Sunday, March 18, 2001		Stressbusters

*Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it.

* It begins with a life situation that knocks you (gently or abruptly) out of balance.

* You are nudged or shoved into disequillibrium and need to right yourself.

* Change is stressful whether it is happy or unhappy.

* That means

• Good things (job promotions) to which we must adapt (termed Eustress) and

• Bad things (death of loved one) to which we must adapt (termed Distress).

• Both are experienced physiologically.

*Stress can be thought of as the perception- That events or circumstances have challenged or exceeded a person’s ability to cope.

*Stress is a situation to which you must adapt but it is not a sufficient component of stress.

*What is also necessary is your perception of that life situation as stressful.

1. The stimulus

2. The response

3. The whole spectrum of interacting factors

4. The stimulus-response interaction

*We will operationally define stress as the combination of a stressor and Stress Reactivity.

* Without both of these components, there is no stress.

What causes stress?

*Part of the answer is "a stressor".

*The other part is "stress reactivity."

* A stressor is a stimulus with the potential of triggering the fight-or-flight response.

*Environmental (Toxins, Heat, Cold)

* Psychological

(Threats to Self Esteem, Depression)

*Sociological (Unemployment, Death of a loved one)

* Philosophical

(Use of time, Purpose of life)

Regardless of the stressor, body’s reaction will be the same.

The fight-or-flight response is termed Stress reactivity.

* increased tension & blood pressure,

* increased heart & respiratory rate,

* increased neural excitability, and

* increased urination.

These reactions prepare us for swift action when warranted.

Virtually any stressful event, from quarrelling with a boss to winning a lottery, triggers an array of neural and biochemical reactions that prepares us to cope.

1. First, activity in the brain sparks the hypothalamus into action.

2. As shown in the picture, the Hypothalamus secretes a hormone called CRF, which sends messages down two pathways.

3. On one track, nerve cells in the brain stem and spinal cord relay impulses to the core of the adrenal glands.

4. These glands secret epinephrine and norepinephrine, neurochemicals that prime the body for action by increasing heart rate increasing breathing, alertness and muscle response.

5. This chain neurochemical events is often called the fight-or-flight reaction.

6. Simultaneously, the CRF secreted by the hypothalamus causes the pituitary glands, located at the base of the brain, to produce ACTH, a hormone that tells the surface of the adrenal glands to release cortisol into the bloodstream.

7. Cortisol sets off reactions that speed up the body’s metabolism. These two tracks feed back to the pituitary gland to regulate the stress response further.

8. Although triggering this response helps you deal with stress, repeated exposure can damage you mentally and physically.