2. Chapter Objectives Learn the physiology of stress and relaxation Become aware of the factors that affect your experience of stress Recognize the effect stress has on your health and performance Identify the sources of stress in your life Develop personalized strategies for managing stress

3. Stressful Facts (pg. 344, text) 30% feel stress affects their ability to get things done 47% say they lay awake at night due to stress 64% of young adults say relationships cause stress 71 % name money as the primary cause of stress

4. What’s causing stress in your life? Copyright © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.

5. Stress Stress is the collective physical and emotional changes an individual experiences in response to a stressor. A stressor is a specific physical or psychological event, condition, or demand that triggers stress. Homeostasis: A stable state of physiological functioning (metabolic equilibrium) actively maintained by complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system.

6. Stress Response Stress is unavoidable and necessary to human preservation How people react to stress appears to be more important than the stress itself Acute stress - A state of stress experienced in response to an immediate perceived threat, real or imagined Acute stress threatens homeostasis

7. Fight or Flight Acute stress threatens homeostasis and causes the fight-or flight response. Stress (fight-or-flight) response: Physiological changes that occur in reaction to a stressor that prepare an individual for a physical response (to fight or to flee) This response is a series of changes in homeostasis that occur through the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system (See next slide).

8. Nervous System Terminology Autonomic nervous system (ANS): Branch of the nervous system that provides unconscious control of basic body processes; consists of two divisions, sympathetic and parasympathetic. Sympathetic nervous system: A division of the autonomic nervous system that quickly generates the fight-or-flight response in reaction to a perceived threat; it accelerates key body processes to prepare the body for physical action. Parasympathetic nervous system: A division of the autonomic nervous system that balances the actions of the sympathetic nervous system by slowing body processes, returning the body to homeostasis once a stressor has passed

9. Autonomic Nervous System Sympathetic Nervous system Parasympathetic Nervous system Generates the Fight or flight response Returns the Body to homeostasis

10. The fight-or-flight response (Fig 10-1, pg. 345)

11. Stress Response - Brain The limbic system can override the stress response. The limbic system supports a variety of functions, including emotion, behavior, motivation. It appears to be primarily responsible for emotional life, and it has a great deal to do with the formation of memorieslimbic system The hypothalamus can initiate the release of cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline) via the adrenal glandshypothalamus The sympathetic nervous system increases physiological response and removal of sympathetic drive returns the body to homeostasis

12. Adrenalin Adrenalin: A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys; it binds to cells in the body and helps trigger the immediate changes of the fight or flight response, including increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and energy supplies

13. Cortisol Cortisol: A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys; it is secreted in response to stress and helps trigger the changes of the fight or flight response, including increased blood glucose, altered immune function, and reduction in nonessential body functions.

14. Stress Emotions - Anger Anger creating the urge to fight Primitive survival emotion Harmful manifestations: – shouting – abusive language – violence – avoiding situations because you fear your temper – being unable to deal with difficult situations without becoming angry People who cannot control anger increase risk of health related problems including hypertension, heart disease, and immune system impariment

15. Controlling anger Self talk to calm yourself down Anger won’t improve the situation then determine what you can do to improve the situation Give yourself a time out Class Discussion – See Wellness Strategies on p. 347

16. Controlling anger Anger Questions: Why am I angry? Is the situation important enough to get angry? Will expressing the emotion of anger make a positive difference? If the answers to the above are yes, how can you be assertive and not aggressive in expressing anger?

17. Fear Fear - Feeling anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event Fearful: the urge to run or “flight” Rational: reactions to real events in order to survive or avoid danger Irrational: fear of an object, activity or situations (phobia). Irrational fears cans interfere with daily functioning causing mental, emotional and physical harm Phobia: A persistent irrational, intense fear of a specific object, activity, or situation; a form of anxiety disorder.

18. Anxiety Anxiety: A persistent state of worry, fear, unease, and nervousness not directed at any particular threat; can be a normal part of the reaction to stress or, if excessive, may indicate a psychological disorder. Some anxiety, doubts and fears are a normal part of life Generalized anxiety disorder: constant anxiety that interferes with your ability to function and relax Generalized anxiety disorder Can cause body aches, insomnia and exhaustion

19. Stop Worrying There are different strategies to stop worrying Review in Text (pg. 348): – Self-monitoring – Cognitive therapy – Worry exposure Work on cognitive “restructuring” (see next slide)

20. Stop Worrying Cognitive Restructuring (source)source Identifying your negative thoughts. Challenging your negative thoughts. Replacing negative thoughts with realistic thoughts. Challenging Negative Thoughts Negative thought #1: What if I pass out on the subway? Cognitive distortion: Predicting the worst More realistic thought: I’ve never passed out before, so it’s unlikely that I will on the subway. Negative thought #2: If I pass out, it will be terrible! Cognitive distortion: Blowing things out of proportion More realistic thought: If I faint, I’ll come to in a few moments. That’s not so terrible. Negative thought #3: People will think I’m crazy. Cognitive distortion: Jumping to conclusions More realistic thought: People are more likely to be concerned if I’m okay.

21. Factors Affecting Stress Why do we respond differently? – Personality Type A: Being rushed, ambitious, impatient, time conscious Type B – Gender – Cognitive patterns

22. Personality Type A: impatient, ambitious, time conscious, goal driven, competitive, aggressive and quick to anger, goal driven, competitive, etc.. Type B: patient, easygoing, and adaptable to changing circumstances Keep in mind these personality types are oversimplified, and patterns of behavior such as anger and hostility lead to increased risk of disease.

23. Gender / Sex Cultural differences: gender appropriate behavior – social norms, expectations, experience, and feedback Women more likely to nurture and reach out to others when stressed Men more likely to initiate a confrontation or withdraw (see example under “Gender”, p. 350) Biology?? - Women produce more of the hormone oxytocin ( promotes socialization, connectedness ) - reduces stress hormone impact, men produce testosterone, diminishing impact of oxytocin.

24. Causes or triggers of stress External Major life changes Work Relationship difficulties Financial difficulties Time management Children and family Internal Inability to accept uncertainty Pessimism Negative self talk Unrealistic expectations

25. Transactional Model of Stress (p.351) Outlines how we assess and approach stress: Step 1 – Primary Appraisal = initial reaction, if you think you are ok, you move on, if not, go to step 2 Step 2 – Secondary appraisal = determine how much control you have over the stressor, lots of control is minimal stress (positive), no control is very distressing (negative). Negative outcome at step 2 leads to step 3. Step 3 – Coping – deciding what to do about the threat- coping is determined by everything around you that you can enact upon Step 4 – after you address the stressor, you decide if the stressor still exists, if so you begin the appraisal process again

26. Transactional Model of Stress

27. Reactions to Stressors – Modeling Outcomes Use the Transactional Model of Stress on a past stressor you have experienced. Map / Model your responses (see previous slides)

28. Attribution Theory – The Blame Game Read through the definition and example of the “Attribution Theory” on p. 351, text. Read through the “Wellness Strategies, p 351, and compare the strategies to the internal triggers for stress on right Internal Inability to accept uncertainty Pessimism Negative self talk Unrealistic expectations Is there a connection?

29. Coping and Finding Control (see also Step 3 of Transactional Model of Stress) Two types of coping strategies are: 1) problem solving; and 2) emotions focused. Problem solving – determining a practical and logical based materials and methods to combat the stressor Emotion focused – working through emotions associated with the stressor so that the emotions can be transformed to positive outcome thinking and planning Give examples of how to do both…

30. Stress and Wellness To Be Continued…