What is Stress?

1. What is Stress? • Assumptions: • 1. Stress is ubiquitous • 2. Stress can be both positive and negative • 3. Stress is a result of both inside the body and outside the body factors • 4. Everybody has the capacity to alter their stress reactions • 5. The best way to understand the stress cycle is from an holistic approach (mind, body, environment) • 6. Today’s world has more stressful stimuli than ever before.

3. Non-Physical threats can create moderate fight or flight responses Threats in form of: • Emotional • Intellectual • Social/Value system __________________ Stimulated by: • Actual events • Thoughts • Imagination

4. Stress Response Sequence Perception of Outside the Skin Events OUTS Sensory Perception of Inside the Skin (INS) events. (i.e. Biofeedback) Direct Perception of INS Emotional and Mental Responses to OUTS Emotional and Mental Responses to INS Physiological Response Limbic Responses Hypothalamic and Pituitary Response

6. Physiological Changes During Fight or Flight Response • Breathing Rate • Heart Rate • Blood Pressure • Muscle Tension • Stress Hormones • Epinephrine • Norepinephrine • Cortisol

7. Physiological Stress Symptoms • Increased fatty acid • Increased blood coagulation • Increased muscular strength • Decreased gastric movement • Increased perspiration • Increased heart rate • Increased ventilation • Vasodilatation of arteries to periphery • Increased serum glucose levels

8. Mind/Body Paradigm • “Every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unconscious, and conversely, every change in the mental-emotional state, conscious or unconscious, is accompanied by an appropriate change in the physiological state” • This principle , when coupled with volition..makes possible psychosomatic self-regulation.

9. The Stre

10. Sympathetic Nervous System Arousal/Fight or Flight Response Parasympathetic Nervous System Relaxation Autonomic Nervous System

11. The Nature of Stress Where Stressors Come From • Either from outside ourselves: • Physical Environment: noise, heat, technology • Social: aggressiveness, disagreements, bossiness • Organizational: work tasks and deadlines • Major life events: marriage, new baby, major illness, promotion

12. The Nature of Stress • Or from inside ourselves: • Desire to perform well • Wanting to feel “in control” of situations • Attitude and Outlook on situations • Personal choices: alcohol/drugs, diet, working overtime, taking time to relax

13. Activity: Self-Assessment of Your Stressors and Stress Warning Signs • Tip: Stressors could be major life events, daily hassles, things from the physical environment, relationships with others, thoughts, feelings, or physical maladies that have a negative impact on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.

14. Mind/Body Paradigm • “Every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unconscious, and conversely, every change in the mental-emotional state, conscious or unconscious, is accompanied by an appropriate change in the physiological state” • This principle , when coupled with volition..makes possible psychosomatic self-regulation.

20. Maximum Performance Good Low Performance Illness Poorperformance Poorperformance Poor High Low(under-aroused, i.e. bored) Moderate(optimally aroused) High(over-aroused i.e. overwhelmed) Stress (Emotional Arousal)

21. Self-Regulation: Physiological Controls • Learning to push your own buttons • Awareness • Biofeedback as a training tool • Training as learning (and unlearning) • Practice develops self-efficacy

22. KEYS TO EFFECTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT • 1. Know your stressors • 2. Awareness of specific stress impact • 3. Understanding individual response patterns • 4. Learning methods to moderate patterns • 5. Invoke personal change process • 6. Do it: How to follow through and maintain