MODULE 5:

Review:

•How affirmations help a

person become more
lovable and capable as an
adolescent?
ITS PLAY TIME!

•BINGO
Process questions:

•How do you find the activity?

•What did you feel while
looking for the names that
correspond to the description
in the card?
•What do you are the contents
of the bingo card all about?
Picture Analysis:
Process questions:
•What do you think of the
pictures?
•What particular situations
when you have the same
reaction / expression?
Video presentation

Process questions:
•What do you think is the video
all about?
•What is the message of the
video?
•What is stress?
•What causes and effects of
stress?
•Why do we have to manage
stress?
Stress is the spice of life….who
would enjoy a life of no runs, no
hits and no errors?
-Hans Selye, M.D.
Stress is the process
by which we perceive
and respond to
certain events that
we see as threatening
or challenging.
 STRESS
What is stress??????

STRESS IS A
PERSON’S
PHYSICAL
AND
EMOTIONAL
RESPONSE
TO CHANGE.
 15

Stress
Stress is any circumstance that may be real
or perceived and threatens one’s well-being.

Lee Stone/ Corbis

When severe stress is felt it impairs
our ability to cope with it.
 Stress and Health

Stress can be adaptive. In a fearful

or stress- causing situation, we can
run away and save our lives.
Stress can be maladaptive. If it is
prolonged (chronic stress), it
increases our risk of illness and
health problems.
 STRESSOR
Any event or circumstance that causes stress is
called stressor.
Stressor as such does not cause stress but our
perception of that event, the meaning we attach to
it and the way we react to it leads to symptoms or
diseases of stress.
TYPES OF STRESSORS
Biological stressors
 Any illness or disease

Disabilities

Injuries

Environmental stressors
 Poverty
Overcrowding
Natural disasters
Cognitive stressors
 Inability to solve a problem
Coming up with creative projects

Life change stressors

 Death of loved ones
 Divorce
Trouble among family and friends
 WHAT CAUSES STRESS ?
• divorce or separation
• death of a loved one
• the birth of a child
• major financial setback
• employment changes
• becoming the victim of a
crime or natural disaster
• traffic congestion
• working overtime
• personal conflicts
• job stress
• physical injury
• lack of sleep
S OF
STRE
 TYPES OF STRESS
GENERAL STRESS
- Everyone has this stress
- Resolve in a day or two
- No intervention required

CUMULATIVE STRESS
- Builds up in your body
- Become more difficult to
alleviate your symptoms
- More serious
psychological problems
 ACUTE TRAUMATIC STRESS
- Critical Incident stress.
- Produce Psychological Distress
- Abnormal reaction to normal
situation

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS

- Severe stress produces severe
psychological trauma
- Produces lasting change
RCE OF STR
 SOURCE OF STRESS
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
- Economic Uncertainty
- Political Uncertainty
- Technological Change

ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS
- Task Demands
- Roll Demands
- Interpersonal Demands

PERSONAL FACTORS
- Family Problems
- Economic Problems
- Personality
 SSIFICATI
OF STRES
Good Stress or Bad Stress
 ???
• Most people think of stressors, or
things that cause stress as
negative:
• stress as another way of saying
tension or pressure.
▫ traffic, a difficult job, or divorce
 ???
• Stressors can also be positive
experiences
• Makes life both rich and
satisfying.
• These are changes that can
activate your stress response :
▫ Having a baby
▫ completing a satisfying project
 CLASSIFICATION OF STRESS

• POSITIVE STRESS
- Mental Alertness
- Motivation
- High Efficiency

• NEGATIVE STRESS
- ACUTE STRESS
- CHRONIC STRESS
UNDERSTA
NDING
STRESS
RESPONS
Review:
• Stress is thought to be an important factor
in many health problems.
• Stress is a biological and psychological response
experienced on encountering a threat that we feel
we do not have the resources to deal with
• A stressor is the stimulus (or threat) that causes
stress, e.g. exam, divorce, death of loved one,
moving house, loss of job
REVIEW
• Types of stressors
Biological, Environmental, cognitive & life
changing
• Types of stress
General, cumulative, Acute Traumatic, Post
Traumatic
• Sources of stress
Environmental, Organizational and
Personal
• Classification of stress
Bad, Good / Negative or Positive
How our body reacts?
• Firstly, our body judges a situation and
decides whether or not it is stressful.
This decision is made based on sensory input and
processing
(i.e. the things we see and hear in the situation)
and also on stored memories
(i.e. what happened the last time we were in a
similar situation).
• Function of Central Nervous System
Things we do:
• Eating • Jumping
• Sleeping • Singing
• Smelling • Exercising
• Talking • Playing
• Walking • Fighting
• Dancing • Running
• Seeing • Coughing
• Drinking • Shouting
• Chewing • Crying
• Thinking • Shouting
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Nervous system
• Control center of the body
• Complex network of nerve cells that regulates
our bodily functions and permits us to reach the
external world.
• Send signals throughout the body
 FUNCTIONS Of Nervous System:

1. Receiving sensory input can be manifested

in various forms, including pressure, taste,
sound, light, or hormone levels, which are
converted to a signal and then sent to the
brain or spinal cord.
 FUNCTIONS Of Nervous System:

2. Integrating the input through the sensory

centers of the brain or in the spinal cord.

3. Responding to stimuli then converted to

action.
 NERVOUS SYSTEM

Central Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System

Brain Spinal Somatic Autonomic

Cord Nervous Nervous System
System

Sympathetic &
Parasympathetic Nervous
System
Fight Or Flight

Stress Response

General Adaptation
Syndrome
(Hans Selye)
 When an individual encounters a
stressor….
• the body part that first
notes the stimulus
passes the signal to the
brain.
• The message passes
through the
hypothalamus and
thalamus.
• Thalamus - interprets and sorts the sensory and motor
impulses that travel to and from the cerebrum
• Hypothalamus - controls body temperature, metabolism,
hunger and thirsts, sleep, emotional behavior, sexual activity,
temperature, therefore it regulates most of our behaviors.
• When the
hypothalamus
experiences the stressor
signal, it simultaneously
activates the two major
stress pathways:
▫ autonomic nervous
system (ANS)
▫ endocrine system
(ES)
autonomic nervous system
- The autonomic nervous system is a control system that
acts largely unconsciously and regulates heart rate,
digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination,
and sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in
control of the fight-or-flight response and its role is mediated
by two different components
endocrine
system.
- made up of glands
that produce and
secrete hormones.
These hormones
regulate the body’s
growth, metabolism,
and sexual development
and function.
 Autonomic Nervous
System

Sympathetic Nervous System vs.

Parasympathetic Nervous System
Sympathetic Nervous
System
• involved in the “fight or flight”
response during emergency
situation or in high emotion.
• It increases alertness,
stimulates tissue, and
prepares the body for quick
responses to unusual
situations.
Parasympathetic nervous
system
• that is involved in “rest or repose”
system as it quiets the body and
returns it to a lower intensity of
arousal.
• It is involved in relaxation. It
conserves energy and controls
inactive
• When the sympathetic part of the autonomic
nervous system (Adrenaline rush) is activated by
the hypothalamus, involuntary functions such as
heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and body
fluid regulation are affected.
• At the same time, the pituitary gland is stimulated,
which in turn orders the release of several chemical
hormones (regulate the body’s growth, metabolism, and
sexual development and function.)
• The chemical cortisol provides fuel for the "fight
or flight" response by increasing blood sugar so that
there is energy for action.
• Cortisol - is an important hormone in the
body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved
in the following functions and more:
▫ Proper glucose metabolism
▫ Regulation of blood pressure
▫ Insulin release for blood sugar maintenance
▫ Immune function
▫ Inflammatory response
• Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the
morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the
only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it
has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also
secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’
response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-
related changes in the body.
• Epinephrine (adrenaline) a hormone
secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to
short-term stress.
▫ This is where we get adrenaline rush like when we
act like a daredevil or do something risky or exciting.
▫ It is largely responsible for the immediate reactions
we feel when stressed.
▫ Adrenaline also gives you a surge of energy -- which
you might need to run away from a dangerous
situation -- and also focuses your attention.
• Norepinephrine
▫ second hormone secreted by the
adrenal medulla that increases heart
rate, blood pressure, cardiac output
and blood glucose levels.
▫ It is very similar to epinephrine Both
secreted by adrenal medulla.
▫ Difference: it is also a
neurotransmitter found at nerve
endings within the sympathetic
nervous system.
▫ a neurotransmitter is a substance that
transmits impulses from a nerve to
another structure.
• Aldosterone increases the blood pressure.
▫ When the kidneys' blood supply is reduced during the
alarm phase, they release a protein called renin (which
means " kidney substance") into the blood. Renin reacts
with other proteins in the blood to form angiotensin
(which means "blood vessel constricting"). When
angiotensin reaches the adrenal glands, their outer layer,
the adrenal cortex, releases the hormone aldosterone.
Aldosterone makes the kidneys secrete potassium into
the urine and reabsorb sodium and water into the blood.
This helps maintain blood volume.
 Stages of Stress
Response
Resistan Fatigue
Alar
m ce 3RD STAGE
Tired feeling takes over
2ND STAGE
1ST that lowers your level of
Body adapts
STAGE activity. Both mind and
to the rush
Body body become exhausted
created by
and after the stressor lessens
alarm and
mind go (complaints often show up
reacts to
on high after the stressor lessens
stressor
alert and
(Flight- causes confusion to person
In short….
• If the situation is judged as being stressful, the
HYPOTHALAMUS (at the base of the brain) is
activated.
• So the stress response is triggered, it sends
signals to Autonomic Nervous System
• and Endocrine Gland and Pituitary Gland
is stimulated .
• Pituitary Gland produce hormones:
▫ Cortisol
▫ Aldosterone
▫ Epinephrine
▫ Norepinephrine
 Effect of
stress to
your body
Brain and Immune System
• When you have an infection or something else that causes
inflammation such as a burn or injury, cells from the immune
system stream to the site.
• “soldiers moving into battle / garbage collectors, ingesting invaders
• They make antibodies, the "bullets" to fight the infectious agents;
others kill invaders directly.
• They send signals in the form of molecules that they make in
factories inside the cell.
• These molecules have many more effects than just being the walkie-
talkie communicators between different kinds of immune cells.
• They can also go through the bloodstream to signal the brain or
activate nerves
• These immune molecules cause the brain to change its functions.
• They can induce a whole set of behaviors that we call sickness
behavior
▫ You lose the desire or the ability to move
▫ you lose your appetite
▫ you lose interest in in the usual activities
Brain and Immune System

• These signaling molecules from the immune

system can also activate the part of the brain
that controls the stress response, the
hypothalamus.
• Through the hormones released from the
pituitary and adrenal glands, the hypothalamus
causes blood levels of the hormone cortisol to
rise.
 Stress and Immune System
• This complete communications cycle from the
immune system to the brain and back again allows
the immune system to talk to the brain, and the
brain to then talk back and shut down the immune
response when it's no longer needed.
• The part of the brain that controls the stress
response is going to be constantly pumping out a lot
of stress hormones. The immune cells are being
bathed in molecules which are essentially telling
them to stop fighting.
• In chronic stress your immune cells are less able to
respond to an invader like a bacteria or a virus.
 Stress
and
Diseases
Stress And Chronic Heart Diseases
 Stress can directly increase heart rate and blood
flow, and causes the release of cholesterol into
the blood stream.
 Clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart
muscles.
 Chronic stress causes
- increase in the levels of lipids
- blood to become stickier (possibly in preparation of
potential injury), increasing the likelihood of an
artery-clogging blood clot.
▫ Sudden emotional stress can be a trigger for
serious cardiac problems, including heart
attacks.
Stress and hypertension

 Essential Hypertension is a condition in which

there is chronic high blood pressure, usually with
no known biological cause.
 An individual that shows an exaggerated cardiac
response to a variety of stimuli is more likely to
develop hypertension.
 Stress And Diabetes Mellitus

 Cortisol causes
increase in blood sugar
level to help boost
energy.
 This may be
compounded by
unhealthy eating habits.
Stress and Cancer
The hormones released during stress
response can alter the numbers and types of
immune cells, such as T-cells and natural
killer (NK) cells produced by the body and
also increase inflammation.
 Since immunity and inflammation affect
cancer, stress is extrapolated to affect
cancer on this basis.
Stress and headaches
 There is intense constriction of blood
vessels supplying to brain.
 This is followed by distension to allow blood to
flow back to the brain.
 These distended blood vessel pushes on the nerve
causing headaches
Stress and Asthma
• Asthma: Chronic inflammatory disease of the
airways in the lungs, in which the airways become
constricted, making it difficult to empty the lungs
and therefore reducing the amount of air that can be
inhaled.
• Psychological factors
Stressful situations
Negative family environment
Emotional arousal
Stress and Irritable Bowel
Syndrome
 It has been suggested that there occurs
disturbance in gut-brain axis.
 The large intestine becomes irritated, and its
muscular contractions are spastic rather than
smooth and wave like. The abdomen is bloated
and the patient experiences cramping and
alternating periods of constipation and diarrhea.
Other Stress Related
Disorders
 Ulcers
 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 Menstrual cycle disorders
 Memory loss
 Insomnia
 Kidney disorders
Social problems like

1. Drug and alcohol use

2. Gambling
3. Broken/ problem families
4. Accidental injuries
5. Suicides
 What's stressful for
you?
Karen is terrified of getting up in front of
people to perform or speak, while her best
friend, Nina, lives for the spotlight.
Phil thrives under pressure and performs best
when he has a tight deadline, while his co-
worker, Matt, shuts down when work demands
escalate.
Anita enjoys helping her elderly parents. Her
sister, Constance, helps out as well but finds the
demands of caretaking very stressful.
 Signs and Symptoms of Stress Overload
Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms
 Memory problems  Moodiness

 Inability to concentrate  Irritability or short temper

 Poor judgment  Agitation, inability to relax

 Seeing only the negative  Feeling overwhelmed

 Anxious or racing thoughts  Sense of loneliness and isolation

 Constant worrying  Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms Behavioral Symptoms
 Aches and pains  Eating more or less

 Diarrhea or constipation  Sleeping too much or too little

 Nausea, dizziness  Isolating yourself from others

 Chest pain, rapid heartbeat  Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities

 Loss of sex drive  Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

 Frequent colds  Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

COMMON REACTIONS IN STRESS
WARNING!!!!

It is important to recognize early signs of stress.

 If these signs are present all the efforts should be
directed towards strengthening the coping
strategies.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Managing stress is all about
taking charge: taking charge
of your thoughts, your
emotions, your schedule, your
environment, and the way you
deal with problems. SM
involves changing the
stressful situation when
you can, changing your
reaction when you can’t,
taking care of yourself,
and making time for rest
and relaxation.
STRESS MANAGEMENT

Individual level

Family level

Community level
 INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

Learn decision making

techniques
Developing time
management skills
Undertaking regular
physical exercise
Progressive muscular
relaxation
Yoga and meditation
 FAMILY LEVEL
Family acts as the first support
system for an individual.
Children model their parent’s
behaviors, including those related
to managing stress.
Having regular conversations can
help
a family work together to better
understanding and address any
stress.
 STRESS MANAGEMENT
• HEALTHY LIVING TO
CONQUER STRESS
- take sufficient rest
- exercise/yoga
- talk to people/friend
- organise your life
- manage your anger
- be flexible
- take charge of your life
- do things which you love to do
- overcome ego/jealousy
PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION
The 4 As
• Avoid unnecessary stress. Learn how to say no, distinguish
between “shoulds” and “musts” on your to-do list
• Alter the situation. If you can’t avoid try to alter it. Be
assertive and deal with problems. Let others know about your
concerns.
• Adapt to the stressor. When you can’t change the stressor, try
changing yourself. Reframe problems or focus on the positive
things in your life.
• Accept the things you can’t change. There will always be
stressors in life that you can’t do anything about. Learn to
accept the inevitable rather than rail against a situation and
making it even more stressful.
Stress Makes Us Think
Thought Makes Us Wise…
And Wisdom Makes Stress
Manageable