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Modules 41-43. Stress & Health. Stress and Health. Psychological states cause physical illness. Stress is any circumstance (real or perceived) that threatens a person’s well-being. Lee Stone/ Corbis. When we feel severe stress, our ability to cope with it is impaired. What is Stress????.
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Modules 41-43 Stress & Health
Stress and Health Psychological states cause physical illness. Stress is any circumstance (real or perceived) that threatens a person’s well-being. Lee Stone/ Corbis When we feel severe stress, our ability to cope with it is impaired.
What is Stress???? • The physical, emotional,cognitive and behavioral RESPONSE to events that are judged as threatening or challenging
Different kinds of stress?? • There are 2 kinds of stressors(stress causing events)..Those that cause, * Distress * Eustress
Distress Occurs when people experience unpleasant and undesirable stressors (Discomfort)
Examples of Distress *Failing a test or class * Fighting with friend or family member * Dealing with divorce * Being late
Eustress Results from positive events – the optimal amount of stress to promote health and well-being. (excited or motivated)
Examples of Eustress • Performing in a competition (play/sports/dance) • Taking a test • Giving a presentation • Moving into a new home
Stress and Stressors A stressor is a thing that causes a person to experience stress. Stress is not merely a stimulus or a response. It is a process by which we appraise and cope with environmental threats and challenges. Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works When short-lived or taken as a challenge, stressors may have positive effects. However, if stress is threatening or prolonged, it can be harmful.
The Stress Appraisal Measure • Measures anticipatory stress (perception of future events) • Threat • Challenge • Centrality • Whether it can be controlled by self, by others or is uncontrollable • General “stressfulness” level
Take the SAM – Stress Appraisal Measure • Future unemployment • Threat 5, 11, 20, 28 • Challenge 7, 8, 10, 19 • Centrality 6, 9, 13, 27 • Control – self 12, 14, 22, 25 • Control – others 4, 15, 17, 23 • Uncontrollable 1, 3, 18, 21 • Stressfulness 2, 16, 24, 26
The Stress Response System Our initial stress response is a fight-or-flight response: • epinephrine and norepinephrine from the inner adrenal glands, • increasing heart and respiration rates, • sugar and fat mobilized • natural pain killers released
General Adaptation Syndrome According to Selye, a stress response to any kind of stimulation is similar. The stressed individual goes through three phases. Long term stress, exhaustion, etc…
Fight or Flight • Your body’s response to a stressful situation is automatic • This response is called fight or flight
So what does my body do? • Pupils dilate • Hearing improves • Heart rate increases • Muscles tighten • Sweating increases • Adrenaline is released
Stressful Life Events • Catastrophic Events • earthquakes, combat stress, floods • Life Changes • death of a loved one, divorce, loss of job, promotion • Daily Hassles • rush hour traffic, long lines, job stress, burnout • Conflicts
Daily Hassles • “It’s not the large things that send a man to the madhouse…no, it’s the continuing series of small tragedies…not the death of his love but the shoelace that snaps with no time left” – Charles Bukowski
Conflicts Approach-Approach Avoidance-Avoidance A choice must be made between 2 unattractive goals Should you do your math or science homework first? YOUR TURN • A choice must be made between 2 attractive goals. • On your free afternoon should you go to the beach or the pool? YOUR TURN
Conflicts Approach-Avoidance A choice must be made about whether to pursue a single goal that has both attractive and unattractive aspects • Should you take the offer of your dream job but move to a city where you don’t want to live? YOUR TURN
Stressful Life Events • Chronic Stress by Age
Stress and the Heart Stress that leads to elevated blood pressure may result in coronary heart disease, a clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle. Plaque in coronary artery Artery clogged
Personality Types Type Ais a term used for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people. Type Brefers toeasygoing, relaxed people (Friedman and Rosenman, 1974). Type A personalities are more likely to develop coronary heart disease.
Life-Style Modification Modifying a Type-A lifestyle may reduce the recurrence of heart attacks. Ghislain and Marie David De Lossy/ Getty Images
Pessimism and Heart Disease Pessimistic adult men are twice as likely to develop heart disease over a 10-year period (Kubzansky et al., 2001).
Stress & Susceptibility to Disease A psychophysiological illness is any stress-related physical illness such as hypertension and some headaches. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a developing field in which the health effects of psychological, neural, and endocrine processes on the immune system are studied.
Psychoneuroimmunology B lymphocytes fight bacterial infections, T lymphocytes attack cancer cells and viruses, and microphages ingest foreign substances. During stress, energy is mobilized away from the immune system making it vulnerable. Lennart Nilsson/ Boehringer Ingelhein International GmbH
Stress and Colds People with the highest life stress scores were also the most vulnerable when exposed to an experimental cold virus.
Health Psychology • a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine.
Behavioral Medicine Psychologists and physicians have developed an interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine that integrates behavioral knowledge with medical knowledge. Mind and body interact; everything psychological is simultaneously physiological.
Aerobic Exercise Can aerobic exercise boost spirits? Many studies suggest that aerobic exercise can elevate mood and well-being because aerobic exercise raises energy, increases self-confidence, and lowers tension, depression, and anxiety.
Biofeedback, Relaxation, and Meditation Biofeedbacksystems use electronic devices to inform people about their physiological responses and gives them the chance to bring their response to a healthier range. Relaxation and meditation have similar effects in reducing tension and anxiety.
Spirituality & Faith Communities Regular religious attendance has been a reliable predictor of a longer life span with a reduced risk of dying.
Intervening Factors Investigators suggest there are three factors that connect religious involvement and better health.
Stress-management Skills • Techniques used to cope with the negative effects of stress
Healthy Ways to Manage Stress • Get enough sleep • Participate in physical activities • Manage your time (make to-do lists) • Talking with family and friends (share feelings with someone you can trust)
Write in a journal (helps you express feelings) • Keep a sense of humor • Take a break- do something for yourself! • Perform relaxation techniques (deep-breathing, and imagery)