1. STRESS MANAGEMENT
Chapter 9

2. STRESS
•Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any
demand
•How people react to stress appears to be more
important than the stress itself
•A stressor is anything that initiates the stress
response
•Stress is unavoidable and necessary to human
preservation

3. STRESS
•Eustress is good stress
•provides pleasure or adds meaning to life
•Distress is bad stress
•produces a negative response

5. STRESS
•The inverted-U theory says
that there is an optimal
stress level; too much or too
little stress can both be
detrimental

6. PHASES OF RESPONSE
•Homeostasis is when the body is in physiological
balance
•Stress initiates the stress response, or general
adaptation syndrome (GAS)
•The GAS consists of an alarm phase, a resistance
phase, and, if the stress is long enough or strong
enough, an exhaustion phase

7. GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME

8. STRESS
•Most stressful situations fall into one of three
categories: harm and loss, threat, or challenge
•Whether positive or negative, stressful events
always produce a series of neurological and hormonal
messages in the body
•The brain determines whether an event is stressful

9. STRESS RESPONSE
•The limbic system can override the stress
response
•The hypothalamus initiates the release of
epinephrine and other hormones,
including endorphins
•The autonomic nervous system increases
physiological response and eventually
returns the body to homeostasis

10. STRESS AND IMMUNITY
•Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) seeks to understand the
connection between the brain, the nervous system, and the
immune response
•Good nutrition is necessary to meet stress demands
•Chronic stress suppresses the immune system
•Coping is the attempt to manage stress

11. COPING WITH STRESS
•Self-esteem influences the ability to cope with stress
•Personality influences the ability to cope with stress
•Type A personality
•Type B personality
•Hardy personality
•“Stress survivors” seem to have at least three characteristics
in common: challenge, commitment, and control
•Attitude is a key factor in the stress equation

12. SOURCES OF STRESS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

13. STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOLS
•Successful coping with stress takes
effort
•Sometimes one should seek a
professional counselor to help resolve
stressful situations
•Relaxation techniques reduce the
negative effects of stress

14. RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
•Deep breathing is the most basic technique
•Progressive muscle relaxation creates
awareness of the difference between
muscular tension and a relaxed state
•Autogenics uses self-suggestion to produce a
relaxation response

15. RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
•Meditation helps the practitioner temporarily tune out the world
•Visualization helps the practitioner use imagination to relax
•Biofeedback enhances awareness of body sensations
•Massage therapy relieves tension and induces mental relaxation

16. RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
• Music
• Rhythmic music instills the desire to move (dance)
• Quiet music soothes by helping to breathe more deeply
• Humor
• Laughter helps keep events in perspective
• Reinforces positive attitude
• Tai Chi
• Emphasizes tranquility and remaining calm
• Time Management

17. TIME MANAGEMENT
•Effective use of time is crucial to accomplishing one’s
personal and professional goals
•Workaholics spend excessive time working even if it is not
productive
•Time jugglers constantly over-schedule themselves, often
neglecting important activities

18. TIME MANAGEMENT
• Procrastinators often fail to have enough time to successfully
complete tasks
• Perfectionists rarely feel satisfied and are often unable to achieve
important goals
• Exercise can produce beneficial physiological responses and reduce
anxiety

19. EXERCISE
•Has been found to directly affect brain chemistry
•Increased endorphin levels
•Positive stressor
•Can offset the adverse effects of distress

20. SPIRITUALITY
•Does not have to be connected to a particular religion
or religious belief
•Psychospirituality
•The study of the relationship between mind and soul