COPING WITH Lesson 6
STRESS
Scenario:
Ana met her friend, Liza, at the mall. “Hi, Liza, how are you?” greeted
Ana. “Oh, I’m good, thanks” answered Liza forcing to smile on her face. Liza is a
college freshman and works at a fast food chain in the evening. Her father has
a disability and had to stay home, her mother earns a living through a small
business. To compensate for their tight finances, she decides to get a part-time
job. She takes a night shift to work and attends her classes in the morning.
When they parted ways, Ana felt worried and thought that Liza might be
undergoing some problems. She looked tired, haggard, sad, and lacks the
bubbly spirit the she used to have. Could she be going through stressful times
these days?
Questions:
• What do you think happened to Liza?
• How did Liza’s problems affect her?
• What were the signs that Liza is going through hard
times?
• If you were Liza’s friend, how are your going to help
her?
Activity:
My Stress Checklist
• Recall a time when you felt stressed, and then go
over each item on the following list and check the
statements which apply to you during that period of
stress. You may check as many items that may apply
to your experience:
Activity:
My Stress Checklist
1. I get frequent headaches 9. I tend to become forgetful
2. My mouth gets dry 10. I become less productive
3. I find it difficult to breathe 11. I feel worried
4. My appetite tends to either 12. I feel overwhelmed
increase of decrease 13. I feel worthless
5. I have trouble sleeping 14. I experience mood swings
6. I find it difficult to concentrate 15. I tend to isolate myself from
7. I become restless or fidgety others
8. I find it hard to make decisions
Activity:
My Stress Checklist
• How many statements did you check?
• What can you observe about the items that you checked? Is
there any pattern among the items that you checked?
• What do your checked items tell you about the way you are
coping with stress?
• What insights have you gained from accomplishing the checklist?
STRESS
• A physiological response to a physical
or psychological threat.
• A normal reaction to anything that can
disturb homeostatic state or
equilibrium.
STRESS
• Associated with mental, emotional, and
physical states produced within the
organism in response to stimulus (Hans
Selye)
• “Fight or Flight” syndrome (Walter Cannon)
• The subjective experience of distress in
response to perceived environmental
problems. (Kring, Davidson, Neale &
Johnson, 2007)
STRESS
• When can stress be considered:
– POSITIVE?
– NEGATIVE?
• Chronic and severe stress
– Gastric ulcers, heart disease,
asthma, skin disorders
Sources of Stress
Stressor – anything that induces a stress response
• Physical
• Mental
• Social
• Emotional
• Psychological
• Economic
• Spiritual
Sources of Stress
What stresses
Stressor
• Physical
•
•
Mental
Social Senior High School
• Emotional
•
•
Psychological
Economic
Students???
• Spiritual
What Stresses SHS Students?
Common Sources
• Break up with boyfriend or girlfriend
• Increased arguments with parents, and between parents
• The pressure of expectations from self and others
• Change in parents’ financial status
• Serious illness or injury of a family member
• Pressure at school from teachers, coaches, grades and
homework
• Relationships with family and friends
What Stresses SHS Students?
Resulting Problems
• Internalizing difficulties (deep sadness and intense fears)
– Mental problems that arise from coping with difficulties by turning against oneself.
– Case of aggressive behavior turned inwards thus resulting in anxiety and/or
depression.
• Externalizing behaviors (aggression and antisocial acts)
– Frustration and disappointments acted out in aggressive behavior against other
people such as family, friends, or significant others.
– Temper outbursts, anger, irritability, or different forms of abuse against other people
What Stresses SHS Students?
EUSTRESS
• Kind of stress that is helpful in promoting one’s growth and
development by providing sufficient challenges that allow one to
become more resourceful and show initiative in problem-solving.
AWARENESS OF STRESSORS
Try to recall the time that you were stress out. Identify your stressors
and list each one.
STRESSOR TYPE OF STRESSOR
• How do you know you are feeling stressed?
• What are the common causes of your stress?
• Is there a common theme or area?
• What are the items that your have control over?
• What items are beyond your control?
• What do you think is the purpose of stress?
• In what ways can you manage stress?
St re s s
to rs
Fac
-Stress Response
(process and
structures in our
body system)
PHYSIOLOGICAL
FACTOR:
GAS
St re s s
to rs
Fac
PHYSIOLOGICAL
FACTOR:
HPA Axis
• Hypothalamus – responsible for
number of normal functions, like
sleep, temp, eating, sexual
development; - Also regulates the
functions of the pituitary gland
St re s s
to rs
Fac
PHYSIOLOGICAL
FACTOR: • Nurturing anger, and bitterness can result in the
The Immune lowering of the immune system.
System • Chronic stress can affect insulin secretion, sex hormones
and thyroid hormones.
St re s s
to rs
Fac COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS
Memory Problems
EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
Moodiness
Inability to concentrate Irritability or short temper
Poor judgment Agitation, inability to relax
PSYCHOLOGICAL Seeing only the negative Feeling overwhelmed
FACTORS Anxious or racing thoughts Sens of loneliness and isolation
Constant worrying Depression or general unhappiness
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS
Headaches Eating more or less
Common Signs Back pains Sleeping too much or too little
and Symptoms of Diarrhea or constipation Isolating Oneself
Frequent colds Procrastinating
Stress Rapid Heartbeat Forgetting or neglecting obligations
Dizziness
What physical and behavioral
symptoms have you personally
experienced when you are under
stress?
Managing Stress
Evaluate the strategies you commonly
use to cope with stressful conditions.
Put a cross (x) beside it if you think it is
not effective, and a check (ü) if you
think it is helpful.
Managing Stress
Coping Strategies
RICHARD LAZARUS
• Coping is a cognitive or behavior response to stress aimed
at managing or reducing stress
• Appraisal Theory
• Primary Appraisal – meaning and effect
• Secondary Appraisal – feelings about the situation
Managing Stress
Loss, Threat or Challenge
(LAZARUS AND FOLKMAN, 1984)
• Appraisal of Loss – implies that a harm has already happened
• Appraisal of Threat – implies an anticipation of harm that could be
brought about in the future
• Appraisal of Challenge – sees the opportunity for the stressful
event to turn into a positive outcome and results in a healthier
way of coping, like problem solving
• The more threatening a stressor is appraised, feelings of fear and
escape, withdrawal and support seeking are applied as coping
strategies.
Managing Stress
Controllability
(RUDOLPH, DENNIG, & WEISZ, 1995)
• The extent to which one can handle or control a situation or
problem, where some stressors appear to have lower or higher
controllability
• High controllability – Active strategies and problem solving
• Low controllability – resort to withdrawal, use of mental or
cognitive distraction, seek social support, or respond to reduce
emotional distress
Managing Stress
Coping Efforts
• Self-Efficacy – the individual’s beliefs about one’s capacity to
exercise influence over events that affect his/her life. (Bandura,
1977)
• Social support – refers to social assets, social resources or social
networks that people may use or turn to when they need advice,
help, and protection.
Managing Stress
Emotion-Focused Coping
• Involves shame and embarrassment, fear and anxiety,
excitement and depression.
• Controlling impulses
• Used when no capacity to deal with the source of the
problem.
• Sample strategies: avoiding, distancing, accepting the
situation, turning to alcohol, asking for professional help
Managing Stress
Problem-Focused Coping
• Deals with the stressors directly
• Removing the source of stress o reducing the effect of
stressors
• Steps
• Defining the problem
• Alternative solutions
• Learning new skills
• Reappraising to find new standards of behavior
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 games Talking with friends about their
opinion
Crying, shouting Strategizing
The Twelve Families of Coping
Family of Coping What are its associated How do they function in the What are its related
strategies? adaptive process? behaviors?
Problem Solving Strategizing Adjust thoughts and actions to Watch and learn
Instrumental Action be effective Mastery Efficacy
Planning
Information Seeking Reading Find additional contingencies Curiosity
Observation Interest
Asking Others
Helplessness Confusion Find limits of actions Guilt
Cognitive interference Helplessness
Cognitive exhaustion
Escape Behavioral avoidance Escape non-contingent Drop and roll
Mental withdrawal environment Flight
Denial Fear
Wishful Thinking
The Twelve Families of Coping
Family of Coping What are its associated How do they function in the What are its related
strategies? adaptive process? behaviors?
Self-reliance Emotional regulation Protect available social Tend and befriend
Behavioral regulation resources and attend to goals Pride
Emotional expression
Emotional Approach
Support Seeking Contact Seeking Make use of available social Proximity-seeking
Comfort Seeking resources Yearning
Instrumental aid Other alliance
Social referencing
Delegation Maladaptive help-seeking Find limits of resources Self-pity
Complaining Shame
Whining
Self-pity
Social Isolation Social withdrawal Withdraw from unsupportive Duck and cover
Concealment context Freeze
Avoiding others Sadness
The Twelve Families of Coping
Family of Coping What are its associated How do they function in the What are its related
strategies? adaptive process? behaviors?
Accommodation Distraction Flexibility adjust preferences or Pick and choose
Cognitive restructuring goals to options Secondary Control
Minimization
Acceptance
Negotiation Bargaining Find new options or select Compromise
Persuasion goals
Priority-setting
Submission Rumination Give up preferences or goals Disgust
Rigid perseveration Rigid perseverance
Intrusive thoughts
Opposition Other-blame Remove perceived constraints Stand and fight
Projection Anger
Aggression Defiance
Managing Stress
Personal Ways of Coping with Stress
• Stress Management – set of techniques that people can use
to be able to manage their stressors
• Suggestions for coping with the different stressors
1. Tackle the problem.
2. Create a stress journal or include the topic in your
personal journal.
3. Develop a “stress relief toolbox”.
Managing Stress
Stress Tip Sheet of the American Psychological Association
1. Understand how you stress.
2. Identify your sources of stress.
3. Learn your stress signals.
4. Recognize how you deal with stress.
5. Find healthy ways to manage stress.
6. Take care of yourself.
7. Reach out for support.
Managing Stress
Draft an action plan on now to increase
your effective coping skills. You may
classify your plans according to the
different areas in your life (physical,
social, family, intellectual, etc.)
1. Is it possible for one to live a stress-free life?
2. In what situations can stress be a good thing? Does stress ever make your feel
more alive?
3. Have you ever helped someone who was feeling stressed? If yes, what did
you do?
4. What other challenges to mental health do adolescents face today amidst the
backdrop of social media and the information age?
5. What is the best advise to give to someone who has low self-esteem?
6. How can you promote mental health in school and in your community?
• Stress is a physiologic response to physical or physiological threat. It is a
natural response to an environmental demand.
• Stress is the effect while stressor is the cause.
• Stress usually takes time before its effects are felt.
• Two major factors in stress are physiological and psychological.
• The general adaptation stages consist of alarm stage, resistance stage and
exhaustion stage.
• The process in the HPA axis starts from the release of corticotrophin
hormone in the pituitary gland and ending in the release of cortisol by the
adrenal glands.
• Chronic stress can hamper the immune system and may lead to serious
illnesses.
• Common symptoms of stress range from cognitive, physical, emotional, to
behavioral manifestations.
• Coping styles may either be emotion-focused or problem-focused.
