All Stressed Out

All Stressed Out

This activity examines the way that psychologists conceptualize stress, emphasizing that stress is a biopsycho-social process. You will explore the sources of stress in your own life, review your body’s
response to stress, and then learn how cognitive appraisal dramatically affects how much stress you
actually experience.

Checking the Level of Stress in Your Life
• What was your “Stress Test” score? __18___
• Do you think that such a test accurately captures your experience? What other stressors should be
included?
I do not think that the test accurately captured my experience for the week. It did not include other stressors such as: catastrophes, significant life changes or all of my daily life hassles that cause stress. I believe that problems with children for older students should have been included. I also believe that stress of all the responsibilities a mother has to accomplish in one day should be added also; however that is not everyone’s story such as mine. This is why I believe my score was very low. I have many stressors each day that I work through with the grace of God.

Stress, Stressors, and Coping
• Psychologists differentiate stressors, strain, and stress. What does each of these terms mean?

(1) Stressor: Anything (physical or psychological) that produces stress (negative or positive) is considered a stressor. For example, getting a promotion is a positive event, but may also produce a great deal of stress with all the new responsibilities, work load, etc.

(1) Stress: Stress: A psychological and physical response of the body that occurs whenever we must adapt to changing conditions, whether those conditions be real or perceived, positive or negative. Although everyone has stress in their lives, people respond to stress in different ways. Some people seem to be severely affected while others seem calm, cool, and collected all the time. Regardless, we all have it. It's also important to note that there are...

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