health, stress, & Coping

Stress

• ”Imagine giving a talk in class. As you look at everyone staring at you, you feel your heart pounding, mouth becoming dry, hands sweating, stomach knotting, and muscles tensing; you take in short, rapid breaths. Your body is fully aroused before you have spoken a single word. About 40% of adults report fear of speaking in public.”

Stress

The anxious or threatening feeling that comes when we interpret or appraise a situation as being more than our psychological resources can adequately handle

•***People do NOT agree on which situations are stressful

Stress can lead to:

A. Eustress - good stress

B. Distress - bad stress

StressWhy should we understand stress?

Stress facts• Stress has been called “the silent killer” and can lead to heart disease, high

blood pressure, chest pain, and an irregular heartbeat

• While it is a myth that stress can turn hair gray, stress can cause hair loss. In fact, telogen effluvium (hair loss) can begin up to three months after a stressful event.

In 2009, the top most stressful jobs were a surgeon, commercial airline pilot, photojournalist, advertising account executive, and real estate agent.

The top three stressful cities in America are Chicago, Ilinois; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York.

Stress can make acne worse. Researchers say stress-related inflammation rather than a rise is sebum (the oily substance in skin) is to blame

A 2009 CNN poll reveals that the number one reason for stress in most countries is money.

Research has shown that dark chocolate reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and other fight-flight hormones.

Who is stressed?

30% of college students in U.S. reported feeling “frequently overwhelmed”

Women report more stress (37%) than men (17%)

Examples of stressful situations

(Tape activity)

Giving blood

Waiting in line

Making a public speech

Dealing with rude sales person

Taking an exam

Seeing a vicious dog

Being in a car accident

Job opportunity

Married?

Going to college?

ANXIETY

Unpleasant state characterized by feelings of uneasiness and apprehension as well as increased physiological arousal--such as increased heart rate & blood pressure

Dread that something is seriously wrong & disaster sits around the corner; it results when we cannot resolve a conflict or when frustration is too high

STRESS v. ANXIETY

Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, nervous, worried, or even anxious. What is stressful to one person may not be stressful to anotherAnxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. You may not know the source of this uneasiness, which can add to the distress you feelStress can cause anxiety

Kinds of Stressors1.Hassles - Small, irritating, frustrating events faced daily•(Ex: work-related stressors are the most frequently reported for ages 25-74; Women report more than men)

•Uplifts – Opposite of a hassle - Small, pleasurable, HAPPY, & satisfying experiences (Ex: “Good day”)

2.Major Life Events - Potentially disturbing, troubling, or disruptive situations; More number of life changes means more stress & more potential psychosomatic symptoms; Can be Positive & Negative

Social Readjustment Scale – reflects how many major life events you have experience in the past year

Situational stressors

1.Frustration - Awful feeling that results when your attempts to reach a goal is blocked; elicits strong negative emotions (Ex: Mondays are more stressful than Fridays)

2.Burnout - Being physically overwhelmed and exhausted, etc... Can trigger fight-flight response (Ex: New teachers & college students frequently suffer from burnout)

3.Violence 4.Ex: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Conflict

The feeling you experience when you must choose / decide between 2 or more incompatible possibilities / options / alternatives

CONFLICT: QUESTION

How do YOU deal with conflict?

Common Kinds of Conflict

1.Approach - Approach: BOTH pleasurable consequences; Ex: to eat Burger or to eat Pizza

2.Avoidance - Avoidance: BOTH disagreeable consequences; Ex: Study or write a paper; Don’t go to dentist and teeth will rot or will squirm with agony

3.Approach -Avoidance: Single situation with Pleasurable & Disagreeable consequences; Ex: Ask someone to lunch... fear of rejection; Want candy bar, but not cavities

4.Double Approach-Avoidance: Multiple options each which has pleasurable and disagreeable aspects (Ex: Should I stay home and wait for my girlfriend to come over, or should I just go out with my friends?)

Styles of dealing with conflictStyle Deal with Conflict Results

Avoidance Unpleasant(avoid or ignore)

Conflict gets WORSE before

dealt with

Accommodation

Unpleasant(give in/please people to make go

away)

Does NOT solve problem

Domination Go to any length to win(aggressive or manipulative)

Hostility

Compromise Recognize others have different needs

May use manipulation and misrepresentation

IntegrationPlease Both partnersDon’t criticize other

person Try to be openEmphasize similarities

BEST WAY!!!

EVALUATING a situation

PRIMARY APPRAISALS

Our initial, subjective evaluation of a situation, in which we balance the demands of a potentially stressful situation against our own ability to meet these demands.

types of Primary appraisals

1.Irrelevant - doesn’t affect well-being

2.Positive - makes you feel good

3.Stressful - triggers fear, overtakes emotions

• If Stressful, can have 3 different interpretations...

stress interpretations

1.Harm/Loss - already sustained damage / injury; Negative emotions (i.e. Fear)/Feel stressed

2.Threat – harm/loss has not occurred, but it will in near future; Negative emotions / Feel stressed

3.Challenge - Have potential for personal growth; Positive emotions...less stressful

Secondary Appraisals

Deciding how to deal with a potentially stressful situation.

Must decide on a coping strategy

Kinds of copingWhich is a better long term strategy

• Problem-focused: decrease stress; change behavior or take action to resolve difficulty

• Emotion-focused: deal with emotional stress; avoid or deny situation (Go to sports bar to get over anger, or vent to friends to cope)

HardinessWhy do certain people handle stress better than others?

HARDINESS: 3 personality traits of those who deal well with stress (control, commitment, challenge)

Appraise potentially stressful tasks as CHALLENGING (less threatening)

Hardiness

The role of control….

Your belief about how much control you have over a situation will impact how stressful you believe it to be. The more you view a situation as stressful the more risk you are for psychosomatic symptoms (physical illnesses)

Locus of ControlInternal Locus of Control

External Locus of Control

You are in control Belief Chance/Luck

Challenge View of Stress Threat

Less / Decrease Stress Levels More / Increase

Positive Emotions Generated Negative

FewerPsychosomatic

SymptomsMore

“Study hard...will get good grades...”

Example

“It doesn’t matter how much I study...it doesn’t seem to

help...”

Optimist / pessimist

Optimists have less stress and studies show an optimistic viewpoint can improve your health

Optimism - GOOD things will happen

Pessimism - BAD things will happen

• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in ever opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

•-- Winston Churchill

PERSONALITY TYPES• TYPE A: originally linked to risk for heart

attacks.

Impatient (1970’s)

Excessively time-conscious (1970’s)

High-achieving workaholics who multitask (1970’s)

Hostile (1990’s – now)

Angry (1990’s – now)

Only hostility and anger show a link to increased risk for heart attack

Personalities

Type B Personality - is patient, relaxed, and easy-going

Type AB Personality - combination of both personalty types

Mind-body connection

How thoughts, beliefs, & emotions can produce physiological changes that may be either beneficial or detrimental to health / well-being

Example: 5-15% of adult population faints at sight of blood, needles, or injections

Fight-Flight ResponsePrimary appraisal as threatening and fearful triggers fight-flight response – state of heightened arousal, increased heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

Prepares the body for action – fight or flight

Ancestors – fight or flee attacking enemies

Us – react to stressful stimuli (upcoming exams, date to the prom)

psychosomatic symptomsPsyche = “mind”; Soma = “body”

Real and sometimes painful physical symptoms that are caused by increased psychological arousal that results from psychological factors (ex: worry, stress, anxiety)

FACT: 50-80% of patients seen in general medical practice have stress-related, psychosomatic symptoms--have experienced a serious stressor during the previous 6 months (ex: break-up, leaving home, etc.)

Psychosomatic Symptoms

• Causes:1. Genetic Predisposition (inherit tendency for

particular organ to break down)

2.Lifestyle (certain lifestyles [smoking] give less time to recover)

3.Threat Appraisals (more we view situations as threatening more likely to suffer)

CommonPsychosomatic Symptoms

Stomach: feelings of discomfort, pain, pressure, acidity

Muscle pain and tension in neck, shoulders, back

Fatigue, tired, exhausted (without physical activity)

Headaches (tension or migraines)

Intestinal (constipation or diarrhea)

Skin: blemishes, pimples, oiliness

Eating problems: too much or no appetite

Asthmatic or allergic problems (worsen)

High blood pressure / heart pounding

Weak immune system (chance of getting cold/flu)

stress management techniques

Use a variety of strategies to reduce anxiety, fear, & stressful experiences by changing 3 aspects of lives:

1. Change Thoughts --use Challenge Appraisals

2. Behaviors--replace Emotion-focused coping (excuses) with Problem-focused coping (studying)

3. Learning to Relax...

Relax...

Biofeedback

Progressive Relaxation

Meditation (ex: yoga)