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.



I live in Anchorage, Alaska some 40 miles from Sarah Palin's hometown of Wasilla. This doesn't really give me any credentials to comment on Sarah except that our local media is bombarded daily with stories about her vice presidential nomination and activities. So, as a psychologist who is interested in stress, I began to wonder what strategies Sarah uses to manage the incredible pressures that she currently confronts.

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?

If a person's system is constantly stressed, there are many negative side-effects. These are caused by the neurochemicals that cause us to be in a state of what has been called fight or flee. Sustained stress has many negative correlates, for example, headaches, inability to speak well in public, loss of confidence, and general strain. Sarah Palin seems to rely on what is called eustress. This is good positive stress which uses all the stimulus chemicals to bring us to a level of competitive challenge. This sort of stress helps one to deal with the pressures that Sarah currently confronts.

I wrote this article because I became fascinated when I started to consider the number of stressors that Sarah Palin has to confront in her current campaign. Constant criticism from the media, the need to be on her game in understanding and dealing with Barack Obama, and learning new policy positions are some of the challenges she faces. How does she cope with the challenges?

Imagine the life of a politician. Shortly after taking office, their life changes dramatically. Most politicians are extremely tense and stressed because of excessive travel, high workloads, and no time with family. According to Cary Cooper, a noted research psychologist, Scottish politicians reported sleeping problems, excessive eating and drinking, low motivation, and lack of confidence. The need to be expert in a wide range of areas is an additional stress that all politicians have to confront.

Despite the fact that Sarah Palin is fully engaged in the presidential campaign, she still has a lot of local responsibilities. There are criticisms that she is not attending to her role as Governor of Alaska. She has other unresolved issues that confront her, for example, what they call Troopergate. This is the issue over her involvement in the employment of her former brother-in-law. As well, she has responsibilities as a mother, for example, her son's deployment and her daughter's pregnancy. All of these add to the pressure she must be experiencing.

Journalists seem intent upon discovering how competent Sarah is in terms of economics, taxation, security, and international affairs. Most Alaskans, in fact 82% of them, are very happy with the way Sarah has operated as Governor of Alaska. But being a Vice President bears such large-scale responsibility that many people are questioning her credentials. The current bailout, Wall Street plunges, the Georgian invasion, the conflicting taxation policies of the Democrats and the Republicans - all of these require her to be well briefed and comfortable in these policies and her ability to present these publicly. These are obvious sources of stress.

Constant tension and uncertainty could lead to feelings of insecurity and lack of confidence. Being interviewed repeatedly on a wide range of issues can be challenging for extremely experienced politicians. Criticism in the media and unfair representation in cartoons can destabilize a politician quickly.

I would love to interview Sarah Palin on more personal issues, for example, her level of emotional self-awareness, and emotional intelligence, her sense of purpose, and her stress management and reduction strategies. My guess is that she has an innate core of assurance and certainty. She always seemed to be purposeful and confident.

If Sarah were to be Vice President, how effectively would she be able to manage all the complicated and constant stressors of that office? What would be the strategies that she would employ? I believe that her strong sense of God's purpose in her life is the fundamental basis for her self-assurance. There is no question that she is ambitious and driven. She is a competitor and enjoys the challenge of competition. She has the support of the First Dude, her husband Todd Palin. She has a strong sense of conviction about what is right and wrong and she has a built a strong base for herself as a reformer. All of these fundamental values and beliefs provide Sarah Palin with excellent stress management strategies.