1. Devin Hawthorne Brianna Giordanella

2. RESPONDING TO STRESS (MOSS- MORRIS & PETRIE, 1997; TAYLOR & STANTON, 2007) COPING – the cognitive, behavioral, & emotional ways that stress can be managed during stressful situations; including any attempt to preserve mental & physical health

3. EMOTION-FOCUSED- Strategy which we try to control our emotional response to a stressor › Deny its existence › Maladaptive behaviors PROBLEM-FOCUSED- Strategy for directly dealing with a stressor; we either reduce the stressors demands or increase our resources for meeting the demands. › Reducing demands

5. FACTORS THAT EFFECT COPING › Hardiness › Explanatory Style › Personal Control and Choice › Social Support

6. Cluster of stress buffering traits consisting of commitment, challenges & control forming a personality style › (Salvatore Maddi and Suzanne Kobasa 1991) › Hardy people think of everyday demands of life as challenges rather than threats › Hardy people may be healthier because they are less likely to become aroused during stressful situation › Resilience is a term that originally appeared to children who show a remarkable ability to develop into competent, well adjusted people.

7. Whether you tend to attribute outcomes to positive or negative causes › Pessimism › People with negative explanatory styles. Explain failures in terms of: “Everything is awful” “It’s my fault, as usual” “Things are always going to be the same” › Optimism › Peoples with an upbeat, optimistic explanatory style tend to lead healthier, longer lives “In uncertain times, I usually expect the best” ‘I always look on the bright side of things”

8. Belief that we make our own decisions and determine what we do and what others do › Strategies: › Those who feel a strong sense of psychological control are more likely to exercise direct control over health-related behaviors › Regulatory Control › Refers to our capacity to modulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

9. Companionship from others that conveys emotions concern, material assistance, or honest feedback about a situation › Faster recovery, fewer medical complications › Lower mortality rates › Less distress in the face of terminal illness Who receives social support? › Peoples with better social skills who relate well to other and who are caring and giving, create strong social networks and receive more social support › Researchers have found that angry or hostile people receive less social support than agreeable people do When social support is not helpful › Support may be offered, a person may not perceive it as beneficial

10. The various psychological methods designed to reduce the impact of potentially stressful experiences Techniques to manage stress: › Exercise › Relaxation training › Cognitive Therapy

11. Physiological Effects of Exercise: › Regular Physical activity is the most effective strategy for minimizing the impact of stressful events on physiological health › Exercise enhances blood flow to the brain, stimulates the autonomic nervous system, and triggers the release of a variety of hormones › Exercise protects against cardiovascular disease by reducing blood pressure, resting heart rate, and cardiovascular reactivity Psychological Effects of Exercise: › Depression is the most common psychological disorder, is particularly responsive to exercise › Aerobic Exercise may counteract depression by increasing the serotonin activity in the brain and replacing depression’s state of low arousal

12. Progressive muscle relaxation: › A form of relaxation training that reduces muscle tension through a series of tensing and relaxing exercises involving the body’s major muscle groups Relaxation response: › A meditative state of relaxation in which metabolism slows and blood pressure lowers Deep Breathing and Visualization: › Deep breathing-breathe with your diaphragm, › Visualization- a form of focused relaxation used to create peaceful images in your mind

13. View that our way of thinking about the environment, rather than the environment itself, determines our stress level › People can be taught to softly make calming, relaxing, and reassuring self talk statements Cognitive behavioral stress management: › Combines relaxation training, visualization, cognitive restricting, reinforcement, and other techniques Stress Inoculation Training: 1. Reconceptualization 2. Skills Acquisition 3. Follow Through