Title: S T R E S S
1S T R E S S
2S T R E S S
- Learning Objectives
- What is stress
- Identifying our stressors
- How our body and mind
- responds to stress
- What are our vulnerabilities
- How we can better manage
- our stress
3S T R E S S
- What is it?
- Stress is the bodys and minds response to a
demand. - This demand is called a stressor.
4Types of stressors
- Environmental Stressors
- Conditions or events in your physical
environment. - Examples Pollution, poverty, crowding, noise,
natural disasters, messy - work
- area.
- Biological Stressors
- Conditions that make it difficult for your body
to take part in daily activities. - Examples Illness, disability, injury.
5Types of stressors continued . . .
- Thinking Stressors
- Any type of mental challenge, concern or worry.
- Examples School, work, kids, bills,
relationships.
- Behavioral Stressors
- Unhealthy behaviors or habits.
- Examples Not getting enough sleep, being late,
using alcohol or tobacco, drugs, arguing.
6Types of stressors continued . . .
- Life Change Stressors
- Any major life change, positive or negative.
- Examples Getting married, divorced, death of
loved one, going away to college.
7Important Concept to Understand
- A stressor will cause a person to experience a
stress response only if they perceive the demand
to be a threat.
8Emotional and Behavioral Response to Stress
- The way you respond to a stressor depends on
whether you consider the stressor to be positive
or negative. -
- Example Giving a presentation in
front of the class. - Eustress positive stress good stress that
helps us - - alert, focused, motivated, energized,
confident - Distress negative stress
- - nervous, forgetful, frightened, confused,
unsure
9How the Body and Mind Reacts to Stress
- Your body reacts to stress in three phases
- Alarm Stage Fight or Flight Response the
- body
physically responds to the
demand - Resistance Stage Body continues responding
- until
the stress is resolved, or the - body
settles down to recuperate.
- Exhaustion Stage Stress persists, the body
- soon
becomes exhausted. -
Disease or disorders may occur.
10If the stress continues . . .
- Resistance stage - If the stress continues, your
body becomes more resistant to disease and
injury. You can cope with added stress, but for
only a limited time.
- Exhaustion stage - You can no longer take
anymore of the stressor, especially if several
stressors occur at once. Body physically and
mentally gives in.
11The Alarm Stage - The Fight or Flight Response
- Hearing, seeing, feeling or thinking danger
(the demand), the hypothalamus sends a chemical
message to the pituitary gland. - The pituitary gland then sends a chemical message
to the adrenal glands (on top of kidneys) to
release adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine.
12The Fight or Flight ResponseThe adrenaline in
the bloodstream causes the following actions to
occur immediately with in the body. Some or all
may occur.
- Body cells release energy faster (blood sugar
rises) - Stomach acid increases
- Hearing ability increases
- Blood clotting ability increases
- Blood vessels carry less blood to skin and
digestive system - Pupils dilate (to let more light in)
- Increase alertness
- (more blood to brain)
- Heart rate speeds
- up
- Blood pressure
- increases
- Breathing
- accelerates
- Sweating increases
- Mouth becomes dry
- Muscles tense
- Digestion slows
13Long-Term Stress Can Make You SickStress-Related
Diseases, Disorders and Conditions
- Heart Disease
- Stroke
- High Blood pressure
- Increase blood cholesterol
- Asthma
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Erectile dysfunction
- Infertility
- Diabetes
- Backaches
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
- Chronic fatigue
- Constipation
- Gastric (stomach) ulcers
- Anxiety disorders
- Decreased libido
- Acne, eczema, psoriasis
- Lower Immunity
- Arthritis
14Vulnerabilities to StressVulnerabilities are
lifestyle behaviors that may increase the
likelihood of becoming stressed.
- Not having a network of friends or family.
- Not sharing openly about feelings or worries.
- Not setting aside time for fun activities.
- Not giving or receiving affection.
- Not managing time well.
- Not eating a balanced diet.
- Not getting 7-8 hours of sleep 4 nights per
week. - Not exercising (to a sweat) 3-5 x per week.
- Drinking caffeinated beverages.
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
15Managing Stress Taking Care of the Basics
- Eat a well-balanced diet, lots of fruits and
vegetables. Stay away from cookies, soda, candy,
coffee. - Get 8-9 hours sleep each night. Put sleep before
TV.
- Exercise to a sweat 20-30 minutes 3-5 times each
week. - Have people in your life you can talk to.
16Positive Behaviors to Manage Stress
- Learn to say no
- Delegate responsibilities
- Manage your time
- Dont take on too much
- Ask for help/assistance
- Acknowledges your weaknesses
- Take breaks from routine
- Breathe, breathe, breathe
- Reframe the stressor -
- understand that some things are
- out of your control
- Remind yourself of what you have,
- not what you dont have
17Closing thoughts to ponder. . .
- A lecturer, when explaining stress management
to an audience, raised a glass of water and
asked, - How heavy is this glass of water? Answers
called out ranged from a few ounces, to a couple
of pounds. The lecturer replied, - The absolute weight doesnt matter. It depends
on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for
a minute, thats not a problem. If I hold it for
an hour, Ill have an ache in my right arm. If I
hold it for a day, youll have to call an
ambulance. - In each case, its the same weight, but the
longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.
18- He continued,
- And thats the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or
later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
we wont be able to carry on. - As with the glass of water, you have to put it
down for a while and rest before holding it
again. When were refreshed, we can carry on
with the burden. - So, before you return home tonight, put the
burden of work down. Dont carry it home. You
can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens youre
carrying now, let them down for a moment if you
can.
19- So, my friend, why not take a while to just
simply RELAX. Put down anything that may be a
burden to you right now. Dont pick it up again
until after youve rested a while. - Life is short.
- Enjoy it!