1. Stress Chapter 3

2. Stress Vocabulary
Stress: The response of your body and mind to being challenged or threatened. It’s your body’s reaction to change.
Stressor: “Trigger”, “Change”, anything that causes a stress response
Can be physical, mental, emotional, social
Eustress: Positive stress
Distress: Negative stress

3. 4 General Types of Stressors
Major Life Changes: can be related to health, family, employment, friendships, or education
Catastrophes: Typically unexpected like natural disasters, crime, terrorism, and war
Everyday Problems: frequent everyday problems referred to as hassles – responsibilities, deadlines, homework, misplacing something
Environmental Problems: crowds, noise, extreme temperatures, messy conditions

4. Stages of Stress
All Stressors trigger the same stress response and they can be divided into 3 stages. However, the intensity of each stage will vary depending on the intensity of the stressor and your ability and readiness to deal with the stressor.

5. Alarm Stage (Stage one)
Your response to stress is automatic. The body perceives stressors as a threat.
Body releases adrenaline and causes changes in the body to prepare it to Fight or Flight
Depending how big of a threat the body perceives the threat will depend on how much adrenaline will be released

6. Resistance Stage (stage two)
If you are not able to successfully respond to a stressor in alarm stage, your move into resistance stage.
Your body adapts to continued presence of stressor even though you might not recognize the stressor is still there.
This stage uses up energy and may cause the body fatigue, irritability, and less able to handle stress.

7. Exhaustion Stage (stage three)
This stage occurs when the body can no longer keep up with demands placed on it.
Your physical and emotional resources are depleted.
Takes a long time for this to happen. Type of stress that causes this is chronic stress.
Can result in physical and mental illness.

8. Chronic Distress Distress that lasts a long time
Distress events may include death, loss, divorce, trauma, serious illness
May lead to depression and suicidal thoughts and attempts
Lowered resistance to illness
May cause physical health effects including: heart, skin, digestive, immune system problems.

9. Can cause changes in behavior, emotions, thinking, and physical state
Signs of Stress
Can cause changes in behavior, emotions, thinking, and physical state
Include:
Difficulty sleeping and concentrating
Headaches and body aches
Irritability, overwhelmed, tense
Depressed, bored, cry for no reason
Loss or increased appetite
Negative thinking and criticism

10. Defense Mechanisms (chapter 2, page 49)
Short term ways to cope with stress and difficult emotions.
An automatic response to distress meant for short term use.
Sometimes they “buy you time”
May become a problem if you use them long term

11. The 6 Defense Mechanisms
Denial: Refusing to accept reality or pretending it doesn’t exist.
Rationalization: Making excuses to avoid admitting mistakes or to avoid feeling bad, guilty, or shame.
Compensation: Making up for weakness in one area by excelling in another

12. 2 other defense mechanisms include displacement and repression.
Projection: Putting your own faults onto another person.
Reaction Formation: Behaving opposite to the way you feel.
Regression: Returning to immature behaviors to express emotion.
2 other defense mechanisms include displacement and repression.

13. What’s your stress style? Answer yes or no
When I feel stressed, I can’t concentrate or think clearly.
I get a stomachache or headache when I’m stressed.
I can tell I’m stressed because I worry about everything.
When I’m stressed, my heart beats fast and my hands get sweaty.
I get irritated and upset when I’m under stress.
I usually get sick when I’m under a lot of stress.

14. Scoring your stress style
Give one mental stress point for a “yes” answer to statements 1, 3, and/or 5.
Give one physical stress point for a “yes” answer to the statements 2, 4 and/or 6

15. How do you stress???? Physical Headache Teeth grinding
Stomach/headache
Muscle tightness
Pounding heart
Fatigue
Sleeplessness
Get sick
Emotional and Mental
Frustration
Depression
Irritability
Worrying
Forgetfulness
Poor concentration
confusion

16. The ability to handle stress in a healthy way.
Stress Management
The ability to handle stress in a healthy way.

17. How to Manage Your Stress
Physical
Exercise
Yoga
Massage
Deep breathing
Playing music
Relaxation
Mental and Emotional
Reading or movies
Journal
Talking
Puzzles/games
Mind engaging workouts