I have GAS!!!

DO YOU??

GAS???GeneralAdaptation Syndrome

As soon as you perceive something to be a stressor your body springs into action. It’s automatic and you have no control over it!

Quick Facts about GAS…or Stress

Stress is a reaction in your body and mind to threatening or challenging events in your life.

You experience stress when situations, events or people make demands on your body and mind.

All stress is caused by something -these causes are called stressors

General Adaptation Syndrome are the 3 stages

of stress

GAS is a series of changes in the body caused by stress.

Imagine riding a bike…look up to see you are in the path of a fast moving car OR playing in a basketball game…hustle back on defense to stop the fast break…take a charge

Stage 1 ALARM

oBody is ready for quick action. oEpinephrine (hormone that prepares the body to react during times of stress or emergency) is released into the bloodstream.

Go from homeostasis state to a surge of adrenaline and will react in one of two ways: fight or flight

Flight or Fight

Pupils Dilate Hearing sharpens Saliva decreases Heart rate increases Blood pressure

increases Bronchioles dilate Digestion slows Blood flow to muscles

increase Muscles tighten Blood sugar increases

Stage 2 RESISTANCE

Body attempts to regain internal balance.The body is no longer in an emergency

state.Recover from alarm stage -become

tired and irritable then return to homeostasis

Therefore:

Our body tries to return to normal…

Pupils constrict Hearing returns to normal Saliva increases Heart rate decreases Blood pressure decreases Bronchioles constrict Intestinal secretions increase to normal Blood flow to muscles decreases Muscles relax Blood sugar returns to normal

Stage 3 EXHAUSTION

You will enter the exhaustion stage if you do NOT manage stress.

Wear and tear on the body increases the risk of injury, illness, and premature death.

Body becomes worn down and can no longer fight off the stressor

Isn’t stress normal?

SIGNS OF STRESS

•Physical Signs-headache, etc.

•Behavioral Signs-drug abuse, etc.

•Emotional Signs-nervousness, etc.

Stress and Injury

Keep your mind on what you are doing -concentrate and think clearly!

Eustress

Eustress is good stress/positive stress Getting married Making the all-star basketball team Getting the lead role in the school play Getting moved into a management position in your job

Moderate levels of stress that can actually improve your ability to concentrate and perform at your best.

DistressDistress is bad stress/negative stresso Getting caught drinkingo Busted for cheating on testo Hitting the snooze too many timeso Not getting homework doneo Lying to your parentso Losing your cell phone for the 3rd time

Beyond the level of eustress, stress begins to take a negative toll on performance.

Emotions of each type of stress

Eustress vs. DistressAlert NervousFocused ForgetfulMotivated FrightenedEnergized ConfusedConfident Unsure

Stress is the body or mind’s response to a demand.

Stressor is any situation placing this demand on the body or mind.Examples:Major life changesEveryday problemsPhysical surroundingsYour futureConflict with family or friends

Thinking Stressor

Any type of mental challenge can cause stress

Taking a test Homework Decisions

Environmental Stressor

Conditions or events in your physical environment that cause you stress

PollutionPovertyCrowdingNoiseNatural Disasters

Biological Stressors

Conditions that make it difficult for your body to take part in daily activities

IllnessDisabilityDiseaseInjuryCongenital deformity

Behavioral Stressor

Unhealthy behavior that you CHOOSE to do

Not getting enough sleepPoor time managementLack of exerciseUsing tobacco, alcohol, or drugs

Life Change Stressors

Any major life change (either positive or negative)

Death of a loved oneGetting marriedDivorceOther personal events

Personality Types & Stress

Type A -rushed, competitive, high standards for self, try to accomplish a lot in a short period of time, etc.-if high standards for self are not met, type A personalities experience high levels of distress that can adversely effect their health status

Type B-calmer, less competitive, have difficulty facing challenges, etc.-tend to be less concerned about accomplishment and therefore are less likely to experience distress if they do not meet

BEHAVIOR AND STRESS

Perfectionism -when someone accepts nothing less than excellence in himself or herself (pressure on self)

Negative Thinking-sometimes negative thoughts accompany stressful situations which in turn increases stress level even further

Hardiness/Resilience-people who experience stress but rarely feel the ill effects

They view stress as a challenge They are committed & involved in what they do They have a sense of control

Bio Dots

Record when the color changed and briefly describe the situation you were in-a minimum of 10 recordings!!

Try to relax yourself and see if you can cause the color to change to blue or violet.

Try to get the color to change to a darker color by imagining a stressful situation.

STRESS REACTIONSTRESS REACTION

How you react to stressor depends on the answer to these two questions:

1. Does this situation threaten my well-being?

2.Do I have the resources to meet the challenge?

Stress then becomes a personal response on how you assess a situation.

Stress and your body

Psychosomatic: real physical disorders that are brought on, or made worse, by stress

Stress by itself does not usually cause serious illness

Severe or prolonged stress can effect your health

1. Colds and flus Weakens the immune system and more

susceptible to illness & also will take longer to recover

2. Tension Headaches Muscles in head and neck tighten,

causing headaches3. Backache Frequent tension in muscles of back

4.TMJ Syndrome Temporomandibular joint is affected because of

chronic clenching or grinding of the teeth – pain is present in joints, headaches and dental problems will occur.

5.Coronary Heart Disease Increased amount of cholesterol (fat-like

substance that clogs arteries) in body/bloodstream that decreases the blood supply to the heart. As a result heart attacks are more common

6. High Blood Pressure Can rupture blood vessel in the brain (loss of

speech, bodily movement, or death)7. Chronic Fatigue Tired all the time. Long-term energy loss.8. Mental Illness Stress will wear down the psyche (mental state)9. Injury prone Athletes will notice more muscle injuries –

strains and sprains

Stress wears down the mind and body…

60-80% of all physical and mental disorders are stress-related

NOT all caused by stress but they are made worse by stress

ELIMINATING STRESS

Can’t eliminate ALL stress but you can attempt to interpret some differently and gain control.

Many stressors occur regularly and they can be anticipated and removed.

Waking up late/ having a tough time getting up

Not prioritizing what is MOST important.

Stress Terms

STRESS INTERVENTIONAny action that prevents a stressor from

resulting into negative consequences.

SELECTIVE AWARENESSChoosing to focus on aspects of a

situation that help you feel better.

Why are teenagers susceptible to stress?

Expectations, temptations, pressures

Parents, teachers and adults tend to view the world of children as happy and carefree.

Teens have worries, pressures and often feel hurried   

They have tremendous issues with their self esteem and self confidence. 

Teens become very good at acting or hiding their true feelings: 

Teens with low self-esteem appear hesitant and uncomfortable in the classroom and in social situations.

They tend to only answer direct questions and prefer to keep their opinions to themselves because they fear other's reactions. 

They are afraid of being made fun of, afraid of not fitting in.

Yes, teen stress, as much as we want to deny is very real!

Teens are physically, emotionally and mentally developing at a very rapid rate.

Hormones kick in. Parents expect them to make

decisions about their future. Pressure to do well in school,

excel at athletics or put a lot of time into studying and community activities comes from parents, teachers, peers and from yourself internally.

Social pressures can be intense.

MANAGING STRESS is a LIFELONG

PROCESS … So, what can you do to

COPE?

Stress Coping Techniques

1.Time Management Prioritize (1-5

daily)

Biofeedbacklearn to control your stress through physical feedback

Confront the Problemdon’t deny or avoid the situation -it will just get

worse

Mental Rehearsal mental practice in dealing with the stressor and/or situation

Meditation In order to concentrate, we

focus on one thing or object.

When our thoughts start to wander, we take them back to our object of focus.

During Meditation, ignore all irrelevant thoughts and sensations.

Breathing Exercises

Basic Breathing Here we go... ONE Take a deep, deep breath through your nose. Deeeeep - and slow - and release it

slowly through your pursed lips - like blowing a kiss - all the way out... TWO Once more - another deep, deep breath - in through your nose - count up to 8 - sit up

straight so you can fill your lungs all the way to the bottom - and very slowly, very gently - out through your pursed lips as you count down from 8...

Close your eyes, relax your muscles and allow the tension to leave your body. THREE And one more deeeeep breath - in through your nose - and - blow kiss - out slowly

and gently through your pursed lips... And relax your muscles - all over - every muscle - just relaaaax - like butter - like

crusty, old snow melting on a warm, sunny day - from the tip of your head to the tip of your toes.

Roll Breathing

Place your left hand on your abdomen and your right hand on your chest. Notice how your hands move as you breathe in and out.

Practice filling your lower lungs by breathing so that your left hand goes up when you inhale and your right hand remains still. Always inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

When you have filled and emptied your lower lungs 8 to 10 times, add the second step to your breathing: Inhale first into your lower lungs as before, and then continue inhaling into your upper chest. As you do so, your right hand will rise and your left hand will fall a little as your abdomen falls.

As you exhale slowly through your mouth, make a quiet, whooshing sound as first your left hand and then your right hand falls. As you exhale, feel the tension leaving your body as you become more and more relaxed.

Practice breathing in and out in this manner for 3 to 5 minutes. Notice that the movement of your abdomen and chest is like rolling waves rising and falling in a rhythmic motion.

Humor Therapy Therapeutic Humor

Music Therapy

Using music to relax or match your mood

What’s your mood?

Journaling

Write your feelings in a blog or journal

Will help sort out feelings and provides an opportunity for freedom of expression

Guided Imagery

Think, for example, of holding a fresh, juicy lemon in your hand. Perhaps you can feel its texture or see the vividness of its yellow skin. As you slice it open, you see the juice squirt out of it. The lemon's tart aroma is overwhelming. Finally, you stick it in your mouth, suck on it and taste the sour flavor as the juices roll over your tongue.

IMAGINE the possibilities…

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Feel the tension by squeezing and releasing individual muscles

Begin at the head and move all the way to the feet focusing on one muscle group at a time

Aromatherapy

Using aroma-producing oils to relax the body

Impulses from these smells can be sent to the brain to calm the body

Massage oils, candles, lotions, incense

Tai Chi & Qi Gong

Ancient Chinese exercises

Based on the theory that energy (qi or chi) flows through the body in energy pathways (meridians).

If the flow is blocked or unbalanced, illness may occur

Yoga/Pilates/Pyos

Combination of breathing and exercises called postures

Meditation is often a component of yoga

Massage Therapy

Massage given by professional trained in therapeutic massage

Relaxing environment with low light and soothing music

Usually accompanied by aromatherapy

Some of the Many Types

Swedish MassageHot Stone MassageAromatherapy MassageShiatsuDeep Tissue MassageReflexology

Shiatsu

Physical Activity

Running Biking Swimming Skateboarding ANYTHING that helps

release that stress!

The Key

Find one that works for you!

Photo credits

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