Unit 6: Stress & Anger Management I.

Concepts of Stress II.

Situational Factors Affecting Stress III. Personal Factors Affecting Stress IV. Mediational Model of Stress V.

Implications for Stress Interventions VI. Relaxation as a Multidimensional Response VII. Somatic Relaxation VIII. Cognitive Relaxation

Unit 6: Stress & Anger Management IX.

X.

XI.

Thought and Emotion Cognitive Distortions A-B-C Theory of Emotion XII.

XIII.

Cognitive Restructuring Self-Instructional Training XIV. Integrated Coping Response XV.

Rehearsal of Coping Responses XVI. Understanding Burnout XVII. Coping with Burnout

Definitions of Stress

• Stress as a Stimulus (stressors) • Stress as a Response (feeling stressed) • Stress as a Person-Situation Transaction

A Transactional Definition of Stress Stress is a particular relationship or transaction between a person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his/her resources and/or endangering his/her well being, (Lazarus and Folkman)

Three Types of Appraisals

• Primary – What is the nature of the stressor?

• Secondary – What kinds of resources do I posses to cope with this stressor?

• Reappraisal – Reassessment of situational given additional information and/or secondary appraisal

Situational Factors Affecting Stress • Predictability – Event Uncertainty • Ambiguity • Novelty • Imminence • Controllability

Personal Factors Affecting Stress

• Motives, Goals, & Values • Beliefs – Personal Control Beliefs – Existential Beliefs • Personality Factors: Hardiness • Coping Skills

The Three Cs of Hardiness

• Challenge • Commitment • Control

Coping Defined

Coping is a process of constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific internal or external demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding a person’s resources.

Stages of Coping

• Anticipatory • Impact • Post Impact

Types of Coping

• Problem-Focused Coping • Emotion-Focused Coping • Seeking Social Support

Possible Coping Resources

• Physical Resources • Beliefs • Problem -Solving Skills • Social Support • Social Skills • Material Resources

Characteristics of Effective Coping • People with effective coping skills have – complex repertoires (good variety) that are – flexibly applied and – readily generalizable to different situations.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law (a.k.a. the Inverted-U Hypothesis)

The Yerkes-Dodson Law (a.k.a. the Inverted-U Hypothesis)

The Yerkes-Dodson Law (a.k.a. the Inverted-U Hypothesis)

Benson’s Relaxation Response

• Repetition of a word, phrase, mantra, prayer, or muscular activity • Passive disregard towards thoughts that will arise • Helpful to do in a quiet place and in a comfortable position

Conditions Impacted by Invoking the Relaxation • Angina pectoris Response • Postoperative • Cardiac arrhythmias swelling • Anxiety • PMS • Depression • Rheumatoid arthritis • Bronchial asthma • Cancer side effects • Herpes simplex • AIDS side effects • Diabetes • Insomnia • Hypertension • Duodenal ulcer • Infertility • Pain (numerous types) • Skin allergies

Other Useful Relaxation Techniques • Smile when you feel tense • Have fun and enjoy pressure-filled and adverse situations • Intentionally set up stressful situations • Slow down and take your time • Stay focused on the present • Create and stick to a plan

Cognitive Distortions

• All-or-Nothing Thinking • Overgeneralization • Mental Filter • Disqualifying the Positive • Jumping to Conclusions – Mind Reading – Fortune Teller Error

Cognitive Distortions (Continued) • Magnification & Minimization • Emotional Reasoning • Should Statements • Labeling & Mislabeling • Personalization • Depressogenic Attribution Pattern • Negative Cognitive Triad

The A-B-Cs (or A-C-Bs) of Emotion • A – Activating Event • C – Emotional Consequences • Emotional reaction, presumably caused by irrational thinking • B – Beliefs • Usually irrational if dealing with negative emotions

Ellis’ Core Irrational Belief

• It is awful, terrible, and catastrophic when things are not the way that I demand that they be.

Other Common Irrational Thoughts • It’s a dire necessity for an adult to be loved by everyone for everything he or she does.

• One should be thoroughly competent, successful, and achieving in all possible respects.

• Certain people are wicked and villainous when they do not behave as I demand they should, and for this, they should be punished.

• If something is threatening, I should be terribly upset about it.

• Musts and Shoulds

Possible Stress Reducing Thoughts • I may not like this situation, but I can certainly stand it.

• Unfortunately, people don’t always behave the way I want them to. That’s the way it goes - no use getting upset.

• I don’t have to be perfect. I can make mistakes too. I don’t have to please everybody.

• Life is too short to let things like this make me miserable.

Analyzing Thoughts and Feelings

(see Smith pages 68-69) • Activating Event – What happened? Describe the event.

• Emotional Consequences – How did you feel when the event occurred?

– What was your emotional response?

• Beliefs – What were you thinking? What were you telling yourself? Was any of this irrational?

• Dispute – Counter what you told yourself. What is a more productive thing to think?

Self-Instructional Training: Anticipatory Stage • This will be frustrating. Just plan on how you can keep your cool and deal with it without blowing up.

• No negative self-statements. Just think and plan rationally

Self-Instructional Training: Impact Stage • One step at a time. You can handle this. Just relax and think clearly.

• Keep your cool. No need to loose your tempter. Relax.

Self-Instructional Training: Post-Impact Stage • Those damn ideas. They’re the problem. When you control them, you control your anger.

• Go back over what you did. What worked and what can be done better next time?

• Way to go! It’s getting better every time. You’re controlling the anger instead of it controlling you.

Burnout Defined

• The psychological, emotional, and sometimes physical withdrawal from an activity in response to excessive stress or dissatisfaction.

Symptoms of Burnout

• Low motivation or energy • Concentration problems • Lack of caring • Disturbed sleep • Physical and/or mental exhaustion • Lowered self esteem • Negative affect • Mood changes/swings • Substance abuse • Changes in values • Emotional isolation • Increased Anxiety • Impaired performance

Situational Factors Contributing to Burnout • High or conflicting demands • Low social support • Low autonomy • Low rewards • Low demands

Personal Factors Contributing to Burnout • Extreme dedication to work or profession • High trait anxiety • Perfectionistic or unrealistic goals • Type A personality • Too flexible or rigid in coping skills • Non-discriminating locus of control • Feeling isolated and lonely

Coping with Burnout: The Process • Awareness of the Problem • Taking Responsibility for Changing the situation and/or Yourself • Discriminating the Changeable from the Unchangeable • Developing New Strategies and Coping Skills

Coping With Burnout: Specific Recommendations • Examining Coping Patterns • Goal-Setting and Clarifying Priorities • Acknowledging Vulnerabilities • Compartmentalizing Work and Non-work • Decompression Time/Time Off • Maintaining Physical Fitness • Building Social Support

Coping With Burnout: Specific Recommendations • Challenging/Changing Maladaptive Attitudes and Beliefs • Using Burnout to Promote Personal Growth • Learn Mental Coping Skills • Choose to Have Fun

Unit 7: Attention Control I.

II.

Introduction Effective Attention III. Attention Control Principles IV. Things that Disrupt Attention V.

Suggestions for Improving Attention VI. Attention & Pain Tolerance

Effective Attention

• Voluntary focus on relevant cues • Maintaining focus over time • Shifting the focus of attention when necessary • Screening out irrelevant stimuli

Effective Attention: Information Processing • Attending to relevant cues • Integrating cues within memory • Responding appropriately

Attention Control Principles

• Attention has dimensions • Effective attention involves shifting it • Arousal influences attention and performance

Internal

Broad-Internal

Broad

Broad-External Narrow-Internal

Narrow

Narrow External

External

Choking Defined

• Because of excessive arousal, an individual’s performance progressively deteriorates and the the person can’t regain control of it – High arousal – Attention shifts towards the person’s dominant attentional style – Attention goes internal and narrow (towards negative thoughts and feelings)

Things that Disrupt Attention: Internal Distracters • Thoughts about the past • Thoughts about the future • Pressure and choking under pressure • Over-Analyzing (Paralysis through analysis) • Fatigue • Lack of motivation

Things that Disrupt Attention: External Distracters • Visual distracters • Auditory distracters • Gamesmanship

Suggestions for Improving Attention • Use simulations • Use cue or trigger words • Employ non-judgmental thinking • Establish routines • Develop performance plans • Practice eye control • Use self-monitoring

Suggestions for Improving Attention (Continued) • Over-learn behaviors • Turn failure into success (in your mind) • Practice shifting attention • Park distracting thoughts • Increasing focusing and refocusing skills • Use technology (EEG, biofeedback, etc…) • Use mental skills (goals, imagery, etc…)

An Excellent Book on Attention

Beilock’s Recommendations for Exams • Reaffirm your worth • Remember you’re not just a student • Write your worries down on paper • Learn mediation • Change your thinking • Positively reinterpret your body reactions

Beilock’s Recommendations for Exams (Continued) • Pause (take breaks) • Learn about stereotype threat • Think of people similar to you who’ve succeeded • Practice under pressure • Outsource your cognitive load • Meaningfully organize what you know

Beilock’s Recommendations for Sports & Other Performances • Distract yourself • Don’t slow down • Practice under pressure • Don’t dwell on past mistakes, reinterpret them to your advantage • Focus on the immediate outcome, not body mechanics • Use key or trigger words • Focus on the positive

Pain Control Strategies

• Dissociative Strategies – Direct attention away from painful stimuli – Examples: counting backwards by 17s, imagining you are somewhere else, watching an engaging movie • Associative Strategies – Direct attention towards painful stimuli, but in a detached, non-emotional way

Unit 8: Sleep

I. Sleep Basics II. Circadian Rhythms III. Sleep Debt IV. The Opponent Process Theory of Sleep V. Sleep as a Performance Enhancement Skill?

What is Sleep?

“Sleep is a period of sensory isolation.” -William Dement • Sensory input from the environment is blocked • When you are asleep, you won’t notice a bright light flashing even if your eyes are taped open

Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) • Give people the opportunity to sleep every 2 hours (i.e., 9:30, 11:30, 1:30, 3:30 & 5:30) • Have 20 minutes to fall asleep • As soon as you fall asleep, or at 20 minute mark, the test ends

Multiple Sleep Latency Test

• Well rested people: 15-20 minutes • Sleep deprived: 10 minutes • Serious sleep deprivation: 5 minutes or less (associated with big sleep debt and/or sleep disorders) • Correlates very strongly with subjective feelings of tiredness and fatigue

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Sleep Debt

• Defined: All lost sleep less than the daily average amount you need • If you need an average of 10 hours per night, and you sleep 7 hours, you just added 3 hours to your sleep debt

Sleep Debt: The Cumulative Effect of Lost Sleep Baseline: 9 hours sleep/night; Study: 5 hours sleep /night

Sleep Debt

• Sleep debt is only reduced (or paid back) by getting EXTRA sleep (sleeping MORE than the daily average amount you need) • If you’re tired today, it’s more likely a function of your sleep debt than how much sleep you got last night

Circadian Rhythms

• Defined: Rhythms that repeat about every 24 hours (often slightly more than 24 hours) • Processes following circadian rhythms: – Melatonin levels – Body temperature – Tooth enamel – Alertness

Circadian Rhythms

• Important rhythm for our discussion: “clock-dependent alerting” • Experience a push of wakefulness two times a day: – In the morning when you wake (e.g. 8 AM) – Again around 12 hours later (e.g. 8 PM) • Second push is stronger because you’ve acquired a day’s worth of sleep debt

Sleep & Motor Memory

• Motor Learning task: typing out numbers on a keyboard (~ playing a piano) • Wake First Group: Train (10 AM) Test (10 PM) SLEEP Retest (10 AM) • Sleep First Group: Train (10 PM) SLEEP Test (10 AM) Retest (10 PM)

Wake First Group

Sleep First Group

Basketball: Individual Sprint (282 ft) Sleep extension begins after Session 6

Basketball: 3 Point Shots (out of 15; sleep extension starts after day 18)

Unit 9: Communication

I.

II.

III. Listening IV. Expressing V.

Communication as a Life Skill The Communication Process Nonverbal Communication

Real listening is based on the intention to… • Understand someone.

• Enjoy someone.

• Learn something.

• Give help, solace, or support.

Twelve Blocks to Listening

• Comparing • Mind Reading • Rehearsing • Filtering • Judging • Daydreaming • Identifying • Advising • Sparring • Being Right • Derailing • Placating

Four Steps to Effective Listening

• Active Listening – Paraphrasing – Clarifying – Feedback (immediate, honest, supportive, clear, & concise) • Listening with Empathy • Listening with Openness • Listening with Awareness

Six Rules for Effective Listening

• Maintain good eye contact • Lean slightly forward • Reinforce the speaker by nodding and paraphrasing • Clarify by asking questions • Actively move away from distractions • Be committed to understanding

Pseudo-Listening Intentions

• To listen in order to buy time to think of what to say • To listen for specific pieces of information, ignoring the rest • To listen because we think we “should” (half-listening)

Kinds of Expression

• Observations (Facts) • Thoughts (Conclusions drawn from the facts) • Feelings (Emotions) • Needs (What would help or please you?)

Value Judgments

• Comparative appraisals that are based on standards or norms • They include judgments about goodness/badness, positive/negative, etc… • Often related to moral or ethical considerations • Example: “It is wrong(or appropriate) to assist homeless individuals.”

Theories

• A set of statements that specifies how different factors are related to one another • Usually created to explain the causes of something • Example: “Pam gets very nervous when she drives her car at night. She must have poor night vision.”

Beliefs

• Statements at a cognitive level that are representative of psychological facts • The statements are perceived as facts themselves, but there is insufficient foundation to form irrefutable knowledge or truth • Example: “Openness is essential to a good marriage.”

Opinions

• Conclusions that are based primarily on personal bias or intuition, rather than substantive facts.

• Some overlap with value judgments • Example: “Faculty meetings are a waste of time.”

Guidelines for Sending Effective Messages • Be direct • Be immediate • Own your messages (“I” and “My”) • Be complete and accurate • Distinguish between observations and thoughts • Clearly state your feelings and needs

Whole Messages…

• include what you observe, think, feel, and need.

• are an important part of good relationships and effective expression.

• To send whole messages, ask yourself, “Have I… – expressed what I know to be the facts?” – expressed and clearly labeled my thoughts?” – expressed my feelings?” – shared my needs?”

Guidelines for Sending Effective Messages • Keep messages congruent • Focus on one thing at a time • Be straight (avoid hidden agendas) • Be supportive • Fit the receiver’s frame of reference • Be redundant • Obtain feedback

Hidden Agendas

• I’m good • I’m good (but you’re not) • You’re good (but I’m not) • I’m helpless, I suffer • I’m blameless • I’m fragile • I’m tough • I know it all

Tactics to Avoid When Being Supportive • Global labels • Sarcasm • Dragging up the past • Negative comparisons • Judgmental “you” messages • Threats

Areas of Verbal Message Impact (Albert Mehrabian) 7% Verbal (actual words) 38% Paralanguage (pitch, volume, rhythm) 55% Body language (mostly facial expressions)

Paralanguage (the way in words are spoken) • Pitch • Resonance • Articulation • Tempo • Volume • Rhythm

Body Language (Kinesics)

• Gestures • Posture • Touching behavior • Facial expressions • Eye behavior