Stress

• Homeostatic state


  A term to describe balance or equilibrium
• Stress


  A natural response to the demands of our environment. A physiological response to a physical or psychological threat.
• Walter Cannon's "fight or flight" syndrome


  • A physiologic reaction accompanied by faster heart rate, muscle tension, or dilation of pupil when a person perceives threat in order to survive danger
• Sources of Stress

  • Physical stressors
  • Mental stressors
  • Economic stressors
  • Spiritual stressors
• Physical stressors


  Pollution, congested place, high level of noise, fatigue, pain, shock, trauma, and other physiological conditions in our body
• Mental stressors


  Academic overload, reviewing for exams, running after deadlines or situations that call for sustained mental effort
• Economic stressors


  Limited financial resources to meet our essential needs in life
• Spiritual stressors


  Loss of joy and peace or disturbance of tranquility
• Stress Response


  The process and structures in our body system responsible for these reactions
• Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

  • Alarm stage
  • Resistance stage
  • Exhaustion stage
• Cognitive Symptoms of Stress

  • Memory Problems
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Poor judgement seeing only the negative
  • Anxious or racing thoughts
  • Constant worrying
• Emotional Symptoms of Stress

  • Moodiness
  • Irritability or short temper
  • Agitation, inability to relax
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Sense of loneliness and Isolation
  • Depression or general unhappiness
• Physical Symptoms of Stress


  • Headaches
  • Back pains
  • Eating more or less
  • Diarrhea or constipation
  • Frequent colds
  • Rapid Heartbeat
  • Dizziness
• Behavioral Symptoms of Stress

  • Eating more or eating less
  • Sleeping more or sleeping less
  • Isolating oneself
  • Procrastinating
  • Forgetting or neglecting obligations
• Immune system


  The body's natural defense against any disease. It signals the body to fight infections that can lead to more serious health problems.
• HPA axis


  A hormonal response system to stress. It involves the release of stress hormones such as glucocorticoids and primarily cortisol which are regulated to ensure that the body can react quickly to stress and return to its normal state.
• Prolonged or extreme stress increases the cortisol level in your blood and affects our health substantially.
• Coping


  A cognitive or behavior response to stress aimed at managing or reducing stress.
• Richard Lazarus' Appraisal Theory


  • Primary appraisal
  • Secondary appraisal
• Types of coping responses

  • Emotion-focused coping response
  • Problem-focused coping response
• Emotion-focused coping response


  Involves shame and embarrassment, fear and anxiety, excitement and depression. Used when a person has no capacity to deal with the source of the problem.
• Problem-focused coping response


  Deals with the stressors directly in practical ways. People with problem-focused coping takes control of their situation by removing the source of stress or reducing the effect of stressors.
• Emotion-focused coping behavior


  • Eating more or eating less
  • Sleeping more or sleeping less
  • Excessive playing of computer games
  • Crying, shouting
• Problem-focused coping response


  • Talking with the person concerned
  • Researching about the topic
  • Talking with friends about their opinion
  • Strategizing
• Richard Lazarus an American psychologist and professor, defines coping, as a cognitive or behavior response to stress aimed at managing or reducing stress
• Walter Cannon, an American physiologist, call stress as the “fight or flight” syndrome (Canon, 1939).
• Primary appraisal - evaluates the meaning of the situation and checks if it will affect him
• • Secondary appraisal - involves how one feels about the situation