Wellness, Stress, and Coping

Stress

an unpleasant emotional state that results from the perception of danger

Source of stress

Stressor

Although unpleasant, stress can

motivate us to perform well and make us healthier in the long term; however, it can also be counterproductive and interfere with our performance and well-being

In extreme cases, stress

can contribute to depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and other serious conditions

The stress response

extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and emotional experiences all have the capacity to initiate a flight-orflight response during which heart rate, blood pressure, and respriation all increase, these physical responses reflect a process that has been finely tuned through evolution to maximize our survival in emergencies

Hans Selye

studied the effects of stronger, longer lasting stressors by working primarily with rats; he exposed them to a variety of stressors and measures the amount of time they should swim before giving up (cold water, restraint, electric shock, surgery, and having their whiskers cut off reduced the time the rats would swim before giving up)

General adaption syndrome

the rats responded with a consistent pattern of behaviour which he labeled the GAS, this has three stages

three stages of GAS

1. Alarm Reaction: Characterized by sympathetic arousal and mental clarity.

2. Resistance: Characterized by coping with ongoing stress.

3. Exhaustion: Characterized by the depletion of physical and psychological resources.

Stressors exist

in the eye of the beholder

cognitive appraisal models

help us predict when aparticular stimulus or event is likely to be a stress for an individual person

according to the cognitive appraisal approach

we make rapid initial assessments of potential stressors to determine whether they are irrelavant or hamless, positive or negative; people appraise situations from their point of view and therefore would expect that a single potential stressor might produce different amounts and intensity of stress for different people

some types of events that are likely to produce significant stress in most people

large-scale disasters (terrorist attacks, the Haiti earthquake, the Japanese earthquake, the Oklahoma tornadoes), changes, relative insignificant sources of stress called hassles

Stress and the amygdala

the amygdala participates in a “fear circuit” that provides a rapid assessment of a stimulus or situation as potentially dangerous, once the amygdala has idetififed a stimulus as potentially dangerous, it communicated with the hypothalamus which directly commands the ANS particulaiyl the sympathetic division

the two systems for stress

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is slower, the sympathetic adrenal-medullary (SAM) system (faster)

SAM (Sympathetic Adrenal-Medullary System)

• A fast system that releases epinephrine (adrenalin) and norepinephrine to initiate the fight-or-flight response.

HPA (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis)

• A slower, long-term system where the hypothalamus tells the pituitary gland to tell the adrenal glands to release cortisol.

geneder differences in the stress response

women are more likely to tend and befriend in response to stressors; this is more closely associated with the release of oxytocin, a hormone related to social bonding;

oxytocin in animals

oxytocin relieves stress in animals but only when the animals are in a social group as opposed to being isolated

Socioeconomic status and stress

those of lower SES are exposed to more noise, more toxins, more carcinogens, more violence, fewer resources, less health care, higher levels of drugs and alcohol abuse, less exercise, more anger, less control, and less trust; all of these factors are associated with high stress

Immune system

the body system that defends against infection and caner

memory and immune system

participating in a stressful memory task was correlated with an improvement int he response of the immune system, as measured by markers in the saliva; however, it does not perform well under long-term, chronic sources of stress

chronic stress

numerous studies indicate that people experiencing chronic stress are more vulnerable to infectious diseases like colds

Lymphocytes

white blood cells, which protect us from invading organisms

Type A and B people

Type A pople were more susceptible to heart disease than Type B

Stress and the cardiovascular system

stress puts the cardiovascular system at risk by affecting the ability of blood vessels to expand when necessary

cortisol

is released in large quantities early in the morning, contributing to wakefulness, therefore high levels of stress hormone cortisol disturbs sleep and fat cells grows in both size and number

problem-focused coping

is designed to address the problem

emotion-focused coping

helps you deal with the negative emotions associated with a stressor

Relationship-focused coping

helps you maintain and protect social relationships in response to stress

Biopsychosocial model

a model that sees health as the result of biological, psychological, and social factors

 interpersonal hostility

being frequently suspicious, angry, and resentful of others.

Resilience:

• The ability to adapt to life’s challenges in positive ways.

Hardiness:

• A personality trait combining commitment, control, and challenge that protects against the health impacts of stress.

What are the four simple lifestyle steps that can add 14 years to life?

Eating fruits and vegetables, not smoking, drinking alcohol moderately (if at all), and exercising at least one hour per week.

What is Positive Psychology?

A field that uses scientific methods to understand positive human experiences and adjustment rather than just alleviating psychological pain.

What are the three types of happiness identified by researchers?

The Pleasant Life, The Good Life, The Meaningful Life

The Pleasant Life

1. Savoring moment-to-moment pleasures.

The Good Life

1. Achieving “flow” by using one’s key strengths.

The Meaningful Life

1. Obtaining positive emotions by contributing to things bigger than one's self.