Stress: The Constant Challenge

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Stress The Constant Challenge
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What is Stress?

• Situations that trigger physical and emotional
  reactions are referred to as stressors?
• Stress is the general physical and emotional
  state that accompanies the stress response
  (disturbs an individuals homeostasis).
• Physical responses to stressors are controlled by
  the nervous system and the endocrine system.
• 1. The autonomic nervous system is the part of
  the nervous system not under conscious
  supervision, controls the stress response.
• ANS
• Parasympathetic Division Sympathetic
  Division

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• 2. The endocrine system helps control body
  systems by releasing hormones and other chemical
  messengers into the bloodstream.
• 3. The fight-or-flight reaction is the result of
  a predictable set of chemical reactions in a
  stressful situation.
• The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary to send
  adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) into the
  bloodstream.
• ACTH stimulates the adrenal gland to release
  epinephrine and norepinephrine. At this point,
  the body experiences increased HR, sweat, and
  endorphin release. These provide heightened
  reflexes and strength. The reaction is an
  evolutionary survival mechanism that is often
  inappropriate to the types of stressors faced in
  the modern world.
• 4. Once the stress ends, the parasympathetic
  division of the ANS strives to return the body to
  its normal state, or homeostasis.

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Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Stressors

• Emotional responses (i.e. anxiety, depression,
  fear) are determined in part by inborn
  personality and temperament but can also be
  regulated with coping techniques.
• Behavioral responses are conscious actions that
  are controlled by the somatic nervous system.
  Effective behavioral responses promote wellness
  and include expressing emotion, learning new
  skills, exercising, and meditating. Ineffective
  responses can impair wellness (overeating, using
  tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs).

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Personality and Stress

• Personality- is the sum of behavioral and
  emotional tendencies. It affects how a persons
  perceives and reacts to stressors.
• Certain characteristics of the Type A
  personality, such as anger, cynicism, and
  hostility, seem to increase the risk of heart
  disease.
• People with a hardy personality can cope more
  positively with stress and react less intensely
  to stressors.
• Cultural backgrounds, gender roles, and past
  experiences also contribute to how a person
  perceives and reacts to stress.

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Stress and Disease

• General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
• The three stages of GAS can be triggered by a
  pleasant stressor, or an unpleasant stressor
  (distress).
• 1. The alarm stage is the fight-or flight
  reaction. This stage makes the body vulnerable
  by mobilizing it to cope with a crisis.
• 2. The resistance stage occurs when a person
  develops a new level of homeostasis to cope with
  the added stress.
• 3. The exhaustion stage as described by Selye
  resulted in the depletion of resources that left
  the body vulnerable to disease. It is believed
  that the stress response itself is the cause of
  disease over time.
• 4. Researchers have now termed the long-term
  wear and tear of the stress response to
  allostatic load.

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Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

• PNI studies the interaction among the nervous,
  endocrine, and immune systems. Hormones and
  other chemical messengers released during the
  stress response may inhibit or strengthen the
  immune system.
• Examples
• 1. Increased levels of cortisol are linked to
  decreased number of immune system cells.
• 2. Epinephrine and norepinephrine appear to
  promote the release of lymphocytes, but at the
  same time reduce their efficiency.

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Links Between Stress and Specific Conditions

• Cardiovascular Disease
• BP rises during the stress response, and chronic
  high BP leads to atherosclerosis.
• Altered Functioning of the Immune System
• Health problems linked to weakened immune system
  functioning include colds, infections, asthma,
  allergies, cancer, and flare-ups of chronic
  diseases (genital herpes, HIV infection).
• Other Health Problems
• Other health concerns linked to stress are
  digestive problems, headaches and migraines,
  insomnia, and fatigue, injuries, pregnancy
  complications, and psychological problems.

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Common Sources of Stress

• Any major life change, whether positive or
  negative can be a source of stress.
• Daily life hassles may provoke a moderate stress
  response that cumulatively may have a significant
  impact.
• College is the site of major life changes and
  daily hassles (academic stressors, social and
  interpersonal stressors, time-related pressures,
  and financial concerns).
• Financial, time-related, and interpersonal
  stressors can all contribute to job-related
  stress. Severe chronic stress can cause
  burn-out.
• Changes in interpersonal relationships and
  establishing new relationships are sources of
  stress. Prejudice and discrimination are forms
  of stress created by the community and society in
  which a person lives.

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• Conditions or events in the physical environment
  are environmental stressors. These can range
  from avoidable inconveniences to major life
  stressors.
• Internal stressors include unrealistic
  expectations of yourself and states of illness or
  exhaustion.

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Techniques For Managing Stress

• Social Support
• Social support systems are one way for people to
  buffer themselves against the damaging effects of
  stress.
• Exercise
• People who exercise regularly react with milder
  physical responses to stressors.
• Nutrition
• A healthy diet provides energy stores for use in
  stressful situations, and eating wisely also
  enhances feelings of self-control and
  self-esteem. Limiting caffeine is important to
  stress management.
• Sleep
• Lack of sleep can be both a cause and an effect
  of excess stress. It can affect physical and
  mental functioning.

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• Time Management
• Efficient time management may help to lower
  stress levels. Some suggestions to avoid
  procrastinating and to manage time better
  include
• Setting priorities. Focus on essential and
  important tasks.
• Scheduling tasks for times of peak efficiency.
• Setting realistic goals and committing to
  achieving them by writing them down.
• Budgeting enough time to achieve goals by making
  a reasonable estimate and then adding on another
  10-25 as a buffer.
• Breaking up long-term goals into short-term ones.
• Visualizing the achievement of goals mentally
  rehearsing performance of tasks.

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• Keeping track of uncompleted tasks to analyze
  reasons for procrastinating.
• Tackling the least pleasurable tasks first.
• Consolidating tasks when possible.
• Delegating responsibility- asking for help as
  appropriate and necessary.
• Saying no when necessary without feeling
  guilty.
• Taking breaks and allowing for free time to enjoy
  other activities.
• Jumping into a task instead of waiting for the
  optimal moment.

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Cognitive Techniques

• 1. Worrying only in a constructive sense about
  things that can be controlled.
• 2. Taking control feeling that the environment
  is out of control creates stress.
• 3. Problem solving to regain control and
  identify solutions.
• 4. Keeping self-expectations reasonable. No one
  can please everyone, and to try to do so is to be
  set up for failure and frustration.
• 5. Monitoring self-talk and making it positive.
• 6. Cultivating a sense of humor laughter
  induces both physiological and psychological
  relaxation.
• 7. Going with the flow being flexible and
  forgiving, of self and others, allows a greater
  enjoyment of today.

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Relaxation Techniques

• Many relaxation techniques trigger the relaxation
  response- a physiological state that is the
  opposite of the fight-or-flight response. It may
  be helpful to choose one and practice it until it
  becomes comfortable. Some work better than
  others for different people, so it may take
  experimentation to decide which is best for any
  person.
• Progressive Relaxation (Deep muscle relaxation)
• Involves tensing and completely relaxing each
  part of the body. Generally, each muscle group
  should be tensed while inhaling and relaxed while
  slowly exhaling. The procedure should be
  repeated at least once for each group.

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• Visualization (Imagery)
• A person visualizes a perfectly relaxed state.
  The body will respond by relaxing accordingly.
  Imagery can also be used to rehearse an upcoming
  task that is causing anxiety. The visualization
  should involve all five senses.
• Meditation
• Is the experience of telling the mind to stop for
  a while. Its regular practice will carry over
  into daily life.
• Deep Breathing
• Slows and quiets the breathing pattern. A major
  goal is to change chest breathing, which is
  associated with the stress response, to
  diaphragmatic breathing, which slows and deepens
  the breathing through expansion of the diaphragm
  and lower abdomen.

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Creating a Personal Plan For Managing Stress

• Keep a stress journal for a week or two to help
  identify the general pattern of stress and any
  particularly problematic stressors.
• Create a behavior change plan for managing stress
  that includes rewards.
• If self-help techniques do not provide enough
  relief, it may be helpful to read about specific
  areas, consult a peer counselor, join a support
  group, or participate in a few psychotherapy
  sessions.