the stress phenomenon

March 16, 2012Prayer

PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES

DEVOTION

UNDERSTANDING STRESS

What is Stress

How the Body Responds to Stress

Sources of Stress

Ways of Coping

More tips on Preparing for the Bar Review and the Examinations

THE STRESS THE STRESS PHENOMENONPHENOMENON

body’s way of responding to change or to any uncontrollable or overwhelming event. (harm, loss, challenge)

intended for a good reason

becomes bad when - we allow it to turn against the self; when we allow it to put undue pressure on us/ - when there is just too much of it – coping with too

much, too often and too soon forces the body to overtax itself in responding to change, over and beyond its natural capacity.

What is STRESSWhat is STRESS

Kinds of Stress:

Acute – a response to imminent danger – turbo changes the system with powerful hormones that eventually damages the cardiovascular system

Chronic – caused by constant emotional pressure the person cannot control – produces hormones (glucocorticoids) that weaken the immune system, damages bones, suppresses the reproductive system and causes memory problems.

Responses to Extreme Stress:

Bodily Responses

- headache, migraine, tightening of the stomach, pounding heartbeat, soreness in the neck, feeling of nausea, skin rashes, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, hypertension, lung problem, stomach problem, nervous tics, allergy.


Psychological Responses

– nervous exhaustion, depression, phobia, lack of sleep, oversleeping, poor concentration, short-term memory lapses, panicky, lack of energy, absent-mindedness


Behavioral Responses

– no enthusiasm for anything anymore, anger and mismanaged emotion, irritability, oversensitivity, critical outlook on everything, avoiding people, increase dosage of medication, low energy level.

Causes/Sources of Stress:

type of workplace you are in – disaster relief, emergencies, money, media, health and the like have stresses inherent in the work they do.

nature of work – jobs with grave life and death consequences: CEOs, managers and supervisors; targets and quotas - sales; saving lives - medical profession; demanding split-second decisions - stock market traders, air traffic controllers, firemen, call center agents, reporters, surgeons, pilots, molecular biologists, telephone linemen, snipers, computer technicians, miners and scuba diving instructors


people – obnoxious, the envious, the braggarts, the self-righteous, the lazy, the complainer, the gossip

the boss - the automatic stress icon.


personality-driven stressors – some people are more stressed out than others (stress junkies) enjoy being stressed feel incomplete when the going is smooth. they miss the jagged edges, bumps and near-

hits masochistic tendencies – play the perpetually

harassed, demanding pity or praise for their hard work


pollution (noise and environmental)

traffic

urban violence

pace and competition

deadlines

workload

life changes


nuisance stresses –unnecessary stressors worrying about traffic when one left the house

later than usual losing sleep over a month –old

assignment/requirement that is due tomorrow getting irritated about an officemate’s or

classmate’s or sibling’s or another person’s bad moods can create stress that one can live without


HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS

the process by which a person attempts to manage stressful situations (Atkinson, 1998)

cognitive and behavioral efforts made to manage, reduce, minimize, master or tolerate the specific external or internal demands that tax a person’s resources (Lazarus, 1991)

Coping/Managing

Types of Coping (Morris, 1996)

A. Effective/successful – a way of managing or coping that eliminates source of stress and relieves the emotion that it produced.

B. Ineffective – a way of dealing with a stressful situation that does not eliminate stress, emotions that accompany it.

Effective Coping

Problem-focused – aims to make direct changes in the environment so that the situation can be managed more effectively

Emotion-focused - seeks to make a person feel better by lessening the emotional distress felt. Changes the way the person perceives or thinks about stress.

Less Useful Way of Coping

- stress management that does not eliminate the source of stress nor the emotion that is produced by it. (disengaging, focus on the distress and ventilate feelings, substance use/abuse)

Problem Focused Coping:

Active coping – process of taking active steps to try to remove or circumvent the stressor or to ameliorate its effects. Includes initiating direct action, increasing one’s efforts, and trying to execute a coping attempt in stepwise fashion

Humor – a light attitude towards stressors as manifested by making jokes about the stressors.

Planning – thinking about how to cope with a stressor. Involves coming up with action strategies, thinking about what steps to take and how best to handle the problem.

Restraint coping – waiting until an appropriate opportunity to act presents itself, holding oneself back, and not acting prematurely. This is an active coping strategy in the sense that the person’s behavior is focused on dealing effectively with the stressor, but it is also a passive strategy in the sense that using restraint means not action.


Seeking social support for instrumental reasons – seeking advice, assistance, or information

Suppression of competing activities – putting other projects aside, trying to avoid becoming distracted by other events, even letting other things slide, if necessary, in order to deal with the stressor.


Emotion-focused coping

acceptance – recognizing the reality of a stressful situation

denial – refusal to believe that the stressor exists ; trying to act as though the stressor is not real.

positive reinterpretation and growth, or positive reappraisal – aimed at managing distress emotions rather than at dealing with the stressor per se.

Seeking social support for emotional reasons – getting moral support, sympathy or understanding

Turning to religion – as a source of emotional support, as vehicle for positive reinterpretation and growth, or as a tactic of active coping with a stressor.

Emotion-focused coping

Identify – helps you know the consequences that each stressor brings to you

list down all the things that stress you – big and small

analyze each item – why is this item a stressor? Is it within your control? What can you do about it?

WHAT THEN SHOULD YOU DO?

Rationalize – helps you see what you can or cannot do about a particular stressor

if it is outside your control, the only thing you can control is how you view it


Decide

be kind to yourselfaccept the unchangeabledecide not to be stressed about

something, then it stops being a stressor


Those who triumph over stress are those who have decided that they will not let external factors wield their unwelcome power over them.

ATTITUDE is the all-important factor; the key determinant of stress control

Overcoming stress is a rational process, a willful act. One needs to think through stress rather than feel through it.

Focus on the POSITIVE – surround yourself with people who have positive attitudes and focus on positive thoughts

S – implify your lifestyle

T – alk to friends, listen to advise

R – elax your mind and body to be able to think clearly

E – liminate all unproductive activities

S – ave money for a rainy day

S – eek God with all your heart

FOODS that calm you down fast:

berries, guacamole, mixed nuts (cracking) oranges, asparagus, decaf chai tea and tazo tea, dark chocolate (antioxidant – flavanoids that fight cancer and heart disease)

Aerobic exercise – raises heart rate and gets you breathing fast

EFFECT: suppresses the production of cytokines – proteins associated with the kind of heightened immune response often seen in stressed out individuals such as students taking exams.

Breath control – reduces anxiety, quiets down the nervous system, lowers blood pressure, slows heart rate, improves circulation and digestion, protects body from damaging effects of stress, relief from ordinary anxiety and depression, better rest and sleep, valuable in preparing patients for surgery.

EFFECTS: less bleeding, reduce hardening of arteries, combined with dietary changes slows tumor progression in prostate-cancer patients

HOW TO BE A STRESS BEATER

Begin with a positive attitude. Be yourself.

Basic to stress management: awareness, acceptance, responsibility and coping skills.

Remove or at least reduce its cause.

If your lifestyle is the culprit. Change it. If you need a break then slow down, get away for a while. Please do it now. Stop all unnecessary activities.

If your job is causing your ulcers, switch or learn to love your job.

If nobody is listening to you figure out what is wrong with you not with them. But definitely we need people with whom we can share our victories, joys sorrows, hopes.

If you are pressured to do something or being someone you do not want to be - then stop. Be sincere and honest with yourself.


If you need a help, get it. Be kind to yourself.

Take control of your own lifestyle for a change. Change mindset, paradigm, perspective in life.

Know your limit and manage the pressure.

Check your energy reserve and stress level.


If you cannot avoid living or working under pressure develop personal strategy for soothing away the pressure points.

If your life is full of people, give yourself sometime alone each day.

If your work is something impersonal get up and do something physical, stretching, swing your arm, walk a little, dance (make sure you are accompanied by music)


Relax. Be Calm. Take a deep breath. Let your body let go.

Think of pleasant memories/inspiring moment. Make your workplace environment as comfortable as possible.

Smile. Be happy.

Keep a healthy mental attitude. Keep your spirit up. Do not over care. It depletes energy, creates worry.


Remove negative thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Replace with bright ones. (You are precious in God’s sight).

Don’t criticize. Avoid resentments. Be more sincere in caring for people. Let go of all negativity


BE EASY ON YOURSELF Our days can sometimes be very confusing.We seem to have too many things to do, too many problems to

solve, and not enough time to accomplish everything.We tend to forget that each day is a beautiful miracle, and there is much love and enjoyment to be expected.You don’t have to solve every problem or accomplish all your goals in one day.Finish what you can today, and leave the rest for tomorrow.Allow yourself time to relax, time to be with your friends and loved ones, time to play, and time to sit in the sunshine.Be easy on yourself, and you will find your problems are easier to solve and that you can accomplish more with your time.And you will also find that your life is more peaceful, your days are more fun, and that you are happier, and more content.

- DONNA LEVINE

the stress phenomenon

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