Nowadays, when you think of Alaska, moose, grizzly bears, hockey moms, and pitbull dogs you think of Sarah Palin. She has become an overnight phenomenon on the national and international scene. The real question is whether her overnight popularity will be sustained. There is no doubt that she is the most attractive politician on the international scene.

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?

There is no doubt in my mind that Sarah is relying on what is called eustress. This is positive stress that occurs when we are presented with exciting challenges. When we feel positive about these challenges we rely on the neurochemicals that flood our system, cortisol and adrenaline, to keep us in a high energy state. This is good stress unlike the usual view of stress which is seen as negative and dysfunctional. Distress causes a range of nervous responses, for example, sweating, loss of confidence, lack of fluency in oral presentations, and general inability to be able to cope if the stress is sustained.

Those events or stimuli that cause stress are called, obviously, stressors. Just stop and wonder for a moment about the range and intensity of stressors with which Sarah is currently dealing. How many are there? How does she cope with them?

Have you ever wondered how stressful the life of a politician is? A political office might seem powerful and exciting but it can also be stressful. In a recent report to the British Psychological Society, Cary Cooper, a noted stress researcher, found that within six months of taking office politicians reported elevated stress. This included sleeping disorders, an over-reliance on eating and drinking to solve the stress, loss of confidence and lack of motivation. What causes stress for politicians? Huge workloads, lots 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.

My simple question is this: what strategies does Sarah Palin use to manage her stress? What a great interview this would be. I’m sure that she has very many effective stress reduction strategies. When you watch her, you can see a high level of self-assurance and emotional intelligence. She is also driven by a great 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.