Health Sociology Essay, Research Paper

Health Diary

Review / Analysis

Introduction

This paper will consisit of a literature review and analysis of a health diary that is

two weeks in the making. The diary is my own. I am a 21 year old collegiate student and

athlete at a major university.

Literature Review

According to my reference, people deal with stress in two major ways. The first is

where people like to keep their problems or stress to themselves. These people were

found to be more likely to stay stressed out longer than a person who wants to talk and

release. The people who tend to leave it in as we say, are found to be more likely to have

more mood swings. The effects of not releasing their stress or anger makes the person

sort of mentally exhausted in a way. The stress held in often makes a person very irritable

and less patient in many situations that require a lot of mental capacity and to want to give

up easily when something starts to get to them. Most stress does come from actions that

happen to them, but there are some stressors that come from within. Stress ranges from

family to the most common of internal stressors, problems with ones health or their body.

When asked if they could change something about their body, most people would love to

change their bodies, but they have no time. It seems that society today places way too

much emphasis. This is done through the media by the use of television, radio, magazines,

and commercials.

Then, on the other hand, there are those who release their stress through talking or

some other type of communication. These people are often found to be a lot easier going

in their regular daily lives than those who tend to keep their stress in. If people talk about

their feelings that tends to let people have more mental capacity for having a good time in

life instead of living in sort of a stress controlled little world.

Analysis

The entries identify that my core category or behavioral pattern would really

consist of three major stresses in my life: school, personal, and athletics. These are all

brought on due to the stressful life that I live everyday do to my many activities. I know

that these choices I face are all my fault and responsibility. I did not have to choose to

face so much, but I just really need the competition in my life along with my current love

life.

The first stress in my young life is due to my school and the great amount of time

involved. School is a stress that appears to be a stress nearly half the time I would make

an entry. Now that I am entering the fourth year of my college career I fell a pressure to

finish soon although my parents tell not to hurry and to remember that I am still just 21

years old. I am in the middle of a major change from Communications to Applied

Technology. You would think of this as a simple change, but the length of school issue

starts to set in more and more everyday. It seemed that when I first entered school I felt

that college was so easy and that I had it made, but it all changes every year. With every

upper level class there is always some busy work to do and that teachers really do not

understand what it is like to be a college student these days. Take my life for instance. I

have to juggle the usual college workload and also the life of a collegiate athlete.

Everyday I usually get home around 5 or 6 o clock, which is not a bad time, but I am very

tired when I do get home. We take road trips six games a year which means missing many

valuable class times since most Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes have their tests on

Fridays. So, when I do get back in town I must catch up in my classes and fit time to take

these retake tests in my already busy schedule. This happened on days six and eight of my

entrees. This type of lifestyle gets old real quick and can wear not only on your mind, but

also on your entire body as a whole.

The next factor that follows in my behavioral is my personal life. There are many

factors that are stresses in my life, but one main one is my girlfriend, Micaela, who I love

so much. It is not really a stress, but really a need to please her. I do not please her just

for her, but it makes me feel good to know that she is happy and content with me. This is

one of those things I do not have to have, instead her and I are something I want so very

much. Just like my football career I choose to be involved in this relationship. It is not

something I probably need right now, nor is it something most people my age in college

do, but she seems to keep my mind on what is important. There are entrees in my diary

where I think about whether or not to go out to a bar or club and she reminds that I do

not need all of these things. She is an influence not only verbally, but also in my mind . I

can just look at her and not need another thing in the whole world. Don t get me wrong, I

still hang out with my friends, but just enough to keep a good balance. The other stress

that comes from my personal life is that of my community service that I have to complete.

There are 100 hours I must finish at 16 hours a month. It is not a lot to ask that I only do

these 16 hours a month, but with my packed schedule, it is more than you would think.

This is only one of the small factors that fell on days 1, 3, 8, and 10.

I know here in a few weeks that I will have a normal college life because there will

be the absence of football in my life for the first time in fifteen years. How that will be I

can not yet tell you. This is where I come to the reason for ranking athletics higher than

school or my personal life. Like I said before, this will be the first time without sports in

as long as can remember in my short life. In 9 out of my 14 entrees there is a part in my

day where thinking about life after football starts to sink in and cannot even fathom the

idea. The big reason for this stress is because everyday I report for practice I realize I am

one day closer to being done, and with every game it is one week less that I have left.

That is the part that really kills me. Most people would think that juggling football and

school would be the hard part, but the hard part to most athletes, like me, is facing the fact

that you will never play the sport you love ever again. Some are good enough to play in

the NFL, but the 90% like me never play again. This seems to find its way into my

thought process all the time and I cannot seem to shake the idea of being without sports. I

know when I am done that I want to continue being active but now I have to find

something new to do in my life. I once had to let go of basketball when I finished high

school and that was hard, but I always had my football. Pretty soon (12 days) I will be

without my last passion.

After completing this diary I notice that I seem to take on more than I really should

in my young life. I seem to let things get to me due to my over-thinking of everyday

activities. Now that the athletic part of my life soon be over, I will still be axscious to see

how I will adjust to my new life style. As far as class goes I intend on finishing in about a

year. Then, I will keep loving Micaela as long as she will allow. I am glad I have

completed this assignment and I very happy with the new things I have learned about

myself.