© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter 5 Stress: Managing Pressure

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is stress? Stress is the general state of the body, mind, and emotions when an environmental stressor has triggered the stress response Stressors are events or agents in the environment that can cause stress People respond differently to stressors based upon the following: Personality factors Past experiences Overall level of wellness Different ways of how individuals think about a stressful event

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. The Stress Response A stress response is a series of physiological changes that occur in the body, based upon a stressor (‘fight or flight response’) All animals, including humans, have the ability to respond to emergencies deemed as dangerous The ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) is triggered via the sympathetic branch to activate the body’s organs to respond towards the possible threat See Figure 5.1 for examples of body changes during a stress response

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. The Relaxation Response Once the stressful situation is over, the other branch of the ANS (parasympathetic nervous system) is responsible for deactivating the stress response Homeostasis is a state of stability the body returns to once the stress response has been turned off A stress response continuing without a relaxation response can cause illness or disease

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. General Adaptation Syndrome Hans Seyle developed the GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome) as an explanation to the physical changes observed during a stress response The process has three stages: Alarm Resistance Exhaustion See Figure 5.2 on the General Adaptation Syndrome

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Symptoms of Stress Researchers have concluded that every system in the body can be damaged by stress Stress can affect several of the major body systems listed below: Immune System –Psychoneuroimmunology is looking at the relationship of stress upon the immune system Cardiovascular System –Long term stress response can cause various forms of heart diseases Gastrointestinal System –Common forms of stomach ailments which are contributed to by stress Psychological Wellness –Forms of acute and chronic stress can result in an array of psychological problems

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Mediators of the Stress Response Different people respond differently to stressors Factors which affect these responses could be past experiences and overall level of wellness Other critical areas include: Personality factors Cognitive factors Resilience and Hardiness

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Sources of Stress Life Events Daily Hassles Time Pressure Overload Techno-stress Job Pressure Trauma College Stress Families Relationships Interpersonal Issues Anger Financial Worries Illness and Care-giving Societal Issues

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Stress Reduction Strategies Time Management Social Support Exercise Nutritional Intake Deep Breathing Progressive Relaxation Meditation Visualization Biofeedback

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter 5 Stress: Managing Pressure