Understanding Stress: Implications to Health

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Understanding Stress Implications to Health
Human Performance

• Stress gt Emotional Reaction gt Physical Reaction gt
  Consequences
• What starts it YOU, yes, YOU, again YOU!
• What is it? The Fight or Flight response.
• FAT storage is built in survival mechanism.

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Stress Reactivity The body reacts with the
movement and emotions dictated by our brain. The
brain must perceive something to be stressful for
the body to create the fight or flight
response. Our brain assesses the situation
searches for clarification and reacts
accordingly. PERCEPTION of the Level of threat
is initiated within brain functioning.
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The Flow

• Life Situation
• Perceived as stressful
• Emotional Arousal
• Physiological Arousal
• Consequences

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Implications

• Autonomic Nervous System is activated
• Calls Endocrine System, via the adrenal cortex to
  secrete cortisol and aldosterone
• Cortisol Fuel for battle, mobilizes free fatty
  acids, breaks down protein, increases artery
  pressure, decreases production of lymphocyte
  release thus decreasing immune system
• Aldosterone Prepares the body for battle by
  raising blood pressure by increasing blood volume.

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Good or Bad?

• Passing control to these systems on a daily basis
  presents significant risks.

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Risks

• Physical Major and Minor Illnesses, Fat Storage
• Emotional Anxiety, depression, irritability,
  mental fatigue
• Behavioral Avoidance, dependency problems,
  communication problems, employment issues

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Early Warning Signs Physical

• Excessive worrying about or denial of illness
• Frequent illness, like a recurring cold
• Physical exhaustion
• Over reliance on self medication
• Ailments Headaches, insomnia, appetite change,
  weight gain or loss, frequent indigestion,
  nausea, diarrhea, constipation..

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Early Warning Signs Emotional

• Apathy The blahs, feeling of sadness,
  recreation that is no longer pleasurable
• Anxiety Restlessness, agitation, insecurity,
  sense of worthlessness
• Irritability Feeling hypersensitive, defensive,
  arrogant or argumentative
• Mental fatigue Feeling preoccupied, having
  difficulty concentrating, trouble thinking
  flexibly.
• Overcompensation or denial Grandiosity, working
  too hard, denying that you have a problem/s,
  ignoring symptoms, feeling suspicious.

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Early Warning Signs Behavioral

• Avoiding things. Keeping to yourself, avoiding
  work, having trouble accepting responsibility,
  neglecting responsibilities
• Doing things to extremes. Alcoholism, gambling,
  spending sprees, sexual promiscuity.
• Administrative problems. Being late for work or
  classes, poor appearance, poor personal hygiene,
  being accident prone
• Legal problems. Indebtedness, shoplifting,
  traffic tickets, inability to control violent
  impulses.

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Cognitive Approach

• Expect Stress
• Eliminate unnecessary stressors
• Think more objectively
• Take Control

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Step 1. Expect Stress

• Review expectations
• Life skills
• Stress happens
• A good offense and a good defense

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Step 2. Eliminate unnecessary stressors

• Evaluate
• Minimize
• Re-evaluate

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Step 3. Think More Objectively

• Think before acting
• Avoid irrational thinking
• Avoid awfulizing
• Change negative self-talk

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Step 4. Take control

• The feeling of control is crucial
• Take just ONE step to feel more in control
• Its Your Life

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The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing
because you can only do a little. Do what you
can.