TAKING CARE OF

ONE'S HEALTH
Group 3
 Stressors and Response

Stress
•Often described as a feeling of being
overwhelmed, worried, or run-down
•Often seen as negative, but can also be a
good source of motivation
•Has three kinds:
1. Eustress- Good stress
2. Neustress - Neutral stress
3. Distress- Negative stress
 Causes of Eustress Causes of Distress

Starting a new hobby, activity, or

Being abused or neglected
venture

Separation from a loved one or

Being in a relationship
ending a relationship

Aiming for a higher grade at school

Failing in school or at work
or position at work

Buying something from hard- Injury or illness of the self or loved

earned money ones

Holidays seasons Losing a loved one

Stressors
•any situation, activity, or individual that gives you handle or
emotional strain.
•varies from person to person
•The good stressors can make you feel both nervous and excited
at the same time, while bad stressors can make you feel angry,
petrified, and depressed.
 Response
•Characterized by physical action which usually choosing between fight
or flight

✓Fight response- Facing the situation head on

✓Flight response- Escaping the situation in order to neutralize it
✓Freeze- Responds with no physical action taken
 Sources of Coping and Strength
Coping refers to the strategies that you use to deal with real or
imagined problems to protect yourself against the negative emotions.

Types of Coping

1.Problem-focused Coping
-It targets on controlling or changing the source of stress
-Strategies include employing problem-solving techniques;
time management; getting relevant social support
2. Emotion-focused Coping
-It involves lowering, if not eliminating negative emotional
responses. The source of stress is external and beyond the
person's control.

-Strategies include distraction, talking out, or verbalizing your

problem, prayer, and meditation.

3. Cognitive Coping
-It involves a conscious intellectual activity of managing stressful
situation. You use your mind to combat stress inducing thoughts.
 Strategies for Cognitive Coping

i. Reframing
ii. Challenging negative thinking
iii. Positive self–talk
iv. Count to ten
v. Cost – benefit analysis
vi. Smell the roses
vii . Keeping perspective
viii. Reducing uncertainty
ix. Using imagery/visualization
 Behavioral Coping Strategies
- These are ways of dealing with stress by taking action to modify
behavior. Some behavioral coping strategies include:

Physical exercise
Relaxation
Breathing
Smile and laughter
Time management
Social support friends
Seeking professional help
The Social and Cultural dimensions of stress
Social Stress
a state of mental or emotional strain or tension
resulting from adverse or very demanding
circumstances arising from the person’s social
environment relationships (Sattler & Kirsch, 2014)

Social stress gets aggravated when you have little

capacity to change your circumstances.
 Sources of Social Issues

Work problems Physical and mental health

Finding a source of Peer pressure

income
Social Marginalization
Parenting
Language Barrier
Sex and Socialization
Immigration Status
Education
 Stress and the sociological perspective
Book of suicide by Emile Durkheim
contains information on how social organizational of groups influence the
individual behavior of every member.

Durkheim hypothesizes that the extent to which and individual is integrated

within a group affects the likehood of suicide.

Anomie
a concept which Durkheim developed that is used to describe a state
where social and/ or moral norms were confusing, unclear, or shows
absence.
 Types of Suicide according to Durkheim
Egoistic Suicide
occurs when an individual feels that they don't belong to the society, showing
that the social bond is weak.

Altruistic Suicide
occurs when an individual ends themself for the sake of other people.

Anomic Suicide
occurs when an individual ends themself for the sake of other people.

Fatalistic Suicide
slave who takes his own life because of hopelessness associated with
oppressive regulation.
 Major types of Stressors
Life Events
important, specific experiences that interrupts an individual's
usual activity, having the need to adjust.

Chronic Strains
hindrances that's been occuring for some time, leaving the
individual's social role strained or threathened.
 Common types of role strains
Role Overload
the role demands an action that exceeds to the capability of an individual
to handle.
Interpersonal Conflicts within Role Sets
obstacles and difficulties that arise in a relationship.

Inter-role conflict
arises when two or more roles of an individual are incompatible. Thus,
the desires are not simultaneously met.
Role-restructuring
Long established patterns that undergo significant changes and the
individual is needed to adapt.
Symbolic interactionism
a sociological perspective that focuses on the language and symbols to
help give meaning to life experiences.

notices an individual that interacts with the world and changes behavior
based on the understanding they give on social interactions.

states that an individual spends time thinking about their next measures
depending on other people's view on them.

a belief on how others discern events or how others see you will stress an
individual.
The Social and Cultural dimensions of stress
Cultural Stress
Culture stress is not derived from any one specific
event or problem, but is a symptom of the
psychological discomfort of encountering different
lifestyles, methods of organization, and value systems
that may “threaten” the model you have lived with all
your life.
Culture can affect the stress and coping process in four
ways:
1. First, the cultural context shapes the types of
stressors that an individual is likely to experience.
2. Second, culture may also affect the appraisal of the
stressfulness of a given event.
3. Third, cultures affect the choice of coping
strategies that an individual utilizes in any given
situation.
4. Finally, the culture provides different institutional
mechanisms by which an individual can cope with
stress.
Cultural Differences in Stress Response
Culture is the set of Ideas,beliefs and expectations,and
behaviors shared by a Particular group of People.

How culture affects person's Experience to stress.

The type of stressor to which a person may likely be
exposed.
How a stressor will be perceived
Coping mechanisms available to deal with stress.
Type of Stressor Different cultural groups live
in different geographical, economic, and
political areas. Hence, the types of stress a
cultural group is exposed to will also
depend on their general location. For
example, for Filipinos a 2017 survey showed
that their jobs/studies were their leading cause
of stress. However, for someone who lives in
war-torn Syria, the primary concern would
have been something else.
Perception of Stressors Culture differ according
to what their members perceive as stressful.
For example, Southeast Asian neighbors like
Korea or Japan, academic success is given
higher importance. This degree of
educational stress is reflected in the number
of Japanese students committing suicide for
not passing an exam. However, such
occurrences though not unheard are very rare
in the Philippines.
 COPING MECHANISM

Some of the ways that cultures differ in the way make

available different coping mechanisms to their members
are:
1. Beliefs that allow them to make sense of stressors;
2. Beliefs about how stressors should be coped with; and
3. The availability of social support.

Cultures transmit belief systems that may affect the way their
members make sense of stressors and, consequently, how well
they are able to cope with them. For example, religious
beliefs as in the Philippines. The bahala na attitude of the
Filipinos draws on “divine assistance” to help them cope.
 Research showed that more African Americans suffer
hypertension compared with European Americans.
However, another study discovered that religious coping
significantly helped lower down blood pressure among
African American, though not with European Americans.
The study suggested that the difference between how the
two cultures use religious beliefs in structuring their
experiences might account for the different
psychological reactions.

The western culture of independence and self-reliance

could have an impact on a person’s willingness to access
coping resources, such as social support that being part of a
religious group provides. Different cultures also transmit
different values on coping with stress.
 Taking care of the self: The need
for self care and compassion
Self - Care

-Is important to maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself.

-It means doing things to care of our minds, bodies,and soul by engaging in
activities that promote well being and alleviate stress. Doing so enhances our
ability to live fully, vibrantly and effectively.

-The practice of self care often reminds you and others that your needs are valid
and a priority.
 Ideally, we're all engaged in regular self care, doing
activities that make us feel cared for mentally,physically
and emotionally. But this doesn't always happen, and we
may need to stop and take the time to remind ourselves that
We are important too.
Self-Care Checklist:

Physical Psychological
Healthy Eating Practice a Hobby
Personal Hygiene Learn something new
Exercise Read
fun physical activity Challenge yourself
Regular Sleep Do something Creative
Medical Check-up No- screen hour
Physical Appearance Alone time
Rest After Work Delayed Gratification
Rest when sick Go on a day trip
Go for a walk Practice Patience
 Emotional Spiritual
Time with love ones Pray
Reflect Meditate
Express Feelings Find Meaning
Laugh Priorities and Values
Affirmation Stand by your morals
Respect Yourself Contemplate life
Stress Management Think about mortality
Talk about problems Observe your thoughts
Participate in a cause
 Social Professional
Time with love ones Stay in the loop
Stay in contact Work on your skills
Meaningful Dialogue Read relevant literature
Have fun together Get involve
Ask and offer help Organize workspace
Meet new people Plan the work
Smile to a stranger
Be polite
 Self Compassion
-Compassion is the ability to show emphathy, love and concern to
people, the ability to direct the same emotions within and accept
oneself, particularly in face of failure.

-Self-compassion is the ability to turn understanding, acceptance

and love inward. Many people are willing to extend compassion
towards others but find it difficult to extend the same compassion
toward themselves.

 Self Care
Self-care is the practice of doing things to take care of your mind, body, and soul
by engaging in activities that promote well-being and reduce stress. It reminds
yourself and others that your needs are priority.

Ways on how to show Self Compassion

• Treat yourslef as you treat your friends. Give compliments to yourself like
how you're giving it to someone.
• Stop punishing yourself for your mistakes. Accept that you are not perfect
and be gentle with yourself when you are confronted with your shortcomings.
•Be mindful. Mindfulness has been found to have a positive impact on self-
compassion, as it has a tendency to lessen self-judgment.
 "Self compassion is treating yourself
like someone you care about"
Dr. Kristine Neff

3 Elements of self Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff:

1. Self Kindness or refraining from harsh criticism
of the self
2. Recognizing one's own humanity, or the fact that all people are imperfect
and all people experience pain.
3. Mindfulness, or maintaining a non-biased awareness
of experience, even those that are painful, rather than either ignoring or
exaggerating their effect.
 Simple Actions to Cultivate more
Self-compassion
1. Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend
2. Start a gratitude journal
3. Give yourself a hug/ learn to comfort yourself
4. Don't forget to go to someone for help when you are having
difficulty dealing with a situation.
5. Write a letter for yourself
 How to Practice Mindful self-Compassion

1. Stop and take a few deep breath.

2. Acknowledge your painful emotion.

say something to your self like, being rejected for that job really hurt,
I really wanted it."

3. Offer yourself a phrase of compassion

4. Go for the rest of your day remembering to treat yourself gently.

Ways to Incorporate Self-care into your day to
day life:
Eat well, exercise daily, get enough sleep, practice
relaxation, avoid alcoholic and drugs.
Set aside time for yourself, accept your needs,
recognize what your triggers are.
Manage your time. Prioritizing your activity can
help you use your time well.