Chapter 5: Defining, Measuring, and Managing Stress (PDF)

1/20/2025 “If you really knew what was happening to you when you are stressed, you would freak out.” Dr. Mark Hyman Chapter 5 Defining, Measuring, and Managing Stress Health Psychology (PSYC 172) Andrea Cook,...

1/20/2025 “If you really knew what was happening to you when you are stressed, you would freak out.” Dr. Mark Hyman Chapter 5 Defining, Measuring, and Managing Stress Health Psychology (PSYC 172) Andrea Cook, PhD 1 Stress Stress affects individuals both psychologically and physiologically – We feel anxious, angry, paralyzed, sad – Our body becomes tense and activated or shut down and lethargic, or waves of both – Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn incorporates both mind and body – Short- and long-term effects 2 Nervous and Endocrine Systems Stress impacts the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves) and the endocrine system (hormone) Both the nervous system and the endocrine system share, synthesize, and release chemicals – In the nervous system, these chemicals are called neurotransmitters Communication between neurons (nerve cells) e.g., serotonin and dopamine Excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory – In the endocrine system, these chemicals are called hormones Includes stress hormones e.g., adrenaline and cortisol Also includes sex, metabolism, and homeostasis hormones 3 1  1/20/2025 Neurotransmitter and the Gut Originally focused on brain Neurotransmitters and the Gut – Dopamine – pleasure, addiction (50% produced in gut) – Serotonin – mood balance, depression (90% in gut) Gut-brain Axis – Bidirectional communication predominantly thru Vagus nerve – Neurons in gut, second brain – Gut helps regulate brain chemistry Gut health = mood and cognitive health The Gut-Brain Axis, Carabotti, et. al, Annals of Gastroenterology (2015) 4 “Stress” Hormones Adrenaline/Epinephrine – Produced in the adrenal medulla – Used as an index of stress – Measured in urine Noradrenaline/Norepinephrine – Both a hormone and a neurotransmitter – Maintains blood pressure, memory, sleep Cortisol – Can be used as an index of stress – Assess in saliva and urine 5 Meditation 6 5 min clearing morning Guided meditation for positivity and grounding 6 2  1/20/2025 General Adaptation Syndrome General Adaptation Syndrome (Hans Selye, 1936) Body’s generalized attempt to defend against a stressor Three stages represent this response to stressors: – Alarm stage - initial response to stressor – Resistance - body mobilizes to defend against stressor – Exhaustion - ongoing response to stressor can lead to depleted resources for the body 7 General Adaptation Syndrome 8 8 General Adaptation Syndrome General Adaptation Syndrome helps to explain how stress relates to physical illness – Continued stress will cause prolonged resistance, which may be related to ulcers, hypertension, asthma, and poor functioning immune system – In exhaustion stage, the body is depleted and can lead to depression or death 9 9 3  1/20/2025 Stress and Performance Yerkes-Dodson Human Performance and Stress Curve (1908) 10 10 Lazarus’s View of Stress Lazarus (1984) conceptualized stress as being determined by each person – perception of event, not event itself, determines what is stressful Key points of Lazarus’s view of stress: – Stress is interactional (between person and environment) – Person’s appraisal is key in determining what is stressful – Stress arises when situation is threatening, challenging, or harmful 11 Stress Jessica Darrow - Surface Pressure (Encanto, 2021) 12 12 4  1/20/2025 Coping with Stress Coping = strategies to manage distressing problems and emotions – Coping is a process, as it constantly changes and adapts to the situation – Coping is not automatic; it is a learned pattern of responses to stressful situations – Coping requires effort – Coping is an effort to manage the situation You need not master the situation Fight-or-Flight vs. Tend-and-Befriend (Taylor 2000) – perceived threat = tend to your young and rely on others for connection and support 13 Coping with Stress Building better coping skills – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Animals and Nature – Emotional Disclosure – Nutrition – Mindfulness 14 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Cognitive Restructuring (cognitive shift) – learning to identify and dispute irrational thoughts Cognitive Distortions / Unhelpful Thinking Habits – biased ways of thinking about our self and the world – common – irrational – awareness helps shift thinking to more rational and objective thoughts – tends to lead to more positive emotional and behavioral experiences Behavioral – take action; “What is one thing you can do?” Psychology Tools: What are Cognitive Distortions? healthypsych.org 15 15 5  1/20/2025 Animals and Nature Animals and Nature – decrease stress – promote breathing – aid mindfulness – encourage movement – calming properties – MAKE US SMILE 16 Emotional Disclosure Emotional disclosure – express strong emotions by talking or writing about negative events – self-reflection and focusing on both negative and positive aspects of experience – effective in helping people with both mental and physical problems 17 Nutrition Nutrition – Nutrient deficiencies make us more vulnerable to the impact of stress – e.g., feel more easily upset, harder to focus – Example magnesium deficiency Common in the U.S. Associated with fatigue, irritability, muscle tension and cramping (including gut), headache, Can be improved with magnesium rich food e.g., legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, poultry, and beef Supplements and Epsom salt baths often helpful Magnesium Status and Stress (Pickering et al., 2020) 18 6  1/20/2025 Mindfulness Mindfulness – consciousness or awareness – focus on present moment – non-judgmental and accepting – ancient traditions Mindfulness Benefits – encourages parasympathetic – decreases rumination – increases interoception 19 19 In-Class Exercise Class #5 In-Class Exercise Raisin Exercise Take one raisin. Hold it in your hand. Don’t eat it until instructed to do so. Follow instructions on eating the raisin. After mindfully eating one raisin, discuss these questions What did you notice? Do you feel any different? How might you apply this experience to working with clients? 20 20 Self Care College can be stressful! 21 21 7  1/20/2025 Self Care Self-care = Rebound vs. Exhaustion First week Remainder of quarter Finals week of quarter 22 22 8