiations? Does she have enough understanding of the taxation system at the national level?
Questions about her political knowledge can undermine her confidence. They can put her in a defensive position at every interview. They can make her feel tense and uncertain unless she has in-depth knowledge of the issues at hand. Criticisms from all fronts can destabilize one's level of security and self-assurance.
So, how does Sarah Palin handle stress? What strategies does she used to manage the tension? These are the questions which would make for a fascinating interview. My educated guess would be that she uses many productive stress management strategies. Many of these strategies would derive from a high-level of emotional self-awareness and a strong sense of purpose.
She has a strong sense of family and personal values. She has an unshakeable belief in God's will and purpose. She relies on prayer as a form of stress reduction and to give her direction. She has the support of a huge number of people, not only the First Dude and her children, but many Alaskans. She has an extraordinary amount of personal ambition and drive. She is a competitor who loves to win and enjoys the challenge of competition. My guess is that she uses a range of very productive stress management strategies that will continue to help her manage stress in her public life.
Warm regards
Dr Jeff
For the team at
mightydigitaldownloads.com
Dr Jeff Bailey, a psychologist, writes about stress. Given all the media attention about Sarah Palin as the VP candidate, he started to wonder about how well she manages stress. Sarah has effective stress reduction strategies. Check out his free stress book.
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