Coping with Stress

Somatic relaxation training

A means of voluntarily reducing/preventing high levels of arousal

Stress management coping skills

Cognitive restructuring and self-instructional. Alters stress producing cognitive appraisals.

Bottling up feelings

Excessive emotional constraint can cause people to be at a risk factor for cancer and other disorders. Finding a balance and having flexibility in emotional expression and suppression lowers distress and is desirable.

Self-instructional training

Learning to guide behaviour in ways that help coping more effectively. 1) preparing 2) confronting/handling 3) coping 4) evaluation

Trauma Disclosure

Has positive effects on physical and psychological well-being - lowered sickness, anxiety and depression. Enhanced immune system functioning. Depends on quality of disclosure, the supportiveness, understanding and appropriateness of sharing partner. Helps aid the process of extinction and so reduces stressors emotional impact.

Culture and Gender

PFC used by both genders. Women, however, more likely to seek social support and also use EFC. In most cultures and societies boys are pushed to be more independent/assertive/self-sufficeint, girls pushed to be more emotionally expressive/supportive/dependant. Male Response- fight or flight Female Response- tend and befriend Western- PFC, Eastern- EFC/Social

Cognitive relaxation/meditation

Peaceful/Mind-clearing state

Effectiveness of coping mechanisms

Problem-focused coping and seeking social support relate to better adjustment to stressors in most cases. Problem-focused coping desirable when we can control the stressor. Most emotion-focused coping techniques predicted depression and poorer adjustment, however, adaptive emotion-focused strategies such as changing irrational negative thinking or forgiving others can be effective methods in reducing stress. Emotion-focused coping desirable when we cannot influence/modify the stressor and controlling may be maladaptive ie. situations of low personal control. No strategy is effective in all situations.

Relaxation techniques

Somatic Relaxation training and cognitive relaxation/meditation Develop greater control of physiological arousal

Problem - focused coping

Strategies to confront and directly deal with the demands of the situation or to change the situation so that it is no longer stressful. Include; planning; active coping; problem solving; suppressing competing activities; exercising restraint; assertive confrontation.

Emotion - focused coping

Strategies to manage the emotional responses that result from a stressful situation. Include; positive reinterpretation; acceptance; denial; repression; escape avoidance; wishful thinking; controlling feelings.

Cognitive Restructuring

Systematically detect, challenge and replace irrational thoughts

Seeking social support

Turning to others for assistance and emotional support in times of stress. Includes; help and guidance; emotional support; affirmation of worth; tangible aid.