Stress Management and Physical Fitness

chapter12 Stress Management and Physical Fitness

Optimal Mental Health • Optimal mental health is an important factor for maintaining physical function in individuals across cultures. • Regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, depression and other stress-related disorders occur more often today than they did in the past.

Stress-Related Concepts • Even the experts do not agree on the definition of stress. • We define stress as a combination of the cause (stressor) and the physical reaction (stress reactivity). • Stressors have the potential to result in stress reactivity but may not necessarily do so.

Common Stressors • Biological • Toxins • Heat • Cold • Sociological • Unemployment • Philosophical • Deciding on a purpose in life • Psychological • Threats to self-esteem • Depression

Stress Reactivity • When a stressor leads to a stress response, several changes occur in the body. • Heart beats faster. • Muscles tense. • Breathing becomes rapid and shallow. • Perspiration appears under the arms and on the forehead. • Blood pressure increases. • These and other changes prepare the body to respond to the threat (stressor) by either fighting it off or running away.

Psychosomatic Disease • When built-up stress products (for example, increased heart rate and blood pressure) are chronic, go unabated, or occur frequently, they can cause illness and disease. • These conditions are called psychosomatic, from the Greek words psyche (the mind) and soma (the body). • The term does not mean that these conditions are all in the mind; instead, it means that a mind-body connection is causing the illness.

Figure 12.1 A Model for Stress Can you think of an example in your life that fits this model?

Some Definitions • Stress—The combination of a stressor and stress reactivity. • Stressor—A stimulus that has the potential to elicit stress reactivity. • Fight-or-flight response—A physiological reaction to a threatening stressor; another name for stress reactivity. • Stress reactivity—The physical reaction to a stressor that results in increased muscle tension, heart rate, blood pressure, and so forth.

Exercise’s Unique Contributionto Stress Management • Studies confirm the protective effects of physical activity on depression and related stress disorders among individuals of all ages. • The brain produces neurotransmitters (endorphins) during exercise, and their euphoric, analgesic effect serves to relax the brain and the rest of the body. That relaxed state helps us perceive stressors as less stressful.

Exercise’s Unique Contributionto Stress Management continued • Exercise is an emotional-arousal intervention. During exercise, we focus on what we are doing, not on our problems and stressors. Engaging in physical activity can therefore be relaxing. • Numerous research studies have found that exercise enhances well-being.

Stress and Athletic Injuries When people place themselves in stressful situations (for example, an important competition or tournament), three factors may contribute to a stress response: 1. a history of stressors (previous stressful events, past injuries, daily hassles), 2. coping resources (support of others, communication skills), and 3. personality characteristics (trait anxiety, external locus of control).

Managing Stress: Life-Situation Level At the life-situation level you can make a list of all your stressors, routine ones that occur regularly and unusual ones that are often unanticipated. Then go through the list trying to eliminate as many of them as you can.

Managing Stress: The Perception Level You can perceive or interpret as less distressing some of the stressors that you cannot eliminate. One way to do that is through selective awareness. Every situation embraces some good and some bad. Choosing to focus on the good while not denying the bad will result in a more satisfying and less distressing life.

Managing Stress: Emotional-Arousal Level An excellent way to control your emotional responses to stress is to engage regularly in some form of relaxation. • Progressive relaxation • Autogenic training • Body scanning • Biofeedback

Progressive Relaxation • Tense a muscle group for 10 seconds, all the while paying attention to the sensations that are created. • Relax those muscles, paying attention to that sensation. • The idea is to learn what muscular tension feels like so that you will be more likely to recognize it when you are experiencing it and be familiar with muscular relaxation so that when you are tense you can relax those muscle.

Autogenic Training Autogenic training involves imagining that your arms and legs are heavy, warm, and tingly. When you are able to imagine that, you are increasing the blood flow to those areas. This precipitates the relaxation response.

Body Scanning • Even when you are tense, there is some part of your body that is relaxed, perhaps your thigh, chest, or hand. • Body scanning requires you to search for a relaxed body part and transport that feeling to the tenser parts of your body.

Biofeedback • This technique involves using an instrument to mirror what is going on in the body and reporting the results back to the individual. • Biofeedback instrumentation can measure numerous physiological parameters: • temperature, blood pressure, heart raate, perspiration, breathing rate, muscle tension, brain waves, and many others.

Managing Stress:Physiological-Arousal Level • At the point of physiological arousal, your body is already prepared to do something physical. Managing stress at this level requires you to engage in some physical activity, which can range from the obvious to the obscure. • Running around the block as fast as you can or serving 30 tennis balls as hard as you can (anything that will tire you out) can relieve stress. • Punching your mattress or pillow as hard and as long as you can will not hurt them or yourself, but you will feel better.

Type A Behavior • Researchers have discovered a behavior pattern (type A) related to subsequent development of coronary heart disease. • Type A people • are aggressive and competitive, • never seem to have enough time, • are polyphasic, • are impatient, and • become angry easily.

Type B Behavior • In contrast, the type B behavior pattern seems to protect against the development of coronary heart disease. • Type B people • exhibit no free-floating hostility, • always seem to have enough time to get things done and do not fret if they don’t, • are more cooperative than competitive, and • are concerned with quality rather than quantity.

Time Management • Assess how you use time and adjust • Prioritize activities • Say no • Delegate to others • Give tasks the once-over • Use the circular file • Limit interruptions • Recognize the need to invest time

Stress Management and Physical Fitness