Stress

Stress• The body’s and mind’s

reaction to everyday demands or threats.

• Real or imagined

• Stress can be minor and go unnoticed

• Can be useful or harmful, energizing or exhausting

• Key-learn to handle it in healthful ways

Distress

• Negative stress

• Too much pressure or trauma and you don’t know how to deal with it

Eustress

•Positive stress

•Can help you achieve your goals

Kinds of stressors

Stressor

• Any stimulus that produces a stress response

• People, objects, places, events, or situations

5 general categories of stressors

Biological stressors

• Biochemical imbalances

• Mental or physical illness

• Disabilities or injuries

Environmental stressors

• Poverty• Pollution• Crowding• Noise• Natural disasters

Cognitive or thinking stressors

• Perceive a situation

• What you expect

Personal behavior stressors

• Tobacco

• Alcohol

• Other drugs

• Not exercising

Life situations

• Relative or pet die

• Parents separate or divorce

• Trouble with relationships

The body’s stress response

• Perceive a situation or event to be a threat, your body begins a stress response

• Nervous and endocrine systems are active during reaction to stressors

• Involuntary• Occur whether physical or

emotional, positive or negative

Alarm stage

• 1st stage in the stress response, when the body and mind go on high alert

Adrenaline

• “emergency hormone”• Secreted by the adrenal

glands to prepare the body to respond to a stressor

• Sweat and tears – only way to get rid of

Fight or flight

• Heart speeds up• Breath faster• Throat muscles contract• Sweat• Arms and legs tighten • Mind on high alert

Resistance

•2nd stage in the stress response, body tries to repair the damage and return to normal

Fatigue•3rd stage, resulting in a tired feeling that lowers one’s level activity

Three kinds of fatigue

Physical fatigue

•End of long day

•After exercise

Pathological fatigue

• Overworking

• Sick, overweight, poor nutrition

• Alcohol or caffeine

Psychological fatigue

• Constant worry• Overwork• Depression• Boredom• isolation

•Prolonged or repeated stress can lead to stress-related illnesses.

Stress and the brain

• Thrive on challenge or frighten you

• New experiences unafraid or change scare you

• Neurotransmitters – brain chemicals

Stress tolerance

•Amount of stress which you can handle before you reach a state of too much stress.

Stress and your personality type

Type A personality

• Competitive

• High-achieving

• Develop heart disease or other health problems

Type B personality

• “laid back”

• Non-competitive

• Less likely to suffer heart disease

Hardy personality

• able to stay healthy despite major or traumatic stressors

• Resilience• Change• Commitment• control

Psychosomatic response

• Physical disorder that results from stress rather than from an injury or illness

Signs of stress

Physical signs

• Headaches

• Trembling

• Upset stomach

• Sweating

• constipation

• Diarrhea

• Trouble sleeping

• Grinding teeth

• Dry mouth

• Back pain

Emotional signs

• Frustration

• Nervousness

• Feeling powerless

• Impatience

• Mood swings

• Edginess• Quick to anger• Confusion• Crying• Low self-

esteem

Mental signs

• Trouble reading• Not thinking

clearly• Constant worry• Obsessive

thoughts

• Inability to make decisions

• Forgetting• No sense of

humor• No perspective

Behavioral signs

• Not eating• Overeating• Compulsive

talking• Fidgeting• Tapping feet

• Withdrawing

• Hurrying

• Drumming fingers

• Smoking

• Reckless behaviors

Managing stress• Identify the problem

• Stress management

• Planning

• Rechanneling energy

• Relaxing and laughing

• Seeking support

• Time management

Relaxation response

• State of deep rest that can be reached if one or more relaxation techniques are practiced regularly

Support group• Informal or formal gathering

of who people who meet and share experiences, feelings, and trust, can also be helpful

Time management skills

• Specific strategies for planning and using time in effective, healthful ways

Priorities

• Goals, tasks, or activities that you judge as more important to do than others

Coping with loss

Grief reaction

• Individual’s total response to a major loss

Stages of loss

Stage 1: Denial

• Initial reaction

• Cannot believe the loss has occurred

Stage 2: Anger

• “why me” stage

• Critical, demanding,or uncooperative

Stage 3: Bargaining

• Pray or promise to change if only the lost person or object can be returned, even for a while

Stage 4: Depression

• Silence and withdrawal

• Sense of quiet sadness

Stage 5: Acceptance

• Sense of power

• Person facing reality in constructive ways

Closure

• Coming to an end of the most intense parts of the grieving process

Delayed grief response

• Putting off stages of grief until the shock wears off

• Cover up feelings with drugs

• Assuring everyone they are fine