CH' 3 PERSONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT

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CH. 3 PERSONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT

• What is Stress?
• An external force that causes a person to become
  tense or upset, as the internal state of arousal
  and as the physical response of the body to
  various demands.
• REGARDLESS OF ITS SOURCE, THE STRESSOR ITSELF IS
  NOT WHAT CAUSES STRESS. YOUR REACTION TO THE
  STRESSOR DETERMINES WHETHER STRESS EXISTS AND HOW
  INTENSE IT IS.

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IS STRESS HAZARDOUS TO PHYSICAL HEALTH?

• Fight or Flight Response p. 56 brain more
  alert, mouth ulcers or cold sores, upset stomach,
  headaches, disrupted sleep, hr increases, bp
  increases, breathing quickens, immune system is
  suppressed, muscles tense, menstrual disorders,
  impotence.

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Brain becomes more alert. Stress hormones can
affect memory and cause neurons to atrophy
and die. Headaches, anxiety, and depression
Disrupted sleep
Digestive system slows down. Mouth ulcers or
cold sores
Heart rate increases and blood pressure rises.
Persistently elevated blood pressure and
heart rate can increase potential for blood
clotting and risk of stroke or heart attack.
Weakening of the heart muscle and symptoms
that mimic a heart attack
Breathing quickens. Increased susceptibility
to colds and respiratory infections
Immune system is depressed. Increased
susceptibility to infection Slower healing
Adrenal glands produce stress hormones.
Cortisol and other stress hormones can increase
central or abdominal fat. Cortisol increases
glucose production in the liver, causing renal
hypertension.
Digestive system slows down. Upset stomach
Reproductive system Menstrual disorders in
women Impotence and premature ejaculation
in men
Skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis
Immediate response to stress Effects of
chronic or prolonged stress Other possible
effects of chronic stress
Muscles tense. Muscular twitches or nervous
tics
Fig. 3-2, p. 58
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2. Stress and the Heart

• Stress may be the most significant inherited risk
  factor in people who develop heart disease at a
  young age.
• Type A hardworking, aggressive, and
  competitive, never have enough time for what they
  want to accomplish.
• Type B relaxed, still ambitious, and
  successful

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• The one trait that has emerged within the Type
  A as the most dangerous is chronic hostility or
  cynicism. People who are always mistrustful,
  angry, and suspicious are twice as likely to
  suffer blockages of their coronary arteries.
  (Recent research describes this now as Type D)

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3. Stress and the Immune System

• Chemicals triggered by stress dampen or suppress
  the immune system. The longer the stress, the
  more the immune system stays at a low level.
• See p. 60 for college students and stress.

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4. Stress and Digestion

• Digestive system slows down, cold sores, upset
  stomach
• Dont gulp your food, eat fiber, drink plenty of
  water, avoid sugary snacks.

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5. Other Stress Symptoms

• Asthma
• Headaches migraine
• Skin sensitive to stress breakout blemishes,
  acne, psoriasis, herpes, hives, and eczema.

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STRESS ON CAMPUS

• (Not in book)
• Test pressures, financial problems, problems in
  friendships and dating, daily hassles, academic
  failure, changes in living environment etc.
• Women were twice as likely to be anxious as men.
  36.4 women stressed to 16.3 men in college. Why
  do you think that?
• Men have more fun, women feel have to tend to
  household chores or children.

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WHO HAS TEST STRESS?

• Defusing test stress p. 61
• Minorities and Stress
• Has anyone experienced minorities
• and stress or seeing so many people of
• difference races and cultures?

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OTHER PERSONAL STRESSORS

• Job Stress
• Illness and Disability (learning disabilities)
• Discrimination

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COPING WITH STRESS

• Defense Mechanisms Table 3-1, p. 66
• Breathing deep breathing
• Refocusing distract yourself w/ something else
• Serenity breaks visual stimulation, look at
  something or someone else.
• Stress signals upper back aches, headaches, do
  something
• Reality checks how bad is it really?

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• 6. Stress inoculation - what gives you stress and
  become immune to it
• 7. Laughter - helps most men and women
• 8. Spiritual coping praying or volunteering
• 9. Sublimation redirect, or channel your
  frustration by doing something else i.e. hiking,
  painting, pulling weeds etc.
• 10. Exercise Can relieve stress over a long
  time
• 11. Journaling write down whats troubling you
• 12. Meditation sitting quietly concentrating on
  breathing/chanting(NOT IN BOOK)

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POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER(PTSD)

• What is it?
• The repeated reliving of a trauma through
  nightmares or recollection
• Can abuse be entered in to this?

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STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION

• If you are experiencing physical symptoms,
  chronic fatigue, headaches, indigestions,
  diarrhea
• Frequent illness
• Self-medicating
• Problems concentrating
• Feeling irritable
• Going to extremes, OCD

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HOW CAN I BETTER MANAGE MY TIME

• Time Management Techniques requires
• commitment and practice
• Schedule your time use a planner
• Develop a game plan set daily and weekly goals
• Identify time robbers disorganization and
  procrastination
• Make the most of classes attend, take notes, be
  alert
• Develop an efficient study style write down
  everything
• Focus on the task at hand stay in the moment
• Turn elephants into hors doeuvres big tasks
  into small
• Keep your workspace in order organize your work
  space