© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images PART II Introduction

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Akira Kaede/Getty Images

PART IIIntroduction



PART II: Introduction Everly and Benson’s Disorders of

Arousal Model: The most comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms of the stress-disease process

Potential stressors trigger limbic system arousal (can become Limbic Hypersensitivity Phenomenon, or LHP)

Limbic arousal triggers neurological, neuronendocrine, and endocrine stress axes

Overstimulation of those axes triggers stress arousal (can become arousal disorder)



PART II: Introduction (cont’d) Everly and Lating (2002) used

Everly and Benson’s model to identify the three key elements of arousal that characterize the stress response and are precursors to stress-related disease development Increased neurotransmitter arousal

and activity Increased neuromuscular arousal Increased negative cognitive

arousal



PART II: Introduction (cont’d) Linked together, these three key

elements initiate and sustain the stress response

A comprehensive model for coping with stress needs strategies to break this chain and start the relaxation response

The stress management strategies of the Five Rs of Coping with Stress Model combat one or more of the three levels of arousal identified by Everly and Lating



PART II: Introduction (cont’d) The Five Rs of Coping with Stress

Model Rethink Reduce Relax Release Reorganize

A synergistic effect occurs when all five work together simultaneously



Chapter 7Rethink: Changing the Way You View Things



Overview This chapter

Introduces the first of the Five Rs of Coping with Stress: Rethink

Explains how values guide us in setting goals for life, in stress management and purposeful living

Introduces two ABCDE techniques and Japanese psychotherapy techniques for rethinking

Discusses the role of enjoyment in our lives and in stress management



Outline

Rethinking your perspective on the world and the way you view stressors

Purposeful living and goal setting Putting things in their proper

perspective Reducing stress by enjoying life more Changing perspective by slowing the

pace of your life



Outline (Cont’d)

Becoming more logical and optimistic in your thinking

Using Ellis and Harper’s ABCDE Model for logical thinking

Learned optimism and Seligman’s ABCDE Model

Using Japanese psychotherapies for rethinking

Rethinking road rage



Rethinking Your Perspective on the World

Most of our stress is determined by the way we view the world in general potential stressors in particular

Often, our appraisal of potential stressors and the emotions aroused by them is inaccurate (based on a distorted world view or faulty thinking)



Rethinking Your Perspective Your perspective: your big

picture of how the world and people in it should be

There are many ways to change one’s perspective for the purpose of reducing stress



Knowing What You Value Our values are the mirror of

our personalities Values clarification: a three-

part process Prizing beliefs and behaviors Choosing beliefs and

behaviors Acting on beliefs



Using Daily Life Criteria to Rethink Your Perspective

Daily Life Criteria (DLC): our standards for living life well (Anderson & Krech, 1996)

Usually concrete activities that are done on a daily basis

The more people live in concert with their DLC, the less stress they will experience because they are being true to their values



Whose Life Is It Anyway? Most people are caught up in living

someone else’s life Being out of control is being less

hardy and stress resistant Pulling one’s own strings

Having an internal locus of control Resisting being swayed by others Making your own plans and decisions,

based on a rational assessment of issues

Not buying into illogical assumptions about potential stressors



Purposeful Living and Goal Setting Purposeful living: having a purpose

that meshes with who you are, your values, and your daily life criteria

Goals should be realistic Small Manageable Achievable

Goals should have measurable objectives



Expecting and Embracing Change

“The only constant in life is change.” Understanding that life is constantly

changing will help us accept change and rethink it as a potential stressor

To thrive (not merely survive), we must adapt to change or be left behind

Hardy people embrace change, adapt to it, and thrive under changing circumstances (Kobassa et al.)



Putting Things in Proper Perspective Realize you are not the center

of the universe Accept the fact that you

cannot plan for and control everything

Appreciate the humor in life One must develop three humor

skills (Metcalf & Felible)



Embracing the Absurdity of Difficult Situations

Humor skill #1: Accepting absurdity

This will let you escape from the center of the universe



Focusing on the Bright Side We can learn something from even

the most absurd or painful situations if we allow ourselves to.

We need to acknowledge that life is tough and then move on



Taking Yourself Lightly But Your Work/Problem Seriously

The second of Metcalf and Felible’s three humor skills

It exemplifies grace and modesty It is characterized by a humble

attitude and a proper perspective



Having a Sense of Joy in Being Alive

The third of Metcalf and Felible’s three humor skills

Near-death experiences can provide a changed perspective and appreciation for being alive



Putting Humor Into Your Life Humor helps us go with the flow Its root is umor, Latin for fluid,

like water. It is physiologically impossible

to be laughing and stressed at the same time



Reducing Stress by Enjoying Life More

Many have forgotten that we need and deserve to have fun

Most other cultures take midday breaks or longer vacations

Work has become the end rather than the means



Changing Perspective by Slowing the Pace of Your Life

The pace of life affects the quality of life Living life too fast doesn’t allow

one time to enjoy it Stop (or at least slow down) and

smell the roses



Working With Your Attention One of the best ways to slow our

pace and change our perspective on life is to slow our thinking down

Kabat-Zinn (2005) invented the Mindfulness-based approach to stress management: Be fully in the present



The Costs of Misdirected Attention Krech (2000) listed costs associated with

misdirected attention: Psychological suffering Making mistakes Increased safety risks Oversensitivity to changes in the body Not appreciating the support of others Boredom/lack of interest Not noticing what needs doing Forgetfulness Wasting time Causing unnecessary trouble to others



Potential Problems With Multitasking

It can cause unnecessary trouble for yourself and others

It can become your unintentional standard operating procedure and you don’t realize it



Rethinking the Way You View Stressors Illogical thinking about potential

stressors and our ability to cope with them is the single greatest cause of stress today Blowing things out of proportion Misunderstanding the potential

consequences



Becoming More Logical and Optimistic in Our Thinking

Most of our stress is caused by what we think about things

Stressors are just “potential stressors” until we tell ourselves that we can’t cope with them

The first step in controlling stress is controlling illogical thinking



Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

Underlying premise: People or things do not cause us stress—our illogical beliefs and irrational self-talk do

REBT techniques revolve around understanding our illogical beliefs replacing them with more rational

thoughts



Using Ellis and Harper’s ABCDE Model to Think More Logically

Activating event Belief system Consequences Dispute Effects



Using Seligman’s Learned Optimism to Think More Logically

Seligman’s ABCDE model for coping with stress and emotional problems is based on a person’s “explanatory style” Certain explanatory styles are

more stressful than others Pessimism is central to a

stressful explanatory style Key to managing stress is

learning to be more optimistic



Seligman’s ABCDE Model for Coping With Stress and Emotional Problems

A – Adversity B – Beliefs C – Consequences D – Distraction or Dispute E – Energization



Learning to Argue with Yourself

Seligman offers four things to look for when disputing your Bs: Evidence Alternatives Implications Usefulness



Where East Meets West: Using Morita and Naikan Therapies to Rethink How We View

Potential Stressors

Working on changing illogical, irrational, pessimistic thoughts works well with certain potential stressors but not all

When potential stressors trigger very strong emotions (e.g., anger, hate) or when you are unable or unwilling to take the time to analyze and categorize your thoughts and feelings, Japanese therapies might work better



How to Co-Exist with Painful Thoughts and Feelings

Accepting reality for what it is implies two things: You accept whatever thoughts and

unpleasant feelings you are experiencing You accept that experiencing painful and

troubling thoughts and feelings is part of being human

Then focus on some purposeful work Also, experience neurotic moments—

don’t view yourself as being a neurotic



Shifting Your Attention to Manage Stress

Krech (2002) believes the best way to shift attention off yourself is engaging in productive labor that involves large muscle groups working at a moderate to fast pace in non-repetitive activities; for example, basketball chopping firewood gardening



Using Self-Reflection to Manage Stress

Naikan self-reflection: an excellent way to change your perspective on your stressors

Sometimes changing your perspective on a stressor can change your stressful appraisal of it

Shifting your focus off yourself and your needs can let you put yourself in others’ shoes, to imagine what it’s like for them



Combining Positive Self-Talk with Morita and Naikan Techniques

Arugamama: the Japanese principle of accepting life as it is

Your self-talk will reflect this perspective if you agree with the premise

It is consistent with arugamama to substitute more logical and rational thinking using the two ABCDE techniques



Changing Our Perspective by Rethinking Road Rage: Anger on the

Highway Angry feelings often persist long

after their source has disappeared Road rage is a good example of the

effects of mismanaging anger Road rage: a stress reaction

characterized by feelings of extreme impatience, anxiety, and intense anger while driving a vehicle



Using Rational Thinking and Japanese Psychology to Rethink Road Rage

Managing your inner anger and rethinking road rage Acknowledge that you are angry and identify

the response Accept your anger Target the source of your anger Do not give in to uncontrolled venting of anger Dissipate anger in a healthy way

Shift your attentionGet physicalReplace illogical beliefs and negative self-talk

with ones that accept reality as it isDeal with anger promptly

Become pro-active in your anger management



Chapter 7: Rethink: Changing the Way You View Things

Summary

Documents

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images PART II Introduction