COPING WITH

STRESS

Beverly D. Granadosin
Uc-senior high school
“Stress” - a term people often use
to describe a feeling of
pressure, strain, or tension.
People often say that they are
“under stress” or feel “stressed
out” when they are dealing with
challenging situations or events.
Everyone encounters stressful
situations:
- Sometimes the stress comes from
something positive (like a new job,
new apartment, or new relationship)
- Sometimes from something negative
(like being bored, having an argument
with someone, or being the victim of
crime).
What makes you feel under stress?
Different people find different things
stressful.
- E.g. Some people enjoy the hustle and
bustle of a big city, while others don’t like
the crowds and noise and find it stressful.
-Some people enjoy going to a party and
meeting new people; others find it stressful.

*Knowing what you personally find stressful

will help you cope better.
Two Types of Stress:
a. Life events
b. Daily hassles
Life events refer to experiences such
as moving, getting married, the death
of a loved one, or having a baby. Some
life events are more stressful than
others; for example, getting a divorce
is usually more stressful than changing
jobs
Major indicators that an adolescent may be
engaged in problematic use or dependence
include:
Difficulty sleeping
Disruptive behavior
Depression n School avoidance
Decline in academic performance
Anxiety
Rapid changes in mood or hostile outbursts
Changes in peer group or failing to introduce
peers to parents
Changes in physical appearance or poor hygiene
Secretive behaviors such as sneaking out, lying,
and locking doors
STRESS - the pattern of
response as individual makes
to events that disturb his or
her equilibrium or exceed
coping abilities.

- response to events
that disrupt or threaten to
disrupt our physical or
psychological functioning.
EUSTRESS – is the good
stress that motivates you
to continue working

DISTRESS – is the bad

stress, occurs when the
good stress becomes
too much to bear.
STRESSORS(Activators)
-Events or situations in our
environment that cause
stress.
-The variety of external and
internal stimuli that evokes
stress.
Eg. Hurricanes, fires, crashes or
rude people, losing one’s car
key, delays etc..
TWO TYPES OF STRESSORS
1. Physical – conditions such as
crowding, isolation, presence
of pollutants or toxic elements
2. Psychological – results from
one’s own mental factors such
as persons, places, events
TYPES OF STRESS
1. Acute Stress
2. Episodic Stress
3. Chronic Stress
1. Acute – common; short-term
form of stress; it comes from
the demands and pressures of
the recent past and
anticipated demands in the
near future.
2. Episodic – suffer acute stress
regularly, having ‘a lot of
nervous energy’
“Worry warts” – see disaster
around every corner and
pessimistically . For them, the
world is dangerous,
unrewarding, punitive.
3. Chronic – this is the grinding
stress that wears people away
day after day, year after year;
it destroys bodies, minds, and
lives.
With no hope, the individual gives
up searching for solutions.
How does the body respond
to stress?
a. Flight-or-Fight Response
b. General Adaptation
Syndrome (GAS)
Flight-or-Fight Response
- A process controlled through
the sympathetic nervous
system. This prepares our
body for immediate action.
- The system prepares the body
for using energy
- Blood pressure soars, pulse
races and begin to sweat
General Adaptation Syndrome
(Hans Selye)
1. Alarm Stage – the body prepare
for immediate action. Arousal of
the sympathetic nervous system
releases hormones that help
prepare our body to meet threats
or dangers.
General Adaptation Syndrome
(Hans Selye)
2. Resistance Stage – if stress is
prolonged, resistance begins.
During this stage, arousal is lower
that during the alarm stage, but
our body continues to draw on
resources at an above normal rate
in order to cope effectively with
stress.
General Adaptation Syndrome
(Hans Selye)
3. Exhaustion – this stage is reached
when there is continued exposure
to the same stressor or additional
stressor drains the body of its
resources. The capacity to resist is
depleted and our susceptibility to
illness increases.
How does STRESS affect your
health?
Stressors like disruptions in
relationships, loneliness,
academic pressure, daily
hassles and lack of social
support can interfere our
immune system.
Positive emotional states, a sense
of optimism, personal control,
adequate sources of social
support and a sense of
meaning may promote
healthy perceptions, health-
promoting beliefs and
physical well-being.
COGNITIVE APPRAISALS
- How a person interprets a specific
event as stressful
Stress occur only to the extent that the
persons involved:
1. That the situation is somehow
threatening to their impt. goals
(primary appraisal)
2. That they will be unable to cope
with these dangers or demands
(secondary appraisals)
STIMULUS PRIMARY APPRAISAL The situation NO
EVENT (assessment of the threat is perceived
on well-being) STRESS
as harmless

The situation is
perceived as
SECONDARY APPRAISAL threatening
(determining the coping
resources that are
available)

Coping mechanisms Coping mechanisms

are thought to be are thought to be
adequate inadequate

NO STRESS
STRESS
COPING WITH STRESS
COPING – making efforts to
control, reduce or tolerate
that threats and challenges
that lead to stress
a. Problem-focused Coping
b. Emotion-focused Coping
c. Defensive Coping
PROBLEM-FOCUSED COPING
- Attempt to manage a stressful
problem or situation by directly
changing the situation
EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING
- Involves conscious regulation of
emotion
DEFENSIVE COPING
- Involves the unconscious use of
strategies that distort or deny the
true nature of a situation
HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS
 Talk through it
 Use positive self-talk
 Strike a balance
 Let yourself shine
 Engage in daily physical activity
 Embrace the things you are able to
change
 Take control of what you can
 Do not commit yourself to things you
cannot do or do not want to do