Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Alkhateeb, the Continuous Education Unit at the University of Baghdad/College of Pharmacy held an in-person workshop entitled “Stress Management, Positive thinking, and Self-motivation,” delivered by Assistant Professor Dr. Noor Sabah Jaafar, a faculty member at the Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plant Department.
The workshop aimed to introduce psychological stress and the body’s and mind’s response to it, highlight its effects on physical and mental health, and identify effective and appropriate coping strategies.
The workshop included several topics, including defining the sources of psychological stress and the factors leading to it, discussing the types of stress represented by positive and negative stress and clarifying the differences between them, reviewing the associated symptoms whether physical or psychological, addressing its impact on individual performance and daily behavior, focusing on the role of positive thinking in reducing its intensity, and emphasizing the importance of self-motivation as an effective means of dealing with challenges and stress.
The workshop concluded that stress can be managed but cannot be eliminated, that positive thinking is a skill that can be learned and developed, and that optimism is the belief that leads to achievement, while stressing the importance of enhancing self-awareness and adopting healthy strategies to cope with daily life stressors.
