PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Chapter 6 – STRESS

Stress

 It is a reaction of the body and mind to unkind or challenging life incidents such as tense feelings, worry
and discomfort.
 The imbalance between the demand from the environment and the person’s ability to cope can trigger
feelings or anxiety.

2 Types of Stress

Eustress Distress

 It is also called “Positive Stress”.  It is also called “Negative Stress”.

 It is beneficial in attaining best performance.  The harmful physical consequence of
 It promotes growth and accomplishments stress.
and stimulates you to go on.  It is also often causes poor performance.

CAUSES AND EFFECT OF STRESS

Stressor

 Is an event or situation that causes stressful situations, which are seen as risks to the well-being of a
person.

Classification of Stress

1. Acute stress
 The most common form, arises from recent, past and foreseen difficulties.
 It occurs briefly and appears in bits of thrill.
2. Cumulative stress
 Is a series of stress that has built up.
 Several individuals ignore the signs early and end up accumulating them.
3. Chronic stress
 Is a form of stress that is recurring.
 It is a prolonged stress that is dangerous and can lead to severe health problems.

Different Sources of Stress

1. Major Life Changes

 Majority of stressors are key life changers that influence an individual’s family and social life.
Some examples include death of a loved one, losing a job, ect.
2. Everyday Problems
 The stress or “hassles” we encounter everyday or occasional petty incidents are part of this
group.
3. Physical Surroundings
 The immediate surroundings affect the level of day-to-day stress.
4. Other Stressors
 Other stressors involving teenagers include worrying about their future, conflicts and
disagreements with family members, friends and other people, among others.

Common Reactions Experience During Stressful Situations

PHYSICAL SIGNS EMOTIONAL SIGNS BEHAVIORAL SIGNS PSYCHOLOGICAL

 Muscle tension
 Headache
 Pounding heart
 Shortness of breath
 Increased sweating
 Dry mouth
 Skin rash
 Anger, irritability
 Impatience
 Nervousness
 Forgetfulness
 Inability to concentrate
 Negative thinking
 Excessive worrying
SIGNS
 Loss of appetite  constantly irritable
 Overeating w/other people.
 Drug abuse  Feeling of being a
 Sleep problems failure
 Restlessness  Difficulty in making
 Hurrying & talking to decisions
fast  Loss of interest in
 Grinding teeth, nail  Loss of interest  Criticizing others other people
biting.  Self-criticism  Reckless behavior  Having a hard time to
 Frequent crying  Fidgeting concentrate

The General Adaptation Syndrome

 Once a person senses a stressor, his/her body goes through the following stages of General
Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), a theory developed by Austrian-Canadian Hans Selye.

Alarm Stage

 Is the phase where the brain deciphers the distress and instantly deals with it.
 This is also known as “fight or flight”.

Resistance Stage

 Is the process where the stress is being resolved after meeting its demands then the body goes
back to normal afterward.

Exhaustion Stage

 It develops when stress recurs until it becomes chronic and reaches this final stage
 Stress level peaks and plateaus then develops health risk that cause high blood pressure,
stomach and heart problems.

APPROPRIATE STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

1. Manage stressors
o An important approach to minimize stress is to lessen stressors.
2. Rest and sleep
o A very helpful way of reducing stress and relieving tension is having a good amount of rest and
sleep.
3. Exercise
o Exercising naturally relieves the body from the effects of stress
o An aerobic workout stimulates hormones, wears down tight muscles, and given a nicely tired but
stress-free condition.
4. Use relaxation methods in coping with stress
o Numerous types of relaxation methods can be done to counter the adverse effects of stress.
a. Progressive Relaxation  Uses body’s feedback mechanism in reducing muscle
tension, a common indicator of stress.
b. Deep Breathing  It tells the brain to calm down and relax, relieving the stress.
c. Meditation  It is a technique that temporarily “tunes out” the world,
disregards outside disturbances, and provides inner
peace.
d. Visualization  Uses imagination to relax and reduce stress.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE COPING STRATEGIES

Coping

 It is defined as the “capacity to respond and recover from something stressful”.

 Is the conscious response to psychological stress in an attempt to balance mental and emotional
conditions.

Coping Styles

1. Adaptive coping
 It involves direct confrontation and prevention of stress.
2. Maladaptive coping
 It is a counterproductive mechanism that includes the use of alcohol and drugs.
3. Instrumental coping
 Focuses on approaches that tackle the problem to reduce stress of a particular situation.
4. Emotion-focused coping
  Deals with nurturing the emotional health through the stressful period.

Classification of Coping

Active Coping Strategies

 It comprise the recognition of the stressor to lessen its adverse consequences.

Avoidant Coping Strategies

 Ignore the issue or deny the problem.

 Example of avoidant coping includes alcohol intoxication, sleep and isolation.

Coping Strategies

1. Time management requires planning a schedule ahead and sticking with it. This helps in avoiding
cramming and things pilling up.
2. Sharing and taking about problems with someone – a friend, teacher or family member – to relieve
stress.
3. Using adrenaline – raised energy for simple tasks like cleaning the house or the car redirects how the
body reacts from stress.
4. Being at ease lying or sitting down while emptying the mind with upsetting ideas, listening to gentle
music or imagining being in a quiet place can relieve stress.
5. Having a good laugh with friends or family, watching different movies or going to funny places after a
stressful day.

Here are some specific coping strategies that you can adopt:

Humor

 Look at the funny side of a problem. “Positive reframing” is believed to relief small flops.

Seek support

 In the course of a stressful event, support from family members or friends keep emotional health
balance.

Problem-solving

 It is a helpful mechanism that aims to pinpoint the source of the problem and determine solutions. This
is often helpful in work condition.

Relaxation

 Unwinding events or calming skills help manage stress and enhance overall coping.

Physical recreation

 Regular exercises like yoga, meditaton and muscle relaxation are helpful in handling stress.

Adjusting expectations

 Accepting different results of situations in life may help in adjusting the stress associated with any
given change or outcome.

Venting

 An expressing-type of coping technique by voicing out strong sentiments with friends or family.
Moderate venting can be beneficial but pondering the negative may end up to edgy relations over
time.