Transcript Stress - St. Francis College Rochestown

Stress
What it is and how to cope
A definition of “stress”
A combination of thoughts and worries that have negative
affect on the body’s responses
What do you think when you are stressed?
What do you feel when you are stressed?
Phases of Stress
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Alarm: sudden response to danger
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Adrenaline rush followed by quick decrease when danger
passes
Vigilance: stay alert, response level does not go down
immediately
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Free cortisol: hormone secreted by body in stress
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When vigilant, builds up in your body’s fluids
Predictors of Stress
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Negative situations
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Positive situations
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Personality—some are less able to adapt to stress
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Introverts do not habituate well
Less reactive people can handle stress
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Hassles—regular demands or inconveniences
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Secondhand stress
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People surrounding you are stressed
Women are more affected by this than men—women express, men
withdraw
Negative Signs of Stress
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Emotional signs
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Irritability
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Sadness, depression
Apathy
Anxiety
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Free-floating anxiety: constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop
Mental fatigue
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People are low information processors—max out on info processing
when stressed b/c constantly thinking of things
More information makes you angry, see everything as serious
Forget things, what you meant to do
Overcompensate or live in denial by taking on extra work
Negative Signs of Stress
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Behavioral
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Avoidance
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Do things to extremes
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Other people stimulate us, so we stay away
Might this be good?
How can this be bad?
What do you do too much of when stressed?
Cause oneself administrative, legal problems
Rushing leads to accidents
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How could this affect your family?
Negative Signs of Stress
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Physical
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Sleep too much, too little
Weight issues
Headaches, migraines
Digestive problems
Aches and pains
Get sick more because immune system is low
Over self-medicate
Injuries
Physical exhaustion—cannot get enough sleep
Coping with Stress
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Time and situation management
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Gather feedback about how you spend time
How can you measure how you spend your time?
P R I O R IT I Z E
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What has the least consequence if you don’t do it?
What do you do now that you could stop doing?
Coping with Stress
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Physiological and Behavior Strategies
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Keep fit and avoid sickness
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Activity makes us tired—sleep better
Eat well (more “good for you” foods) to metabolize better
Get rid of germs with healthy habits
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How does exercise help?
Flu shots
Wash hands
Gargle with salt water
Relaxation techniques
Coping with Stress
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Cognitive methods—change how you think
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Replace irrational beliefs with reasonable thoughts
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i.e., Perfectionism or total self-relianceacceptance of fallibility and
asking others for help
Take a problem-solving approach—don’t just wallow in self-pity
Learn to say “No” and be assertive
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Use ERA statements
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Empathy
Rationale
Action
Communication Attributes of Less Stressed
People
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Self-disclose appropriately to a friend
Use positive self-statements and surround selves with
positive people
4 C’s
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Commitment: what you do is important
In Control: internal locus of control, make choice to reduce
stress
Challenge: view potential stressors as challenges, not problems
Conscientiousness: stay on task early on, get over stress early
Practicing Stress Management
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Write for 15 minutes about things that stressed you
recently and how they made you feel
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Relaxation Response
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Progressive Muscle Relaxation