MODULE: (VAL01) – UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

CHAPTER 10 - MANAGING STRESS

a.) Explain the effects of stress to one’s health.

b.) Examine cultural dimension of stress and coping.
c.) Design a self-care plan.

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any

kind of demand or threat. When you sense
danger—whether it’s real or imagined—the
body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid,
automatic process known as the ―fight-or-
flight‖ reaction or the ―stress response. ‖ The
stress response is the body’s way of protecting
you. When working properly, it helps you stay
focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency
situations, stress can save your life— giving you
extra strength to defend yourself, for example,
or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid a
car accident. Stress can also help you rise to
meet challenges. It’s what keeps you on your
toes during a presentation at work, sharpens
your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an
exam when you’d rather be watching TV. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and
starts causing major damage to your health, mood, productivity, relationships, and your quality of life.

3 TYPES OF STRESS

EUSTRESS (+)
-Good stress
- Any stressor that motivates an individual toward an optional level of performance or
health.
NEUSTRESS

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-Any kind of information of sensory stimulus that is perceived as unimportant or

inconsequential
-Neither positive nor negative.
DISTRESS (-)
-Unfavorable or negative interpretation of an event. (Real or imagined) promotes feeling
of fear nor anger.

COGNITIVE APPRAISAL- type of stress response; process of perceiving and

interpreting a stimulus (thing, change, event, people). (Passer & Smith, 2007)

2 TYPES OF COGNITIVE APPRAISAL

(1) PRIMARY APPRAISAL- initial evolution of a stimulus and categorizing is either
positive, negative, or neutral (Weiten,2014)
(2) SECONDARY APPRAISAL- evaluation of our ―perceived ability to cope with the
situation, that is, the resources you have to deal with it‖ (Passer & Smith, 2007)

STRESSOR
“Any real or imagined situation, circumstances, or stimulus that is perceived to be a
Threat”
“List of Stressors is not only endless, but also varies from person to person” (Seaward,
2018)

Three general types of stressors:

1. CATACLYSMIC EVENTS
• Strong stressors
• Occur suddenly
• May affect many people simultaneously
• Disaster such as tornadoes, plane
crashes
• Natural or man-made calamity
2. PERSONAL STRESSORS
• Major life events
• Death of a parent or spouse, loss of one’s job, major
personal failure
• Even something positive like getting married
3. BACKGROUND STRESSORS
• Daily hassles
• Minor irritations in life
• Standing in a long line in a bank
• Getting stuck in traffic jam
• Long term chronic problem- dissatisfaction with school or a job, unhappy
relationship.

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STRESS AND FILIPINOS: THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF STRESS

By now, we already have an understanding that what we consider stressful is subjective and dependent
on our perspective – which is highly influenced by our social and cultural experience (Weiten, 2014).

As Tan (2006) puts it:

” Not enough being done to understand stress in its local context, yet stress is mediated through culture:
from the very nature of the stressors, to the ways we respond to the stress”

Simple communication in our everyday lives may lead to stress when we give and get a
response such as “Okay lang.” We hear or maybe are guilty of conversations like: “Do
you want to have some?” “Okay lang.” The indirect answer hoping to be interpreted as
how the speaker wants it to be may pose possible conflicts.

TAKING CARE OF SELF

7 PILLARS OF SELF-CARE

“CARING [ for others and self-] CREATES RESILIENCE”

--Kelly McGonigal

Improving your Ability to Handle Stress

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Get moving. Upping your activity level is one tactic you can employ right now to help relieve stress
and start to feel better. Regular exercise can lift your mood and serve as a distraction from worries,
allowing you to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed stress. Rhythmic exercises such
as walking, running, swimming, and dancing are particularly effective, especially if you exercise
mindfully (focusing your attention on the physical sensations you experience as you move).

Connect to others. The simple act of talking face-to-face with another human can trigger hormones
that relieve stress when you’re feeling agitated or insecure. Even just a brief exchange of kind words
or a friendly look from another human being can help calm and soothe your nervous system. So, spend
time with people who improve your mood and don’t let your responsibilities keep you from having a
social life. If you don’t have any close relationships, or your relationships are the source of your stress,
make it a priority to build stronger and more satisfying connections.

Engage your senses. Another fast way to relieve stress is by engaging one or more of your senses—
sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, or movement. The key is to find the sensory input that works for you.
Does listening to an uplifting song make you feel calm? Or smelling ground coffee? Or maybe petting
an animal works quickly to make you feel centered? Everyone responds to sensory input a little
differently, so experiment to find what works best for you.

Learn to relax. You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it
affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s
relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the polar opposite of the stress response. When
practiced regularly, these activities can reduce your everyday stress levels and boost feelings of joy
and serenity. They also increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure.

Eat a healthy diet. The food you eat can improve or worsen your mood and affect your ability to cope
with life’s stressors. Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined carbohydrates, and
sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress, while a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, high-
quality protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, can help you better cope with life’s ups and downs.

Get your rest. Feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally. At the same time,
chronic stress can disrupt your sleep. Whether you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at
night, there are plenty of ways to improve your sleep so you feel less stressed and more productive
and emotionally balanced.

Alata, Castillo, et. al, Understanding The Self. Rex Book Store: 2018
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm