Managing Stress

 

 

Overview

Slide Presentation

 

Stress affects our lives in ways that are just becoming clear. While it has been understood that there was a link between stress and disease, the science of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is beginning to unravel the secrets of just how greatly stress affects our immune system and, therefore, different disease processes. Chapter three is devoted to helping you understand what stress is and when it is healthy and when it is not. This chapter also helps you to examine ways that stress management can alter your life towards greater health and happiness.

Learning Objectives

• Define stress and examine the potential impact of stress on health, relationships, and success in college.

• Explain the three phases of the general adaptation syndrome, and describe what happens physiologically when you experience a real or perceived threat.

• Examine the health risks that may occur with chronic stress.

• Define psychosocial, environmental, and self-imposed sources of stress. Examine ways in which you might reduce risks from these stressors or inoculate yourself against stressful situations.

• Examine the special stressors that affect college students and strategies for reducing risk.

• Explore techniques for coping with unavoidable stress, reducing exposure to stress, and making optimum use of positive stressors to promote growth and enrich life experiences.
  

Lecture Outline

Stress Defined

• Stress is the mental and physical response of our bodies to the changes and challenges in our lives.
• A Stressor is any physical, social, or psychological event or condition that causes the body to adjust to a specific situation.
• Adjustment is our attempt to cope with a given situation. Attempts to adjust may cause strain.
• Strain is the wear and tear our bodies and minds sustain during the process of adjusting to or resisting a stressor .
• Two major types of stress:
  • Eustress is stress that presents the opportunity for growth and satisfaction.
  • Distress is negative stress that can result in debilitate strain.

The General Adaptation Syndrome (see Figures 3.1,3.2)

• The alarm phase occurs when homeostasis is disrupted and body prepares for "fight or flight."
  • Stressor is interpreted by the cerebral cortex and triggers the autonomic nervous system.
    • The sympathetic branch energizes the body for fight or flight by signaling the release of several stress hormones.
    • The parasympathetic branch slows the body down after stress reaction.
  • The hypothalamus determines the overall reaction to stressors.
  • Epinephrine secreted by adrenal glands strengthens heart beat, dilates bronchioles, increases oxygen intake and breathing rate, stimulates the liver to release more glucose, and dilates pupils to improve visual sensitivity. Also, blood is moved away from digestive system, nasal and salivary tissues are affected causing dry mouth.
  • ACTH signals adrenals to release cortisol to make nutrients more readily available.
  • Endorphins, the body's natural opiates, are released to relieve pain.
• The resistance phase begins almost immediately after alarm phase starts.
  • The body adjusts in order to return to homeostasis.
  • The parasympathetic nervous system helps keep energy levels under control.
• Exhaustion phase occurs after continuous alarm and resistance reactions.
  • Adaptation energy stores are physical and mental foundations of ability to cope with stress.
• Superficial stores are readily accessible and used for everyday stressors and can be replenished with aerobic exercise, relaxation, practicing good nutrition and maintaining supportive relationships, etc.
• Deep stores are determined by heredity .
• Chronic, unresolved stress leads to the release of cortisol which can contribute to a reduction in the body's immune function, resulting in illness that can be minor or life-threatening.
  

Stress and Your Health

• Stress is often described as "a disease of prolonged arousal" in which the body is susceptible to long-term effects.
  • Chronic stress activation can result in headaches, asthma, high blood pressure, ulcers, lower back pain, as well as other medical conditions.
  • Research supports the view that mental health is the most important predictor of physical health.
• Stress contributes to correlates of heart disease.
• Research continues to unlock the effects of stress on the immune system.
  • Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a relatively young science which is analyzing the relationship between the mind's response to stress and the ability of the immune system to function effectively.
    • During periods of prolonged stress, elevated levels of adrenal hormones destroy or reduce the ability of natural killer T cells to aid in the immune response.
    • Other body processes are disrupted and disease-fighting capacity is reduced.
  • A summary of early studies have shown:
    • Stress lowers resistance to upper respiratory infections and herpes.
    • Significant stressors have been linked to an increased risk for chronic ailments.
    • High stress times may reduce immune function and increase risk to illness.
    • Grief and depression following the death of a spouse decreases immune defenses, explaining the increase in disease among recently widowed folks.
      
      

Stress and the Mind

• Stress may be one of the single greatest contributors to mental disability and emotional dysfunction in the United States today.
  • Low self-esteem and stress together predict depression and/or anxiety.
  • Depression and drug abuse are highly correlated with excessive stress.
  • Low self-esteem and concerns about stress and health were identified by many college students as unresolved problems.
  • Mature coping styles predict happiness, enjoyment, and absence of addiction.
  • People with high nervous tension have increased risk for mental illness, suicide and CHD.
  • Almost half of Americans aged 15-54 will experience a mental or addictive disorder in their lives.
  • Mental illness is on the rise in the U.S.
    

Sources of Stress

• Psychosocial stress refers to the factors in our daily lives that cause stress. These factors include such things as our interactions with others, expectations, social conditions of work and play, etc.
  • Change always produces stress. The more change experienced, the more stress.
    • The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) predicts stress overload and the likelihood of illness. This scale focuses on major sources of stress.
    • The SRRS has been used as a model for the development of a scale for college students. The more of these stressors a student has the more their situation needs to change before problems occur.
  • Hassles are petty annoyances, irritations, and frustrations, such as losing keys, having a grocery bag rip, etc., that can build up and be harmful in the long run.
  • Pressure occurs when we feel forced to speed up, intensify , or shift the direction of behavior to meet a higher standard of performance. It is based on goals -or peer influences.
  • Disparity between our goals and our behaviors can magnify negative stress.
  • Conflict occurs when we are forced to make difficult decisions concerning two or more competing motives, behaviors, or impulses or when forced to face incompatible demands, opportunities, needs or goals.
  • Overload occurs when you suffer from excessive time pressure or expectations of yourself and those around you.
  • Burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive stress.
  • Other forms of psychosocial stress include problems with discrimination, prejudice, inflation, unemployment, poverty, etc.
• Environmental stress results from events occurring in our physical environment.
  • Environmental stressors include natural disasters, chemical spills, earthquakes.
  • Background distressors include noise and air pollution. It make take many years before we become aware of the effect of these background distressors.
• Self-imposed stress.
  • Self-concept is a component of stress.
    • The cognitive stress system governs our response to stressors.
    • Self-esteem is closely related to past stressful experiences.
• Personality types and hardiness.
  • Freidman and Rosenman identified Type A and Type B personalities.
    • Type A are hard driving, competitive, anxious, and time driven.
    • Type B are relaxed and noncompetitive.
  • Problems with these types are:
    • Most people are not one personality type all the time.
    • There are many unexplored variables such as thriving in a stressful environment.
      
  • Type C personalities are said to succeed with good health in stressful environments.
  • Researchers have identified a "toxic core" in Type A personalities that promotes cynicism, anger, hostility , and below average levels of social support.
  • Psychological hardiness helps many with Type A behavior negate the negative effects of self-imposed stress. Psychologically hardy people are characterized by the three Cs:
    • A sense of control, accepting responsibility for their behaviors and changing behaviors that are debilitating.
    • A sense of commitment which helps with self-esteem and understanding their purpose in life.
    • A sense of challenge, seeing changes in life as stimulating opportunities for personal growth.
• Self-efficacy and control.
  • Self-efficacy is belief in one's own skills and performance abilities.
  • People who believe they lack control more frequently give up.
    

Stress and The College Student

• There are many stressors associated with being a student
  • Females and males differ significantly in what they perceive to be significant stressors.
• There are several symptoms of stress that can indicate stress overload (see stressors in Table on p. 60, text).
  

Stress Management

• Building skills to reduce stress.
  • You need to assess whether or not you can change the stressor or your response.
  • Change stress response with cognitive coping strategies that involve being gradually exposed to increasingly higher stress levels.
  • Learn to cope with stress inoculation, which is to prepare for potentially stressful events ahead of time by practicing the behaviors that may help to reduce the negative consequences of stress.
  • Many people are downshifting which involves taking a step back and simplifying their lives.
• Managing emotional responses to stressful situations can help in stress management.
  • Examine self-talk.
  • Learn to control and redirect anger (see Figure 3.3).
• Taking mental action in stress management involves two things:
  • Developing and practicing positive self-esteem skills.
  • Develop mental skills to deal with stress as it occurs.
• Changing the way you think about stressful situations can help.
• Physical action can help alleviate stress.
  
  • Exercise can help get rid of excess stress hormones.
  • Relaxation can have opposite effect of stress response.
  • Eating right can help in stress management.
• Managing time is an essential aspect of stress management.
• Four alternative stress management techniques are as follows:
  • Hypnosis frees right brain hemisphere in order to become responsive to suggestions
  • Massage helps relax muscles initiating the relaxation response.
  • Meditation generally focuses on deep breathing and quiet concentration.
  • Biofeedback is a way to self-monitor physiological responses to stress in order to control them.

Developing you Spiritual Side : Mindfulness

• As a meditative technique, mindfulness can aid relaxation, reduce emotional or physical pain, and help individuals connect more effectively with others.
• Mindfulness can include strategies and activities that contribute to overall health.
  • Moving in nature helps to combine physical fitness with the peace found in the beauty of nature.
  • Dealing with negative feelings by noticing what causes them and blocking thoughts to keep them from recurring.
  • Develop the ability to give and take, speak and listen, forgive and move on.
  • Actively listening to others can help us develop better social bonds.
    

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