COPING WITH STRESS

STRESS and STRESSORS

A stressful experience is caused by
something that occurs either within the
individual or from the environment.
 STRESS
Stress can be anything…
Depending on one’s take on things,
anything can be stressful. To be
stressed is just normal as it is part and
parcel of our life.
 STRESS
A stress can either be helpful or
damaging.
Good stress is good if it propels us to
perform well in our endeavors. On the
other hand, bad stress is that which
hinders us from functioning well.
Common Sources of Stress
• Physical • Loss
Appearance • Frustration
• School/Academic • Romantic
Pressure Relationships
• Family/Home • Future
• Social/Peer
Pressures
 EFFECTS OF STRESS
The effect of stress cannot be easily felt except in case
of trauma where the incident happens quickly and
intensely such as a car accident or parental separation.
Stressors that happen almost everyday take time before
they finally take a toll on our health. The same happens
in prolonged stress. Our body and our mind can no
longer take the pressure, thus causing fatigue that
eventually lowers the immune system.
 STRESS FACTORS
• Physiological Factor
• Psychological Factor
 PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTOR
Hans Selye proposed the GENERAL ADAPTATION
SYNDROME (GAS) to explain our body’s response
to stress. It consists 3 stages.
• Alarm Stage
• Resistance Stage
• Exhaustion Stage
• What happens to our body when we are stress? Why
do we feel exhaustion? The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-
Adrenal (HPA) axis explains the bodily changes and the
source of disease that may eventually happen when
one undergoes prolonged stress.
• The HPA axis is a hormonal response system to stress.
It involves the release of stress hormones such as
glucocorticoids and primarily cortisol which are
regulated to ensure that the body can react quickly to
stress and return to its normal state. However,
prolonged or extreme stress increases the cortisol level
in the blood and affects our health substantially.
 STRESS AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
• Is the body’s natural defense against any disease. It helps
the body fight infection that can lead to more serious
health problems. Handling chronic stress causes fatigue
and consequently weakens our immune system or our
body’s defense.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
• Psychological stress stems from one’s own
mental and emotional reactivity patterns to
environmental factors such as persons,
places, or events. In other words there are
individual differences in the way we appraise
or interpret a situations. Our appraisal may or
may not elicit a stress response.
 Common signs and symptoms of stress
Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms
• memory problems • Moodiness
• Inability to concentrate • Irritability or short temper
• Poor Judgment • Agitation, inability to relax
• Seeing only the negative • Feeling overwhelmed
• Anxious or racing thoughts • Sense of loneliness and isolation
• Constant worrying • Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms Behavioral Sysmptoms

• Headaches • Eating more or less
• Back pains • Sleeping too much or too little
• Diarrhea or constipation • Isolating oneself
• Frequent colds • Procrastinating
• Rapid heartbeat • Forgetting or neglecting obligations
• Dizziness
 Coping Strategies
• People differ in their coping styles. One may evaluate a
situation as a threatening but another person may not see
it that way. Richard Lazarus defines coping as a cognitive
or behavior response to stress aimed at managing or
reducing stress. A situation is stressful depending on how
one perceive it. In his Appraisal theory, Lazarus talks
about two components of cognitive appraisal.
• Primary appraisal
• Secondary appraisal
• Primary Appraisal – evaluates the
meaning of the situation and checks if
it will affect him.

• Secondary Appraisal- involves how

one feels about the situation.
Emotion-Focused and Problem-Focused
Coping
Emotion-focused coping behavior Problem-focused coping behavior

Eating more or eating less Talking with the person concerned

Sleeping more or sleeping less Researching about the topic

Excessive playing of computer Talking with friends about their opinion

Crying, shouting Strategizing

 Physical
Adolescence is accompanied by certain
changes in the physical features of an
individual. One’s height, weight, body
figure, skin problems, and the like are
common “issues” for adolescents. The
desire to look good to others
 School/Academic Pressure
Many adolescents often feel stressed about
academic and extra curricular requirements
such as recitation, daily seatwork, quiz,
project, homework, examination and graded
performance.
 School/Academic Pressure
The desire to pass subjects and courses and
its entailed sacrifices (rigorous reviewing,
researching, beating deadlines, sleepless
nights) generates pressure and stresses.
These stresses, nonetheless, are commonly
helpful and necessary.
 Family/Home
Family issues may also bring about stress.
Change in the family situation such as
divorce or annulment of parents usually
result in new living arrangements and other
stressful conditions (e.g having blended
family, lacking privacy, having to adjust new
residence and school.
 Family/Home

Conflict with parents, siblings rivalry,

and the obligation to look after
younger siblings also generate
stress.
 Social/Peer Pressures

Stress can also be the result of the

pressures an adolescent gets from his/her
friends or other teenagers. These may
include pressure to cut class, to smoke, or
to experiment with alcohol, drug or sexual
activities.
 Social/Peer Pressures

There may also be pressure from the

bullying or harassment by fellow
adolescents. The combination of these
pressures may lead to stress overload.
 Loss
The loss of a loved one – a family member, relative or
friend – also create stress. Relatedly , breaking up with
a boyfriend/girlfriend, ending a friendship, and
separation from a much loved work also produce a
sense of loss, and are thus stressful as well. These may
lead to losing one’s self-worth and the appetite to
socialize or attend classes.
 Frustration
Failures to reach goals or carry out plans result in
stress. Someone frustrations are due to uncontrollable
factors such as stormy weather or sudden brownout.
These may lead to stressful situations such as inability
to take examinations or finish a research assignment.
The so called “hassles and uplifts of everyday life” are
potential sources of stress too.
 Romantic Relationships

Adolescence is a stage in which romantic

relationships usually blossom and bloom.
Both having a boyfriend/girlfriend and not
having one generate stress among
teenagers.
 Future
Adolescents also think about their future,
especially those in the late adolescence. Not
knowing what one really wants to be in the future
can be stressful. Equally worrying is knowing
what one wants to be but unable to attain it due to
factors such as financial constraints and skill or
aptitude mismatch
 THE
EFFECTS OF
STRESS
 Physical
Stress increases the level of adrenaline and
corticosterone in the body, which in turn leads to
an increased heart-rate, respiration, and blood-
pressure and puts more physical stress on body
organs.
 Physical
Especially when stress becomes long term, it may lead
to illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
and stroke. Other disorders related to stress are
stomachaches, headaches, digestive disorders, and
body pains (such as in the neck, back, and face).
Stressed individuals may also experience insomnia or
sleeplessness, colds and infections, nervousness and
shaking, excessive perspiration, and sweaty palms and
feet.
 Emotional
Stressed individuals are prone to agitation, impatience,
irritability, and moodiness. When stress is too much,
there may be a feeling of being overwhelmed by
pressures and powerlessness to control things.
Stressed persons may feel bad about themselves and
are usually not in the mood to socialize
 Cognitive
The thoughts of stress individuals are filled with
worrying. As a result, the commonly become
forgetful and disorganized. As negative thoughts
cloud their minds, they subsequently become
pessimistic.
 Cognitive
The thoughts of stress individuals are filled with
worrying. As a result, the commonly become
forgetful and disorganized. As negative thoughts
cloud their minds, they subsequently become
pessimistic.
 Behavioral
Due to stress, changes in behavior also occur. Some
stressed people lose appetite while others tend to
overeat. When overstressed, many tend to
procrastinate and avoid responsibilities. Some may
even engage in dinking alcohol, taking drugs, or
smoking cigarettes. Nervous behaviors may also come
about such as fidgeting, pacing, and nail biting
 Behavioral
On a positive note, stress provides energy to handle
emergencies, make necessary adjustments, meet
challenges, and excel in activities. Moreover, stress can
stimulate motivate people to actualize their full potential
and courageously push themselves to the limit of their
capacity.