UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA BOLIVIANA “SAN PABLO”

“STREES AND STRESS MANAGEMENT”

NAME:
Carolina Quiñovel Maceda
SUBJET:
English level 4
TEACHER:
Reyes Soria Galvarro Bismarck
 STRESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

What is stress?

Stress is a reaction to situations, events or people. Some of these events stir up feelings
or thoughts that cause you to take some kind of action. Stress occurs when there is a
mismatch between the need for these actions and an individual’s ability (or belief in their
ability) to cope with these demands.

Stress has been around for a LONG time. For primitive man simply staying alive was
stressful. He didn’t know where his next meal was coming from, or whether he, himself,
was going to become a meal.

Let’s backtrack several thousand years:

Imagine that you are Primitive Man. You’re hanging out in the woods, and suddenly
encounter a pride of lions. THE EMERGENCY SWITCH IS TRIGGERED to prepare
you to fight the lions, or to run away from the lions (flight).
This is what happens:
When your brain registers an emergency, powerful hormones associated with stress are
secreted into your body. These hormones trigger the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline
prepares the body for FIGHT OR FLIGHT.

 Blood is shifted to the muscles and your skin becomes pale.

 Your body begins to prepare itself to run, and you start to sweat and your heart
rate and blood pressure rise.
 Your body prepares itself for increased fuel demands by releasing glucose and
fatty acids into the blood stream.
 Your immune system slows down, because energy is shifted to anticipate the
battle, rather than maintain health.

As we evolved, our brains evolved and we learned how to conquer those things that used
to threaten our lives. This comes at a price. Because we are able to think in a complex
way to solve problems, we can also imagine all kinds of threatening situations around us
when there are rarely any.

Modern man feels an adrenaline rush if some idiot cuts in front of him in traffic. His
muscles tense and he prepares to fight or to flee when somebody in front of him has too
many items for the grocery store express line. And his blood pressure skyrockets because
he can’t stand the thought of facing another day in a job he hates.

When stress is good stress, and it prepares you to meet a challenge, people feel
 increased motivation and drive
  a sense of challenge and excitement
 a sense of renewed energy
 attention to detail, accuracy
 feelings of excitement and hope
 increased self-confidence

The unhealthy side of stress may manifest itself in four areas. You may notice:

Changes in your body...

Short Term Physical Symptoms

These mainly occur as your body adapts to perceived physical threat, and are caused by
release of adrenaline. Although you may perceive these as unpleasant and negative, they
are signs that your body is ready for the explosive action that assists survival or high
performance:

Faster heart beat Increased sweating

Cool skin Cold hands and feet
Rapid Breathing Tense Muscles
Dry Mouth A desire to urinate
Diarrhea 'Butterflies in stomach'

Long Term Physical Symptoms

These occur where your body has been exposed to adrenaline over a long period. One of
the ways adrenaline prepares you for action is by diverting resources to the muscles from
the areas of the body which carry out body maintenance. This means that if you are
exposed to adrenaline for a sustained period, then your health may start to deteriorate.
This may show up in the following ways:

change in appetite frequent colds

asthma digestive problems
headaches skin eruptions
sexual disorders aches and pains
feelings of intense and long-term tiredness
inflammation

Changes in your thinking...

 trouble concentrating
 lost self-confidence
 lapses of memory
 poor judgment
 feeling pressured
Changes in your emotions...
 resentment
 anger and irritability
 feeling “on edge” or agitated
 feeling blue, down, hopeless
 moodiness

Changes in your actions...

 increased smoking
 withdrawing from others
 non-stop talking
 fidgeting
 absenteeism

Stress Management Review

A. Stress Response is activated by

Being too busy
Moving too fast
Having too many things going on
Caffeine
Nicotine

B. Stress Response Deactivated by

Aerobic Exercise
Deep Breathing
Meditation

C. Stress Levels Controlled by:

1. Recognizing what we can control and what we can't
(a) Problem Solving
(1) Define and State the Problem
(2) Search out solutions or advice
(3) Identify several solution options
(4) Choose the best option and try it
(5) If it doesn't work, try something different
(6) Let go of the problem if it can't be solved

2. Correlation between spirituality, religion, and health

3. Humor
 4. Recognizing whether we are Extroverts or Introverts

5. Setting feasible goals for ourselves

6. Social Support/Relationships

7. Meaningful Lives

References

Davis, M., Eshelman, E. R., & McKay, M. (2000). The Relaxation & Stress Reduction
Workbook (5th ed.). California: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Lussier, R. N. (1989). Supervision: A Skill-Building Approach. Illinois: Irwin.
McQuade, W., & Aikman, A. (1993). Stress: What It Is, What It Can Do to Your Health,
How to Handle It. New York: Signet.