Hans Selye (1907-1982)

Negative Stress
It is a contributory factor in minor conditions, such as
headaches, digestive problems, skin complaints, insomnia
and ulcers.
Excessive, prolonged and unrelieved stress can have a
harmful effect on mental, physical and spiritual health.
 Positive Stress
Stress can also have a positive effect, spurring
motivation and awareness, providing the stimulation to
cope with challenging situations.
Stress also provides the sense of urgency and
alertness needed for survival when confronting
threatening situations.
 Acute stress
Acute stress is the most common type of stress. It’s your body's immediate reaction
to a new challenge, event, or demand, and it triggers your fight-or-flight response. As
the pressures of a near-miss automobile accident, an argument with a family member,
or a costly mistake at work sink in, your body turns on this biological response.
Acute stress isn't always negative. It's also the experience you have when riding a
rollercoaster or having a person jump out at you in a haunted house. Isolated episodes
of acute stress should not have any lingering health effects. In fact, they might
actually be healthy for you, as these stressful situations give your body and brain
practice in developing the best response to future stressful situations.
Severe acute stress such as stress suffered as the victim of a crime or life-
threatening situation can lead to mental health problems, such as post-traumatic
stress disorder or acute stress disorder.
 Episodic acute stress
When acute stress happens frequently, it’s called episodic acute stress.
People who always seem to be having a crisis tend to have episodic acute
stress. They are often short-tempered, irritable, and anxious. People who are
“worry warts” or pessimistic or who tend to see the negative side of
everything also tend to have episodic acute stress.
Negative health effects are persistent in people with episodic acute stress. It
may be hard for people with this type of stress to change their lifestyle, as
they accept stress as a part of life.
 Chronic stress
If acute stress isn't resolved and begins to increase or lasts for long
periods of time, it becomes chronic stress. This stress is constant and
doesn’t go away. It can stem from such things as: Poverty, a
dysfunctional family, an unhappy marriage, a bad job.
Chronic stress can be detrimental to your health, as it can contribute to
several serious diseases or health risks, such as: heart disease, cancer,
lung disease, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, suicide.
The most stressful jobs:
 Enlisted military personnel
 Surgeon
 Firefighter
 Commerical airline pilot
 Police officer
 Registered Nurse
 Emergency dispatcher
 Newspaper reporter
 Social worker
 Teacher
Types Of Stressors:
External
Internal
 External Stressors
 Physical Environment Physical Environment
 Social Interaction  Noise
 Bright Lights
 Organizational
 Heat
 Major Life Events  Confined Spaces
 Daily Hassles
 Social Interaction Organizational
 Rudeness  Rules
 Bossiness  Regulations
 Aggressiveness by others  Deadlines
 Bullying
 Major Life Events Daily Hassles
 Birth  Commuting
 Death  Misplaced keys
 Lost job  Mechanical breakdowns
 Promotion
 Marital status change
 Internal Stressors Lifestyle Choices
 Lifestyle choices  Caffeine
 Lack of sleep
 Negative self - talk
 Overloaded schedule
 Mind traps
 Personality traits Negative Self - Talk
 Pessimistic thinking
 Self criticism
 Over analyzing
 Mind Traps Personality Traits
 Unrealistic expectations  Perfectionists
 Taking things personally  Workaholics
 All or nothing thinking
 Exaggeration
 Rigid thinking
 Stress symptoms may be affecting your health, even though you
might not realize it. You may think illness is to blame for that
nagging headache, your frequent insomnia or your decreased
productivity at work. But stress may actually be the culprit.
Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and
feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize common
stress symptoms can give you a jump on managing them. Stress
that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such
as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
 Common effects of stress on your body: headache, muscle
tension or pain, chest pain, fatigue, stomach upset, sleep
problems
Common effects of stress on your mood: anxiety, restlessness,
lack of motivation or focus, feeling overwhelmed, irritability or
anger, sadness or depression
Common effects of stress on your behavior: overeating or
undereating, angry outbursts, drug or alcohol abuse, tobacco use,
social withdrawal, exercising less often
 Recognise The Problem
The most important point is to recognize the source of the
negative stress. This is not an admission of weakness or
inability to cope! It is a way to identify the problem and plan
measures to overcome it.
 Stress Management Techniques
 Change your thinking
 Change your behaviour
 Change your lifestyle
 Change your Thinking
• Re-framing
• Positive thinking
 Change your Behaviour
• Be assertive
• Get organised
• Ventilation
• Humour
• Diversion and distraction
 Change Your Lifestyle
• Diet
• Exercise
• Sleep
• Leisure
• Relaxation