Stress Management Intervention Tool: Client-Focused Psychology Project

This assignment presents a comprehensive stress management intervention tool designed for clients, addressing the multifaceted nature of stress and its impact on mental and physical health. The tool begins with an introduction to stress, defining it as the body's response to environmental changes, and emphasizing the importance of stress management for a balanced life. It delves into basic concepts, including stressors, acute and chronic stress, eustress, and distress, along with an overview of health psychology. The assignment further explores the stress response system, detailing the fight-or-flight response, the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), and the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) system. It then examines stressful life events, such as catastrophes, burnout, significant life changes, and daily hassles, and their potential health impacts on the heart, immune system, and susceptibility to diseases like HIV/AIDS and cancer. The tool provides practical coping strategies, including anticipatory coping, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping, along with various stress management techniques such as social support, exercise, relaxation, and meditation. Concluding remarks highlight the significance of coping strategies and external support for improved health outcomes. The assignment is well-structured, providing a client-friendly guide to understanding and managing stress effectively, and is supported by a comprehensive list of references.

Stress
Management
Intervention
Tool
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:

Contents of this
Tool:
• An Introduction to
Stress
• Stress: Basic Concepts
• The Stress Response
System
• Stressful Life Events
• Health Impacts of
Stress
• Coping Strategies
• Stress Management

An Introduction to Stress
Our body’s response to specific environmental changes,
through mental, physical and emotional reactions, is
what constitutes ‘Stress’. While minor quantities of
stress are essential to keep us motivated and energetic,
excessive stress can ultimately disrupt our mental and
physical peace, leading to a loss of a balanced and
peaceful life. Hence, Stress Management is of utmost
importance to lead a life of optimism in the face of any
challenges (Gunnar and Vazquez 2015).

Stress: Basic Concepts
• Stress: Our body’s reciprocation towards perceived
threatening, demanding or harmful situations (Dardas and
Ahmad 2015).
• Stressors: Any environmental, biological or chemical event
causing stress. (Example, high temperatures, marital
conflict, smoking) (Chou et al. 2015).
• Acute Stress: Sudden or immediate response to threat
(Example: Escaping a road accident) (Coiro, Bettis and
Compas 2017).
• Chronic Stress: Prolonged feelings of stress and anxiety
(Example: abusive marriage) (Roe et al. 2017).
• Eustress: Advantageous stress required for motivation and
survival (Alertness during road crossing) (Kozusznik,
Rodríguez and Peiró 2015).
• Distress: Negative or harm stress (loss of a loved one,
suffering from an injury or disease) (Parker and Ragsdale
2015).
• Health Psychology: Study of human behavioral and
psychological actions associated with fitness and health
(Prestwich et al. 2014).

The Stress Response System
• Fight or Flight: A Physiological response to a threat, with the
help of the Autonomic Nervous System, compelling a person to
either response or run away from danger. (While encountering a
physical assault, the individual can confront or flee from the
perpetrator. Associated symptoms include pupil dilation, skin
flushing, rapid pulse and shivering as a response (Gold 2015).
• General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): An individual’s
measurable response to stress through 3 stages of alarm stage
(fight or flight, such as nervousness during a public speech),
resistance stage (counter response stress, such as, gaining
courage to speak to the public with confidence) and exhaustion
stage (reduced ability to cope with the stress, leading to fatigue
or depression afterwards) (Buckner et al. 2017).
• Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal System (HPA): Presence of
stressor, leads to the activation of the pituitary gland by the
hypothalamus, which further stimulates adrenal glands to secrete
Cortisol – the stress hormone which helps the body to manage
stress by regulating energy/blood sugar levels (Dieleman 2015).

Stressful Life Events
• Catastrophes: Unexpected occurrence of highly destructive
incidences such as war, community violence or natural disasters like
earthquakes or hurricanes. Survivors of such situations may relive the
event for years through psychological symptoms such as nightmares or
flashbacks, known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
• Burnout: Stress caused due to high work load leading to irritability,
anger, emotional fatigue, feelings of incompetency and loss of interest
towards one’s job.
• Significant Life Changes: Sudden or unexpected situation such as
being fired from your job, leading to stress in the form of low
confidence, self-esteem and reduced mental and emotional security.
• Daily Hassles: Common, daily life problems such as arguments, losing
important files or being stuck in traffic. Though minute, the effects can
accumulate to produce harmful symptoms in the future due to their
high frequency of occurrence (Orth and Luciano 2015).

Health Impacts of
Stress
• Heart: Excessive stress affect heart health
by increasing blood pressure and
cholesterol due to constant functioning of
adrenaline hormones.
• Immune System: Excessive stress
weakens Immunity and increases
susceptibility to diseases.
• HIV/AIDS: Stress increases mortality in
HIV/AIDS patients by weakening the
immune system, resulting in higher viral
load.
• Cancer: Stress increases inflammation,
leading to increased free radical formation
and oxidative stress which may cause
cancer.
• Somatoform Disorders: High stress levels

Coping Strategies
• Coping: Behaviors, strategies and actions aimed at
managing a threatening or stressful situation.
• Anticipatory Coping: Coping strategy focusing on
previously assumed harm or threat (studying hard
beforehand to manage exam stress efficiently).
• Problem Focused Coping: Coping strategy which
focuses on the stressor. Includes: Problem Analysis
(Understanding study materials before an exam),
Hard Work (Study hard but as per capabilities),
Practical Application (Learn from previous exam
results), Talking (Communicating with the
professor for doubts).
• Emotion Focused Coping: Coping strategy
focusing on emotions caused by the stressor.
Includes: Brooding (Accepting that exams are
approaching despite a dislike towards it),
Imagining (Contemplating about academic
excellence), Avoiding (Procrastinating or avoiding
study), Blame (Blaming oneself or others for
disturbances in studying), Social support (Talking

Stress
Management• Social support: Communicating with
close friends and family members, or
individuals who have previously dealt
with the stressor, will help in reducing
distressing symptoms and reducing
coping strategies.
• Exercise: Physical activity improves
immunity and reduces the
physiological symptoms of stress
leading to better stress management.
• Relaxation: Relaxation therapies like
massages or aroma therapies improves
coping and reduces symptoms of
anxiety associated with stress.
• Meditation: Yoga and meditation
improves breathing and regulation of
emotions, further leading to better

Concluding Remarks
While a some amount of stress, helps us in
managing day-to-day living, excessive
stress can be harmful for one’s emotional,
psychological and physiological health.
Hence, in such situations, one must
engage in sufficient coping strategies or
take help from external sources for the
purpose of stress management and
improved health outcomes.

Thank you! Any
Questions?

References
Buckner, S.L., Mouser, J.G., Dankel, S.J., Jessee, M.B., Mattocks, K.T. and
Loenneke, J.P., 2017. The general adaptation syndrome: potential
misapplications to resistance exercise. Journal of science and medicine
in sport, 20(11), pp.1015-1017.
Chou, W.P., Ko, C.H., Kaufman, E.A., Crowell, S.E., Hsiao, R.C., Wang,
P.W., Lin, J.J. and Yen, C.F., 2015. Association of stress coping strategies
with Internet addiction in college students: The moderating effect of
depression. Comprehensive psychiatry, 62, pp.27-33.
Coiro, M.J., Bettis, A.H. and Compas, B.E., 2017. College students coping
with interpersonal stress: Examining a control-based model of
coping. Journal of American College Health, 65(3), pp.177-186.
Dardas, L.A. and Ahmad, M.M., 2015. Coping strategies as mediators
and moderators between stress and quality of life among parents of
children with autistic disorder. Stress and Health, 31(1), pp.5-12.
Dieleman, G.C., Huizink, A.C., Tulen, J.H., Utens, E.M., Creemers, H.E.,
van der Ende, J. and Verhulst, F.C., 2015. Alterations in HPA-axis and
autonomic nervous system functioning in childhood anxiety disorders
point to a chronic stress hypothesis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 51,
pp.135-150.
Frank, J.L., Bose, B. and Schrobenhauser-Clonan, A., 2014. Effectiveness
of a school-based yoga program on adolescent mental health, stress
coping strategies, and attitudes toward violence: Findings from a high-