Study Packet 15 - stress physiology and stress management
question
1
What are some good effects of stress, at
moderate levels?
2
While some stress is fine, severe or chronic
stress can cause problems. Which system
is the first to feel those problems?
Stress has been linked to many illnesses –
how many?
Name some major stressors.
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
answer
It helps us reach our goals and keeps life interesting. Moderate
stress makes some people perform better, but some people
perform worse. We each have our own tolerance for stress.
The immune system.
50-70% of all illnesses
1. Major health problems or death in the family
2. Divorce or separation
3. Financial problems
4. Legal problems
5. Job related pressures
6. School related pressures
7. Marriage
8. Career changes
9. retirement
How do major stressors impact minor
Major stressors make us less able to handle minor ones. The
stressors?
reverse is also true.
“The big worry that leads people to the suicide route or the
booze route is just a lot of little worries adding up. “
• from The Rise of Henry Ford
Why are ‘defined’ stressors easier to cope
If the cause can be identified, active measures can be taken to
with than ‘ambiguous’ ones?
improve the situation. A relationship that is shaky can be an
ambiguous stressor because there is no one issue or problem to
resolve.
If you have a lot of schoolwork to do, is that Defined. You can make a plan.
a defined or an ambiguous stressor?
The sympathetic and parasympathetic
Autonomic Nervous System. Handles automatic functions, ones
nervous systems are both part of what
we don’t have to decide to do, they just happen nervous system? What does this system
1. Heart beat
handle?
2. Respiration
3. Urination
4. Salivation
5. Perspiration
6. Digestion
7. Sugar and insulin release into the blood
8. Metabolic rate
9. Pupil dilation
10. Blood clotting
11. Bone formation
12. Reproductive functions
Which autonomic nervous system prepares The sympathetic nervous system
the body for fight or flight?
What does this system cause to happen in
The body prioritizes its resources to meet the perceived
the body?
emergency, so it enhances some processes and suppresses
others. (the first 3 things are also what happen when we begin
to exercise)
1. Heart rate (and therefore blood pressure) increase to get
more food to skeletal muscles.
2. Breathing rate increases to get more oxygen to skeletal
muscles.
3. Blood flow is redistributed to skeletal muscles, and activity
in other muscles (such as in the intestines) decreases.
4. Blood clotting is enhanced.
5. Sweating increases (because body temperature goes up
with increased heart rate, and heat needs to be dissipated)
6. Pupils dilate to take in more light to increase visual acuity.
7. metabolic rate is increased to produce extra energy to meet
the emergency.
8. More sugar is released (by the liver) into the bloodstream
because cells are burning fuel quickly.
11
Once the threat is passed, which system
returns the body to normal?
12
How does it do that?
13
What organs regulate the body’s response
to stress?
Where is each located?
14
15
16
Which glands secrete cortisol and
adrenaline?
What does cortisol do?
17
What does adrenaline do?
18
19
20
Stress caused by a transient situation is not
a problem because when the stress is over,
our body returns to what?
What is homeostasis?
What are some symptoms of transient,
situational stress caused by a specific
situation (that will end)?
Non-essential functions such as digestion, salivation, immune
function, bone building, reproductive functions and urine
production are slowed (but we often have to pee what is
already in the bladder, because the sphincter muscle relaxes)
The Parasympathetic nervous system (our para. . . chute)
It is sometimes called the ‘feed and breed’ system or the ‘rest
and digest’ system.
It reverses the changes caused by the sympathetic nervous
system –
• Slows the heart rate
• Slows the breathing rate
• Relaxes blood vessel muscles to reduce blood pressure
• Stops production of extra glucose by the liver
• returns metabolism to a normal rate
• Returns blood flow to skin, digestion, urine production,
smooth muscles and other non-essential functions.
Pituitary, adrenals, hypothalamus
Pituitary and hypothalamus are in the brain; adrenals sit above
the kidneys (like little party hats)
The adrenal glands
Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar, suppress the
immune system and aid in metabolism. It also decreases bone
formation.
It stimulates the heart rate and dilates air passages, to increase
oxygen to the lungs and blood flow to the muscles.
In the US, the medical community largely refers to this
hormone as epinephrine, and the two terms may be used
interchangeably. (Epinephrine is from Greek and adrenaline is
from Latin)
Homeostasis. Situational or transient stress is caused by a
situation or an event that happens and then is over, is resolved,
and the body returns to homeostasis.
It is a state of equilibrium or stability.
Situational stress can cause symptoms such as grinding teeth,
stuttering, tremors, ringing or buzzing in the ear, blushing, panic
attacks, dry mouth, allergy attacks, chest pain, rapid heartbeat,
21
Stress caused by a situation that does not
go away (chronic stress) leads to the
General Adaptation Syndrome. Describe
the 3 stages of the GAS.
22
Chronic stress can cause a variety of
bothersome symptoms. Name 4.
23
What does the term ‘stress reactivity’
mean?
24
What does the term ‘stress appraisal’
mean?
25
Give an example of how one person’s
stress appraisal might be different from
another’s.
fluttery stomach, vomiting, rapid and mumbled speech patterns,
unexplained weight gain or loss, nervous habits such as pulling
out hair or biting fingernails.
Stage 1 – alarm reaction
• Immune system is suppressed, resistance is lowered.
We are more susceptible to infection and disease. If the
stress is not severe or long-lasting, we bounce back and
recover rapidly.
Stage 2 – resistance
• We adapt to stress. The immune system works
overtime and we become MORE resistant to colds and
infections. The immune system is able to keep up with
the demands made on it.
Stage 3 - exhaustion
• At this point the immune system begins to fail, after
trying and trying to hold things together. The timing
differs from individual to individual, but everyone’s
immunity at some point collapses following prolonged
stress. With chronic stress, the hypothalamus - pituitary
-adrenal axis becomes dysregulated. High levels of
cortisol and adrenaline continue to tell the body to
mobilize other resources at the expense of the immune
system.
Chronic stress seems never-ending and inescapable. You may
experience the situational stress symptoms, and you may also
feel helplessness, hopelessness, extreme fear or anger, anxiety,
depression, you may have sleep problems, digestive problems,
headaches, weight gain or loss, memory and concentration
impairment, immune system impairment, increased asthma
attacks, increased blood sugar (especially bad for diabetics).
The extent to which the fight or flight response is activated by a
stressor. (do you get a fluttery stomach, fast heartbeat and
sweaty palms easily, or not at all? Do you over-react to
situations such as your team losing a game or getting a bad
grade on a paper or not being included in an outing with
friends?)
Our own appraisal of how serious the threat is and how well we
are prepared to handle it. (can you usually talk yourself down
from feeling stressed? Can you put the stressor in perspective?
Does reframing help you?)
Getting up in front of a group to speak or lead exercises. This is
very hard for some people, but not for me, because I have done
it a lot.
Riding a roller coaster or walking on a trail that might have
rattlesnakes is terrifying to me.
26
27
What has been shown to reduce stress
reactivity?
Our textbook discusses appraisal-based
strategies to help us cope with stressors by
My Dad went parasailing at age 80; my older sister walked the
high wire a few years ago. I feel faint just thinking about doing
either of them.
Physical activity / regular exercise. But the effect is short-lived,
so you have to do it regularly to keep yourself less stressed.
1- Cognitive restructuring – change the way you think about
the situation. (reframing. See line 41 for more on this)
28
29
30
31
32
re-examining the magnitude of the stress,
or our ability to cope with it. What are the
2 strategies offered?
Emotion-based strategies help reduce the
physiologic responses to stress. What are
the 4 strategies offered?
2- Seeking knowledge or practicing skills – make sure you are
not using twisted or distorted thinking. See table 4 and
table 5 below. Are any of these useful for you?
3- Relaxing – we used some conscious relaxation techniques in
class – slow breathing, meditation, looking at a peaceful
scene such as a koy pond, guided imagery and listening to
soothing music. The idea is to slow your heart and
breathing rates, relax tense muscles, clear your mind and
help you to calm down mentally and emotionally.
4- Exercising – either actively as in cardio or less actively as in
yoga and tai chi, or just some stretching or DROM to loosen
your tight shoulder, back and neck muscles.
5- Spirituality – prayer, meditation, songs of praise, reading or
repeating favorite verses from a spiritual book, etc.
6- Expressing your feelings – vent to a friend or family
member, write in a journal, write a song or poem to express
your feelings. Try not to scream and yell inappropriately, or
lash out at others before you have time to consider how
your words may be hurtful or unfair.
Problem-based strategies seek to resolve or 7- Systematic problem solving - make a plan to deal with the
minimize the stressful situation. They only
stress; brainstorm ways to solve the problem and end the
work where you do have some control over
stress (To write your stress paper, for instance, you could
the situation. What are the 3 strategies
make a chart with what you will do each day to get it done
offered?
on time. To study for the final, you could decide which
study questions to learn on which days, and stick to your
plan)
8- Being assertive without being aggressive - have the difficult
conversation with your significant other or your room mate
or your parents or a teacher or a friend. It might help to
write out the key points you want to make, so you won’t
forget them.
9- Seeking social support – get help or advice from others.
Remember that we have both academic and emotional
counselling services that are at your disposal.
What is the difference between
• An aggressive response intimidates others, and fulfills your
assertiveness and aggression?
own needs at the expense of others.
• An assertive response protects your own rights and values
while respecting the rights and values of others.
There are some common avoidant coping
• Ignoring – pretending the problem does not exist; refusing
strategies that are not a good idea. What
to acknowledge that there is a problem.
are the 4 that are discussed in the book?
• Escaping – looking for ways to feel better or stop thinking
about the problem. These include
o Using nicotine, alcohol or other drugs
o Fast driving
o Overeating, eating comfort foods
o Neglect of exercise
o Unprotected or otherwise unwise sex
• Suppressing – trying to bury or suppress difficult memories
or experiences.
• Ruminating – wallowing in your troubles without making
any effort to address the problem.
Why are the avoidant strategies not
Not only is the problem still there, but you may have
effective in the long run?
• compromised your health and wellbeing
• made the situation worse and harder to deal with.
33
34
What does ‘hypostress’ mean
What does ‘eustress’ mean?
35
What does ‘distress’ mean?
36
37
What is meant by ‘resilience’?
What makes a person resilient?
38
What is meant by ‘locus of control’?
39
What is meant by ‘self efficacy’?
40
41
What is meant by ‘conscientiousness’?
How might a person with lots of
conscientiousness deal with periods of
situational stress, and how might a person
with less conscientiousness deal with the
same thing?
Not enough stress or excitement in our lives. Boredom.
The right amount and the right kind of stress to keep us
interested and focused on things but not TOO anxious.
A level of stress that compromises our performance or wellbeing. The body is overwhelmed and coping strategies are no
longer effective at keeping us healthy. If you are at stage 3 of
the GAS, you are experiencing distress.
The ability to adapt and function well in the face of stress.
A natural inclination to feel positive emotions and be optimistic.
• Happy people tend to have lower levels of cortisol, and
therefore less increase in heart rate and blood pressure,
when faced with stress.
• Happy people tend to have a good support system,
strong relationships, and that is associated with good
health.
• Happy people are Tiggers, not Eyores. Tigger says – It’s
okay. We’ll get there. We may not be there yet, but we
are progressing and it will work out just fine in the end.
Some say that, while resilience is partly hereditary, we can
make ourselves feel more resilient by doing things like
• developing an attitude of gratitude
• Committing random acts of kindness regularly
• Practicing reframing of disappointing situations
• Creating a strong social network
• Making a plan to manage stresses so that we feel in
control
The extent to which we feel that outcomes of events are within
our control (internal locus) or outside our personal control
(external locus).
The belief in one’s ability to take action that will bring about a
desired outcome.
A tendency to be organized, thoughtful and goal-directed.
High conscientiousness:
• exercise to work off stress hormones and increase
endorphins
• make a plan to manage or eliminate the stress.
Low conscientiousness:
• alcohol use / tobacco use / other drug use
• procrastination / displacement activity
42
How would you describe a student with a
high degree of conscientiousness?
A conscientious student is one who:
1. Has a goal GPA and is willing to work hard to attain it.
2. Is disciplined - does not party until work is under
control.
3. Is always on time for classes.
4. Pulls his/her weight on group projects.
5. Is prepared for quizzes and tests (therefore does well).
6. Follows class policies for talking, using a phone, etc.
7. Gets assignments in on time with
• nothing missing
• the paper stapled and looking professional
•
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
no typos, such as these from a recent paper o to much
o my goa is
o for my friend and I
o chronis stress
o we didn’t wind
What can a person do to avoid the negative
health consequences caused by chronic
stress (such as depression)?
1. First, figure out the locus of control. If it is internal and
there are steps you can take to improve the situation, take
them.
2. Do some problem-solving. This may require a professional
(spiritual guide, counsellor, psychologist) to help you map
out a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C.
3. While you are working on actually solving the problem, also
use some of the 9 coping strategies in questions 27-29. (for
the exam, you should know at least 6 of the 9 strategies –
some from each category)
What is meant by ‘reframing’?
Ask yourself:
• Is there anything in this situation that is positive for me?
• is there anything to be grateful for here? (it could
always be worse)
Many strategies, such as the ones that we Try to answer these questions:
tried in class, help you cope with a stressor 1. What is the problem? – describe it.
that you cannot eliminate, but some
2. Which of my behaviors are causing the problem?
stressors you can make go away. What is a 3. What are the barriers that are preventing me from changing
5-step plan for actually eliminating a
those behaviors and taking better care of myself?
stressor, not just dealing with the
4. What are some possible solutions to the problem?
symptoms?
5. How will I know my plan is working?
Alcohol seems to have some benefits for
First of all, let me stress that NO ONE recommends that people
the cardiovascular system. How many
start drinking for their health! The recommendations are for
alcoholic drinks per day are recommended? LIMITS, not daily values. Men should not drink more than 2
servings on any one day, and women should not drink more than
one serving a day. And it doesn’t work to save up your servings
and have them all on Saturday night.
What is considered a serving of alcohol?
5 oz. of wine
12 oz. of beer
1.5 oz. of hard liquor (80 proof, such as whiskey)
How many hours per night are
7-8
recommended for people your age?
What is the biggest stressor for college
Poor time management skills, leading to last-minute crises
students?
before tests and assignment due-dates.
Study Packet 15 - stress physiology and stress management
question
1
What are some good effects of stress, at
moderate levels?
2
While some stress is fine, severe or chronic
stress can cause problems. Which system
is the first to feel those problems?
Stress has been linked to many illnesses –
how many?
Name some major stressors.
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
answer
It helps us reach our goals and keeps life interesting. Moderate
stress makes some people perform better, but some people
perform worse. We each have our own tolerance for stress.
The immune system.
50-70% of all illnesses
1. Major health problems or death in the family
2. Divorce or separation
3. Financial problems
4. Legal problems
5. Job related pressures
6. School related pressures
7. Marriage
8. Career changes
9. retirement
How do major stressors impact minor
Major stressors make us less able to handle minor ones. The
stressors?
reverse is also true.
“The big worry that leads people to the suicide route or the
booze route is just a lot of little worries adding up. “
• from The Rise of Henry Ford
Why are ‘defined’ stressors easier to cope
If the cause can be identified, active measures can be taken to
with than ‘ambiguous’ ones?
improve the situation. A relationship that is shaky can be an
ambiguous stressor because there is no one issue or problem to
resolve.
If you have a lot of schoolwork to do, is that Defined. You can make a plan.
a defined or an ambiguous stressor?
The sympathetic and parasympathetic
Autonomic Nervous System. Handles automatic functions, ones
nervous systems are both part of what
we don’t have to decide to do, they just happen nervous system? What does this system
1. Heart beat
handle?
2. Respiration
3. Urination
4. Salivation
5. Perspiration
6. Digestion
7. Sugar and insulin release into the blood
8. Metabolic rate
9. Pupil dilation
10. Blood clotting
11. Bone formation
12. Reproductive functions
Which autonomic nervous system prepares The sympathetic nervous system
the body for fight or flight?
What does this system cause to happen in
The body prioritizes its resources to meet the perceived
the body?
emergency, so it enhances some processes and suppresses
others. (the first 3 things are also what happen when we begin
to exercise)
1. Heart rate (and therefore blood pressure) increase to get
more food to skeletal muscles.
2. Breathing rate increases to get more oxygen to skeletal
muscles.
3. Blood flow is redistributed to skeletal muscles, and activity
in other muscles (such as in the intestines) decreases.
4. Blood clotting is enhanced.
5. Sweating increases (because body temperature goes up
with increased heart rate, and heat needs to be dissipated)
6. Pupils dilate to take in more light to increase visual acuity.
7. metabolic rate is increased to produce extra energy to meet
the emergency.
8. More sugar is released (by the liver) into the bloodstream
because cells are burning fuel quickly.
11
Once the threat is passed, which system
returns the body to normal?
12
How does it do that?
13
What organs regulate the body’s response
to stress?
Where is each located?
14
15
16
Which glands secrete cortisol and
adrenaline?
What does cortisol do?
17
What does adrenaline do?
18
19
20
Stress caused by a transient situation is not
a problem because when the stress is over,
our body returns to what?
What is homeostasis?
What are some symptoms of transient,
situational stress caused by a specific
situation (that will end)?
Non-essential functions such as digestion, salivation, immune
function, bone building, reproductive functions and urine
production are slowed (but we often have to pee what is
already in the bladder, because the sphincter muscle relaxes)
The Parasympathetic nervous system (our para. . . chute)
It is sometimes called the ‘feed and breed’ system or the ‘rest
and digest’ system.
It reverses the changes caused by the sympathetic nervous
system –
• Slows the heart rate
• Slows the breathing rate
• Relaxes blood vessel muscles to reduce blood pressure
• Stops production of extra glucose by the liver
• returns metabolism to a normal rate
• Returns blood flow to skin, digestion, urine production,
smooth muscles and other non-essential functions.
Pituitary, adrenals, hypothalamus
Pituitary and hypothalamus are in the brain; adrenals sit above
the kidneys (like little party hats)
The adrenal glands
Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar, suppress the
immune system and aid in metabolism. It also decreases bone
formation.
It stimulates the heart rate and dilates air passages, to increase
oxygen to the lungs and blood flow to the muscles.
In the US, the medical community largely refers to this
hormone as epinephrine, and the two terms may be used
interchangeably. (Epinephrine is from Greek and adrenaline is
from Latin)
Homeostasis. Situational or transient stress is caused by a
situation or an event that happens and then is over, is resolved,
and the body returns to homeostasis.
It is a state of equilibrium or stability.
Situational stress can cause symptoms such as grinding teeth,
stuttering, tremors, ringing or buzzing in the ear, blushing, panic
attacks, dry mouth, allergy attacks, chest pain, rapid heartbeat,
21
Stress caused by a situation that does not
go away (chronic stress) leads to the
General Adaptation Syndrome. Describe
the 3 stages of the GAS.
22
Chronic stress can cause a variety of
bothersome symptoms. Name 4.
23
What does the term ‘stress reactivity’
mean?
24
What does the term ‘stress appraisal’
mean?
25
Give an example of how one person’s
stress appraisal might be different from
another’s.
fluttery stomach, vomiting, rapid and mumbled speech patterns,
unexplained weight gain or loss, nervous habits such as pulling
out hair or biting fingernails.
Stage 1 – alarm reaction
• Immune system is suppressed, resistance is lowered.
We are more susceptible to infection and disease. If the
stress is not severe or long-lasting, we bounce back and
recover rapidly.
Stage 2 – resistance
• We adapt to stress. The immune system works
overtime and we become MORE resistant to colds and
infections. The immune system is able to keep up with
the demands made on it.
Stage 3 - exhaustion
• At this point the immune system begins to fail, after
trying and trying to hold things together. The timing
differs from individual to individual, but everyone’s
immunity at some point collapses following prolonged
stress. With chronic stress, the hypothalamus - pituitary
-adrenal axis becomes dysregulated. High levels of
cortisol and adrenaline continue to tell the body to
mobilize other resources at the expense of the immune
system.
Chronic stress seems never-ending and inescapable. You may
experience the situational stress symptoms, and you may also
feel helplessness, hopelessness, extreme fear or anger, anxiety,
depression, you may have sleep problems, digestive problems,
headaches, weight gain or loss, memory and concentration
impairment, immune system impairment, increased asthma
attacks, increased blood sugar (especially bad for diabetics).
The extent to which the fight or flight response is activated by a
stressor. (do you get a fluttery stomach, fast heartbeat and
sweaty palms easily, or not at all? Do you over-react to
situations such as your team losing a game or getting a bad
grade on a paper or not being included in an outing with
friends?)
Our own appraisal of how serious the threat is and how well we
are prepared to handle it. (can you usually talk yourself down
from feeling stressed? Can you put the stressor in perspective?
Does reframing help you?)
Getting up in front of a group to speak or lead exercises. This is
very hard for some people, but not for me, because I have done
it a lot.
Riding a roller coaster or walking on a trail that might have
rattlesnakes is terrifying to me.
26
27
What has been shown to reduce stress
reactivity?
Our textbook discusses appraisal-based
strategies to help us cope with stressors by
My Dad went parasailing at age 80; my older sister walked the
high wire a few years ago. I feel faint just thinking about doing
either of them.
Physical activity / regular exercise. But the effect is short-lived,
so you have to do it regularly to keep yourself less stressed.
1- Cognitive restructuring – change the way you think about
the situation. (reframing. See line 41 for more on this)
28
29
30
31
32
re-examining the magnitude of the stress,
or our ability to cope with it. What are the
2 strategies offered?
Emotion-based strategies help reduce the
physiologic responses to stress. What are
the 4 strategies offered?
2- Seeking knowledge or practicing skills – make sure you are
not using twisted or distorted thinking. See table 4 and
table 5 below. Are any of these useful for you?
3- Relaxing – we used some conscious relaxation techniques in
class – slow breathing, meditation, looking at a peaceful
scene such as a koy pond, guided imagery and listening to
soothing music. The idea is to slow your heart and
breathing rates, relax tense muscles, clear your mind and
help you to calm down mentally and emotionally.
4- Exercising – either actively as in cardio or less actively as in
yoga and tai chi, or just some stretching or DROM to loosen
your tight shoulder, back and neck muscles.
5- Spirituality – prayer, meditation, songs of praise, reading or
repeating favorite verses from a spiritual book, etc.
6- Expressing your feelings – vent to a friend or family
member, write in a journal, write a song or poem to express
your feelings. Try not to scream and yell inappropriately, or
lash out at others before you have time to consider how
your words may be hurtful or unfair.
Problem-based strategies seek to resolve or 7- Systematic problem solving - make a plan to deal with the
minimize the stressful situation. They only
stress; brainstorm ways to solve the problem and end the
work where you do have some control over
stress (To write your stress paper, for instance, you could
the situation. What are the 3 strategies
make a chart with what you will do each day to get it done
offered?
on time. To study for the final, you could decide which
study questions to learn on which days, and stick to your
plan)
8- Being assertive without being aggressive - have the difficult
conversation with your significant other or your room mate
or your parents or a teacher or a friend. It might help to
write out the key points you want to make, so you won’t
forget them.
9- Seeking social support – get help or advice from others.
Remember that we have both academic and emotional
counselling services that are at your disposal.
What is the difference between
• An aggressive response intimidates others, and fulfills your
assertiveness and aggression?
own needs at the expense of others.
• An assertive response protects your own rights and values
while respecting the rights and values of others.
There are some common avoidant coping
• Ignoring – pretending the problem does not exist; refusing
strategies that are not a good idea. What
to acknowledge that there is a problem.
are the 4 that are discussed in the book?
• Escaping – looking for ways to feel better or stop thinking
about the problem. These include
o Using nicotine, alcohol or other drugs
o Fast driving
o Overeating, eating comfort foods
o Neglect of exercise
o Unprotected or otherwise unwise sex
• Suppressing – trying to bury or suppress difficult memories
or experiences.
• Ruminating – wallowing in your troubles without making
any effort to address the problem.
Why are the avoidant strategies not
Not only is the problem still there, but you may have
effective in the long run?
• compromised your health and wellbeing
• made the situation worse and harder to deal with.
33
34
What does ‘hypostress’ mean
What does ‘eustress’ mean?
35
What does ‘distress’ mean?
36
37
What is meant by ‘resilience’?
What makes a person resilient?
38
What is meant by ‘locus of control’?
39
What is meant by ‘self efficacy’?
40
41
What is meant by ‘conscientiousness’?
How might a person with lots of
conscientiousness deal with periods of
situational stress, and how might a person
with less conscientiousness deal with the
same thing?
Not enough stress or excitement in our lives. Boredom.
The right amount and the right kind of stress to keep us
interested and focused on things but not TOO anxious.
A level of stress that compromises our performance or wellbeing. The body is overwhelmed and coping strategies are no
longer effective at keeping us healthy. If you are at stage 3 of
the GAS, you are experiencing distress.
The ability to adapt and function well in the face of stress.
A natural inclination to feel positive emotions and be optimistic.
• Happy people tend to have lower levels of cortisol, and
therefore less increase in heart rate and blood pressure,
when faced with stress.
• Happy people tend to have a good support system,
strong relationships, and that is associated with good
health.
• Happy people are Tiggers, not Eyores. Tigger says – It’s
okay. We’ll get there. We may not be there yet, but we
are progressing and it will work out just fine in the end.
Some say that, while resilience is partly hereditary, we can
make ourselves feel more resilient by doing things like
• developing an attitude of gratitude
• Committing random acts of kindness regularly
• Practicing reframing of disappointing situations
• Creating a strong social network
• Making a plan to manage stresses so that we feel in
control
The extent to which we feel that outcomes of events are within
our control (internal locus) or outside our personal control
(external locus).
The belief in one’s ability to take action that will bring about a
desired outcome.
A tendency to be organized, thoughtful and goal-directed.
High conscientiousness:
• exercise to work off stress hormones and increase
endorphins
• make a plan to manage or eliminate the stress.
Low conscientiousness:
• alcohol use / tobacco use / other drug use
• procrastination / displacement activity
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How would you describe a student with a
high degree of conscientiousness?
A conscientious student is one who:
1. Has a goal GPA and is willing to work hard to attain it.
2. Is disciplined - does not party until work is under
control.
3. Is always on time for classes.
4. Pulls his/her weight on group projects.
5. Is prepared for quizzes and tests (therefore does well).
6. Follows class policies for talking, using a phone, etc.
7. Gets assignments in on time with
• nothing missing
• the paper stapled and looking professional
•
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no typos, such as these from a recent paper o to much
o my goa is
o for my friend and I
o chronis stress
o we didn’t wind
What can a person do to avoid the negative
health consequences caused by chronic
stress (such as depression)?
1. First, figure out the locus of control. If it is internal and
there are steps you can take to improve the situation, take
them.
2. Do some problem-solving. This may require a professional
(spiritual guide, counsellor, psychologist) to help you map
out a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C.
3. While you are working on actually solving the problem, also
use some of the 9 coping strategies in questions 27-29. (for
the exam, you should know at least 6 of the 9 strategies –
some from each category)
What is meant by ‘reframing’?
Ask yourself:
• Is there anything in this situation that is positive for me?
• is there anything to be grateful for here? (it could
always be worse)
Many strategies, such as the ones that we Try to answer these questions:
tried in class, help you cope with a stressor 1. What is the problem? – describe it.
that you cannot eliminate, but some
2. Which of my behaviors are causing the problem?
stressors you can make go away. What is a 3. What are the barriers that are preventing me from changing
5-step plan for actually eliminating a
those behaviors and taking better care of myself?
stressor, not just dealing with the
4. What are some possible solutions to the problem?
symptoms?
5. How will I know my plan is working?
Alcohol seems to have some benefits for
First of all, let me stress that NO ONE recommends that people
the cardiovascular system. How many
start drinking for their health! The recommendations are for
alcoholic drinks per day are recommended? LIMITS, not daily values. Men should not drink more than 2
servings on any one day, and women should not drink more than
one serving a day. And it doesn’t work to save up your servings
and have them all on Saturday night.
What is considered a serving of alcohol?
5 oz. of wine
12 oz. of beer
1.5 oz. of hard liquor (80 proof, such as whiskey)
How many hours per night are
7-8
recommended for people your age?
What is the biggest stressor for college
Poor time management skills, leading to last-minute crises
students?
before tests and assignment due-dates.
Stress paper – Fall, 2015
By filling in the following table, show me that you have a very good grasp of the effects
of stress on the body and how we can manage our stress. A list of the relaxing
techniques we used in class is in this folder, to remind you what they were. All answers
must come from the study packets or our class discussions, not from another course or
the internet. Do not print out the grading rubric and hand it in.
Stress Management Paper
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What does the sympathetic nervous
system do to prepare the body for
fight or flight when you are suddenly
stressed? (What does cortisol do and
what does epinephrine do; name at
least 4 processes that are stimulated
and 2 that are suppressed, and explain
why that happens)
Compare chronic stress and situational
or transient stress. Explain the
effects of each on the body.
(symptoms we may experience for
each; which one leads to the GAS –
explain that term - and which one
allows the body to return to
homeostasis – explain that term)
Define eustress and distress.
List at least 5 effective and 3
ineffective coping strategies that are
discussed in the study questions. Why
are the ineffective ones not helpful in
the long run? (I am looking for the
strategies themselves, not examples of
the strategies.)
Which was your favorite of the
relaxation techniques we tried in
class? Did you continue to use it on
your own? How did it work for you?
What other effective ways of
managing stress do you use? Have you
ever performed a random act of
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kindness? Do you practice an attitude
of gratitude?
Give 1 example of reframing that you
have used. If you have never actually
done this, think of a time when you
could have used reframing. Make it
the ‘there is actually a benefit to me
here’ kind, not the ‘it could always be
worse’ kind.
Define the term ‘conscientiousness’,
and describe your own
conscientiousness.
Describe the term ‘resilience’ and
describe your own resilience.
Identify one stressor currently
affecting you, NOT including
schoolwork/exams/ etc. How well are
you handling it? Which of the stress
management techniques have you tried
or do you think would help? Set a
behavioral goal to help you manage or
resolve that stressor.
Relaxing techniques we used in class
1. listen to soothing music – we used Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie #1.
2. breathe 4 seconds in and 4 seconds out.
3. Pranayama – another kind of deep breathing
4. laughter, humor – joke day
5. guided imagery
6. meditate on a word or phrase - we used All is well, peace is
mine, I am safe.
7. stare at a peaceful scene – we used the koy pond
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