Stress

StressUnderstanding Stress- Day 1

Managing Stress- Day 2Coping with Loss and Grief- Day 3

Review- Day 4Test- Day 5

Day 1

Understanding Stress

Stress can affect you in both positive and negative ways.

stress

perception

stressor

psychosomatic response

What Is Stress?

How you think about a challenge determines whether you will experience positive or negative stress.

Feeling stress is a natural part of life. Stress is the reaction of the body and mind to everyday challenges and demands.

What Is Stress?How much the stress of an event affects you, however, depends in part on your perception of it.

PerceptionThe act of becoming aware through the senses

Reacting to Stress Stress can have both a positive and a negative effect.

Positive stress can motivate you and inspire you to work harder.

Negative stress can cause you to feel distracted, overwhelmed, impatient, frustrated, or even angry. It can harm your health.

Causes of Stress

Stressors vary among individuals and groups.

People, objects, places, events, and situations are all potential stressors.

Causes of StressThe effect of a stressor depends on your experiences and perceptions.

StressorAnything that causes stress

Your Body’s Response to Stressors

Stressors activate the nervous system and specific hormones.

When you perceive something to be dangerous, difficult, or painful, your body automatically begins a stress response.

Your Body’s Response to Stressors The stress response involves three stages.

Alarm

Resistance

Fatigue

Your mind and body go on high alert. This “fight-or-flight” response prepares you to defend yourself or to flee from a threat.

If exposure to a stressor continues, your body adapts and reacts to the stressor. This stage lasts for a brief period.

If exposure to stress is prolonged, you begin to tire and lose the ability to manage other stressors effectively.

Your Body’s Response to Stressors

1. Alarm begins when the hypothalamus, a small area at the base of the brain, receives danger signals from other parts of the brain. The hypothalamus releases a hormone that acts on the pituitary gland.

Your Body’s Response to Stressors

2. The pituitary gland secretes a hormone that stimulates the adrenal glands.

Your Body’s Response to Stressors

3. The adrenal glands secrete adrenaline. Adrenaline is the “emergency hormone” that prepares the body to respond to a stressor.

Your Body’s Response to Stressors

Stress and Your Health

Ongoing stress affects all aspects of your health.

The physical changes that take place in your body during the stress response can take a toll on your body.

Stress and Your Health Prolonged stress can lead to a psychosomatic response.

Psychosomatic responseA physical reaction that results from stress rather than from an injury or illness

Stress and Your Health The Physical Effects of Stress

Headache

A weakened immune system

High blood pressure

Bruxism, clenching the jaw or grinding the teeth

Digestive disorders

Stress and Your Health Mental/Emotional and Social Effects of Stress

Difficulty concentrating

Irritability

Mood swings

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

1. Define the word perception.

The act of becoming aware through the senses

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

2. What are three cognitive stressors for teens?

Poor self-esteem, personal appearance, not fitting in

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

3. Identify the two body systems involved in the stress response.

Nervous and endocrine systems

Day 2

Managing Stress

You can manage stress by learning skills to reduce the amount and impact of stress in your life.

chronic stress

stress-management skills

relaxation response

resilient

When Stress Becomes a Problem

Identifying what is stressful is the first step in learning how to manage stress.

The trick for managing stress is to learn strategies to keep stress from building up and to deal with individual stressors effectively.

When Stress Becomes a ProblemThe effects of stress are additive, meaning they build up over time. An increasing number of teens are experiencing chronic stress.

chronic stressStress associated with long-term problems that are beyond a person’s control

Stress-Management Techniques

You can develop strategies to both avoid and reduce your stress.

Stress-management skills help you manage stressors in a healthful, effective way.

Avoiding and Limiting Stress Avoiding situations that cause stress is the easiest way to reduce its effects.  If you’re unable to avoid a stressor, you can try to restrict or limit the amount of stress you’re exposed to.

Avoiding and Limiting Stress Strategies for Avoiding and Limiting Stress

Use refusal skills.

Plan ahead.

Think positively.

Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

If taking on a new activity will add to your stress, use refusal skills to say no.

Manage your time wisely by planning ahead. Think about how stressed you feel before a test.

A positive outlook limits stress by shifting your perception and how you respond to a stressor.

Using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs will harm the body and cause more stress.

Avoiding and Limiting Stress Overcoming Test Anxiety

Avoiding and Limiting Stress

Planning ahead can help you avoid or limit stress.

Handling Stress and Reducing Its Effects For stressors that are unavoidable, practice stress reduction techniques to achieve a relaxation response.

Relaxation responseA state of calm

Handling Stress and Reducing Its Effects

To lower the impact of stress on your health, try these tips:

Practice relaxation techniques

Redirect your energy

Seek support

Deep breathing, thinking pleasant thoughts, stretching, taking a warm bath, and even laughing can relieve your stress.

When energy builds up from stress, use that energy in a constructive way. Work on a creative project or engage in physical activity.

Confide in someone you trust for an objective view and valuable advice.

Staying Healthy and Building Resiliency

Taking care of your health is essential to stress management.

Positive health-maintenance habits help you deal with stress, prevent stress, reduce stress, and recover from stress.

Get Adequate Rest Adequate sleep can help you face the challenges and demands of the next day.

Using time-management skills will allow you to get the eight to nine hours of sleep that you need each night.

Get Regular Physical Activity Participating in regular physical activity benefits your overall health.  Physical activity can release pent-up energy, clear your mind, increase your energy level and your endurance, and help you sleep better.

Eat Nutritious Foods Eating a variety of healthful foods and drinking plenty of water not only helps your body function properly, but it also reduces the effects of stress.  Poor eating habits can contribute to stress, causing weakness, fatigue, and a reduced ability to concentrate.

Staying Healthy and Building Resiliency By including self-maintenance and stress-management strategies in your daily routine, you can become more resilient.  Resiliency helps you handle difficulties and challenges in healthful ways and achieve long-term success in spite of negative circumstances.

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

1. What is chronic stress?

Stress associated with long-term problems that are beyond a person’s control

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

2. Identify four strategies to avoid or limit stress.

Use refusal skills; plan ahead; think positively; avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

3. Identify three relaxation techniques.

Any three: Deep breathing, thinking pleasant thoughts, stretching, taking a warm bath, getting a massage, laughing

Day 3

Coping with Loss and Grief

Understanding the grieving process helps you cope with loss and manage your feelings in healthy ways.

stages of grief

closure

coping

mourning

traumatic event

Acknowledging Loss

Acknowledging a loss is one way to help begin the healing process.

Everyone experiences loss during their lives and the grief that it brings.

Acknowledging Loss Grieving is a common and natural reaction to any loss that brings on strong emotions.  Acknowledging and understanding your grief will help you begin the healing process.

Expressing Grief

The grieving process can help people accept the loss and start to heal.

Feelings of loss are very personal. Everyone grieves in their own way. Some may talk about their loss; others may want to be alone.

The Grieving Process Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross noted that the grieving process includes stages of grief.

stages of griefA variety of reactions that may surface as an individual makes sense of how a loss affects him or her

The Grieving Process Stages of Grief

Denial or Numbness

Emotional Release

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Remorse

Acceptance

Hope

The Grieving Process During the Denial or Numbness stage of grief, it may be difficult to believe the loss has occurred.  During the Emotional Release stage of grief, the loss is recognized. This stage often involves periods of crying.

The Grieving Process During the Anger stage of grief, the person uses anger because he or she feels powerless and unfairly deprived.  During the Bargaining stage of grief, the reality of the loss sets in and the person may promise to change if what was lost can be returned.

The Grieving Process During the Depression stage of grief, there are feelings of sadness. In addition, feelings of isolation, alienation, and hopelessness may occur. During the Remorse stage of grief, the person may become preoccupied with thoughts about how the loss could have been prevented.

The Grieving Process During the Acceptance stage of grief, the person faces the reality of the loss, and experiences closure.

ClosureThe acceptance of loss

The Grieving Process During the Hope stage of grief, remembering becomes less painful, and the person begins to look ahead to the future. This stage involves coping.

CopingDealing successfully with difficult changes in your life

The Grieving Process Memorial services and sites help people grieve and show respect.

Coping with Death

Coping with death involves receiving and showing support.

Death is one of the most painful losses we can experience.

Coping with DeathMost people respond to loss by mourning.

MourningThe act of showing sorrow or grief

Coping with DeathMourning includes talking about the person, experiencing the pain of the loss, and searching for meaning. 

Showing Empathy Grieving alone makes the process more difficult.

The friendship and support of others who are also grieving may make the process easier.

Showing Empathy If you know someone who is grieving, show support by helping the person to recall happy memories and being a sympathetic listener.

Use silence when appropriate.

Community Support A person’s cultural background also influences grieving.  Common mourning rituals, such as memorial services, wakes, and funerals are events that celebrate the life of the person who has died.

Coping with Traumatic Events

Support from family, friends, and community resources can help individuals recover from a traumatic event.

Traumatic events are sudden and shocking, such as accidents, violent assaults, suicides, and natural disasters.

Coping with Traumatic EventsAfter a traumatic event, you may question your sense of security and confidence.

Traumatic eventAny event that has a stressful impact sufficient to overwhelm your normal coping strategies

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

Denial or numbness, emotional release, anger, bargaining, depression, remorse, acceptance, hope

1. Identify the stages of grief.

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

2. Define the term coping.

Dealing successfully with difficult changes

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

3. List three examples of a traumatic event.

Any three: Accidents, violent assaults, suicides, natural disasters

Day 4

Review!

Day 5

Test!