LifeStress and the Successful SAHS Student

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LifeStress and the Successful SAHS Student

• Jeff Baker, Ph.D.
• Director, SAHS Counseling Student Services
• Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology,
  Cardiothoracic Surgery, Internal Medicine,
  Orthopedics Rehabilitation

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The Stress Process

• Stress is a process that is multilevel,
  interactive, and dynamic, with input and output
  variables that may array in organizational
  hierarchy from the molecular to the
  behavioral-social. Because stress is not static
  but, instead, a dynamic and ongoing process,
  stress is conceptualized in the literature as a
  process that can be more meaningfully understood
  in the context of a response model.

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Approaches to Stress

• A stimulus or event-based approach in which
  stress is caused externally (e.g. change in work
  responsibilities, extreme environmental
  temperatures).

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Approaches to Stress

• An outcome- or response-based approach, in which
  stress is viewed as a behavioral pyschological,
  and/or physiological response (e.b., physical,
  mental, and/or behavioral experiences following
  the loss of a job, death of a loved one, or when
  subjected to extreme temperatures.

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Approaches to Stress

• A transactional approach, in which there is an
  interaction or transaction between the perceived
  environment (e.g., demands of job loss) and a
  persons perceived (real or anticipated)
  assessment of his or her capabilities to meet the
  demands.

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Distinguish between Stress and Stressor

• In each of the three approaches to stress, it is
  important to distinguish between the concepts of
  stress and stressor, especially in the context of
  how stress is operationalized.

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Distinguish between Stress and Stressor

• Stressors are the specific agents, events, or
  demands that cause the condition of stress.
• Put succinctly, stress is not what happens to a
  person but how his or her body reacts to what
  happens.

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Distinguish between Stress and Stressor

• Stressors, which are initiators of the stress
  process, are categorized in various ways, based
  on relative needs placement, and affiliation of
  people.

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Classification of Stressors

• Personal Stressors
• Private Stressors
• Bioenvironmental Stressors
• Interpersonal Stressors
• Psychosocial Stressors

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LifeStress Assessment

• Events that are almost impossible to avoid

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Stress Personality

• More than half of all visits to health care
  professionals are the consequence of
  stress-related disorders.

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Chronic Stress

• Compromises our health
• Has reached epidemic proportions
• Lifestyle modification is important

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Stress Management Information to Patients

• Must be Kept
• Simple
• Factual
• Sequential
• and Enjoyable

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Sustained Change in Stress/Health

• Can be attained only
• when people are empowered and motivated to change
  the quality of their lives in general and the
  quality of their health in particular.

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Personality Stress Assessment

• Glazer Stress Personality Evaluation

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Stress Personality

• Listening to the Body
• Stress Somatizaton Headaches, pain around the
  neck, shoulders, lower back, chest, GI tract,
  immune suppression, insomnia, and chronic
  fatigue.
• Identify Your Stressful Events.

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Symptoms of Stress

• Assessment

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Stress Physical Relationships

• Stress Effects the Musculoskeletal Symptoms
• Muscles Respond to Stress
• Muscle Contraction Headaches, TMJ, Shoulder and
  Neck aches

• Lower Backaches,
• Chronic Muscle Fatigue

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Fight or Flight Response

• Managing Flight or Fight Symptoms
• Sympathetic Parasympathetic
• Hypertension the role of suppressed anger and
  other mental states in hypertension

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Stress Physical Response

• Cardiac Symptoms
• Type A Personality and Behaviors
• Angina and Coronary Heart Disease
• Determine Your Hostility Level

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Stress Physical Response

• Migraine Headaches
• GI Symptoms abdominal pain, irritable bowel
  syndrome, and colitis.
• Stress Related Appetite stress hormones,
  hunger, bulimia and obesity.

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Stress Personality

• Managing Emotions that Produce Stress-Related
  Symptoms
• Anxiety and Panic
• Post Traumatic Stress
• Anger
• Depression

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Stress Personality

• Biobehavioral Approaches for Managing
  Stress-Related Symptoms
• Increasing Predictability and Control
• Revealing hidden stressors
• Identifying Priorities
• Limiting Exposure to stressful events
• Increasing Healthy Pleasures

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Stress Personality

• Biobehavioral Approaches, Continued
• Focused Relaxation Training
• Gateways to Muscle Relaxation
• Paced Breathing
• Focused Visualization
• Meditation
• Hypnosis
• Cognitive Restructuring

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Stress Personality

• Biobehavioral Approaches, Continued
• Somatic Therapies
• Aerobic and Anerobic Approaches to Mood Elevation
• Massage
• Therapeutic Touch

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Stress Personality

• Biobehavioral Approaches, Continued
• Cognitive Therapies
• Altering Thoughts (distorted beliefs, self-talk,
  and personal scripts)
• Reframing
• Use of Positive Self Talk
• Interpersonal Relationships

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Stress Personality

• Referral Sources
• Team Management
• Psychologists
• Social Workers
• Counselors
• EAP
• Spiritual