[USELF] LESSON 11: TAKING CHARGE OF ONE'S HEALTH

Stress

is a state of mental or emotional. This is a natural mental and physical response to life's demands. It is a universal experience, and how you handle it matters most. Some of this, is beneficial, keeping the body and mind active for optimal functioning. When it motivates positive actions, it is helpful. However, excessive ____ becomes harmful.

• Eustress

• Neustress

• Distress

Three kinds of stress: (3)

Eustress

[Three kinds of stress]

is considered as good stress. A result of a situation or activity that you find motivating or inspiring Enjoyable and not threatening activity

Example: Finding the nerve to talk to your crush

"Neutral" stress

[Three kinds of stress]

is a sensory stimulus that has no direct consequence or effect on the person. A situation or activity that you do not find threatening yet not enjoyable.

Example: Incidents you hear in the news.

Distress

[Three kinds of stress]

situations or activities that you consider negative, harmful, or threatening. It could happen for just a short period or it could linger for prolonged periods (hours, days, months, years).

Example: Being mugged on the streets or a long-standing family quarrel

Stressor

Anything causing mental or emotional strain is a _____, varying by person.

• Good stress brings excitement and nervousness, like "butterflies in the stomach."

• Bad stress causes anxiety, anger, or depression, leading to physical symptoms like headaches or illness

• Physical: fatigue, headaches, insomnia, tense muscles.

• Mental: anxiety, forgetfulness, overthinking.

• Emotional: irritability, sadness, isolation

[Stress Symptoms and Responses]

• _______: fatigue, headaches, insomnia, tense muscles.

• ________: anxiety, forgetfulness, overthinking.

• ________: irritability, sadness, isolation

Coping

This helps us manage stress by mastering, reducing, or tolerating its demands (Weiten, 2014, p. 69). However, this can be positive or negative.

Giving up

[Examples of negative coping strategies]

feeling helpless

Aggression

[Examples of negative coping strategies]

harming others physically or verbally

Indulgence

[Examples of negative coping strategies]

excessive shopping, eating, or drinking

Self-blame

[Examples of negative coping strategies]

negative, irrational self-talk

Avoidance

[Examples of negative coping strategies]

using defense mechanisms

Repression

[Defense Mechanisms]

keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious.

Ex: Traumatized soldier with no recollection of details of a close encounter with death

Projection

[Defense Mechanisms]

attributing one's own thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.

Ex: A student who dislikes his teacher but tries to think he likes her and feels that the teacher who does not like him

Regression

[Defense Mechanisms]

reversion to immature patterns of behavior.

Ex: An adult throwing a tantrum.

Rationalization

[Defense Mechanisms]

creation of false but plausible excuses to justify unacceptable behavior.

Ex: A student watching TV instead of studying and saying that additional TV wouldn't help anyway.

Displacement

[Defense Mechanisms]

diverting emotions (usually anger) from the original source to a substitute target.

Ex: After being shouted at by her dad, she takes her anger on her little brother

Sublimation

[Defense Mechanisms]

is a defense mechanism where a person redirects unacceptable or negative emotions into a positive or socially acceptable activity.

Ex: Someone who feels very angry might release their anger by boxing, exercising, or creating art instead of hurting or lashing out at someone.

Identification

[Defense Mechanisms]

bolstering set esteem by forming an Imaginary or real alliance with some person or group.

Ex: An insecure teenager joins a fraternity to boost his seif-esteem

1. Appraisal-focused strategies

2. Problem-focused strategies

3. Emotion-focused strategies

There are Three Broad Topics of Positive Coping Strategies: (3)

Appraisal-focused strategies

[Three Broad Topics of Positive Coping Strategies]

• Detecting and disputing negative self-talk

• Rational thinking

• Using positive reinterpretation

• Finding humor in the situation

• Turning to religion

Problem-focused strategies

[Three Broad Topics of Positive Coping Strategies]

• Active problem solving

• Seeking social support

• Enhancing time management

• Improving self-control

• Becoming more assertive

Emotion-focused strategies

[Three Broad Topics of Positive Coping Strategies]

• Releasing pent-up emotions

• Distracting oneself

• Managing hostile feelings and forgiving others

• Exercising

• Meditating

• Using systematic relaxation procedures

Optimism

is "a general tendency to expect good outcomes” and it is also helpful in dealing with stress. This is a general outlook that does not ignore negative experiences but chooses not to dwell on them.

Optimism

Research shows a strong correlation between _____ and both mental and physical well-being. ____ experience fewer illnesses and doctor visits compared to pessimists. They also adjust better to stress and feel less helpless in difficult situations. Additionally, ____ lowers the risk of anxiety and depression in stressful events. It promotes a healthy lifestyle, enhances problem-solving skills, and fosters resilience through adaptive behaviors and cognitive flexibility

SELF-CARE

This goes beyond hygiene and lifestyle. This as described by the University of Kentucky (WEB), entails taking deliberate acts of looking after your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Maslow's hierarchy

[Self-care]

This highlights the importance of fulfilling various needs for overall well- being.

SELF-CARE

is a holistic, balanced, and intentional practice that encompasses multiple dimensions of well-being, aiming to improve overall health and resilience. This promotes physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual health, each of which plays a crucial role in managing stress, enhancing well-being, and preventing burnout.

Physical Self-care

[Self-care]

involves taking care of your body through proper nutrition, exercise, and rest. This is foundational because when the body is healthy, it can better handle stress and daily challenges.

Psychological Self-care

[Self-care]

focuses on maintaining mental health and clarity. It involves practices that help reduce mental strain, promote cognitive flexibility, and maintain a positive outlook.

Ex: Mindfulness and Meditation, Continuous Learning, Mental Breaks

Emotional Self-care

[Self-care]

is about understanding, expressing, and managing emotions in healthy ways. It helps build resilience and fosters emotional intelligence, enabling you to navigate life's ups and downs more effectively.

Ex: Journaling, Emotional Expression, Setting Boundaries

Social Self-care

[Self-care]

involves nurturing and maintaining healthy relationships with others. Human connections are key to emotional resilience and help combat feelings of isolation or loneliness.

Ex: Quality Relationships, Socializing and Connection. Helping Others

Spiritual Self-care

[Self-care]

focuses on nurturing the inner self, finding purpose, and aligning your actions with your values. It doesn't necessarily require religious practices, though it may; it's about connecting to something larger than oneself, whether it's nature, community, or personal beliefs.

Ex: Reflection and Purpose, Gratitude, Nature Connection

Balance and Intention

[Self-care]

True selt-care isn't about tocusing on one area of well-being while neglecting others. It's about creating a ________, _________routine that integrates all of these aspects. It one area is ignored, it can lead to imbalances that impact other areas of your health.

Ex: neglecting physical health can negatively affect mental clarity, and emotional exhaustion can hinder social relationships.

Compassion

Scientific research suggests that humans are wired for ______, not just self- interest. _______ is the felt response to suffering, driven by a genuine desire to help

Empathy

is the ability to feel another's emotions

Altruism

is the unselfish regard to or devotion to the welfare of others. It is commonly defined in two ways: the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others, and the behavior of an animal that benefits another at its own expense (self-sacrifice).

compassionate instinct

Dacher Keltner of UC Berkeley introduced the term "_______________" to highlight how both humans and animals naturally respond to help others, ensuring survival.

Okay

Research suggests compassion benefits both physical and mental health (Seppala, 2013). Meaningful social connections improve well-being, speed up recovery from illness (Diener & Seligman, 2013), and may even extend lifespan (Brown & Konrath, 2013). Brain imaging studies show that acts of kindness activate the same pleasure centers as eating a favorite dessert or receiving money, reinforcing the joy of giving (Grafman, 2013; National Institutes of Health, 2013).

Physical and Lifestyle Strategies

1.Abdominal breathing and relaxation

2. Low-stress diet (limit fast foods/fried foods)

3. Regular exercise

4. Downtime (balance fun and work)

5. Mini-breaks (5-to 10-minute periods to relax during the day)

6. Time management

7. Sleep hygiene (at least 6 hours)

8. Choosing a nontoxic (nonsmoking/conflict-free) environment

9. Material security (the basics; do you need that designer shirt?)

Emotional Strategies

10. Social support and relatedness

11. Self-nurturing (yes, you are worth it)

12. Good communication

13. Assertiveness

14. Recreational activities ("playtime")

15. Emotional release

16. Sense of humor (ability to see things in perspective)

Cognitive Strategies

17. Constructive thinking (ability to counter negative thinking)

18. Distraction (ability to distract yourself from negative preoccupations)

19. Task-oriented (vs. reactive) approach to problems

20. Acceptance (ability to accept/cope with setbacks)

21. Tolerance for ambiguity (ability to see shades of gray)

Mental Filter

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Focusing on your failures while avoiding to see your success, or focusing only on the negatives of a situation whilst filtering out the positives.

Philosophical/Spiritual Strategies

22. Consistent goals or purpose to work toward

23. Positive philosophy of life

24, Religious/spiritual life ard commitment

Jumping to Conclusions

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Assuming that you know what other people are thinking. Making negative predictions about the future or what others think about you.

Emotional Reasoning

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Believing that just because you feel a certain way, then thinking that your thoughts must then be true. Thus, you base your view of situations, yourself, or others, on the way you are feeling.

Labeling

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Defining yourself and others based on a single event or behavior, such as reducing yourself or other people to a single, negative, characteristic or descriptor, like "crazy" or "stupid."

Catastrophizing

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Only seeing the worst possible outcome of an event or situation and then deciding that if this outcome does happen, the results will be a disaster. Worries become escalated and thoughts become exaggerated.

Overgeneralizing

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

The process of concluding that just because something happened to you once before, it will occur over and over again. It is negative thinking based on only 1 or 2 experiences. The words "always" or "never" appear frequently.

Black and White

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Seeing things as either good or bad, right or wrong or all or nothing. You fail to see the whole picture and by only seeing black or white you ignore the middle ground, possible the more reasonable ground.

Should Statements

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Believing that things should be a certain way. Using 'should, must' or 'ought statements directed at yourself.

Ex: "I should have arrived to the meeting earlier" or, "I must lose weight to be more attractive."

Personalization

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

Taking things personally and thinking that what other people do is a result of your own actions. You may blame yourself for things that were totally out of your control.

For example, you blame yourself for your child's bad grade at school.

Fallacy of Change

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

You expect that other people will change to suit you if you just pressure or manipulate them enough. This distortion is usually accompanied by a belief that your happiness and success rests on other people, leading you to believe that forcing those around you to change is the only way to get what you want.

Fallacy of Fairness

[COMMON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS]

This cognitive distortion refers to measuring every behavior and situation on a scale of fairness. You believe that things should be fair, and if they aren't, then you believe it's not your fault.