HEALTH BYTES
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S t r e s s A wa r e n e s s
Stress is a commonly used term for the body’s response to something
perceived as a threat (even if it is not). This biological reaction
increases reaction time, breathing and heart rate, diverts blood flow
to the brain and large muscles, and slows down non-essentials functions.
During the early years of mankind the
Common symptoms of stress
Body
physical)
Mood & feelings
(emotional)
ability to fight or flight (run away) ensured
Behaviour
 Headache
 Anxiety
 Overeating
 Muscle pain or
 Restlessness
 Aggressive behaviour
 Lack of focus or
 Drug or alcohol
tension
 Chest pain
motivation
misuse /abuse
 Fatigue
 Feeling overwhelmed
 Sleep problems
 Irritability, anger
 Changes in sex drive
 Sadness, depression
 Increased tobacco
use
 Social withdrawal
 Less physical activity
survival. Although threats today are
mostly emotional or mental and this
“fight or flight” impulse has no outlet, (if
we do not actively do something about
it) it still affects our body, mood and
behaviour.
Each individuals’ interpretation of a
situation, skills and resources are dissimilar
and we respond to stress differently.
To improve the ability to handle setbacks
and challenges without becoming
overwhelmed, we should know what is
causing you to stress, and understand
Relaxation techniques
Abdominal breathing
Place your hand on your tummy, and
breathe in for a count of 3 and feel
the abdominal wall move out.
Breathe out for a count of 4 and feel
your tummy move in. Take at least 10
deep breaths to counteract the fast,
shallow breathing that is an instinctual
reaction to stress.
Clench and relax muscles
 First the limbs, then the abdomen
and face. Curl the toes, clench leg
muscles and buttocks and keep the
tension as tight as you can for 2 to 4
counts. Then relax the toes, leg
muscles and buttocks.
the general factors which can improve
 Clench the hands to make a tight
fist, contract the arm muscles and
pull the shoulders up to the ears.
Keep the tension for 2 to 4 counts
then relax the fists, arms muscles,
and let the shoulders come down.
stress tolerance and increase resilience.
3 Apps to help you
to better manage your stress
1.
 Contract the abdominal muscles,
pull the navel to the spine, clench
the buttocks, keep the tension for 2
to 4 counts, then relax.
 Clench the teeth, grimace and
squeeze the eyes tight, hold the
tension for 2 to 4 counts then relax.
2.
3.
www.happify com
Improve your mood using positive
thinking activities;
www.thinkpacifica.com
Teaches deep breathing and how to
replace negative thoughts with positive
thinking patterns
www.adaa.org
Help you cope with depression, anxiety,
anger and stress.
Repeat the sequence a few times if
necessary.
OCSA Head Office: T (011)803-3538 | Block B Eden Park, No 4th Ave, RIVONIA | www.ocsa.co.za
HEALTH BYTES
Looking after you… Keeping you informed …Keeping you up-to-date
We all need some degree of stress to live a normal life
The Inverted U-model shows the
relationship between Pressure and
Performance. Looking at the model,
peak performance is achieved when
people experience a moderate level
of pressure. Where they experience
too much (distress) or too little
pressure, their performance declines,
sometimes severely.
The right hand side of the graph shows
where they're starting to "fall apart
under pressure." (Distressed).
They're overwhelmed by the volume
and scale of competing demands on
their attention, and they may be
starting to panic.
Not all stress is bad for you, in fact we
all tend to perform better when we
are under “moderate” stress, where
we feel we have control and there is
an end in sight. However, prolonged
stress, especially when the sufferers
feels or believes they have no
control, tends to become a vicious
cycle that feeds itself, progressively
increasing perceived stress.
Our body always works towards
psychological calm or homeostasis,
www.mindtools.com/pages/article/inverted-u.htm
yet also requires physiological arousal
to ensure optimum functioning,
On the left, people are underespecially the heart and muscles.
challenged, they see no reason to
work hard at a task, or they're in
danger of approaching their work in a
"sloppy," unmotivated way.
The middle of the graph shows where
they're working at peak effectiveness
(Eustress). They're sufficiently motivated
to work hard, but they're not so
overloaded that they're starting to
struggle. This is where people are
highly productive and do their best
work.
What is causing your stress?
Review your situation by looking at
recent lifestyle changes e.g. moving,
changing jobs, retirement,
pregnancy, uncertainty,
bereavement, financial matters,
illness and relationships.
Can you handle setbacks?
Use an interactive tool to measures
your ability to deal with life’s
challenges.
www.cardiosmart.org/healthwise/
tx43/65/tx4365
STRESS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO
THREE CATEGORIES:
1. Distress is the most common type of
stress, having negative implications.
Eustress and distress can both be
equally taxing on the body, and are
cumulative in nature. But
depending on the person's methods
of coping or adapting to a change
causing it, the body itself cannot
physically discern between distress or
eustress.
Distress is normally just called stress. It
can also be divided into acute stress
and chronic stress. Acute stress
appears and disappears over a short
period of time and can be intense,
while chronic stress may not appear
to be intense but lingers for a much
longer period of time.
2. Eustress is a positive form of stress
and usually arises in a situation which
a person finds motivating or inspiring.
Examples could be meeting a role
model or someone famous, or falling
in love! Eustress situations are
normally enjoyable and not harmful
psychologically or physiologically.
3. Neustress is neutral and has no
consequential effect, its neither
considered good nor bad. News of
an earthquake in Chile or Haiti may
fall into this category. Although the
events themselves are stressful, its
impact on an individual removed
from the area tends to be neutral.
www.childhoodtraumarecovery.com
www.webmd.com
www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com
OCSA Head Office: T (011)803-3538 | Block B Eden Park, No 4th Ave, RIVONIA | www.ocsa.co.za