FINALS: PERDEV - COPING STRESS

• Stress is a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium.
• Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure.
• Eustress is a term for positive stress, and Distress refers to negative stress.
• A stressor is any event, force, or condition that results in physical or emotional stress.
• Emotional stability is a sign of successfully handling stress.
• Being tactful is a sign of successfully handling stress.
• Learning to say “NO” is a sign of successfully handling stress.
• Doing well in school is a sign of successfully handling stress.
• Stressors may be internal or external forces that require adjustment or coping strategies on the part of the affected individual.
• Common stressors in everyday life include physical appearance, school/academic pressure, family/home, social/peer pressure.
• Common stressors in everyday life also include loss, frustration, romantic relationship, future.
• Stress can manifest differently for everyone, and everyone deals with stress differently.
• Physical symptoms of stress include headache, muscle tension, upset stomach, and changes in heart rate.
• Emotional symptoms of stress include anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings.
• Cognitive symptoms of stress include difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness, and forgetfulness.
• Behavioral symptoms of stress include aggression, impulsivity, and social withdrawal.
• A stress response is the body's mechanism for protecting or caring for the stressed individual.
• Our bodies are uniquely designed to handle stress.
• Behavioral and cognitive responses used to deal with stressors; involves efforts to change circumstances, or our interpretation of them to make them more favorable and less threatening.
• Herbert Benson describes the Relaxation Response as a natural innate protective mechanism which allows us to turn off harmful effects from stress through changes that decrease heart rate, lower metabolism, decrease rate of breathing, and in this way being the body back into a healthier balance.
• Coping is defined as the use of cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage the demands of a situation when these are appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources or to reduce the negative emotions and conflict caused by stress.
• Emotion-focused coping involves efforts to change or reduce the negative emotions associated with stress, which can include avoiding, minimizing, or distancing oneself from the problem, or positive comparisons with others, or seeking something positive in a negative event.
• The four basic elements necessary to evoke the Relaxation Response are: a quiet environment, an object to dwell upon, a passive attitude, and a comfortable position.
• Problem-focused coping involves identifying the problem, considering possible solutions, weighing the costs and benefits of these solutions, and then selecting an alternative.
• Physical wear takes its toll on the body’s tissues and organs, which may result in illness, disease, or death.
• Immediate benefits of Relaxation include: reducing heart rate and thereby the work of the heart, reducing blood pressure, slowing the rate of breathing, which reduces the need for oxygen, decreasing muscle tension, and changing in blood flow distribution from skeletal to gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
• When presented with a threatening situation it is our most basic survival instinct to either engage in a fight or run for our lives, this is known as the “fight or flight” response.
• During the fight or flight response, adrenaline is secreted from the kidneys, cortisol (a hormone) is released providing bursts of energy.
• General Adaptation Syndrome consists of three stages: Alarm Reaction, Stage of Resistance and Stage of Exhaustion
• Alarm Reaction, the body’s immediate reaction upon facing a threatening situation or emergency, with physiological reactions that provide energy to manage the situation.
• Stage of Resistance, where the body has adapted (readjusted) to the stressor but remains alert and prepared to respond (with less intensity), with physiological reactions diminishing.
• Stage of Exhaustion, where the person can no longer adapt to the stressor (depletion of physical resources).
• Stressor: "n. any event, force, or condition that results in physical or emotional stress. It may be internal or external forces that require adjustment or coping strategies on the part of the affected individual."