Module 14: Taking Charge of One’s Health and Well-Being

Objectives:
1. Discuss the meaning of stress and how it affects us.
2. Enumerate and explain the concepts of controlling and taking care of oneself.
3. Discuss the different dimensions and components of self-care and self-compassion.
4. Identify and describe the various stressors and responses.

Teaching – Learning Process:

A. Topic
Managing and caring for the self is a holistic process. There are many aspects of the self
which need attention. Self-care starts with taking charge of one’s health. It is important to
nurture not only our physical self but especially our mental health,
Today, we’ll learn about Stress, Stressors, Responses, and different coping styles. We’ll
also learn how to practice self-compassion.

Stress:
Stress is the body’s response to changing stimuli or stressors. It is a feeling of emotional
or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry,
or nervous. Stress in any uncomfortable emotional experience accompanied by predictable
biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes. Together, these physiological changes
give you energy to respond to a situation. Stress is an Individual’s physiological and/or
psychological reaction to the real and imagined demands of life. It is the way a person reacts
physically and emotionally to change.
Signs of Stress:
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL PHYSICAL

● Anxiety ● Avoidance of ● Illness

● Apathy responsibilities ● Exhaustion
● Irritability ● Self-destructive ● Overuse of
● Mental Fatigue behavior medicines
● Self-neglect ● Physical ailments
● Poor Judgment and complaints

There are 2 types of Stress; the positive (eustress) and negative (distress). This
depends on the level of our response to the stressors that we encounter. This was introduced by
Hans Selye.
According to Hans Selye (1926), Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any
demand placed upon it.
Eustress, or positive stress, occurs when your stress comes from positive change or
motivates you to improve. This allows you to benefit from the energy-producing effects of stress
hormones. It has the following characteristics:
 ● Motivates, focuses energy.
● Is short-term.
● Is perceived as within our coping abilities.
● Feels exciting.
● Improves performance.
In contrast, Distress, or negative stress, often occurs in situations where a person’s
perceived self-efficacy is low. This more likely affects physical health, especially if the distress
is chronic. It has the following characteristics:
● Causes anxiety or concern.
● Can be short- or long-term.
● Is perceived as outside of our coping abilities.
● Feels unpleasant.
● Decreases performance.
● Can lead to mental and physical problems.
One’s perception of stress is subjective. A eustress for someone could be a distress to
another.

Stressors and Responses:

Your stress response is the collection of physiological changes that occur when you
face a perceived threat, that is when you face situations where you feel the demands outweigh
your resources to successfully cope. These situations are known as stressors. Stressors are life
events or situations that trigger stress. They trigger your fight or flight response, prompting the
release of stress hormones throughout your body.
Characteristics of Stressors:
● Unpredictability of the event
● Intensity of the event
● Uncontrollability
● Pressure

Fight-or-flight Response
The fight-or-flight response (also called the stress response) is a physiological reaction
that occurs in response to a perceived threat or danger. This enables the body to take action
quickly, and is intended to keep us out of physical harm’s way. Unfortunately for our health, this
response also occurs when we are not in any immediate physical danger, but are still
experiencing stress. For example, this can happen when someone is running late for an
appointment or class, and is feeling stressed about trying to get there.
Choosing to fight means facing the situation head on. Choosing flight means escaping
the situation in order to neutralize it. A third possibility is to freeze a response with no physical
action taken.
 The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), developed by Hans Selye, describes the
pattern of responses that the body goes through after being prompted by a stressor. There are
three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
● Alarm – This occurs when we first perceive something as stressful, and then the body
initiates the fight-or-flight response.
● Resistance – If the perceived stress continues, the body stays activated at a higher
metabolic level in an effort to offset the persistent stress. The body cannot maintain this
level indefinitely, and its resources will eventually deplete.
● Exhaustion – Prolonged exposure to the stressor will result in the depletion of the
body’s resources, and the resulting wear and tear will suppress the immune system and
cause bodily functions to deteriorate. This can lead to a variety of health issues and
illnesses, including heart disease, digestive problems, depression, and diabetes.
These changes will occur in the body regardless of whether the perceived stressor is
considered eustress or distress. Ultimately, this means that we need to take active steps in
managing all of our stressors, as it can build up and potentially cause harm to our health
otherwise.

The Difference between Stress and Stressors:

1. Stress is your hormonal response to a perceived threat, danger, or other stimuli.
Stressors are what trigger this reaction.
2. Stress can involve emotional reactions like panic, irritability, or worry. Stressors are the
experiences that prompt those feelings.
3. Stress symptoms are similar for everyone. But not everyone will react to the same
stressors. What bothers your best friend might not bother you.
4. Stress can harm you if left unmanaged. Not all stressors are harmful.

Sources of Coping & Strength:

Coping means adjusting to or tolerating negative events or realities while you try to keep
your positive self-image and emotional equilibrium. It also means adjusting to stressful
situations. When you're coping, you give extra effort and use more energy than you usually do.
This means a longer period of time than usual for mobilization of effort. If your body can't get
the rest it needs between these periods of stress, then it may break down due to stress-related
hormones and eventually become ill.
Stressors can be acute, such as moving to a new home or experiencing the onset of
marriage problems. They also occur longer term, such as chronic pain, chronic illness or
long-lasting financial problems.
What are some common coping strategies?
● Lower your expectations.
● Ask others to help or assist you.
● Take responsibility for the situation.
● Engage in problem solving.
● Maintain emotionally supportive relationships.
● Maintain emotional composure or, alternatively, expressing distressing
emotions.
● Challenge previously held beliefs that are no longer adaptive.
● Directly attempt to change the source of stress.
● Distance yourself from the source of stress.
● View the problem through a religious perspective.

3 Ways of handling Stress:

1. Problem-focused strategies are directed towards reducing or eliminating a stressor or
the cause of a problem. This includes finding out more information about the issue,
learning new skills to manage it, or evaluating the pros and cons of the alternatives.
Examples of this are confrontation, seeking social support and undertaking careful and
deliberate problem solving.
2. Appraisal-focused (adaptive cognitive) strategies are directed towards challenging
your own assumptions and modifying the way you think. This may include distancing
yourself from the problem or challenge, altering goals and values, or identifying the
humor in the situation to bring a positive spin.
3. Emotion-focused strategies are directed towards reducing or preventing your own
emotional reaction. This includes managing feelings by finding methods of release or
distraction such as seeking social support or using relaxation techniques.
● releasing pent-up emotions
● distracting oneself
● managing hostile feelings
● meditating
● mindfulness practices using systematic relaxation procedures.

Adaptive vs. Maladaptive Strategies

Coping strategies can also be positive (adaptive) or negative (maladaptive). Positive
coping strategies successfully diminish the amount of stress being experienced and provide
constructive feedback for the user.
Adaptive Coping includes seeking social support from others (social coping) and
attempting to learn from the stressful experience (meaning-focused coping) Maintaining good
physical and mental health, practicing relaxation techniques, and employing humor in difficult
situations are other types of positive coping strategies. Proactive coping is a specific type of
adaptive strategy that attempts to anticipate a problem before it begins and prepare a person to
cope with the coming challenge
Maladaptive Coping might be successful at managing or abating stress, but the result is
dysfunctional and non-productive. They provide a quick fix that interferes with the person's
ability to break apart the association between the stressor and the symptoms of anxiety.
Therefore, while these strategies provide short-term relief, they actually serve to maintain
disorder. Maladaptive strategies include dissociation, sensitization, numbing out, anxious
avoidance of a problem, and escape.

Stress and Filipinos; The Social and Culture Dimension of Stress:

Culturally and socially, stress is typically viewed negatively. Recent research revealed
that stress is a neutral concept. What was originally seen as a negative factor can now be viewed
otherwise. Similar to existential philosophy, stress is relative. One’s perception of stress depends
on the perspective of the individual.
Stress management varies greatly depending on the socio-cultural factors affecting the
individual. The following have been identified as factors to consider when studying stress across
cultures.
● Independent – Interdependent Norms
● Collectivism – Individualism Norms
● Individual Acculturation and Ethnicity
● Controlled Orientations
● Accessibilities and attitudes toward Social and Family support
● Degrees of religious and Spiritual Beliefs

In the Philippines, there are perennial stressors that frustrate most people. Some of these
are the:
● Public transportation and traffic problems
● Frequent increase in prices of basic commodities and services, and
● Unfinished projects that cause further traffic congestion and risk to people’s safety.

Taking Care of the Self; The need for Self-Care and Compassion:
You cannot give to others what you don’t have. Psychologically, before you could take
care of others, you must take care of yourself first. Before you can give something of yourself,
you must first be in touch with the different aspects of yourself.
Self-Care refers to all activities that a person does to maintain and improve his/her 5
dimensions namely physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual self-care.

1. Physical Self-care includes all the activities that one does to maintain and improve his
or her physical well-being like consistently sleeping for at least 8 hours, drinking 8
glasses of water, eating healthy and nutritious foods, taking vitamins and exercising.
 2. Psychological Self-care includes all activities one does to deal or resolve mental health
issues, address both positive and negative emotions and learn to deal with negative
self-criticism.
3. Emotional Self-care includes all the activities one does to cope with stress and deal
with grief.
4. Social Self-care includes all the activities one does to connect with people who are
valuable to them. It means spending time and having a great time with loved ones and
other valuable people including family, friends, neighbors, schoolmates, etc.
5. Spiritual Self-care includes all the activities one does to strengthen one’s relationship
with their beliefs. It also includes meditation and contemplation about one’s purpose of
existence according to their faith.

Self-Compassion is about treating yourself kindly when confronted with failure, the
way you would care for a loved one if they go through the same situation.
3 Components of Self-Compassion:

1. Self-kindness – to practice self-compassion, practice self-kindness and avoid

self-judgment. Remember that failing is part of life. Do not be too hard on yourself by
criticizing yourself too much for things that go wrong. Instead, be warm to yourself the
way you would be to a distressed loved one.
2. Common Humanity – to practice self-compassion, remember common humanity and
avoid isolation. This means that you should recognize that you are not alone in
suffering. All humans experience suffering. While you’re having a hard time, somebody
else is trying to face his own issues, too.
3. Mindfulness – to practice self-compassion, practice mindfulness and avoid
over-identification with thoughts and feelings. Don’t let yourself get caught up and be
swept away by negative reactivity. Instead, maintain a receptive mind state and
acknowledge thoughts and feelings as they are, without trying to suppress or deny them.

Summary:
1. Stress is often described as a feeling of being-overwhelmed, worried, or run-down.
2. Eustress is positive stress. It can be:
● Short term
● Exciting feeling
● Can enhance performance
3. Distress is negative stress. It can be:
● Short term to long term
 ● Unpleasant
● Can decrease performance
4. 3 Stages of GAS
● Alarm
● Resistance
● Exhaustion
5. 3 Ways of Handling Stress
● Problem-focused Coping
● Appraisal-focused Coping
● Emotion-focused Coping
6. Socio-Cultural Factors
● Independent – Interdependent Norms
● Collectivism – Individualism Norms
● Individual Acculturation and Ethnicity
● Controlled Orientations
● Accessibilities and attitudes toward Social and Family support
● Degrees of religious and Spiritual Beliefs
7. Self-Care is the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the
knowledge and information available to them.
8. 5 Dimensions of Self-Care
● Physical
● Psychological
● Emotional
● Social
● Spiritual
9. Self-Compassion is about treating yourself kindly when confronted with failure
10. 3 Components of Self-Compassion
● Self-Kindness
● Common Humanity
● Mindfulness

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.”
– Hans Selye
B. Activity:
BREAK THE CODE
The game master will show a set box that contains numbers and letters. Use the key to fill in the
box and try to break the code!

1. These are life events or situations that trigger stress.

44 54 34 51 44 44 53 34 44

2. It is the collection of physiological changes that occur when you face a perceived threat.

34 51 44 14 53 43 44 51 44

3. It is a feeling of emotional or physical tension.

44 54 34 51 44 44

4. It is the way that we adjust to the difficulties or disappointments that come our way.

44 54 34 51

5. It is the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and
happiness, in particular during periods of stress.

44 51 23 12 26 31 11 34 55
Assessment:

True or False

Write true if the statement is true and write false if the statement is false.

1. Response is the body’s response to changing stimuli or stressors. It is a feeling of

emotional or physical tension.
2. The fight-or-flight response also called the stress response is a physiological reaction
that occurs in response to a perceived threat or danger.
3. There are 2 types of Stress; This depends on the level of our response to the stressors
that we encounter. This was introduced by Hans Solo.
4. Anxiety, or positive stress, occurs when your stress comes from positive change or
motivates you to improve.
5. Distress are life events or situations that trigger stress.
6. Choosing flight means facing the situation head on. Choosing to fight means escaping
the situation in order to neutralize it.
7. GAS means General Academic Syndrome, developed by Hans Selye, describes the
pattern of responses that the body goes through after being prompted by a stressor.
8. Alarm is the prolonged exposure to the stressor will result in the depletion of the body’s
resources, and the resulting wear and tear will suppress the immune system and cause
bodily functions to deteriorate.
9. Emotion-focused strategies are directed towards challenging your own assumptions and
modifying the way you think. This may include distancing yourself from the problem or
challenge, altering goals and values, or identifying the humor in the situation to bring a
positive spin.
10. Adaptive coping might be successful at managing or abating stress, but the result is
dysfunctional and non-productive. They provide a quick fix that interferes with the
person's ability to break apart the association between the stressor and the symptoms of
anxiety.
11. Emotional Self-care includes all activities one does to deal or resolve mental health
issues, address both positive and negative emotions and learn to deal with negative
self-criticism.
12. Mindfulness is to practice self-compassion, remember common humanity and avoid
isolation. This means that you should recognize that you are not alone in suffering. All
humans experience suffering
13. Self-Care refers to all activities that a person does to maintain and improve his/her
physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. It has 6 dimensions.
14. Stress symptoms are similar for everyone. But not everyone will react to the same
stressors. What bothers your best friend might not bother you.
 15. Stress can involve emotional reactions like panic, irritability, or worry. Stressors are the
experiences that prompt those feelings.

ANSWER KEY:
Activity:
1. STRESSORS 4. COPE
2. RESPONSES 5. SELF-CARE
3. STRESS

Assessment:
1. FALSE 8. FALSE
2. TRUE 9. FALSE
3. FALSE 10. FALSE
4. FALSE 11. FALSE
5. FALSE 12. TRUE
6. FALSE 13. TRUE
7. FALSE

Prepared by: Group 14 – CS1A

Angeles, Angelo
Silvestre, Ghierho
Tarroza, John Angelo
Ulam, Shaira T.