I have GAS!!!

1. I have GAS!!! DO YOU??

2. GAS??? • General • Adaptation • Syndrome As soon as you perceive something to be a stressor your body springs into action. It’s automatic and you have no control over it!

3. Quick Facts about GAS…or Stress • Stress is a reaction in your body and mind to threatening or challenging events in your life. • You experience stress when situations, events or people make demands on your body and mind. • All stress is caused by something -these causes are called stressors

4. GAS is a series of changes in the body caused by stress. Imagine riding a bike…look up to see you are in the path of a fast moving car OR playing in a basketball game…hustle back on defense to stop the fast break…take a charge General Adaptation Syndrome are the 3 stages of stress

5. Stage 1 ALARM Go from homeostasis state to a surge of adrenaline and will react in one of two ways: fight or flight • Body is ready for quick action. • Epinephrine (hormone that prepares the body to react during times of stress or emergency) is released into the bloodstream.

6. Flight or Fight • Pupils Dilate • Hearing sharpens • Saliva decreases • Heart rate increases • Blood pressure increases • Bronchioles dilate • Digestion slows • Blood flow to muscles increase • Muscles tighten • Blood sugar increases

8. Stage 2 RESISTANCE • Body attempts to regain internal balance. • The body is no longer in an emergency state. • Recover from alarm stage -become tired and irritable then return to homeostasis • Therefore:

9. Our body tries to return to normal… • Pupils constrict • Hearing returns to normal • Saliva increases • Heart rate decreases • Blood pressure decreases • Bronchioles constrict • Intestinal secretions increase to normal • Blood flow to muscles decreases • Muscles relax • Blood sugar returns to normal

10. Stage 3 EXHAUSTION • You will enter the exhaustion stage if you do NOT manage stress. • Wear and tear on the body increases the risk of injury, illness, and premature death. • Body becomes worn down and can no longer fight off the stressor

11. Isn’t stress normal? • SIGNS OF STRESS • •Physical Signs-headache, etc. • •Behavioral Signs-drug abuse, etc. • •Emotional Signs-nervousness, etc.

12. Stress and Injury • Keep your mind on what you are doing -concentrate and think clearly!

13. Eustress Eustressis good stress/positive stress • Getting married • Making the all-star basketball team • Getting the lead role in the school play • Getting moved into a management position in your job • Moderate levels of stress that can actually improve your ability to concentrate and perform at your best.

14. Distress Distress is bad stress/negative stress • Getting caught drinking • Busted for cheating on test • Hitting the snooze too many times • Not getting homework done • Lying to your parents • Losing your cell phone for the 3rd time • Beyond the level of eustress, stress begins to take a negative toll on performance.

15. Emotions of each type of stress Eustress vs. Distress • Alert Nervous • Focused Forgetful • Motivated Frightened • Energized Confused • Confident Unsure

16. Stress • Stress is the body or mind’s response to a demand. • Stressor is any situation placing this demand on the body or mind. • Examples: • Major life changes • Everyday problems • Physical surroundings • Your future • Conflict with family or friends

17. Thinking Stressor • Any type of mental challenge can cause stress • Taking a test • Homework • Decisions

18. Environmental Stressor • Conditions or events in your physical environment that cause you stress • Pollution • Poverty • Crowding • Noise • Natural Disasters

19. Biological Stressors • Conditions that make it difficult for your body to take part in daily activities • Illness • Disability • Disease • Injury • Congenital deformity

20. Behavioral Stressor • Unhealthy behavior that you CHOOSE to do • Not getting enough sleep • Poor time management • Lack of exercise • Using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs

21. Life Change Stressors • Any major life change (either positive or negative) • Death of a loved one • Getting married • Divorce • Other personal events

22. Personality Types & Stress Type A -rushed, competitive, high standards for self, try to accomplish a lot in a short period of time, etc. -if high standards for self are not met, type A personalities experience high levels of distress that can adversely effect their health status Type B-calmer, less competitive, have difficulty facing challenges, etc. -tend to be less concerned about accomplishment and therefore are less likely to experience distress if they do not meet

23. BEHAVIOR AND STRESS • Perfectionism -when someone accepts nothing less than excellence in himself or herself (pressure on self) • Negative Thinking-sometimes negative thoughts accompany stressful situations which in turn increases stress level even further • Hardiness/Resilience-people who experience stress but rarely feel the ill effects • They view stress as a challenge • They are committed & involved in what they do • They have a sense of control

24. Bio Dots • Record when the color changed and briefly describe the situation you were in-a minimum of 10 recordings!! • Try to relax yourself and see if you can cause the color to change to blue or violet. • Try to get the color to change to a darker color by imagining a stressful situation.

25. STRESS REACTION How you react to stressor depends on the answer to these two questions: 1. Does this situation threaten my well-being? 2.Do I have the resources to meet the challenge? Stress then becomes a personal response on how you assess a situation.

26. Stress and your body • Psychosomatic: real physical disorders that are brought on, or made worse, by stress • Stress by itself does not usually cause serious illness • Severe or prolonged stress can effect your health

27. Stress-related Diseases and Disorders 1. Colds and flus • Weakens the immune system and more susceptible to illness & also will take longer to recover 2. Tension Headaches • Muscles in head and neck tighten, causing headaches 3. Backache • Frequent tension in muscles of back

28. Stress-related Diseases and Disorders 4.TMJ Syndrome • Temporomandibular joint is affected because of chronic clenching or grinding of the teeth – pain is present in joints, headaches and dental problems will occur. 5.Coronary Heart Disease • Increased amount of cholesterol (fat-like substance that clogs arteries) in body/bloodstream that decreases the blood supply to the heart. As a result heart attacks are more common

29. Stress-related Diseases and Disorders 6. High Blood Pressure • Can rupture blood vessel in the brain (loss of speech, bodily movement, or death) 7. Chronic Fatigue • Tired all the time. Long-term energy loss. 8. Mental Illness • Stress will wear down the psyche (mental state) 9. Injury prone • Athletes will notice more muscle injuries – strains and sprains

30. Stress wears down the mind and body… • 60-80% of all physical and mental disorders are stress-related • NOT all caused by stress but they are made worse by stress

31. ELIMINATING STRESS • Can’t eliminate ALL stress but you can attempt to interpret some differently and gain control. • Many stressors occur regularly and they can be anticipated and removed. • Waking up late/ having a tough time getting up • Not prioritizing what is MOST important.

32. Stress Terms STRESS INTERVENTION • Any action that prevents a stressor from resulting into negative consequences. SELECTIVE AWARENESS • Choosing to focus on aspects of a situation that help you feel better.

33. Why are teenagers susceptible to stress? • Expectations, temptations, pressures • Parents, teachers and adults tend to view the world of children as happy and carefree. • Teens have worries, pressures and often feel hurried • They have tremendous issues with their self esteem and self confidence. 

34. Teens become very good at acting or hiding their true feelings:  • Teens with low self-esteem appear hesitant and uncomfortable in the classroom and in social situations. • They tend to only answer direct questions and prefer to keep their opinions to themselves because they fear other's reactions.  • They are afraid of being made fun of, afraid of not fitting in.

35. Yes, teen stress, as much as we want to deny is very real! • Teens are physically, emotionally and mentally developing at a very rapid rate. • Hormones kick in. • Parents expect them to make decisions about their future. • Pressure to do well in school, excel at athletics or put a lot of time into studying and community activities comes from parents, teachers, peers and from yourself internally. • Social pressures can be intense.

36. MANAGING STRESS is a LIFELONG PROCESS … So, what can you do to COPE?

37. Stress Coping Techniques 1.Time Management • Prioritize (1-5 daily)

38. Biofeedback learn to control your stress through physical feedback • Confront the Problem don’t deny or avoid the situation -it will just get worse • Mental Rehearsal mental practice in dealing with the stressor and/or situation

39. Meditation • In order to concentrate, we focus on one thing or object. • When our thoughts start to wander, we take them back to our object of focus. • During Meditation, ignore all irrelevant thoughts and sensations.

40. Breathing Exercises • Basic Breathing • Here we go... • ONE • Take a deep, deep breath through your nose. Deeeeep - and slow - and release it slowly through your pursed lips - like blowing a kiss - all the way out... • TWO • Once more - another deep, deep breath - in through your nose - count up to 8 - sit up straight so you can fill your lungs all the way to the bottom - and very slowly, very gently - out through your pursed lips as you count down from 8... • Close your eyes, relax your muscles and allow the tension to leave your body. • THREE • And one more deeeeep breath - in through your nose - and - blow kiss - out slowly and gently through your pursed lips... • And relax your muscles - all over - every muscle - just relaaaax - like butter - like crusty, old snow melting on a warm, sunny day - from the tip of your head to the tip of your toes.

41. Roll Breathing • Place your left hand on your abdomen and your right hand on your chest. Notice how your hands move as you breathe in and out. • Practice filling your lower lungs by breathing so that your left hand goes up when you inhale and your right hand remains still. Always inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. • When you have filled and emptied your lower lungs 8 to 10 times, add the second step to your breathing: Inhale first into your lower lungs as before, and then continue inhaling into your upper chest. As you do so, your right hand will rise and your left hand will fall a little as your abdomen falls. • As you exhale slowly through your mouth, make a quiet, whooshing sound as first your left hand and then your right hand falls. As you exhale, feel the tension leaving your body as you become more and more relaxed. • Practice breathing in and out in this manner for 3 to 5 minutes. Notice that the movement of your abdomen and chest is like rolling waves rising and falling in a rhythmic motion.

42. Humor Therapy Therapeutic Humor

43. Music Therapy Using music to relax or match your mood What’s your mood?

44. Journaling • Write your feelings in a blog or journal • Will help sort out feelings and provides an opportunity for freedom of expression

45. Guided Imagery Think, for example, of holding a fresh, juicy lemon in your hand. Perhaps you can feel its texture or see the vividness of its yellow skin. As you slice it open, you see the juice squirt out of it. The lemon's tart aroma isoverwhelming. Finally, you stick it in your mouth, suck on it and taste the sour flavor as the juices roll over your tongue.

46. IMAGINE the possibilities…

47. Progressive Muscle Relaxation • Feel the tension by squeezing and releasing individual muscles • Begin at the head and move all the way to the feet focusing on one muscle group at a time

48. Aromatherapy • Using aroma-producing oils to relax the body • Impulses from these smells can be sent to the brain to calm the body • Massage oils, candles, lotions, incense

49. Tai Chi & Qi Gong • Ancient Chinese exercises • Based on the theory that energy (qi or chi) flows through the body in energy pathways (meridians). • If the flow is blocked or unbalanced, illness may occur

50. Yoga/Pilates/Pyos • Combination of breathing and exercises called postures • Meditation is often a component of yoga