5 Stressors and Responses

What is stress?
- Is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very

demanding circumstances
- It is a mental and physical response to the demands of the environment ( i.e., at home,
school, work, etc.).
Three kinds of stress

1. Eustress
- Considered as good stress A result from a situation or activity that you find
motivating or inspiring
- Enjoyable and not threatening activity
- Example: Finding the nerve to talk to your crush
2. Neustress
- ‘’Neutral’’ stress
- A sensory stimulus that has no direct consequence or effect on the person
- A situation or activity that you do not find threatening yet not enjoyable
- Example: Incidents you hear in the news
3. Distress
- Situations or activities that you consider negative, harmful, threatening
- It could happen just for a short span of time or it could linger for prolonged
periods (hours, days, months, years).
- Example: Being mugged on the streets or a long-standing family quarrel
What are stressors?

- Any situation, activity, or individual that strains you mentally or emotionally is a stressor.
- The list of stressors is not only endless; it also varies from person to person.
- Good stressors can make you feel both nervous and excited at the same time (the
so–called ‘’butterflies in your stomach’’).
- It can make you worry about being liked or accepted.
- On the other hand, bad stress can cause you to feel angry, petrified, or depressed.
- It can make you feel constantly on the edge.
- Besides the mental and emotional strain, you also suffer pain, such as headaches, or
getting sick, such as going down with a fever.
- High levels of stress when unattended contribute to mental health problems
What are the signs and symptoms?
Symptoms of stress include
Physical Cognitive / Perceptual

- Low energy - Forgetfulness
- Headaches - Preoccupation
- Upset stomach, including diarrhea, - Blocking

constipation, and nausea
- Errors in judging distance
- Aches, pains, and tense muscles
- Reduced creativity
- Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
- Lack of concentration
- Insomnia
- Lack of attention to detail
- Frequent colds and infections
- Orientation to the past
- Loss of sexual desire and ability
- Attention deficit
- Nervousness and shaking, ringing in
the ear - Disorganization of thought
- Cold or sweaty hands and feet - Negative self–statements and

negative evaluation of experiences
- Excess sweating
- Dry mouth and difficulty in swallowing
- Clenched jaw and grinding teeth
Emotional
- Depression or general unhappiness
- Anxiety and agitation
- Moodiness, irritability, or anger
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Loneliness and isolation
- Any other mental or emotional health problems

Sources of Coping Stress
- Coping
- Coping refers to the strategies you use to deal with real or imagined problems to
protect yourself against negative emotions.
- It refers to adaptive strategies you employ in an attempt to reduce stress.
- It helps you control your reactions and continue with your daily activities.
- It involves putting in a conscious effort to minimize or tolerate stress.
Types of Coping
1. Problem-focused coping
- It targets controlling or changing the sources of stress
- It tackles the source in a practical manner
- Strategies include employing problem–solving techniques; time management;
getting relevant social support
2. Emotion-focused coping
- It involves lowering, if not eliminating, negative emotional responses (i.e.,
embarrassment).
- It is an option when the source of stress is external and beyond the person’s
control
- Strategies include distraction, talking out or verbalizing your problem, prayer, and
meditation.
3. Cognitive–focused coping
- It involves a conscious intellectual activity of managing stressful situations
- You use your mind to combat stress–inducing thoughts.
Strategies for cognitive coping include:

1. Reframing
- changing the way you view experiences or events, ideas, concepts, and
emotions to find alternatives that are more positive.
2. Challenging negative thinking
- questioning the rationality of your negative thoughts. You take control of your
thoughts and stop negative thinking. You replace negative thoughts with positive
affirmations.
3. Positive self-talk
- sometimes referred to as “positive affirmations,” you talk to yourself in a positive
manner. This is useful for confidence building.
4. Count to ten
- giving you time to gain control of your emotions. It allows you to rethink the
situation and find a better coping strategy.
5. Cost-benefit analysis
- asks how beneficial your thoughts, emotions or actions are. “Is it worth it?
6. Smell the roses
- a way of telling yourself to relax. It is about taking a conscious effort to appreciate
the usually neglected aspects of life.
7. Keeping perspective
- breaking down your problems needs to be addressed right away as compared to
those that do not need much attention.
8. Reducing uncertainty
- as the saying goes “lamang ang may alam”, gathering as much as you can about
your problem. It helps if you gather positive information rather than negative
ones.
9. Using imagery/ visualization
- imagery as relaxation tool. You find that place in your mind where you feel happy.
Remember your pleasurable experiences. This is more effective when combined
with breathing exercises.
- Visualization is also a powerful rehearsal strategy. For example, you are about to
present your report . Imagine the possible question that will be asked, and how
you will answer it.
BEHAVIORAL COPING STRATEGIES

- These are ways of dealing with stress by taking action to modify behavior. Some
behavioral coping strategies include:
- PHYSICAL EXERCISE
- RELAXATION
- BREATHING
- SMILE AND LAUGHTER
- TIME MANAGEMENT
- SOCIAL SUPPORT
- SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP
POSITIVE COPING STRATEGIES FOR STRESS
Physical and Lifestyle Strategies

1. Abdominal breathing and relaxation
2. Low stress diet (limit fast food/ fries foods)
3. Regular exercise
4. Downtime (Balance fun and work)
5. Mini breaks (5 to 10 minutes period relax)
6. Time Management
7. Sleep hygiene
8. Choosing a nontoxic environment
9. Material Security
Emotional Strategies
1. Social support and relatedness
2. Self-nurturing
3. Good communication
4. Assertiveness
5. Recreational Activities (Playtime)
6. Emotional release
7. Sense of humor
Cognitive strategies
1. Constructive thinking (ability to counter negative thinking
2. Distraction (ability to distract yourself from negative preoccupations)
3. Task-oriented (vs. reactive) approach to problems
4. Acceptance (ability to accept/cope with setbacks
5. Tolerance for ambiguity (ability to see shades of gray)
Philosophical/ Spiritual Strategies

1. Consistent goal or purpose to work toward
2. Positive philosophy of life
3. Religious/ spiritual life and commitment

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5 Stressors and Responses

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What is stress?

- Is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very

Three kinds of stress

What are stressors?

Symptoms of stress include

Physical Cognitive / Perceptual

- Upset stomach, including diarrhea, - Blocking

- Cold or sweaty hands and feet - Negative self–statements and

- Dry mouth and difficulty in swallowing

- Clenched jaw and grinding teeth

- Anxiety and agitation

- Moodiness, irritability, or anger

- Loneliness and isolation

- Any other mental or emotional health problems

Strategies for cognitive coping include:

BEHAVIORAL COPING STRATEGIES

POSITIVE COPING STRATEGIES FOR STRESS

Physical and Lifestyle Strategies

Philosophical/ Spiritual Strategies

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