March focus: Address the stress
What is stress? Any mental, emotional, and physiological response to any situation that is new, threatening, frightening, or exciting
What is a stressor? - Things that place greater than routine demand on body
How do we react to stressors?
Eustress: stress under which health and performance improves
Distress: unpleasant or harmful stress under which health and performance deteriorate
Stress can MOTIVATE us to succeed… but can also OVERWHELM us…
About 75% of adults indicate they have experienced moderate to high levels of stress in the past month
Nearly half report that their stress level has increased in the past year
Stress has been linked to 50-70% of all illnesses
Major stressors: Create emotional turmoil or require amounts of adjustment
Examples:
Personal and family-related
Job/school-related pressures
Major age-related transitions
Minor stressors: Shorter-term or less severe stressors
Examples:
Traffic hassles
Peer/work relations
Time pressures
Family squabbles
Signs and symptoms of stress
Increased irritability
Headaches
Neck & shoulder tension
Moodiness
Restlessness
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling like things are out of control
Upset stomach/GI problems
Back pain
Jaw pain
Change in appetite
Sudden weight changes
Inability to sleep or stay asleep
Increased use of tobacco/alcohol
Frequent worrying
Acne/breakouts
Decreased productivity
Neck stiffness
Withdrawing from friends & family
