Key Concepts
| Body’s response to challenge | Stress is the body’s response to a perceived challenge or threat, involving both physical and psychological changes. |
| Cognitive appraisal perspective | Stress occurs when a person evaluates a situation as threatening or challenging. |
| Mismatch of demands and resources | Stress arises when the demands of a situation exceed a person’s perceived ability to cope or manage those demands. |
The 3 Part Model of Stress
Stressor
- Event, situation or demand triggerign a stress response
- Can me major life events or daily hassles
- Positive stressors (Marriage, kids)
- Negative stressors (Financial strain)
- Can be acture, intermittent or chronic
Stress Response
- How your body and mind react to stress
- Physiological = increased heart rate, breathing, muscle tension, cortisol
- Paychological = anxiety, frustration, overwhelm
Coping
- Strategies used to dcope with stress
- Problem focused, emotion focused, avoidance based
- Can be helpful and unhelpful
Two Types of Stress
Eustress vs Distress
| Eustress | Distress |
| Stress that feels motivating, arising from positive events. Linked to increased engagement and satisfaction. | Negative stress from situations that feel threatening and unmanageable. Leads to anxiety, burn out and health issues. Demands outweigh resources. |
Causes & Effects of Stress
Types of Stressors
Major life events:
- Losing job
- Marriage
- Miving
- Loss
- Measured using Life Change Units
Daily hassles & uplifts
- Routine challenges
- Traffic
- Deadlines
- Positive feedback
- Good conversations
Life Change Units (LCU)
- Measurement to quantify stress for different life events
- Higher LCU = higher stress
- Both positive & negative stress add to total stress load
3 Faces of Stress Response
| Phsyiological | Emotional | Behavioural |
| – Fight, flight, fawn – Heart rate increases – Cortisol released Alarm, resistance, exhaustion | – Anxiety, frustration, sadness – Influenced by how you appraise a stressor – Excitement, pride, relief | Actions you take the manage or escape stress. Seeking help, avoidance, aggresion, eating. |
Short Term vs Long Term Effects of Stress
Short Term
- Heighten alertness
- Boost of energy
- Stronger immune response
- Greater focus and motivation
- Temporary anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
Long Term
- Risk of heart disease
- Weakened immune system
- Migrains, ecxema
- Mental health issues
- Burnout
Fact Or Myth?
| Stress can cause cancer | Myth. Stress does not directly cause cancer, but it may influence tumor growth or immune function. |
| Chronic stress weakens immunity | Fact. Ongoing stress can decrease lymphocyte levels, making you more susceptible to infections. |
| Stress always leads to poor performance | Myth. Moderate stress can improve focus and performance, but too much or too little can be harmful. |
| Stress can trigger migraines | Fact. Stress is a known trigger for migraine headaches and can worsen symptoms. |
| Helping professionals risk compassion fatigue | Fact. Repeated exposure to others’ trauma can lead to emotional exhaustion and reduced empathy. |
Moderators of Stress
Transactional Model of Stress & Coping
- Developed by Lazarus & Folkman 1987
- Explains why people respond differently to the same stressors
- Dybamc interactions between individual & environment
Steps
- Encountering potential strerror
- Primary appraisal: threat, challenge or benign?
- Secondary appraisal: assessing coping resources
- Coping response: choosing a strategy
- Outcomes: ADaption, Ongoing stress, Growth
Moderating Stress
Personality Traits
- Optimism & conscientiousness linked to adaptive coping and better stress management
- Influences how we appraise stressors
Coping Styles
- Problem focused = taking action to address stress
- Emotion focused = managing emotional reactions (best when you can’t control situation)
- Avoidance = not facing issue
Social Styles
- Social support buffers effect of stress
- Strong social networks linked to better resilience
- Comfort, care, help
Self-efficacy & Control
- Your belief in your ability to overcome obstacles
- High self efficacy = more likely to use effective coping strstegies
- Sense of control reduced stress –> increases confidence in ability to change outcomes
Contextual Influences
- Age
- Middle aged people have more work & family stress
- Older adults fewer stress
- Gender & Identity
- Discrimination
- Stressors requires specialised coping
- Culture & environmnet
- Different cultures encourage different copings styles
- Shapes how we appraise stress
- Work place culture
- Community
- Occupational context
- Healthcare professions exposed to trauma
- Type of work
Resilience
- Your ability to adapt and recover from adversity
- Can be developed through practice, support and learning strategies
- Positive appraisal, strong social support, flexible coping
Compassion Fatigue & Burnout
- Risk for people in helping professions
- Repeated exposure to other people’s suffering leading to exhaustion and reduced empathy
| Compassion fatigue | Burnout |
| Emotional exhaustion & reduced empathy. Irritability, low concentration, feeling detached, Prevention: Set boundaries, self care, supervision | Chronic workplace stress, heavy workloads with no support. Persistent fatigue, cynicism, withdrawal. Prevention: work-life balance, supervisor support, professional development |
Stress Management & Coping Strategies
CBT Approaches
Cognitive Restructuring
- Identify & challenge unhelpful thoughts
- Reframe all or nothing thinking
- Create a balanced perspective
Relaxation Training
- Deep breathing
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Calms body’s stress response
- Helps reduce acute stress
Time Management
- Helps organise tasks
- Breaks tasks into smaller steps
- Uses tools to decrease overwhelm
Behavioural Activation
- Do positive activities even when stressed to boost mood
- Exercise, socialising, hobbies
Humour & Social Support
| Humour | Social Support |
| – Changes the way we appraise situations – Lower stress levels – Increase positive emotions – Helps you see the lighter side of challenges | – Emotional, informational, belongingness – Positive interactions with people buffer the effects of stress – Build support networks |
Myths & Facts About Stress Management
| Humour isn’t a serious coping strategy | Myth. Research shows humour can buffer stress and promote wellness when used adaptively. |
| Social support only matters if it comes from close friends | Myth. Support from acquaintances or even strangers can also reduce stress and improve outcomes. |
| CBT is only for clinical problems | Myth. CBT techniques are widely used for everyday stress management, not just clinical issues. |
| Time management can reduce stress | Fact. Effective time management helps prevent overwhelm and increases your sense of control. |
