PSY Health & Stress

8/7/2019 PSY Health & Stress

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Health & Stress

Ms.Sadia Aziz Ansari


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What is Stress?

Stress is a nonspecific response:

to any demand made upon us

to a real or imagined threat, eventor change

Threats, demands, events or change

are called Stressors.

Stressors can be internal (thoughts,

beliefs, attitudes or external (loss,

tragedy, change)


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` Meeting overly ambitious deadline (Doingproject)

` Too much to do and too little time (Exams)

` Stuck in rush hour traffic (hurry to reach office

or home)` Troubling thoughts about the future( what is

going to happen)

` Not getting enough sleep etc..

How you think about a challenge determineswhether you will experience positive or negativestress.


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Nature of Stress

` PositiveNot all stress is bad, it can be viewed asstimulation to growth anddevelopmentit is challenge andvariety, it is the Spice of life(Hans Selye)

` Everydaythe only person without stress isdeadwe all suffer traffic jams, market ,queues, arguments with people

` Negativeexists where there is a perceivedimbalance between demands and ourability to meet these demands


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` Eustress or positive stress occurs when yourlevel of stress is high enough to motivate you to

move into action to get things accomplished.

` Eustress brings inspiration we need to attain

goals.` e.g. An athlete will experience the strength that

comes form eustress right before they play a big

game or enter a big competition. Because of the

eustress, they immediately receive the strengththat they need to perform.


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Negatively perceived event or trigger thatpromotes upset, suffering, illness; at the

extreme it can lead to psychosis, even death

` Distress is one of the negative types of stress.

This is one of the types of stress that the mindand body undergoes when the normal routine is

constantly adjusted and altered.

` Reason: mind is not comfortable with changed

routine, and wants familiarity of routine back.` There are actually two types of distress: acute

stress and chronic stress.


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Types of Distress

Acute Stress` Stress that comes

immediately with a

change of routine.

` It is an intense type ofstress, but it passesquickly.

` Acute stress is thebody's way of getting aperson to stand up and

take inventory of what isgoing on, to make surethat everything is OK

` Illness, Kid in trouble,Lose wallet, In-laws

coming etc..

Chronic Stress` Chronic stress will

occur if there is

` a ongoing, long lasting,

unpleasant events forweek after week.

` Chronic stress affects

the body for a long

period of time.

` Job loss, Divorce, Loved

one died


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Sources of Stress or Types of Stressors


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4. Social & environmental sourcesSocial conditions that promote stress. e.g.,

poverty, racism, crime, culture clashes lead to

stress e.g., refugees, immigrants

5. Chronic Stress is an ongoing, long lasting,unpleasant events.

6. Frustration is an unpleasant tension

resulting from a blocked goal.


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Conflicts:

Conflicts occurs when you are making choices betweenavailable two options. Its a pull between twoopposing desires or goals

Approach-approach conflict

` choice between 2 appealing outcomes

` easy to resolve, low stress

Avoidance-avoidance conflict

` choice between 2 unappealing outcomes

`

more stressful than approach-approachApproach-avoidance conflict

` one goal with appealing & unappealing aspects

` most stressful type of conflict

` often result ambivalence & indecisiveness


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Approach-approach

` the individual is faced with the necessity ofmaking a choice between two (or more)desirable goals.

` Since both goals are desirable, this is the least

stressful situation. "Shall I fly or take a boat toEurope?" might be easily resolved if both meansof travel are seen as pleasurable.

` Such situations produce a state of unstableequilibrium. As soon as one goal is approached,

its desirability increases and completelydominates, thereby making the choice easy.The choice becomes easier the closer one movestoward either goal.


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Avoidance-avoidance

` An individual is faced with two goals, both ofwhich are negative, or repellent. He is "between

the rock and the hard place." In that very

position, for example, is the child who is faced

with "Either you do your homework or you go tobed without dinner.

` Since the equilibrium is a stable one, the child

is likely to remain balanced between the two

negatives as long as possible. The nearer theindividual comes to a goal he wishes to avoid (a

repelling one), the stronger is his tendency to

avoid it.


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Approach-avoidance

` An individual is both attracted and repelled by the samegoal. The same goal has qualities that make the individualwant to approach it and other qualities that make himwant to avoid it.

` E.g. a hesitant man who wishes to propose to his girlfriend fears rejection (the quality he wishes to avoid) and

hopes for acceptance (the quality he wishes to approach).Hence he is in conflict about a single goal. If you aretempted to eat a certain food but know from experiencethat it gives you indigestion, you experience an approach-avoidance conflict.

` The approach-avoidance conflict situation is a stable

equilibrium. As the individual nears the goal , the strengthof avoidance increases more rapidly than that of approach,pushing him from the goal ; at this point the strength ofapproach is higher than the avoidance tendency. In thismanner the person is brought back to the original point ofequilibrium .


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How the individual

responds to thestressor will depend

on their personality,

their perceptions, and

their past experience.


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What Makes an Event Stressful?

Intensity: negative events more stressful thanpositive events.

` Controllability: events that are uncontrollable

and Unpredictable are more stressful Than

controllable, predictable events.

` Personality attribute: people with high self-

esteem experience less stress than with low

self-esteem

` Overloaded people are more stressed than are

people with fewer tasks to perform.


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Stress & Coping


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Explanatory Personality style

` Optimism` use external, unstable, & specific

explanations for negative events

` Pessimism` use internal, stable, & global explanations

for negative events


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Type A vs. type B personality

` Type A

` time urgency

` general hostility

`

intense ambition and competitiveness` associated with heart disease

` Type B

` more easygoing

`

not associated with heart disease


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What are the Signs of Stress?

Physiological Emotional Behavioral

Pounding heart

Rapid breathing

Sweaty palms

Cold hand &feet

Lack of energyHeadaches

Muscle tension

Sleep difficulties

Stomach

disturbances

Irritability

Nervous, edgy

Lack of patience

Crying

Losing temperWorrying

Emotional sensitivity

Memory lapse

Lack of concentration

Increase in careless errors

Sleeping more

Sleeping less

Eating more

Eating less

Angry outburstsWithdrawing from

others


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Stress & Coping


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What is coping?

` A coping skill is a behavioral tool which may

be used by individuals to overcome or reduce

stress caused by underlying condition

` Coping implied to restore psychologicalimbalance certain stress has resulted in

` It is to minimize perceived threat & negativity

` Lazarus defines two ways to coping


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Problem-focused

` Problem-focused or approach coping : whenefforts are directed at solving or managing

` the problem that is causing distress. It includes

strategies for gathering information, making

decisions, planning, and resolving conflicts.This type of coping effort is usually directed at

acquiring resources to help deal with the

underlying problem and includes instrumental,

situation specific, and task-oriented actions.


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Emotion-focused Coping

` Emotion-focused or avoidant coping iscoping that is directed at managing or

reducing emotional

` distress, which includes cognitive strategies

such as looking on the bright side, orbehavioral

` strategies such as seeking emotional

support, having a drink, or using drugs.` Social Support, diversion, smoking or any

other habit etc.


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Quick Tips ofCoping with stress`

Do something that relaxes you such as: deep and slowbreathing, stretching exercises, yoga, a massage, meditation,listening to music, reading.

` Get a hobby or do something you enjoy.

` Learn to accept things that you cannot change.

` Think positive.

` Set limits. Learn to say no. Take one thing at a time.` Get 7-6 hours of sleep each night.

` Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, proteinand whole grains.

` Limit caffeine and sugar and other stimulants.

` Exercise regularly. Exercise will help relax tense muscles,improve your mood and help you sleep better.

` Talk to your family and friends about your problems.

` Do not deal with stress in unhealthy ways such as eating toomuch, not eating enough, using tobacco products, drinkingalcohol or using drugs.

PSY Health & Stress

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