Managing Stress: Coping With Life’s Challenges Health: The Basics Fifth Edition Chapter 3 Managing Stress: Coping With Life’s Challenges PowerPoint® Lecture Slide Presentation CD-ROM Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

What is Stress? • Introduction • Mental and physical response of our bodies to life’s challenges • A stressor causes the body to adjust • Adjustment is the attempt to cope • Strain is the wear and tear on the body • Stress can be positive (Eutress) or negative (Distress)

What is Stress? • Introduction (continued) • Real or imagined events • Adrenal glands release hormones • Can you give some examples of positive and negative stressors?

The Body’s Response to Stress • The General Adaptation Syndrome 1) Alarm 2) Resistance 3) Exhaustion Figure 3.2: The General Adaptation Syndrome: Alarm Phase.

Stress and Your Health • CVD Risk increases • Notice the hormones that are released during stressful events • “The disease of prolonged arousal” • Increased plaque buildup • Hardening of the arteries • Increased blood pressure

Stress and Your Health • Stress and Impaired Immunity • Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) • Stress and the Mind • Stress contributes to mental and emotional dysfunction

Sources of Stress • Psychosocial sources of stress • Change • Overload • Hassles • Pressure • Environmental stress • Noise

Sources of Stress • Self-Imposed stress • How you cope • List some stressors from each of these sources.

Chronic Stressors for College Students

Stress and the College Student • Men and Women indicate that their stressors differ • Women: dieting, overload of school work, etc • Men : being underweight, commuting problems, not having someone to date, etc • What are some stressors you have experienced?

Stress Management • Building Skills to Reduce Stress • Assess your stressors • Change your response with cognitive coping strategies • Learn to cope using stress inoculation • Downshift • Manage Emotional Responses • Examine your self-talk

Figure 3.3: Steps in Anger Control.

Stress Management • Taking Mental Action • Taking Physical Action • Self esteem • Mental skills to manage • Taking Physical Action • Exercise • Relaxation • Eating Right

Stress Management • Managing Time • Take on only one thing at a time • Clean off your desk • Find a clean, comfortable place to work • Never handle papers more than once • Prioritize your tasks • Don’t be afraid to say no • Avoid interruptions

Stress Management • Managing Time (continued) • Reward yourself • Become aware of your own advantage • Break overwhelming tasks into small pieces, and allocate a certain amount of time to each • Remember that time is precious • What have you done to manage your time wisely?

Alternative Stress Management Techniques • Popular Stress Fighters • Hypnosis • Massage Therapy • Meditation • Biofeedback • Making the Most of Support Groups • Friends • Family • Coworkers

Developing Your Spiritual Side: Mindfulness • Physical Dimension • Interact with nature • Emotional Dimension • Deal with negative feelings • Social Dimension • Interact, listen, and communicate • Intellectual Dimension • Objective reasoning