UNIT 30

Stress and stress management

Aim of Session
To define stress To identify events and triggers of stress Introduce Holmes-Rahe theory/ scale To explore symptoms of stress To explore management of stress and its importance To examine our own coping mechanisms To discuss task three of assignment

What is stress?
Stress is a response to external forces that affect the individual Highly dependent upon individual factors such as our physical health, the quality of our interpersonal relationships, the number of commitments and responsibilities we carry, the degree of others' dependence upon us, expectations of us, the amount of support we receive from others, and the number of changes or traumatic events that have recently occurred in our lives.

Continued

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What triggers stress

Discuss the different events or triggers you can think of that may produce a stressed response How do these triggers make you feel, how would you describe stress to someone who has never experienced it before?

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Holmes & Rahe

Holmes and Rahe (1967) produced a catalogue of life events which people have to adapt to. These transitions and changes create a need for social and emotional adaptation. A situation that could trigger stress

Holmes-Rahe Scale
Death of a partner Divorce Marital separation Going to prison Death of a close family member Personal injury or illness Marriage Being dismissed at work Marital reconciliation Retirement Changes in health of family member

Pregnancy Sexual difficulties Gaining a new family member Business or work adjustments Changes in financial state Death of a close friend Change to different line of work Change in arguments with partner

Type A and B personalities

First described in relation to heart disease in the 1950s by cardiologists Meyer Friedman, R. H. Rosenham. It subsequently appeared in the Jenkins Activity Survey, which was originated to detect behaviours which lead to heart attacks (Jenkins, Ayzanski, Rosenman, 1971). Dr. Redford Williams, a cardiologist at Duke University, later showed that the main hazard in this is when the Type A person has a tendency to anger and hostility. A subsequent study has challenged even this, throwing the whole validity of this typing as a predictor of heart attacks into doubt. Now seen as more pop psychology than real theory.

What is your personality type?

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Effects of stress

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What are the symptoms of stress?

Increased irritability Heightened sensitivity to criticism Signs of tension, such as nail-biting Headache Anxiety

Difficulty getting to sleep and early morning waking Drinking and smoking more Indigestion Loss of concentration

Stress management
What ways can you thing of to manage stress? Is it always possible to remove the stress from your life? How do you manage your own stress? Do you use positive or negative tools to cope?

EXERCISE

RELAXATION

DIET

STRESS MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVE COPING MECHANISMS

MEDITATION

COUNSELLING TALKING

Dealing with Stress

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