PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT 2

MODULE 5 – Coping With Stress

INTRODUCTION:

Frustrations, conflicts, and stress are basic parts of life. They are most destructive when
bottled up and turned into an inner anger pr rage. Those who take change and problems in stride
can often use the stress as motivation to greater things. Those not able or willing to cope can
quickly be beaten by drugs or even suicide.

HOTS QUESTIONS:

1. How do you usually act or react whenever there's a blocking or hindering of goals you
are seeking?
2. What is stress and how does it affect you?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Discuss that understanding stress and its sources may help in identifying ways to cope
and have a healthful life,
2. Identify sources of your stress and illustrate the effect of stress on your system, and
3. Demonstrate personal ways of coping with stress for healthful living.

ELICITING ACTIVITY:

Two-Sided Collage: Sift through several magazines and cut out ads that clearly glorify
alcohol or any other kinds of drugs use. Next, find several pictures that show the possibly ugly
realities of alcohol and other drug use. Arrange both sets of pictures into a creative collage in
which the message is clear that alcohol and drug use are often not glamorous activities. Your
collage doesn't have to preach against anything; it should simply present two sides of an issue.
Include a title and a caption.

DISCUSSION:

Stress Management

Dictionary definitions do not quite capture the meaning of stress as it is seen and
experienced in the world of work. One of the Webster’s definitions describes it as an “…emotional
factor that causes bodily or mental tension.”

A practical way of defining stress is the feeling one gets from prolonged, pent-up emotions.
If the emotions you experience are pleasant and desirable – joy, elation, ecstasy, delight – you
usually feel free to let them show. They are not suppressed. Therefore; positive emotions do not
usually cause stress. Negative emotions, on the other hand, are more often held inside. They are
hidden. You suffer quietly and you experience stress. Do not confuse positive situations with
positive emotions. A wedding, for example, is a positive situation that often brings about the
negative emotions of anxiety and tension. So stress can exist in great situations.

Stress is defined as the physical pressure and strain that result from demands and
changes in the environment (Mandlee, 1984). It arises whenever there is a change in the body
that requires us to readjust. Conflict, frustration, and anxiety can all lead to stress. But any kind
of change, even a positive one, causes stress, because we have to adapt to a new environment.

Causes and effects of stress

Just as there is great variety in the range of emotions you might experience, there are
many possible manifestations of stress – in your private life and in your working life. Here are
some words that describe the emotions associated (as cause and effect) with stress.

• Anxiety
• Pressure
• Misery
• Strain
• Desperation
• Tension
• Anger
• Panic
• Dejection
• Prolonged

Frustration refers to any event that thwarts, blocks or interferes with goal-directed activity
(Atkinson, 1996).

Conflicts are the simultaneous presence of opposing or mutually exclusive impulses,

desires or tendencies. Conflicts arise when there is simultaneous liking or disliking to an object or
person.

Sources of Frustrations:

1. Physical environment : includes obstacles such as floods, typhoons, and other natural
phenomena that may frustrate one to pursue his usual activity.

2. Social environment : obstacles that restrict people from achieving their goals as a result
of social conditions such as economic depression, traffic, power failure, etc.

3. The organism itself : physical handicaps and personal limitations can obstruct one's
goal.

Types of Conflicts:

1. Conflicting approach : concerns with choosing between two desirable goals and finally
deciding one over the other. Example: two job offers.

2. Approach-Avoidance : concerns with two elements, one of which is very desirable while
the other is undesirable and disadvantageous. This results to indecisiveness and ambivalent
behavior. Example: asking a new acquaintance to lunch but being afraid of being rejected.

3. Avoidance-Avoidance : two unpleasant alternatives have to be considered and cannot

settle on one unless considering the other one. Example: studying for a math exam or writing a
research paper for a history class.

4. Approach-Approach : involves choosing between two situations that both have

pleasurable consequences. Example: going to a party or seeing an old friend.

5. Multiple conflicts : concerns two courses of action which have both pleasant and
unpleasant consequences. This usually takes longer time to resolve.

Prolonged stress can be devastating; burnout, breakdown, and depression are some of
the potential results of long-term, unmanaged stress. By wearing a mask, you may expect to hide
stress caused by problems in your personal life and not let them influence your performance on
the job. This will probably not work. The more you try to hold your emotions in, the greater the
pressure build-up will be.

Everyday frustrations cause stress build-up

From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you may be confronted with a succession
of stressful situations. Managing to get yourself (and possibly a spouse and children) out of bed
and ready to face the day can be a challenge to your patience and ingenuity. Driving to school or
work can be harrowing – especially if you’re running late. You may experience frustration in
arranging to get the car repaired. You may face conflicts in school or at work, such as coping with
unrealistic deadlines, equipment failures, or unexpected bad weather. If part of your job is selling,
you may experience feelings of rejection when most of your customers say “no.”

A series of stressful and frustrating experiences throughout the day can cause you to lie
awake at night in an emotional turmoil – unable to get needed rest. You face the next day with
less emotional and physical stamina. After another stressful day and another night without rest,
you may have even less emotional strength and stability. Therefore, stress build-up, if not
resolved, continues day after day.

Problems in our personal life can be devastating

Surviving the normal, everyday stress described above can be difficult. But far more
serious and painful circumstances can create long-term stress. More serious stressful
circumstances may include separation from loved ones, personal illness, or illness of a loved one,
death of someone you care about, or conflict with a spouse or close friend. Other major causes
of stress are problems with drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, care of children and
elderly relatives, chronic mental illness, injury, physical handicaps, even moving to a new home,
if you’ve lived in the same place for more than 10 years. The list goes on and on.

Managing your personal finances can be another stressful experience. This can be a
problem no matter what your income level, but it is especially difficult if you must support a family
and do not earn enough to live comfortably. Unpaid bills, unwise use of credit, and budget
limitations can make life difficult.

Styles of dealing with conflicts

1. Avoidance : an individual who finds dealing with conflicts unpleasant hopes that by avoiding or
ignoring the conflict, it will disappear or magically go away. Sadly, the conflict usually gets worse
and will have to be dealt with eventually.

2. Accommodation : occurs when an individual hates conflicts and just give in to make the
disagreements go away, where he tends to please people and worry about approval.
Unfortunately, giving in does not solve the problem, which in long term will need to be solved.

3. Domination : an individual go to any lengths to win, even if it means being aggressive and
manipulative. However, aggressively solving conflicts results in hostility rather than intimate
human relationship.

4. Compromise : an individual recognizes that others have different needs and try to solve conflicts
through compromise. Unfortunately, they may use manipulation and misinterpretation to further
their own goals, so compromise isn't always the best solution.

5. Integration : an individual tries to resolve conflicts finding solutions to please both sides. There
is no criticism, emphasizing similarities rather than differences.

Kinds of stressors

1. Hassles : refer to small, frustrating events that one faces daily and that one usually appraises
or interprets as stressful experiences. Example: getting a failure score in a quiz; not being able to
answer during the recitation.

2. Major life events : these are potentially disturbing, troubling or disruptive situations, both
positive and negative, that one appraise as having a significant impact on one's life. Example:
death of a parent; marriage; change in school; pregnancy.

Stress signals

• Physical : headaches, stomach aches, dizziness, back pain, neck stiffness, ulcer, sores on
mouth, jaw pains, weight loss, weight gain, twitches (eyelids, face), weakness, nausea,
indigestion, excessive sleeping, overeating, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, skin problems,
constant fatigue, cold hands or feet, excessive sweating, chest pains, high blood pressure, rapid
pr difficult breathing.

• Emotional : mood changes, lack of concentration, nightmares, panic attacks, anxiety, anger,
irritability, crying, thoughts of suicide, depression, confusion, feelings of helplessness,
restlessness, racing thoughts, aggressiveness.

• Behavioral : smoking, nail biting, tapping, pulling hair, grinding hair, use of alcohol, use of
medication, compulsive dieting, hair chewing, nervous laughter, pacing, lateness, putting things
off, not caring about physical appearance, compulsive overeating

Stress Response

Your stress response is the collection of physiological changes that occur when you face
a perceived threat—when you face situations where you feel the demands outweigh your
resources to successfully cope. These situations are known as stressors.

When your stress response is triggered, a series of changes occur within your body. They
include: (1) redirection of blood away from extremities and instead to major organs, (2) the release
of cortisol and other hormones, which bring other short- and long-term changes, (3) the stress
response is intended to give you a burst of energy so you’re able to fight off attackers or run away
from them effectively.

This helped our ancestors, who faced numerous physical threats, to stay safe. However,
now our threats tend to be less physical and more associated with our way of life—a challenge to
our status, a demand for performance, etc. In addition to giving us a set of changes that may not
match our needs as well (it might be more effective for us to have a burst of mental clarity or
wisdom than a burst of physical strength, for example), the stress response can actually cause
harm if it leads to a state of chronic stress—that is, if our stress response is triggered, and then
our body doesn’t go back to its normal state via the relaxation response.

Keep stress under control

There are many effective ways to handle stress. Of course, you can’t avoid stress—in fact,
you wouldn’t want to avoid all stress, because you’d never grow. However, you can manage your
life so that you survive the emotional down times without allowing stress to engulf you. Also, you
can work to eliminate controllable stress factors, such as running late or not getting enough sleep.
But when stress is constant or too great, your wisest option is to find ways to reduce or control it.
You need not, and should not, live your life in emotional stress and discomfort. Stress can be
successfully managed. Here are some suggestions that may help.

(1) Understand the Causes of Stress

Understanding why you are under stress is important. This may seem obvious, but it
requires deliberate, conscious effort to pause and simply ponder your situation. By now, you are
familiar with the stress response, the emotional or physical symptoms of uncontrolled stress. Now
you need to try to discover the stressors, the factors of which create the stress in your life.

(2) Analyze your Stress Factors and Write Them Down

Write down your response to stress. For example, you may write down, “I feel tired most
of the time. My lower back seems to ache all through the day and night. I miss deadlines and run
behind schedule.” Analyze stress responses and consequences, and consider each item, and ask
why. “Why am I feeling tired? Why does my back ache? Why do I run behind schedule? Carefully
consider each answer, because the answers will reveal stressors, such as deadlines, anxieties,
trying to do so much, managing time or money poorly, or poor health habits.

(3) Deal with the Stressors

Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The longer you avoid dealing with
the stress factors, the more the stress will build up. If tension comes because you have put off an
unfinished task, restructure your priorities so you can get the task that you have been avoiding
out of the way and off your mind.

(4) Learn to Work under Pressure or Unusual Conditions

When you can’t reduce the stressors, you need to manage your stress response. Almost
everyone, at least at some point, has to meet deadlines, keep several jobs going at once, resolve
problems that come up, and do extra work when necessary. However, when the pressure mounts,
you can relieve it. Relaxation is key—but most people must train themselves to relax when the
pressure is on.

Some tips to relax when under pressure are the following:

• Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles tightening up) and take a few deep
breaths.
• Do a relaxing exercise. Swing your hands at your sides and stretch.
• Take a “power nap.” Lie down and totally relax for a few minutes.
• Find time to do the things you enjoy.
• Leave your study area for a while to take a brisk walk.
• Find a quiet place to read a magazine or novel during break or at lunch.
• If possible, look at some peaceful images such as forests, beaches, etc. These images can
initiate a relaxation response.
• Look up.
• Keep something humorous on hand, such as a book of jokes.

ACTIVITIES:

1. What are the usual things that cause you to loss your cool? Make a list and rank them.
Write a brief explanation.
2. Write about your stress signals. Compose a speech (minimum of five paragraphs) which
highlights your stress signals and your usual responses to them.
CREDITS:

Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines. “Personal Development Reader” First

Edition. 2016.
Trajeco, Shirley c., Ph. D. and Fabiola S. Gappi, M.A. “Psychology in Action”. Bookman Inc.
Quezon City. 2005.
McMahon, Franklin B., McMahon, Judith W. and Tony Romano. "Psychology and You". West
Publishing Company. USA. 1990.