1. and Health
How to Cope with Stress
Feeling like there are too many pressures and demands on you?
Losing sleep worrying about tests and schoolwork?
Eating on the run because your schedule is just too busy?
You're not alone. Everyone experiences stress at times - adults, teens,
and even kids. But there are things you can do to minimize stress and
manage the stress that's unavoidable.

2. How to Cope
Two ways people can cope with stress?
 Problem-focused coping
 Emotion-focused coping

3. How to Cope
 Problem-focused coping
 Coping strategies that try to eliminate the source of a stress
or reduce its impact through direct actions
 Emotion-focused coping
 Coping strategies that change the impact of a stressor by
changing the emotional reaction to the stressor.

4. and Health
Problem focused coping
 Eliminating or changing the stressor itself
 Reducing the impact of the stressor
 Stressor: Events that cause a stress reaction, either they come
from within or from an external source

5. and Health
Emotion focused coping
 Changing the emotional reaction to the stressor
 Coping strategy that reduces emotional impact of
stressor & makes it possible to deal with it better
 Humor is a form of emotion focused coping
 Changing the view from a threat to a challenge

6. and Health
Psychological Defense Mechanisms
 Denial – Refusal to recognize or acknowledge a threatening
situation.
 Ben is an alcoholic who denies being an alcoholic
 Repression – Pushing threatening events or situations out of
conscious memory.
 Elise was sexually abused as a child but has no memory of it
 Rationalization – Making up acceptable excuses for
unacceptable behavior.
 If I don’t eat breakfast I can have cake later without it hurting my diet

7. and Health
Psychological Defense Mechanisms
 Projection – Placing one’s own unacceptable thoughts onto
others, as if those thought belong to them and oneself.
 Keisha is attracted to her sister’s husband but denies this and believes
the husband is attracted to her
 Reaction Formation – Forming emotional reaction or attitude
that is the opposite of one’s threatening or unacceptable actual
thoughts.
 Matt is unconsciously attracted to Ben but outwardly voices extreme
hatred of homosexuals

8. and Health
Psychological Defense Mechanisms
 Displacement – Expressing feelings that would be threatening
if directed at the real target so a less threatening target is
substituted.
 Sandra gets in trouble with her boss and goes home and takes it out
on her children
 Regression – Falling back on childlike patterns as a way of
coping with stressful situations.
 Four-year-old Jeff starts wetting the bed after his parents bring home
a new baby

9. and Health
Psychological Defense Mechanisms
 Identification – Trying to become like someone else to deal with
one’s own anxiety
 Marie really admires Suzy the most popular girl in school and tries to
copy her behavior and dress
 Compensation – When a person tries to make up for areas
which a lack is perceived by becoming superior in some other
way.
 Reggie isn’t good at sports so he turns his energies to academics

10. and Health
Psychological Defense Mechanisms
 Sublimation – Turning socially unacceptable urges into socially
acceptable behavior
 Alan who is very aggressive becomes a professional hockey player

11. and Health
Coping Mechanisms
Meditation – A mental series of exercises
meant to refocus attention and achieve a
trance-like state of consciousness.

12. Types of meditation:
 Concentrative Meditation
 Concentrative meditation focuses the attention on the breath,
an image, or a sound (mantra), in order to still the mind and allow
a greater awareness and clarity to emerge.
Ex: For example, when a person is anxious, frightened, agitated, or
distracted, the breath tends to get shallow, rapid, and uneven. On
the other hand, when the mind is calm, focused, and composed, the
breath is slow, deep, and regular. Focusing the mind on the
continuous rhythm of inhalation and exhalation provides a natural
object of meditation.

13. Types of meditation:
 Receptive Meditation
Where a person attempts to become aware of everything in
immediate conscious experience or an expansion of
consciousness
Ex: Standing by an ocean’s edge on a starry night and
suddenly become aware of how vast the universe really is

14. Culture plays important roles in coping:
 Stress isn’t that common in eastern
societies compared to western.
Mental illness is often explained as an
imbalance between male and female
elements of a person, loss of soul, evil
spirits, or weakening of the nerves

15. Religion Affects Coping
Religion Affects Coping…
 Belief in a higher power
 Rituals and rights that help people feel better
about personal weaknesses, failures, or
feelings of inadequacy
 Encourage healthy behavior and living

16. STRESS and Health
Ways to Promote wellness in our lives?
Wellness can be defined as the practice of behaviors and lifestyle
choices that promote good physical and mental health
Taking charge of your stress
 In our frenetic, fast-paced world, many people deal with frequent or
even constant stress. The overextended working mother, the hard-
charging “Type A” personality, the self-critical perfectionist, the chronic
worrier: they’re always wound up, always stretched to the breaking point,
always rushing around in a frenzy or juggling too many demands.

17. STRESS and Health
I. Exercise
Physical exercise not only promotes overall fitness,
but it helps you to manage emotional stress and
tension as well. It makes the heart healthier, raises
the metabolic rate to help maintain healthy weight,
raises good cholesterol and lowers the bad.

18. STRESS and Health
II. Get involved get social support
 Make some friends or new friends
 Join a social organization
 Entertain by inviting friends over

19. STRESS and Health
III. Get Some Sleep
 Sleep restores the body physically and manages
stress during dreaming.
 Sleep deprivation can lead to lower production
of natural killer cells which are important for the
immune system

20. STRESS and Health
IV. Maintain a healthy diet
 Eating breakfast decreases the risk of stroke,
obesity, and diabetes
 Staying away from fast foods!
 Protein in the morning helps improve alertness
and concentration
 Healthy snacks at least twice daily!

21. STRESS and Health
V. Manage your time
Don't try to be perfect - no one is. And expecting
others to be perfect can add to your stress level,
too (not to mention put a lot of pressure on
them!). If you need help on something, like
schoolwork, ask for it!

22. STRESS and Health
Take a Stand!
 Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Taking on
more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
 Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes
stress in your life limit the amount of time you spend with that person or
end the relationship entirely.
 Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you
anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-
traveled route.

23. STRESS and Health
V. Have Some Fun!
 Play is important so schedule time to relax
 Play a game with a friend
 Read a book
 Playing helps prevent burn-out!

24. STRESS and Health
Nurture Yourself
Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily
schedule.
Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance
your life.
Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities
that bring you joy,
Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at
yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of
ways.

25. STRESS and Health
VII. Just Breath…
When feeling stressed:
Take a moment to cope
Take a deep breath to calm yourself and relax
If you need to cry then find a quiet place to cry
Sometimes crying can relieve stress