Anda di halaman 1dari 13

Stress and Health

Stress can be described as:


A persons perception of his or her inability
to cope with a certain tense event or situation

A stressor is the stress-producing event or
situation.

The bodys observable response to a stressor is
a stress reaction.
Stress can be positive or negative:

Distress is the result of severe anxiety or
pressure and can take a harsh toll on the
mind and body.

Eustress (positive stress) results from the
strivings and challenges that make life
interesting.
There are a variety of conflict situations that
result in stress:
1 Approach-approach conflictchoosing between
two attractive alternatives
2 Avoidance-avoidance conflictchoosing
between two unattractive alternatives
3 Approach-avoidance conflictthere are both
attractive and unattractive elements to a
possible choice
4 Double approach-avoidance conflictchoosing
between two or more alternatives, each of which
has attractive and unattractive elements
Common sources of stress include:

Significant life changes (serious illness, job
changes, relationship changes, moving, etc.)

Work (or, for students, school)

Environmental conditions (crowding, noise
levels, etc.)
Reactions to stress can be short term or long
term.
Short term psychological reactions include:
o Anxietya feeling of imminent but unclear
threat
o Anger
o Fear

Long term psychological reactions can
contribute to mental illness (depression,
anxiety-based disorders, etc.)
Short-term behavioral reactions include:
Nervous habits
Increased eating
Increased indulgence in vices
Fatigue

Long-term behavioral reactions include the
development of general aggressiveness and
escapist lifestyles (alcoholism, drug
addiction, chronic unemployment, etc.)
Short-term physical reactions can involve the
fight-or-flight response, or health issues
such as headaches, insomnia, difficulty
breathing, muscle aches, sweating and dry
mouth.

Long-term physical reactions include a
variety of illnesses, including ulcers, heart
disease and cancer
Research has suggested that people with
Type A personalities (generally ambitious,
competitive and sensitive) are more likely to
experience severe stress than other people
who are generally more relaxed.
How people interpret or evaluate an event
(this is called cognitive appraisal) determines
its stress impact.
Defense mechanisms such as denial and
intellectualization (rationalizing from a
detached standpoint) can lessen the impacts
of stress.
The most effective strategy may be cognitive
preparation (the work of worrying)
anticipating and preparing for stressful
reactions.
Many people use drugs, such as alcohol and
nicotine to deal with stress, but these are
ultimately ineffective.

Anti-anxiety drugs can be prescribed,
depending on the needs of a particular
patient.

Relaxation and meditation techniques can
help reduce stress.
Behaviors to help control stress include:
Controlling stressful situations (avoiding an
event, or controlling timing to make them
easier to handle)
Problem solving (actually dealing with the
problem head on)
Having an optimistic outlook
Physical exercise
Accessing help from support groups
Training and preparation
Improving interpersonal skills
Some people respond to setbacks in trying to
cope with stress by learning not to try at all
psychologists refer to this as learned
helplessness.

This reaction is the result of the belief that a
person has no control over a particular
situation, or situations generally.

Anda mungkin juga menyukai