STRESS CHAPTER

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Stress: The Constant Challenge
Chapter 2
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What Is Stress?
Commonly, stress refers to two different things:
• Stressors: mental states or events that trigger physical and
psychological reactions.
• Stress response: the reactions themselves.
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Physical Responses to Stressors
Two systems in your body are responsible for the
physical response:
• Nervous system.
• Endocrine system.
Rapid chemical reactions prime the body to act quickly
and appropriately.
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The Nervous System
Nervous system: the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
• Handles very short-term stress.
Part is under voluntary control; while another part is
not under conscious supervision—the autonomic
nervous system.
• Parasympathetic division is in control when you are in a
relaxed state; it aids in digesting food, storing energy, and
promoting growth.
• Sympathetic division is activated when you are stimulated,
such as by exercise or when you experience pain, anger, or fear.
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How the Nervous and Endocrine
Systems Work Together 1
During stress, the sympathetic nervous system triggers
the endocrine system.
Endocrine system: glands, tissues, and cells that help
control body functions.
• Releases hormones.
• Helps prepare the body to respond to stress.
• Handles both acute and chronic stress.
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How the Nervous and Endocrine
Systems Work Together 2
How do they work together in an emergency?
• Adrenal glands are activated, releasing cortisol and
epinephrine (adrenaline).
• Trigger physiological changes—the fight-or-flight reaction,
or “fight, flight, or freeze.”
Once the stressful situation ends, the body returns to
homeostasis: its normal state.
Note that fight, flight, or freeze is part of our biological
heritage, but in modern life it is often inappropriate.
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Figure 2.1 Fight, flight, or freeze.
In response to a stressor, the autonomic nervous system and the
endocrine system prepare the body to deal with an emergency.
Access the text alternative for slide images.
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Cognitive and Psychological
Responses to Stressors 1
Responses to stress vary from person to person.
Cognitive responses:
Cognitive appraisal of a potential stressor influences
how it is viewed.
Two factors that can reduce the magnitude of the stress
response:
• Successful prediction.
• Perception of control.
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Figure 2.2 Stress level, performance, and well-being.
A moderate level of stress challenges individuals in a way that promotes optimal performance
and well-being. Too little stress (underload), and people are not challenged enough to
improve; too much stress (overload), and the challenges become stressors that can impair
physical and emotional health. With burnout, people experience anxiety/panic/anger and
sometimes a breakdown.
SOURCE: Babson College. 2018. Stress (babson.edu/student-life/health-wellness/health-promotion/Pages/stress/aspx) 9

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Cognitive and Psychological
Responses to Stressors 2
Psychological responses:
• Emotional responses are determined in part by personality
and temperament but can also be regulated with coping
techniques.
Personality: the sum of cognitive, behavioral, and
emotional tendencies.
• Affects a person’s perception of and reaction to stressors,
which in turn have health effects.
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Cognitive and Psychological
Responses to Stressors 3
Personality traits:
Hardiness is a trait that allows people to cope more
positively with stress.
Personal motivations affect stress and help determine its
impact on health.
• Stressed power motivation.
• Unstressed affiliation motivation.
Resilience is a personality trait associated with the ability to
face adversity and recover quickly from difficulties.
• Especially associated with social and academic success in at-risk
groups.
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Cognitive and Psychological
Responses to Stressors 4
Cultural background:
• Culture clashes can be a source of stress.
Gender:
• Strict adherence to gender roles can limit your response to
stress and become its own source of stress.
• Women report higher levels of stress than men.
Experience:
• Good or bad past experiences color how people respond to
similar situations.
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Stress and Health
American Psychological Association’s 2019 Stress in
America survey:
• Eighty percent of respondents reported having at least one
symptom in the past month—91% of Generation Zs (18–21).
Evidence suggests stress can increase vulnerability to
many ailments.
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Figure 2.3 Physical, cognitive, behavioral,
and emotional symptoms of excess stress.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:
Dry mouth.
Frequent illnesses.
Gastrointestinal problems.
Headaches.
Fatigue.
High blood pressure.
Pounding heart.
Sweating.
EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS:
Anxiety.
Depression.
Edginess.
Hypervigilance.
Impulsiveness.
Irritability.
COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS:
Confusion.
Inability to concentrate.
Trouble remembering things.
Negative thinking.
Worrying.
Poor judgment.
BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS:
Sexual problems.
Social isolation.
Disrupted eating habits.
Disrupted sleeping habits.
Irritability.
Problems communicating.
Increased use of tobacco, alcohol,
or other drugs.
Crying.
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The General Adaptation Syndrome
Selye’s general adaptation syndrome (GAS) suggests a
predictable response pattern to all stressors.
• Eustress: brought on by a pleasant stressor.
• Distress: brought on by an unpleasant stressor.
Stages of the GAS:
• Alarm.
• Resistance.
• Exhaustion.
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Figure 2.4 The general adaptation syndrome.
During the alarm phase, the body’s resistance to injury lowers.
With continued stress, resistance to injury is enhanced. With
prolonged exposure to repeated stressors, exhaustion sets in.
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Allostatic Load
Allostatic load: the “wear and tear” on the body
that results from long-term exposure to repeated or
chronic stress.
• Depends on many factors, including genetics, life experiences,
and emotional and behavioral responses to stressors.
Physical stress reactions may promote a new level of
homoeostasis, but they also have negative effects.
• Increased susceptibility to disease after repeated or
prolonged stress.
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Psychoneuroimmunology
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI): the study of the
interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and
immune systems.
• Hormones and other chemical messengers released in the
stress response may inhibit or strengthen the immune system.
Different types of stress affect immunity in
different ways.
• Acute stress may last only minutes or may become chronic.
• Chronic stress continues for days, weeks, or longer.
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Health Problems and Stress 1
Cardiovascular disease.
• Blood pressure rises during the stress response.
• Chronic high blood pressure leads to atherosclerosis.
• Anger and hostility seem to be especially harmful.
Psychological disorders.
• Stress contributes to problems such as depression, panic
attacks, anxiety, eating disorders, and posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).
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Health Problems and Stress 2
Altered immune function.
• Increased vulnerability to colds and other infections, asthma
and allergy attacks, and flare-ups of chronic sexually
transmitted infections such as genital herpes and HIV.
Headaches.
Three categories of headaches have been linked to
stress.
• Tension headaches.
• Migraine headaches.
• Cluster headaches.
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Health Problems and Stress 3
Other health problems:
• Digestive problems.
• Injuries.
• Menstrual irregularities, impotence, and pregnancy
complications.
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Common Sources of Stress 1
Major life changes.
Daily hassles.
College stressors.
• Academic stress.
• Interpersonal stress.
• Time pressures.
• Financial concerns.
• Worries, especially about the future.
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Common Sources of Stress 2
Job-related stressors.
• High levels of job stress are common and can result in
burnout—a state of physical, mental, and emotional
exhaustion.
Social stressors.
• Real social networks.
• Digital social networks.
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Common Sources of Stress 3
Other stressors:
• Environmental stressors—conditions or events in the physical
environment that cause stress.
• Internal stressors, often created by the ways we think and
look at things.
• Traumatic stressors—for example, automobile accidents,
assaults, and rape.
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Managing Stress 1
Shore up your support system.
• Foster friendships.
• Keep your family ties strong.
• Get involved with a group.
Volunteer—but know your limits.
Improve your communication skills.
• Communicate assertively.
• Avoid suppressing feelings or expressing them aggressively.
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Managing Stress 2
Develop healthy exercise and eating habits.
• Regular physical activity can reduce many of the negative
effects of stress.
• Healthful eating gives you energy to use when
experiencing stress.
• Excess stress can negatively affect the way you eat.
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Time Management
• Set priorities.
• Schedule tasks for peak
efficiency.
• Set realistic goals and
write them down.
• Budget enough time.
• Break up long-term goals.
• Visualize achievement.
• Track tasks you put off.
• Do least-favorite tasks first.
• Consolidate tasks.
• Identify quick transitional
tasks.
• Delegate responsibility.
• Say no when necessary.
• Take breaks.
• Avoid “time sinks.”
• Just do it!
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Cultivating Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness is associated with greater coping
skills and higher levels of overall wellness.
• Choose activities that are meaningful to you.
• Reach out to others.
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Confiding in Yourself through Writing
Keeping a diary can help cope with severe stress.
• May be particularly helpful for those who find it difficult to
open up to others.
Writing about traumatic and stressful events may have
a short-term negative effect on mood but over the long
term reduces stress.
Set aside a time each day or week to write down your
feelings about stressful events in your life.
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Thinking and Acting Constructively
Apply mindfulness, the intentional cultivation of
attention in a way that is nonjudging and nonstriving.
• Take control.
• Problem-solve.
• Modify your expectations.
• Stay positive.
• Practice affirmations.
• Cultivate your sense of humor.
• Be kind to yourself.
• Focus on what’s important.
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Body Awareness Techniques
Practicing mindfulness leads to better
problem-solving skills, emotional self-regulation,
and resilience.
• Yoga cultivates body awareness, ease, and flexibility.
• Tai chi promotes relaxation and concentration, teaching you to
move with rather than against the stressors of everyday life.
• Biofeedback enables you to reduce your response to stress by
becoming more aware of physiological arousal.
• Adequate sleep improves mood, fosters feelings of
competence and self-worth, enhances mental functioning,
and supports emotional functioning.
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Counterproductive Coping Strategies
Tobacco use should be avoided.
• It may make you feel relaxed, but it is highly addictive.
• Negative consequences far outweigh any beneficial effects.
Alcohol and other drugs are also counterproductive.
• Stimulants such as amphetamines.
• Marijuana.
• Opioids such as morphine and heroin.
• Tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax.
Unhealthy eating habits are sometimes developed.
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Getting Help
No single strategy or program for managing stress will
work for everyone.
If self-help techniques are not enough:
• Read more about specific approaches.
• Consult a peer counselor.
• Join a support group.
• Participate in a few psychotherapy sessions.
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everything.®
© McGraw Hill LLC
Review
• Explain what stress is.
• Describe the relationship between stress and health.
• List common sources of stress.
• Describe and apply techniques for managing stress.

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© 2022 McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. Authorized only for instructor use in the classroom.
No reproduction or further distribution permitted without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.