Emotions and Stress - UMKC

[Pages:2]Emotions and Stress

Emotions

Stress Stressor

complex patterns of cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses to an arousing situation that is personally significant

pattern of responses to a situation that taxes or exceeds your ability to cope

specific stimulus or event that demands an adaptive response

7 Emotions are universally recognized around the world

fear ? disgust ? happiness ? surprise ? contempt ? anger ? sadness

Types of Stress

1. Acute Stress ? short-term Can cause the "fight or flight" response - fast breathing and heart rate - blood vessel constriction / rise in blood pressure - muscles open throat and nose to let more air into lungs - strong emotional facial expressions - some smooth muscle bodily functions stop (digestion) - adrenaline is produced - liver produces more sugar - increased sweating - goose bumps

2. Chronic Stress ? long-lasting General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) 1) Alarm reaction brief periods of arousal preparing the body for vigorous activity 2) Resistance enduring moderate arousal to help resist bad effects of stressors 3) Exhaustion body's resources are depleted (decrease in hormones, decreased ability to resist stressors, depression, illness)

3. Stress of living (background noise of every day living) Positive and Negative life events both cause stress (see Student Stress Scale)

4. Procrastination ? putting off doing tasks and/or assignments until the last minute Health costs of procrastination ? symptoms of illness start slightly lower at the beginning of the semester for procrastinators, but late in the semester, they are much higher

Types of Stressors 1. Traumatic stressors (disasters) 2. Chronic stressors (conditions in society and the environment) 3. Daily hassles the more daily hassles, the greater the number of health problems

Would you be better off without stress (no challenges, no difficulties, no new fields to try, no reason to learn or improve abilities)??

NO must solve problems to "survive and thrive"

K. M. Booth, Ph.D. ? UMKC Track & Field ? 2006 Reference: Gerrig RJ, Zimbardo PG. (2002). Psychology and life (16th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Emotions and Stress

Coping

process of dealing with demands that press or exceed your resources Behavioral responses Emotional responses Motivational responses Thoughts

Coping with Stress

1. Cognitive appraisal of the stressor (is this a threat? stress moderator variable) a. Primary appraisal initial evaluation to figure out what's happening and how it's affecting you b. Secondary appraisal deciding something must be done and figuring out how you're going to deal with the stressor c. Modifying cognitive appraisal can help changing how you regard the stressor

2. Anticipatory coping making preparations before a potentially stressful event 3. Problem-directed coping confronts problem directly 4. Emotion-focused coping changing emotional responses to coping: lessens discomfort

associated with the stressor 5. Personal control Having a sense of control over a stressful situation reduces the

a. impact of stressors and decreases feelings of anxiety and depression b. Perceiving personal control over a stress-producing can often result in no more

psychological distress or physical arousal than people not exposed to the stressor c. Perception of personal control must be realistic to be adaptive 6. Use any social support available to you helps reduce your vulnerability to stress 7. Take personal time to relax and unwind 8. Focus on one stressor at a time. 9. Eat healthy meals and snacks! Excess sugars and fatty foods slow down your brain. 10. Get adequate sleep.

Social isolation is just as potent a health risk as smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and physical inactivity

K. M. Booth, Ph.D. ? UMKC Track & Field ? 2006 Reference: Gerrig RJ, Zimbardo PG. (2002). Psychology and life (16th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

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