Health-related consequences of stress

• Maladaptive coping strategies


  Actions that prevent people from adapting, adjusting, or participating in different aspects of life
• Maladaptive behaviours are intended to help relieve or avoid stress
• Maladaptive behaviours are often disruptive and may contribute to increased distress, discomfort, and anxiety over time
• Manifestations of maladaptive behaviour

  • Destructive behaviour patterns
  • Affect physical health
  • Affect mental health
  • Affect relationships
  • Affect other vital areas of functioning
• Common signs of maladaptive behaviour

  • Unproductive worry
  • Repression/avoidance
  • Aggression/blame
• Unproductive worry


  Incessant worrying without doing anything to reduce the source
• Repression/avoidance


  Seeking to inhibit thoughts, feelings and emotions – to disconnect
• Aggression/blame


  Transferring blame to others
• Examples of maladaptive behaviours

  • Avoiding things that are stressful or unpleasant
  • Engaging in maladaptive daydreaming
  • Hiding your true feelings
  • Hurting yourself to cope with feelings of distress
  • Outbursts of anger
  • Eating large amounts of food to soothe anxiety
  • Using drugs or alcohol to manage anxiety or other emotions
• Adaptive strategies


  Strategies that promote positive coping and adjustment
• Examples of adaptive strategies


  • Problem-focused coping
  • Positive reappraisal/reframing
  • Seeking social support
  • Engaging in behaviours that support mental health
• Problem-focused coping


  A coping strategy that focuses on addressing the problem causing stress
• Positive reappraisal/reframing


  Viewing a situation as an opportunity for growth
• Seeking social support


  Seeking assistance from others without shifting blame
• Behaviours that support mental health

  • Exercising
  • Seeing friends
  • Doing something spiritual
  • Reading a book
  • Hobbies
• When stress is acute, it can lead to poor emotion regulation, irritability, and reduced cognitive capacity
• When stress is chronic, it can lead to chronic worry, fear, anxiety, helplessness, depression, and anhedonia
• When under acute stress, physical health can be impacted by increased heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, elevated breathing, and elevated metabolism
• When under chronic stress, physical health can be impacted by high blood pressure, sleep disturbances, insomnia, fatigue, stomach upset, frequent headaches, muscular aches and pains, and a weakened immune system