1. Stress and Stress Management Chapter 4, Section 1

2. Stressors and Stress  Definitions  Chronic Stress  Unrelieved stress that continues to tax a person’s resources to the point of exhaustion  Stress  The effect of physical and psychological demands of a stressor  Stressor  A demand on the body to adapt

3. Stressors and Stress  Definitions  Acute Stress  A temporary bout of stress that calls forth alertness or alarm to prompt the person to deal with an event  Adapt  To change or adjust in order to accommodate new conditions  Perception  A meaning given to an event or occurrence based on a person’s previous experience or understanding

4. Perception of Stressor  Everyone’s perception of stressor can be different  Example  “snakes are poisonous” (fear)  “snakes are beautiful” (joy)  “snakes are my topic of study” (interest)

5. Stress and Stress Management Chapter 4, Section 2

6. Stress and the Body System  All body systems are effected by stress  Especially  Nervous System  Hormonal System  Immune System

7. Nervous System  Definition of Nervous System  The body system of nervous tissue  Organized into the brain, spinal cord, and nerves  That send and receive messages and integrate the body’s activities  The nervous system responds to challenges by producing reactions that restore normal body conditions

8. Hormonal System  Definition of Hormonal System  The system of glands  Organs that send and receive blood-bone chemical messages  The hormones that respond to stress are called “stress hormones”  Release stress hormones brings on stress response and brings the body back to homeostasis

9. Immune System  Definition of Immune System  The cells, tissues, and organs that protect the body from disease. Unrevealed stress can weaken your bodies immune system and lead to a lifestyle disease

10. Stress and Stress Management Chapter 4, Section 3

11. Stages of the Stress Response  Stress Response  The response to a demand or stressor  Three Phases  Alarm  Resistance  Recovery or Exhaustion

12. Phases  Alarm  Person faces a challenge  The body releases the stress hormones, which activates the nerves and all systems  Resistance  Which the body mobilizes in resources to withstand the effects of the stress

13. Phases  Recovery  Body returns to normal  When stress ceases to affect the body  OR  Exhaustion  When stress exceeds the body’s ability to recover  If your body stays in overdrive for too long it will break down

14. Fight or Flight Reaction  A response to stress  When a threat is presented two possible options  Fight (argue)  Run away

15. Responses to Alarm  Heart rate speeds up  Pupils of the eyes widen (enhancing vision)  Muscles tense (ready to jump, run, or struggle)  Blood flow is reduced  Immune system temporarily shut down  Blood flow to muscle and brain increases

16. Key point Key point “The stress response is an ancient, physical response to fear: the fight or flight reaction. The response occurs even if the stressor is a psychological one that does not demand physical action.”

17. Stress and Stress Management Chapter 4, Section 4

18. Dealing with Stress  Every Individual has different ways of dealing with stress  Having a strong sense of self esteem enhances a persons ability to deal with stress  Learning with deal with challenges as positive rather than negative

19. Exercise  Keeping the body strong strengthens the immune system between times of stress  If your muscles are tense and can not relax  Your blood builds up fuels that can damage your heart  During times of stress, physical activity can work of tension

20. Coping Devices and Defense Mechanisms  Definitions  Coping Devices  Non-harmful ways of dealing with stress  Examples  Displacement- channeling the energy of suffering into something else  Ventilation- the act of verbally venting one’s feelings letting off steam by talking, crying, or laughing

21. Coping Devices and Defense Mechanisms  Defensive Mechanisms  Self destructive ways of dealing with stress  Automatic, subconscious reactions to emotional injury, such as denial, fantasy, projection, rationalization, regression, selective forgetting, withdrawal

22. Defense Mechanisms  Denial  The refusal to admit that something unpleasant or painful has occurred  Fantasy  Imagining, in the face of painful situation, that something positive has happened instead

23. Defense Mechanisms  Regression  Using inappropriate, childish ways of dealing with painful realities  Selective forgetting  Memory lapse concerning an experience or piece of news too painful to bear

24. Defense Mechanisms  Withdrawal  Drawing away from people and activities to avoid pain  Refusing to talk with anyone about the situation  Sleeping excessively

25. Changed Perceptions  “Some situations may be out of your control, but your attitude is ALWAYS within your control. When daily hassles occur reduce their power to cause stress by reassessing them more positively.”