Chapter 17: Stress Management

1. Chapter 17: Stress Management Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress

2. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Lesson Objectives: • Define stress and list its causes. • Explain the three stages in the general adaptation syndrome. • Explain how eustress and distress differ. • Discuss the effects of stress.

3. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is stress and what is a stressor?

4. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • Stress is how your body responds to demanding situations. • Stress can be positive or negative.

5. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress • Answer (continued) • A stressor is a name given to a specific event that produces a reaction from you. • A stressor can also be general long-term feelings of worry, anger, or anxiety that can cause your body to react in an unhealthy way.

6. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress • Answer (continued) • Stress (emotional or social stress) is a result of how you think about events that happen to you. • Your thoughts will determine how your body responds.

7. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question How are thoughts related to stress?

8. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • If you think positively, the stressful event can be healthy. • If you think negatively, the stressful event can be unhealthy.

9. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is eustress?

10. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • Eustress is a term used for positive stress. • If an event is very exciting or very challenging, it puts you in a state of eustress.

11. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What happens to you when an event is very exciting or challenging?

12. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer When you interpret events as exciting or challenging: • These thoughts cause your body to respond—increasing your heart rate, sweating, and alertness. • This type of response—a positive stress response to an event—is a state of eustress.

13. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What are examples of events that produce feelings of eustress?

14. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Events that produce feelings of eustress: • Riding a roller coaster • Skydiving • Skiing

15. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is distress?

16. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • Distress is negative stress. • If an event is very demanding and you feel you cannot control what is happening to you, it will put you in a state of distress.

17. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question How do your thoughts cause you to be distressed?

18. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer When you interpret events as being uncontrollable, demanding, and beyond your ability to cope, • your body responds in a negative way that can be harmful to your health, and • this type of response—a negative stressful response to an event—is a state of distress.

19. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question How does your body respond negatively to distress?

20. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Negative responses to stress include • increasing anxiety, • lack of sleep, • decreased ability to concentrate, • poor digestion, and • tense muscles.

21. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What are examples of events that produce feelings of distress?

22. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Events that produce feelings of stress: • Taking an exam in a difficult subject area • Serious conflicts with family or friends • Being in some type of accident • Getting a sports injury

23. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is the general adaptation syndrome?

24. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • A researcher, Hans Selye, helped us understand the effects of stress. • There are three stages: • The alarm reaction—The body reacts to a stressor. • The stage of resistance—The body resists the stressor.

25. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress • Answer (continued) • The stage of exhaustion—The body succumbs to a stressor.

26. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What are three types of stressors?

27. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer There are three types of stressors: • Physical • Social • Emotional

28. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What are characteristics of physical stressors?

29. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • Physical stressors are events that are stressful to you, independent of your thought processes. • In other words, no matter how positively you try to think, physical stressors will still affect you in a negative way.

30. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What are examples of physical stressors?

31. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Examples of physical stressors: • Exposure to heat or cold • Hunger or thirst • Lack of sleep • Certain types of illnesses

32. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is a social stressor?

33. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • A social stressor is any minor or major event that might cause you stress (positive or negative). • How you think about a social stressor (e.g., positively or negatively) can determine whether you are in a state of eustress or distress.

34. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What are examples of social stressors?

35. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Examples of social stressors: • An important sports competition • A major school exam • Disagreements with friends • A conflict with your parents

36. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is an emotional stressor?

37. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • An emotional stressor is a general feeling of worry, anxiety, or grief. • You simply feel down and depressed, lacking motivation for many things. • These feelings can cause your body to react in unhealthy ways.

38. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What is competitive stress?

39. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer • Often in high school, you may be involved in sports teams, academic projects, etc. • Competitive stress is what you feel when you participate in competitive sports and other competitive activities.

40. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question What factors make these activities stressful?

41. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Competition is stressful because it features: • Being evaluated by others • Performing in front of a crowd • Feeling that the outcome is important

42. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Question How can you produce feelings of eustress (not distress) in competitive activities?

43. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer Feelings of eustress can arise if you • simply try to do your best and accept the outcome. • understand that sometimes you will do very well and other times there will be room for improvement. • keep things in perspective.

44. Lesson 17.1: Facts About Stress Answer (continued) • realize that the only thing you control is how much effort you give. • do not spend a lot of time worrying about winning or losing because it could be beyond your control.

45. Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress Question With a partner: How can you self-assess signs and signals of stress?

46. Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress Answer Assessing stress: • Lie on the floor, close your eyes, and try to relax. • Have your partner count your pulse and your breathing rate. • Ask your partner to observe for irregular breathing and unusual mannerisms.

47. Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress Answer (continued) • Then ask your partner to evaluate how tense your muscles seem. Report “butterflies” or other indicators of stress to your partner. • Write your results on your record sheet. Have your partner lie down while you record your observations about him or her.

48. Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress Answer (continued) • When directed by your teacher, all members of the class should write their names on a piece of paper and place the papers in a hat or a box. • The teacher will draw names until only three remain in the container. The students whose names remain must give 1-minute speeches about the effects of stress.

49. Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress Answer (continued) • Observe your partner before and during the name-drawing. Look for the signs and signals of stress. Record your results on the record sheet. • Also try to remember your feelings during the drawing. Finally, observe the people who were required to make the speech. Record this information on the record sheet.

50. Self-Assessment 17: Identifying Signs of Stress Answer (continued) • Finally, walk or jog for 5 minutes after your second stress assessment. Once again, work with a partner to assess your signs of stress. • Write them in the third column of the record sheet. Notice that the exercise causes heart rate and breathing rate to increase. • However, it may help reduce earlier signs of the emotional stress related to performing in front of the class.