Lecture 9. psychosocial health and stress happiness

PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH and StressLSN 1303: HEALTH & WELLNESS

PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH• Encompasses the mental,

emotional, social & spiritual dimensions of health.

• It is the result of a complex interaction between a person’s history and his or her thoughts about and interpretations of the past and what it means to the present.

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality

• Extroversion: the ability to adapt to a social situation and demonstrate assertiveness as well as power or interpersonal involvement.

• Agreeableness: the ability to conform, be likable, and demonstrate friendly compliance as well as love.

• Openness to experience: the willingness to demonstrate curiosity and independence (also referred to as inquiring intellect)

• Emotional stability: the ability to maintain social control.

• Conscientiousness: the qualities of being dependable and demonstrating self-control, discipline, and need to achieve

• Resiliency: the ability to adapt to change and stressful events in healthy and flexible ways.

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Psychologists have long

argued that before one can achieve any of the abovementioned characteristics of psychologically and social healthy people, basic needs must be met first

MENTAL HEALTH (The Thinking You)

• The successful performance of mental function and results in productive activities, fulfilling relationships, and the ability to cope with life’s challenges.

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• The Family– Children raised in healthy,

nurturing, happy families are more likely to become well-adjusted, productive adults.

– But, there are more factors involved in a person’s “process of becoming” not just the family.

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• The Macro Environment– Persistent stressors,

uncertainties, and threats can cause significant problems.

– Having a positive role model in the midst of chaos, or certain positive personality traits can help children from even the worst environments remain healthy and well adjusted.

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• Self-Efficacy & Self-Esteem– Self-efficacy; belief in

one’s ability to perform a task successfully

– Self- esteem: sense of self-respect and self-worth.

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• Learned Helplessness and Learned Optimism– Learned helplessness:

pattern of responding to situations by giving up because of repeated failure in the past.

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• Learned Optimism– Teaching oneself to think

positively.

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• Personality– Unique mix of characteristics

that distinguish you from others.

– It determines how we react to challenges of life, interpret our feelings, and resolve our conflicts.

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality• Extroversion

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality

• Agreeableness

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality

• Openness to Experience

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality

• Emotional Stability

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality

• Conscientiousness

Traits of a psychosocially healthy personality

• Resiliency

FACTORS AFFECTING PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH

• Life span and Maturity– Transition to independence– Requires successful completion

of earlier development task;• Problem solving• Evaluating decisions• Defining and adhering to

personal values• Establishing casual and intimate

relationships.

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Find a support group

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Complete required tasks

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Form realistic expectations

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Make time for yourself:Make sure that you do things that you enjoy

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Maintain physical health through exercise

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Examine problems and seek help when necessary

Strategies to Enhance Psychosocial Health

• Get Adequate Sleep. Especially important for growing children

Strategies to enhance Happiness

• Develop gratitude

Strategies to enhance Happiness

• Use Capitalization– The process by which we

focus on the good things that happen to us and share those things with others.

Mental Health threats to College Students

• Mood Disorders– Anxiety– Depression– Dysthymia– Bipolar disorder– Seasonal affective

disorder

Depression• “common cold of psychological

disturbances.• Chronic mood disorder: experience of

persistent emotional states such as sadness, despair, and hopelessness.

• Major depressive disorder: severe depression that entails chronic mood disorder, physical effects such as sleep disturbance and exhaustion,

• lack of appetite• inability to concentrate.

Treating Mood Disorders• Psychotherapeutic treatment– Cognitive therapy– Interpersonal therapy

• Pharmacologic treatment

Stress• The body’s response to a

challenge.• Response to threats to equilibrium

(homeostasis)• A reaction to stimulus that disturbs

our physical or mental equilibrium• It triggers the flight-or-fight

response (sympathetic)• Stressor: stimulus that triggers

stress.

Two categories of Stress• EUSTRESS– Good stress– Motivates you to

continue working (keeps you challenged and productive)

• DISTRESS– Bad stress– Happens when good

stress becomes too much to bear or cope with.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) (Hans

Selye, 1936)• The predictable way the body responds to stress

• Aims to restore balance (equilibrium / homeostasis)– ALARM STAGE– RESISTANCE STAGE– EXHAUSTION STAGE

ALARM STAGE• The body recognizes

that there’s a threat and prepares to deal with it (fight-or-flight)

• Release of stress chemicals in the body: Cortisol, adrenaline and noreadrenaline.

• Everything in the body is working as it should.

RESISTANCE STAGE• Body shifts to this stage with the source

of stress being possibly resolved.• Begin to restore balance• Period of recovery (repair and renewal)• Hormone levels return to normal but

reduced defence and adaptive energy left.

• Is stress persists the body adapts by continuous effort in resistance (thereby remaining in state of arousal)

• Problems begin to manifest when you find yourself repeating this process too often with little or no recovery.

EXHAUSTION STAGE• Stress has continued for

sometime• Ability to resist is lost

due to adaptation energy that is gone.

• Stress levels go up and stay up.

• Adaptation process is over

• Most hazardous to health.

Physiologic symptoms of distress• High blood pressure

• Rapid breathing• Generalized tension

Behavioral symptoms (manifestation of coping

strategies)• Overeating• Loss of appetite• Drinking• Smoking

Stress tolerance• The power to endure

stress

Coping with stress• The trick to coping with stress is not to expect

that you can eliminate it; but rather to manage the symptoms of stress.

Ways to become stress resistant• Stop feeling guilty

• Be decisive• Avoid being perfectionist• Set priorities for yourself• Stop procrastinating• Praise yourself• Live an optimal lifestylehttps://youtu.be/luRkeDCoxZ4