Unit 2-10

1. Unit 2-10 Expressing Emotions & Managing Stress

2. Journal entry # 10 • When was the last time that you were really stressed and your emotions affected you physically? • How do you deal with stress? (name some things)

3. Goals/objectives • Explain the mind-body connection. • Outline guidelines for expressing emotions in healthful ways. • Discuss hidden anger, anger cues, and anger-management skills. • Explain the bodily changes caused by stress during each of the 3 stages of the general adaptation syndrome. • Explain ways that prolonged stress can affect health. • Identify life changes that are most stressful for teens. • List and discuss stress-management skills.

4. Key terms • Emotion • Mind-body connection • Psychosomatic disease • Hidden anger • Hostility • Serotonin • Anger-management skills • Stress • General adaptation syndrome (GAS) • Stress-management skills

5. Stress • Stress is linked to many of the ten leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, and injuries.

6. The Mind-body connection • A specific feeling is called an emotion. • What you think can affect what happens to your body, and what happens in your body can affect how you think and feel. • The mind-body connection is the relationship between a person’s thoughts, emotions, and bodily responses. • A psychosomatic disease is a physical illness or disorder that is caused or aggravated by emotional responses.

7. Mind-body connection cont’d • Suppose you are worried about a test tomorrow. • The emotion of worry might trigger certain bodily responses, such as an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. • If this continues, you might have difficulty getting a good night’s sleep. • You might get tired the next day because your emotional state triggered changes in your body.

8. asthma • Asthma is a chronic condition in which breathing becomes difficult. • A teen with asthma might be fearful of speaking in front of the class. • When the teacher asks him to give a report, he might have difficulty breathing. • His emotional state aggravated his disorder.

9. Angry feelings • The feeling of being irritated or annoyed is called anger. • Anger that is not recognized and is expressed in inappropriate ways is called hidden anger. • Being negative • Making cruel remarks to others • Being sarcastic • Procrastinating • Blowing up easily • Stress also may have a role in development of some types of cancer.

10. Hidden anger & Hostility • The chronic state of always being angry is hostility. • Places the body at a greater risk of developing severe illness. • Person gets very little rest • The person’s immune system is suppressed • Teens who exhibit hostility have lowered seratonin levels. • Seratonin– chemical that is involved in controlling states of consciousness and mood • Lower seratonin levels lead to aggressiveness • Projection – blaming others for actions or events for which they are not responsible • Displacement is the releasing of anger on someone or something other than the cause of anger.

11. Symptoms of anger • Rapid breathing • Increased heart rate • Rise in blood pressure • Increased sweating from sweat glands in the face • Sweaty palms • Dryness of the mouth • Increased alertness • Decreased sensitivity to pain • Increased muscle strength as a result of increased availability of blood sugar to the muscles • Tensed eyebrows pursed lips • Reddening of the face

12. Anger management • Anger-management skills are healthful ways to control and express anger.

13. How to use anger-management skills • Keep an anger self-inventory. • Use self-statements to control anger. • Use I-messages instead of you-messages. • Write a letter. • Write in a journal. • Reduce the effects of anger with physical activity. • Use other safe physical actions to blow off steam. • Breathe deeply. • Keep a sense of humor. • Rehearse what to do in situations that you know are anger triggers. • Talk with a parent, guardian or mentor.

14. stress • The response of the body to the demands of daily living is stress. • A source of cause of stress is a stressor. • A response to a stressor might be healthful or harmful. • Eustress - a healthful response to a stressor. • Distress – a harmful response to a stressor.

15. General adaptation syndrome • General adaptation syndrome (GAS) – a series of body changes that result from stress • Fight or Flight: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g25d7_Afmc&feature=related

16. GAS • Alarm Stage – the first stage of the GAS, in which the body gets ready for quick action. • Adrenaline is secreted into the bloodstream • Resistance Stage – the second stage of the GAS, in which the body attempts to regain internal balance • Adrenaline no longer is secreted • Pupils constrict, hearing is normal, saliva increases, HR and blood pressure decrease, bronchioles constrict, intestinal secretions increase to normal, blood flow to muscles decrease, and muscles relax. • Exhaustion Stage – the third stage of the GAS, in which wear and tear on the body increase the risk of injury, illness, and premature death.

17. How stress affects mental/emotional health • Mental & Emotional Health • Difficult to think clearly and concentrate. • Increases risk of depression and psychosomatic diseases • Ulcers, headaches and stomachaches • Acne, asthma, and chronic fatigue syndrome

18. How stress affects family/social health • Stressful home or stressful relationships can… • Increase likelihood of illness • Hinder immune system’s ability to fight off infection and disease

19. How stress affects growth/development • Teens who cannot adjust to hormone changes (puberty) may choose harmful ways of coping • Eating disorders

20. How stress affects nutrition • When stress you secret adrenaline • Causes the body to use up its supply of vitamins B and C • Eating healthy can replenish these vitamins • Moderate consumption of caffeine (chocolate, coffee, tea, soda) because it stimulates the nervous system and can promote more nervousness and stress. • Moderate consumption of salty foods when stressed. • Body retains fluids which increased blood pressure • High blood pressure is a contributing factor to heart disease. • Large quantities of sweets when stressed. • High concentrations of refined sugar may cause your body to increase production of insulin (helps body use sugar in the blood). Too much insulin results in low blood sugar and will cause you to lose energy.

21. How Stress affects personal health/physical activity • If done in excess exercise can harm the body. • Too much exercise can affect your immune system (fights disease). • You may become fatigued and run down. • Your body uses up Vitamin C during stressful periods • Vitamin C helps your immune system to function well

22. Stress and alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs • Tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, and tranquilizers may decrease your ability to cope with stress. • May cause a person to experience the alarm stage of the GAS. • Alcohol and tranquilizers depress the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and judgment.

23. Stress and communicable/chronic diseases • Periods of being overwhelmed and frustrated may cause the body’s immune system to be suppressed. • Lowered resistance to disease • Become more susceptible to communicable diseases, such as flu and the common cold • Prolonged stress might affect a person’s risk of cancer • Cancer cells are more likely to develop, multiply, and spread • Being stressed keeps the body in the alarm stage of the GAS • HR and blood pressure remain high • Cardiovascular diseases are more likely to occur

24. Stress and consumer/community health • Boredom is a stressor • Boredom results from lack of challenge • People who are bored with their lives may turn to harmful behaviors • Shopping addiction • Tv addiction • Computer addiction • Gambling addiction

25. Stress and environmental health • Pollutants activate the GAS. • Loud noise (music & concerts), heavy traffic, and airports initiate the alarm stage of GAS. • Teens who smoke or who listen to loud music while driving have more accidents.

26. Stress and injury prevention/personal safety • Stress is a major contributing factor in almost all kinds of accidents • Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in the 15-24 age group. • People who are frustrated, angry, and aggressive because of stress could having concentration issues when driving.

27. Stress management skills • Stress-management skills are techniques to prevent and deal with stressors and to protect one’s health from the harmful effects produced by the stress response.

28. How to prevent and deal with stressful situations • Use responsible decision-making skills • Keep a time-management plan • Keep a budget • Talk with parents, a guardian, a mentor, or other responsible adults • Make sure you have a support network of friends

29. How to protect health during stressful periods • Participate in physical activity • Write in a journal • Use breathing techniques • Eat a healthful diet • Get plenty of rest and sleep