Stress & Coping Strategies

STRESS and COPING STRATEGIES
What is stress ?
Types of stress
Sources of stress
Type A personality
Reaction of body to stress
Effects of stress on body
Coping with stress and stress management
What is Stress ?
STRESS :
The demand that is made on an organism to adapt.
EUSTRESS :
Stress that is helpful
CONFLICT :
Being torn in different directions by opposing motives
CATASTROPHIZE
To interpret negative events as being disastrous; to
"blow out of proportion.
Stress, Stressor and Stress response

Stress is a state that occurs when
people are faced with events they

perceive as endangering their physical
and psychological well-being.
In stress, the events that are perceived
as threatening are called stressors and
the persons reactions to these events are
called stress responses.
REACTIONS TO STRESS
Six Major Psychological Stressors
1) Frustration
Occurs when progress toward a desired goal is blocked
Common sources:
Physical environment
Social environment
Individual limitations
Common reactions:
Aggression
Passive-aggression
Apathy
Regression
REACTIONS TO STRESS
2)Pressure
Situationsthatrequireapersontodotoomuchin
tooshortatime
3)Boredom
Understimulation
4)Trauma
Ashockingphysicaloremotionalexperience
5)Change
Bothpositiveornegative
REACTIONS TO STRESS
6)Conflict
Canbewithinourselvesorwithanotherperson
Approachapproach
Avoidanceavoidance
Approachavoidance
Multipleapproachavoidance
Reactions of body to stress

Physiology of Stress
Hans Selye (1950) described a General Adaptation
Syndrome which is infact a physiological
response to stressors.
It consists of three stages :
1. The alarm reaction stage

2. The resistance stage
3. The exhaustion stage

1. The alarm reaction stage
Activation of sympathetic nervous system
leading to greater arousal.
Sympathetic nervous system triggers the
release of hormones from adrenal glands,
which are adrenaline, nor-adrenaline and
steroids. These hormones cause--tachycardia, palpitation, increase in
respiration rate, increased muscle tension,
sweating.

2. The resistance stage
Activation of sympathetic nervous
system and its responses continue
but parasympathetic nervous system
(which is involved in energy storing
and conserving processes) calls for
more careful use of bodys
resources.

3.The exhaustion stage
Eventually the physiological systems
used in the alarm reaction and
resistance stages become ineffective
and stress related diseases
(hypertension, heart disease, asthma)
are more likely to occur.
Type A Personality
more prone to develop frequent stress.
Characteristics of Type A personality are :
TIME PRESSURE
* Always working against the clock
* Doing two or more things at once
* Irritation with slow moving traffic or queues
* Impatience with others
* Agitation when forced to do nothing
COMPETITIVENESS
* Always playing games to win
* Very self-critical
* Measuring success as material productivity
ANGER AND HOSTILITY
* Feelings of anger both towards the outside world
and sometimes towards oneself
CHARACTERSTICS OF TYPE
B
TYPE
B:
non competitive
relaxed,in control
easygoing
understanding/forgiving
confident and happy in job
enjoys leisure and weekends

Stress effects the immune system
Stress stimulates the production of steroids
and steroids suppresses the functioning of
immune system.
Persistent secretion of steroids decreases
inflammation and interferes with the formation
of antibodies and the person become more
vulnerable to various illnesses.

Psychosomatic illnesses
Peptic ulcer or Acid peptic disease
Essential hypertension
Bronchial asthma
Ulcerative colitis

Stress causes headaches
Tension headache
Migraine headache
Stress can cause coronary heart disease
Type A behavior
Obesity
Hypertension
Diabetes
Hyperlipaedemia
Stress and cancer
Stress reduces immunity
Psychological factors in the treatment of cancer
Stressful Situations
CAUSES OF STRESS
Stressful Life events-- Death of spouse or any close relative
Divorce or separation
Disturbance in interpersonal relationship
Loss of job, Financial losses or economic problems
Chronic or incurable physical or psychological illness
Physical injury
Seeing or experiencing terrorism, dacoity or accidents
All kinds of threats & difficult situations
Environmental Stresses such as Noise, pollution or extremes
of temperatures
Stressful Situations
Loss problems
include not only the loss of a person through death or
separation but also the loss of a body part or the function
of an organ
Role changes
Such as entering marriage, parenthood or a new job with
added responsibilities
Problems in relationship
Such as those between married couples, between parent
and child or other relations
Conflict problems
Difficulties in choosing between two undesirable
alternatives
Stress & Coping Strategies

UNCONSCIOUS & CONSCIOUS EFFORTS TO
DEAL WITH STRESS
1. COPING STRATEGIES (Conscious Efforts)
a) Adaptive Coping Strategies : Problem Solving Strategies
Emotion reducing strategies
b) Maladaptive Coping Strategies
2. DEFENCE MECHANISMS (Unconscious
processes)

COPING STRATEGIES (Conscious Efforts) :
a) Adaptive Coping Strategies :
1)Problem Solving Strategies

Seeking help from another person or
obtaining information or advice that
would help or solve problem
Making & implementing plans to deal
with the problem
Defending ones own rights or
persuading another person to change his
behavior

2)Emotion reducing strategies
Ventilation of emotions---talking to
another person and expressing
emotions
Avoidance----refusal to think about
problem, avoiding people who are
causing problems or avoiding
reminders of the problems
Positive reappraisal---recognising that
problem has led to some good, for
example self betterment

b) Maladaptive Coping Strategies
* Use of Alcohol or unprescribed drugs---to
reduce emotional response or awareness
of stressful circumstances
* Deliberate self harmeither by drug
overdose or self injury
* Histrionic behaviour---an unrestrained
emotional display may reduce tension
Eg : In grief
* Aggressive behaviourmay release feelings
of anger

DEFENCE MECHANISMS
(Unconscious processes)
---Concept given by Sigmund Freud
---Operates unconsciously.( person is
not aware of )
---Relieves Anxiety

REPRESSION
Exclusion from consciousness of impulses,
emotions or memories that would otherwise
cause distress
DENIAL
person behaving as if unaware of something that he may
reasonably be expected to know.
DISPLACEMENT
Transfer of emotions from a person, object or situation with
which it is properly associated, to another source

PROJECTION
Attribution to another person of thoughts or feelings similar
to ones own, thereby rendering ones own thoughts or
feelings more acceptable
REGRESSION
Adoption of behaviour appropriate to an earlier stage of
development
RATIONALIZATION
Unconscious provision of a false but acceptable
explanation for behaviour that has a less acceptable origin
IDENTIFICATION
Unconscious adoption of the characteristics or activities of
another person, often to reduce the pain of separation or loss
Stress Management
1. Become aware of your stressors and your
emotional and physical reactions
2. Recognize what you can change.
3. Reduce the intensity of your emotional
reactions to stress.
4. Learn to moderate your physical reactions to
stress.
5. Build your physical reserves.
6. Maintain your emotional reserves.
Become aware of your stressors and

your emotional and physical reactions
Notice your distress. Don't ignore it

Determine what events distress you.
What are you telling yourself about
meaning of these events?
Determine how your body responds to
the stress. Do you become nervous or
physically upset
Recognize what you can change
Can you change your stressors by avoiding

or eliminating them completely?
Can you reduce their intensity (manage
them over a period of time instead of on a
daily or weekly basis)?
Can you shorten your exposure to stress
(take a break, leave the physical premises)?
Can you devote the time and energy
necessary to making a change (goal setting
and time management techniques may be
helpful here)?
Reduce the intensity of your emotional

you reactions
viewing your
stressors in
to stress
exaggerated terms and/or taking a difficult
situation and making it a disaster?
Are you expecting to please everyone?
Are you overreacting and viewing things as
absolutely critical and urgent? Do you feel
you must always prevail in every situation?
Work at adopting more moderate views
Try to temper your excess emotions. Put the
situation in perspective
Are
Learn to moderate your physical

reactions to stress
Slow, deep breathing will bring your

heart rate and respiration back to normal
Relaxation techniques can reduce muscle
tension
Electronic biofeedback can help you gain
voluntary control over such things as
muscle tension, heart rate, and blood
pressure.
Medications, when prescribed by a
physician, can help in the short term in
moderating your physical reactions.
Build your physical reserves
Exercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times

a week (moderate, prolonged rhythmic exercise is
best, such as walking, swimming, cycling, or
jogging).
Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals
Maintain your ideal weight.
Avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine, and other
stimulants
Mix leisure with work. Take breaks and get away
when you can.
Get enough sleep. Be as consistent with your sleep
schedule as possible
Maintain your emotional reserves
Develop some mutually supportive

friendships/relationships
Pursue realistic goals which are meaningful
to you, rather than goals others have for
you that you do not share.
Expect some frustrations, failures, and
sorrows.
Always be kind and gentle with yourself -be a friend to yourself

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STRESS and COPING STRATEGIES

Stress, Stressor and Stress response

people are faced with events they

Reactions of body to stress

It consists of three stages :

1. The alarm reaction stage

Reactions of body to stress

Reactions of body to stress

Reactions of body to stress

Effects of stress on body

Effects of stress on body

Effects of stress on body