Understanding the Nature of Stress

Nature of Stress

• Challenges, problems, and difficult circumstances can cause stress
• Stress increases survival probability when handled properly
• 'Eustress' is the term for a level of stress that is beneficial, enhancing peak performance and crisis management
• Eustress, can turn into 'distress'
• Stress can be described as the pattern of responses made to a stimulus that disturbs equilibrium and exceeds coping ability
• The origin of the word stress is from the Latin words 'strictus' (tight or narrow) and 'stringere' (to tighten)
• Stress is often explained as environmental characteristics disrupting the individual, with stressors causing the stress response
• Reaction to external stressors is called 'strain'
• Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand
• Appraisals and coping determine if one feels stressed
• Stress is a dynamic mental or cognitive state, disrupting homeostasis and requiring resolution
• Stress perception depends on cognitive appraisal and available resources
• Stress is an ongoing process of individuals interacting with their environment, making appraisals, and coping with arising issues

Stressors

• Success in similar past situations reduces threat
• Controllable events reduce stress
• Self-confidence determines if a situation is seen as a threat or challenge
• Stressors are environmental and personal events challenging well-being
• External stressors are environmental (noise, pollution) and social (break-up, loneliness)
• Internal stressors are psychological (conflict, frustration)
• Stressors result in physiological, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive reactions
• Hypothalamus initiates action along two pathways
• Adrenal gland pathway releases catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine), leading to fight-or-flight responses
• Pituitary gland pathway secretes cortisol, providing energy
• Emotional reactions include fear, anxiety, embarrassment, anger, depression, or denial
• Behavioural responses depend on the nature of the stressful event (fight or flight)
• Cognitive responses are beliefs about harm, threat, causes, or controllability, including inability to concentrate and intrusive thoughts

Factors affecting stress

• Stresses vary in intensity, duration, complexity, and predictability
• Intense, prolonged or chronic, complex and unanticipated stresses have more negative consequences
• Experiences depend on physiological strength
• Individuals with poor physical health are more vulnerable
• Mental health, temperament, and self-concept are relevant to the stress experience
• Culture determines the meaning of events and expected responses
• Stress experience depends on resources like money, social skills, coping style, and support networks

Types of Stress

• Responses to stress vary based on personality, upbringing, and experiences
• Warning signs vary in intensity, but indicate a degree of stress if unresolved

Kinds of stress

• Physical stresses change the state of our bodies: overexertion, poor diet, injury, or lack of sleep.
• Environmental stresses are unavoidable surroundings, such as air pollution, crowding, noise, heat, cold
• Catastrophic environmental stresses include fire, earthquakes, floods
• Psychological stresses are internal and personal, such as worry, anxiety, or depression
• Frustration results from blocked needs and motives
• Conflicts occur between incompatible needs or motives
• Internal pressures stem from beliefs such as "I must do everything perfectly"
• Social pressures can be brought about from people who make excessive demands

Source of Social Stresses

• Social stresses are external, resulting from interaction with others
• Examples include death or illness in the family, strained relationships, trouble with neighbors
• Social stresses vary from person to person

Sources of Stress

• A wide range of events and conditions can generate stress.
• Includes major stressful life events, such as death of a loved one or personal injury.
• Include the annoying frequent hassles of everyday life and traumatic events that affect lives

Life Events and Stress

• Changes, big and small, sudden and gradual affect life from the moment birth
• Ability to cope with everyday changes, but major life events can disturb routine and cause upheaval
• Multiple life events occurring in short periods of time can make it difficult to cope

Stress Manifestations

• Daily stresses are the personal stresses individuals endure, such as noisy surroundings, commuting, quarrelsome neighbors, electricity and water shortage, traffic snarls, and so on
• Daily stresses can have devastating consequences for individual well-being
• Traumatic events include extreme events such as fire, train or road accidents, robbery, earthquake, tsunami
• Effects can occur after a lapse of time and persist as symptoms of anxiety, flashbacks, dreams and intrusive thoughts

Effects of Stress on Psychological Functioning

• Emotional effects are mood swings, erratic behavior, decreased confidence, anxiety, and depression
• Physiological effects are increased hormone production, changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and physical activity
• Cognitive effects include mental overload and losing the ability to make sound decisions
• Behavioral effects include altered eating habits, increased stimulant intake, disrupted sleep patterns, increased absenteeism, and reduced work performance

Examination Anxiety

• Involves uneasiness before, during, or after an examination
• It Can be motivating because it helps create pressure that is needed to stay focused on one's performance
• However, stress of formal exam may results in high degree of anxiety so unable to perform at a level which matches the potential they have
• The stress has been characterized as evaluative apprehension or evaluative stress

Stress and the Body

• Chronic daily stress can divert attention from self-care
• Prolonged stress affects physical health and impairs psychological functioning
• People experience exhaustion and attitudinal problems when environmental demands and constraints are high and little support

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

• Alarm reaction Stage, the presence of the external stimulus or stresses leads to activation of the adrenal-pituitary cortex system
• Resistance Stage if stress is prolonged, resources are exhausted.
• Exhaustion Stage is when continued exposure leads to the third stage of exhaustion.

Stress and Immune System

• Affects the workings of the immune system
• Psychoneuroimmunology focuses on the links between mind, brain and the immune system
• White blood cells (leucocytes) identify and destroy foreign bodies (antigens) and produce antibodies
• Stress affects killer cell cytotoxicity which defends against infections and cancer
• Reduced levels of natural killer cell cytotoxicity have been found in people who are highly stressed

Stress and Emotions

• Psychological stress is accompanied by negative emotions and associated behaviors including depression, hostility, anger and aggression
• Worries can reach level that can surface as frightening powerful sensations that are mistaken for heart-attacks
• Negative moods have been associated with the function of immune system

Stress and Lifestyle

• Leads to unhealthy or health damages
• Overall pattern of decision and behaviors determine a persons health and quality of life
• Stressed people are likely to expose themselves to pathogens

Coping with Stress

• It is how people cope with stress that influences our psychological well-being social functioning and health
• Coping is a dynamic situation reaction specific to stress
• It is a set of concrete responses to stressful situation or events that are to resolve the problem

Coping strategies

• Task-oriented, obtains information about stressful situations and other courses of action
• Emotion-oriented strategy makes effort to maintain peace and control personal emotions
• Avoidance oriented minimize the seriousness of the situation.

Stress Management Techniques

• Relaxation decrease incidence of high blood pressure and heart disease
• Meditation-focuses on state of consciousness
• Biofeedback procedures to monitor and reduce certain physiological aspect.
• Creative visualization-using images to reduce stress
• Cognitive Behavioral Techniques to people against stress
• Exercise and improve the circulation of heart and lungs.

Promoting Positive Health and well-being

• Personality traits of hardiness consist of "3 c," that is commitment, control and challenge
• Hardiness is a set of beliefs that helps control sense of purpose and direction in life.

Life skills

• Skills such as adaptive and positive behavior helps meet the demands and challenges of everyday life
• Being assertive to communicate, clearly/ confidently our thoughts needs and requirements
• Being realistic about what one knows and what must be done

Health and lifestyle changes

• Diet a balances diet lists ones mood and provides more energy
• Exercise leads to lifestyle changes

Social Support

• Someone who knows supports the availability of the people that love,value and care for
• Social support provides protectiotion against stress