Health

Stress

• Pattern of cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physiological response to real or imagined stimuli that we perceive as preventing a goal or threatening wellbeing
• The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events of stressors that we consider challenging or threatening

Stressor

• Events or circumstances that cause stress
• Not all are undesirable - we seek out stress, e.g. watch a horror movie, go to university, and can enjoy some degree of stress
• A wide range of factors could be considered stressors - individual differences

Basis of Stress

• Cannon - fight or flight
• Physiological reactions to a dangerous situation
• Preparation to fight or run away
• Physiological reactions are damaging when a stressful situation lasts for a significant period of time

Routine Choices

• Approach-Approach: choice between two desirable outcomes; short term v long term reward, e.g. spending money now or saving it for the future
• Approach-Avoidance: only one outcome is desirable, e.g. wanting to visit a friend but being scared of their dog
• Avoidance-Avoidance: both outcomes are undesirable, e.g. either having root canal or tooth extraction at the dentist

Cognitive Appraisal - Lazarus

• Stage 1: a threat is evaluated; if evalutions of a threat are perceived as real then...
• Stage 2: determination if sufficient resources available to cope with stress (individual differences)
• High hardiness = control over stressors; results in less illness caused by long-term stress
• Perceived control - situations that allow for some form of control = fewer signs of stress

Social Support

• Can be helpful for stress - give advice, encouragement and incentives
• Brown - mixed evidence: receiving social support = increased mortality; giving social support = decreased mortality

Lazarus & Folkman

• Problem-focused coping: actions directed towards the source of the stress, e.g. if work = stressor then you may get a new job
• Emotion-focused coping: actions directed towards personal reaction to the stressor, e.g. seek comfort from friends/family; only option if the problem has no solution/you cannot change it

Cognitive Reappraisal

• New interpretation of the stressor in order to reduce stress

Progressive Relaxation

• Based on same idea as cognitive reappraisal
• Recognise body's signals for stress
• Signal = cue to being relaxed
• Relax by focusing attention to muscle groups, e.g. tensing then relaxing