Physical Activity & Health e4 Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Understanding Mental Health and Coping with Stress

Physical Activity and Mental Health •

People who are physically active tend to have better mental health.

•

Physical activity has been shown to be effective in treating people who report symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

Mental and Emotional Health Mental health • State of successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity

Mental and Emotional Health Emotional health • Understanding our emotions and coping with changes that arise in everyday life

Mind–Body Relationship

•

Holistic health emphasizes mind-body unity

•

Mens sana in copore sana • “In a sound mind is a sound body” • A healthy and fit body is positively associated with increased mental and emotional wellness

Mind–Body Relationship Psychosomatic disease • Bodily symptoms caused by mental or emotional disturbance

Mental illness • Encompasses all diagnosable disorders • Quantified by changes in our thinking, mood, or behavior that lead to impaired functioning

Mental Illnesses •

•

•

Anxiety • Inflated worry and tension that sets off the fight-or-flight response Depression • Mental disorder mainly noted by alterations in mood Stress • Places mental and physical demands upon us • Can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression

Understanding Stress •

Eustress—good or helpful stress

•

Distress—bad or harmful stress

•

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) • Describes the body’s response to stress and the adaptability of the body to maintain homeostasis • Stressor—anything that disturbs the body’s homeostasis

Understanding Stress Stressors • Does not actually create the body’s response • Individual’s reaction to the stressor • Triggered by our perception of a danger

Understanding Stress • •

Some stress is needed for optimum performance Yerkes-Dodson law • U-shaped function between stress and performance • Theorizes how health and performance are affected

Effects of Stress on Performance

Signs and Symptoms of Unsuccessful Coping

The Three Phases of the General Adaptation Syndrome and Three Major Physiological Pathways

Understanding Stress Alarm reaction • Immediate response to a stressor • Triggered by any threat to our physical or emotional well-being • Fight-or-flight response • Sympathetic nervous system • Prepares the body for intense physical activity

Fight-or-Flight Response

Understanding Stress Stage of resistance • After the alarm reaction, a stage of resistance occurs if the stressor is not completely removed or coped with properly. • The body mobilizes energy like in the alarm stage but at a less intense level and over a long period of time. • The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Cortical Pathway is activated.

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-AdrenalCortical Pathway

Understanding Stress Stage of exhaustion • Body’s resources become depleted and fatigued.

• Prolonged exposure to a stressor can cause the body organs to become weakened and increase the susceptibility to illness.

The Stress窶的llness Relationship

Stress Management •

Keep yourself at a level of stimulation that is healthy and enjoyable

•

Environmental engineering • “Control your circumstances” approach • Avoid stressor in the first place • Control as many environmental circumstances as you can

Stress Management Mind engineering • “Mind-over-matter” • Mind and body are inseparable • Reduces the intensity of our responses to stressors • Stress resistance—“inoculate” yourself against stress by learning to resist its harmful effects • Make it more tolerable and reduce its intensity

Stress Management Physical engineering • “Stress-fit” • Easier to deal with the stress response when your body is healthy from regular physical activity • Expending excess energy and biochemicals • Physiological reactivity

Benefits of Physical Activity Cognitive behavioral theory • As a person engages in physical activity and experiences bodily changes, selfefficacy increases

Social interaction theory • Physical activities done with friends and colleagues, or in social settings, can improve mental health

Benefits of Physical Activity Distraction theory • Physical activity provides a distraction, or time-out, from the daily worries of a stressful society • Physical activity provides an opportunity for introspective thinking that can stimulate creativity in problem solving

Benefits of Physical Activity Endorphin hypothesis • Endorphins—body chemicals responsible for enhancing euphoria and providing pain relief • Neurochemical reaction has been shown to increase after 20 minutes of physical activity

Thermogenic hypothesis • Body temperature rises during physical activity • Warming effect reduces muscle tension

Quick Relaxation Techniques Deep breathing • Countermeasure to stress • Slow down breathing and increase the volume of air inhaled • Provide extra oxygen to the blood

Quick Relaxation Techniques Visualization • Using your imagination to reduce stress • Focusing on a peaceful thought, a goal you want to attain, or create a picture in your mind • Use as many senses as you can

Progressive muscle relaxation • Creating an awareness of the difference between muscular tension and a relaxed state

Time Management Assess current time use • Keep track of how you use your time

Setting priorities • Write down goals and priorities • Divide into essential, important, and trivial

Time scheduling • Include long-term, intermediate, and shortterm goals

Prioritizing Tasks

Physical Activity and Mental Health •

By engaging in regular physical activity, your body becomes better able to handle stress and the chemicals that are released during stressful situations

•

A sound mind and a sound body