Unraveling Stress: Understanding, Managing, and Cultivating Wellness in a Stressful World

What is Stress? - Commonly, stress refers to two different things - Stressors: Mental states or events that trigger physical and psychological reactions - Stress response: The reactions themselves Physical Responses to Stressors - Two systems in your body are responsible for the physical response - Nervous system - Endocrine system -Rapid chemical reactions prime the body to act quickly and appropriately The Nervous System - Nervous system: The brain, spinal cord, and nerves - Handles very short-term stress - Part is under voluntary control, while another part is not under conscious supervision – the Autonomic nervous system - Parasympathetic division is in control when you are in a relaxed state; it aids in Digesting food, storing energy, and promoting growth - Sympathetic division is activated when you are stimulated, such as by exercise or when You experience pain, anger, or fear. How the Nervous and Endocrine Systems Work Together - During stress, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the endocrine system - Endocrine system: Glands, tissues, and cells that help control body functions - Releases hormones - Helps prepare the body to respond to stress - Handles both acute and chronic stress - How do they work together in an emergency? - Adrenal glands are activated, releasing cortisol and epinephrine - Trigger physiological changes - Heart rate and respiration accelerate - Hearing and vision become more acute - Liver releases extra sugar into the bloodstream - Perspiration increases - Brain releases endorphins - Once the stressful situation ends, the body returns to homeostasis: its normal state Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors - Responses to stress vary from person to person - Cognitive responses - Cognitive appraisal of a potential stressor influences how it is viewed - Two factors that can reduce the magnitude of the stress response - Successful prediction - Perception of control - Psychological responses - Emotional responses are determined in part by personality and temperament but can Also be regulated with coping techniques. - Personality: The sum of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional tendencies - Affects a person’s perception of and reaction to stressors, which in turn have Health effects - Personality traits - Hardiness is a trait that allows people to cope more positively with stress - Personal motivations affect stress and help determine its impact on health - Stressed power motivation - Unstressed affiliation motivation - Resilience is a personality trait associated with the ability to face adversity and recover Quickly from difficulties - Especially associated with social and academic success in at-risk groups - Cultural background - Culture clashes can be a source of stress - Gender - Strict adherence to gender roles can limit one’s response to stress and become its own Source of stress - Women report higher levels of stress than men - Experience - Good or bad past experiences color how people respond to similar situations The Stress Experience as a Whole - Physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional symptoms of negative stress are distinct and Intimately interrelated. - More intense the emotional response, the stronger the physical response - Effective behavioral responses can lessen stress - Ineffective behavioral responses can worsen stress Stress and Health - American Psychological Association’s stress in America survey: the average overall stress Level among Americans rose between 2016 and 2017. - Eighty percent of respondents reported having at least one symptom in the past Month - Evidence suggest stress can increase vulnerability to many ailments The General Adaptation Syndrome - Selye’s general adaptation syndrome suggests a predictable response pattern to all stressors - Eustress: Brought on by a pleasant stressor - Distress: Brought on by an unpleasant stressor - Stages of the GAS - Alarm - Resistance - Exhaustion Allostatic Load - Allostatic load: The “wear and tear” on the body that results from long-term exposure to Repeated or chronic stress - Depends on many factors, including genetics, life experiences, and emotional and Behavioral responses to stressors - Physical stress reactions may promote a new level of homeostasis, but they also have Negative effects - Increased susceptibility to disease after repeated or prolonged stress Psychoneuroimmunology - Psychoneuroimmunology: The study of the interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and Immune systems - Hormones and other chemical messengers released in the stress response may inhibit Or strengthen the immune system. - Different types of stress affect immunity in different ways - Acute stress may last only minutes or may become chronic - Chronic stress continues for days, weeks, or longer Health Problems and Stress - Cardiovascular disease - Blood pressure rises during the stress response - Chronic high blood pressure leads to atherosclerosis - Anger and hostility seem to be especially harmful - Psychological disorders - Stress contributes to problems such as depression, panic attacks, anxiety, eating Disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder - Altered immune function - Increased vulnerability to colds and other infections, asthma, and allergy attacks, And flare-ups of chronic sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and HIV - Headaches - Tension headaches - Migraine headaches - Cluster headaches - Other health problems - Stress has also been linked to digestive problems, asthma, cancer skin disorders, Fibromyalgia, insomnia and fatigue, injuries, menstrual irregularities, impotence, and Pregnancy complications - Stress can mask underlying health problems - Stomach ulcers - Increased blood pressure - Anxiety and Depression Common Sources of Stress - Major life changes - Daily hassles - College stressors - Academic stress - Interpersonal stress - Time pressures - Financial concerns - Worries, especially about the future - Job-related stressors - High levels of job stress is common and can result in burnout – a state of physical, Mental, and emotional exhaustion - Social stressors - Real social networks - Digital social networks - Environmental stressors - Natural disasters - Acts of violence - Industrial accidents - Intrusive noises or smells - Internal stressors - Often created by the ways we think and look at things Managing Stress - Shore up your support system - Foster friendships - Keep your family ties strong - Get involved with a group - Volunteer - But know your limits - Improve your communication skills - Communicate assertively - Avoid suppressing feelings or expressing them aggressively - Develop healthy exercise and eating habits - Regular physical activity can reduce many of the negative effects of stress - Healthful eating gives you energy to use when experiencing stress - Excess stress can negatively affect the way you eat - Learn mindfulness: The intentional cultivation of attention in a way that is nonjudging and Nonstriving Cultivating Spiritual Wellness - Spiritual wellness is associated with greater coping skills and higher levels of overall wellness - Choose activities that are meaningful to you - Reach out to others - Spiritual wellness does not require participation in organized religion