1. Stress
HELP ME, PLEASE!

2. Objectives Describe what causes a person to experience stress.
Identify four general types of stressors
List in order the three stages of the body’s response to stress.
Identify the physiological and psychological effects of stress.

6. What is Stress?
Is the response of a person’s mind or body to stressors.
You experience stress when situations, events, or people make demands on your body and mind.
What happens to your body or how your body reacts.
Ex: Hair falling out, headache, tight muscles, etc…
At moderate levels, stress can actually improve your ability to concentrate and perform at your best.
Beyond that level, however, it begins to take a negative toll on performance.

7. What is a Stressor?
An event or situation that causes stress is called a stressor.
A physical, mental-emotional, social, or environmental demand.
Whatever is causing the stress.
School-Tests, Teachers, Projects
Home-Parents, Siblings, Boy/Girlfriends, Friends, Curfew, etc…

8. The Many Causes of Stress:
Four general types of stressors are
Major life changes
Catastrophes
Everyday problems
Environmental problems

9. Major Life Changes: Being accepted to college
Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend
Having a parent loose their job
Learning you were adopted
Not making a team
Being elected to student government
Being recognized for an achievement
Leaving home for college or job

10. Catastrophes:
A catastrophe is an event that threatens lives and may destroy property.
A person who experiences a catastrophe may deal with the psychological effects for years after the event.

11. Everyday problems:
Some of the most common stressors are minor, but frequent, everyday events.
Conflict—disagreements with family members, friends, or others—is another common source of stress.
For many people, the pressure to succeed is a major source of stress.

12. Environmental problems:
Conditions in your immediate surroundings affect your level of stress each day.
A major stressor that occurs all around you but is often overlooked is noise.
Living in unsafe or crowded conditions also tends to increase feelings of stress.

13. Eustress & Distress: Eustress: Distress: Good or positive stress
Ex: tests, getting married, etc…
Distress:
Bad or negative stress
Ex: divorce, death of a loved one, etc…

14. Stages of Stress: The body’s response to stress occurs in three stages
Alarm Stage
Resistance Stage
Exhaustion Stage

15. Fight-or-Flight Response
Alarm Stage:
Fight-or-Flight Response
1) Adrenaline released into blood.
6) Flow of blood to
skin reduced.
Sweating increases. 3 8
2) Heart rate and blood
pressure increase. 10 2 4
7) Flow of blood to digestive
system reduced. Digestion
slows. More stomach acid
produced.
3) Flow of blood to brain
increases. 7 5 1
4) Breathing rate increases.
8) Pupils open wide. 9
5) More sugar released
into blood. Ability of
blood clot increases. 6
9) Muscles tense. More energy
produced by cells.
10) Lump forms in throat
as muscles contract.

16. Resistance Stage:
During this stage, your body adapts to the continued presence of the stressor.
The work that your body does during the resistance stage uses up a lot of energy. As a result, you may become tired, irritable, and less able to handle any added stress.

17. Exhaustion Stage:
Your body can no longer keep up with the demands placed on it.
Your physical and emotional resources are depleted
Exhaustion occurs only if a stressor continues for a long time—usually weeks, months, or even years.

18. Physiological and Psychological:

19. Stress and Illness:
Stress can trigger certain illnesses, reduce the body’s ability to fight an illness, and make some diseases harder to control.
Stomachaches
Asthma
Headaches
Lowered Resistance to Disease
Heart Disease

20. Vocabulary:
stress
The response of your body and mind to being challenged or threatened.
eustress
Stress that produces positive effects.
distress
Stress that produces negative effects.
stressor
An event or situation that causes stress.
catastrophe
An unexpected event that threatens lives and may destroy property.
fight-or-flight response
The initial reaction of the body to stress during the alarm stage.

21. Video: Don’t Pop Your Cork on Monday’s!

22. Activity 1: Progressive Relaxation
You can use progressive relaxation to release the tension that builds up in your muscles.
Try This
Sit quietly in a comfortable chair or lie down and close your eyes. Make sure that your arms and legs are uncrossed.
Tighten each muscle group in your body, hold for 10 seconds, and relax.
Finally, tense all the muscles in your whole body. Hold for 10 seconds and relax.

23. Progressive Relaxation
Think and Discuss
Compare how you felt before doing this activity to how you felt after doing the progressive relaxation.
Think back to what you learned about the alarm stage of your body’s response to stress. Why do you think progressive relaxation is an effective stress-reduction technique?
List some times during a typical week when it would be helpful to use progressive relaxation.

24. Balloons Please wait for instructions!!!!
Activity 2:
Balloons
Please wait for instructions!!!!

25. Activity 3: Dear Advice Line,
When I have to speak in front of a group, I panic. I begin to sweat and my heart pounds. My mouth gets so dry that it’s hard to speak. Is there anything I can do about this problem?
What advice would you offer to someone who is afraid of speaking in public?

26. Websites: