Download Stress, Health and Coping

Zack Dawes
Elle Epperson
Amy Price
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Stress
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Stressor
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Physical and psychological response to internal or
external stressors.
Specific event of a chronic pressures that place
demands on a person or threaten the person’s wellbeing.
Health psychology
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Subfield of psychology concerned with the ways
psychological factors influence the causes and
treatment of physical illness and the maintenance of
health.
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http://cf.linnbenton.edu/artcom/social_science/danced/upload
/psy203stressurvey.pdf
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Sources of stress that occur continuously and
repeatedly. (Daily Stress)
Small stressors that may be easy to ignore if
they happened only on occasion.
Linked to features of city life
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noise, traffic, crowding, pollution, etc.
Cause more psychological and physical
symptoms.
Longer-lasting impacts than major life events.
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Daily Stress
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The little life hassles that occur. If they add up, this
can be your biggest stressor.
Significant Changes
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Big changes in your life that stress you out for long
periods of time.
 Examples: Death, divorce, moving, etc.
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Catastrophes
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something you can’t control, and is usually life
changing and unpredictable.
 Examples: Tsunami, hurricane, tornado, etc.
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The belief that one has the ability to
make a difference in the course or the
consequences of some event or
experience; often helpful in dealing with
stressors.
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The rat that gets shocked randomly gets
stressed out, and is more likely to develop
ulcers.
The rat that is under-control of the shock and
can turn it off is just as healthy as the rat that
doesn't get shocked.
lack of perceived control over stressful events
leads to more severe health consequences.
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Fight-or-Flight Response
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Emotional and physiological reaction to an
emergency that increases readiness for action.
Prepares the body for combat and struggle
(Fight) or for running away to safety (Flight)
Walter Cannon coined the phrase in 1929 to
describe the body’s physical reaction to any
threatening stimulus.
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General Adaption Syndrome (GAS) is a three-stage
physiological stress response that appears
regardless of the stressor that is encountered.
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Alarm Phase
 Body recognizes the stress and prepares for fight-or-flight.
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Resistance Phase
 Trying to cope with stress using fight-or-flight, and shuts
down all unnecessary processes (digestion, sex-drive, etc.)
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If GAS goes on long enough…
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Exhaustion Phase
 Body’s resistance collapses, and can result in creating
gradual damage. (aging, tumors, and organ damage)
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The Immune System- a complex response
system that protects the body from bacteria,
virus, and other foreign substances.
Lymphocytes- white blood cells, and these cells
produce antibodies and they fight infections.
1998 Medical Student experiment
Health and Social Status
The heart and circulatory system are also sensitive
to stress!!
 Heart rate increases.
 The rate of blood flow speeds up, increasing blood
pressure.
 The release of fatty acids into the bloodstream for
energy increases cholesterol and triglyceride
levels.
 Under chronic stress, the continued release of
cortisol seems to have some effect on where fat is
deposited in the body, most often in the abdomen.
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Abnormal heart rhythm or you could have
problems with the heart muscle itself.
Hypertension including increased risk for heart
disease and stroke.
Potential for your arteries to thicken with
plaque over time, which could lead to coronary
artery disease or heart attack.
Type A behavior pattern
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PTSD: (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)recurrent unwanted thought or images
of the trauma, and avoidance of things
that call the traumatic event to mind
Burnout: a state of physical, emotional,
and mental exhaustion created by longterm involvement in an emotionally
demanding situation and accompanied
by lowered performance and
motivation.
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Repressive- avoiding situations or thoughts that are
reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially
positive viewpoint.
Rational- facing the stressor and working to overcome
it.
Avoid the stressor
Alter the stressor
Adapt to the stressor
Accept the stressor
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In order to avoid stressors, learn to say
no.
 By learning to say no, you prevent
putting yourself in bad situations
Avoid people that cause stresses
 Try to limit the amount of time spent
with people that cause stress as much
as you can.
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Express your feelings and don’t keep
them bottled up inside.
Learn and be willing to compromise
Be assertive and strong with your
opinions and feelings
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Focus on the positives
Change your perspective on how you see
things
Look at the big picture
Don’t be afraid to adjust your
expectations
Don’t try to control things that
are out of you hands.
 Share your feelings
 Learn to forgive
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Find things that make you happy
Set time aside for yourself to relax
and recharge
Connect with others and find things
in common
Don’t be afraid to laugh
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True or False
Stress is the physical and psychological response to
internal or external stressors.
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http://www.apa.org/research/action/glossar
y.aspx
http://www.slideshare.net/mstalbot/ch14ppt-3851938
http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/cardsh
owall.php?title=chapter-12b-stress-health
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_ma
nagement_relief_coping.htm