GUINOBATAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Mauraro, Guinobatan, Albay

MODULE 3
LESSON 3
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Lesson 3:
EMOTIONAL SELF:
ACHIEVING MY EMOTIONAL
COMPETENCIES

Prepared by:

ELLEN GRACE P. LORETE-AÑONUEVO

Instructor
 PREFACE
The American Psychological Association (2017) has these statements about stress:

“Stress is often described as a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried, or run-down. Stress can
affect people of all ages, genders, and circumstances and can lead to both physical and psychological
health issues. By definition, stress is any uncomfortable „emotional experience accompanied by predictable
biochemical, physiological, and behavioral changes.‟ Some stress can be beneficial at times, producing a
boost that provides the drive and energy to help people get through situations like exams or work deadlines.
However, an extreme amount of stress can have health consequences and adversely affect the immune,
cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems.”

Since stress is inevitable to life, we have to learn how to handle and cope up with it. More so, we
have to be familiar with other approach to a healthy lifestyle, which is self- care.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Explain the effects of stress to one’s health;
2. Examine cultural dimension of stress and coping; and
3. Design a self-care plan.

LESSON PROPER
STRESS AND HUMAN RESPONSE

The American Institute of Stress (AIS) has distinguished different types of stress and the human
response to it. Hans Selye defined stress as the body’s nonspecific response to any demand, whether it is
caused by or results in pleasant or unpleasant stimuli. It is essential to differentiate between the unpleasant
or harmful variety of stress termed distress, which often connotes disease, and eustress, which often
connotes euphoria. Eustress is stress in daily life that has positive connotations, such as marriage,
promotion, baby, winning, money, new friends and graduation. Distress is stress in daily life that has
negative connotations such as divorce, punishment, injury, negative feelings, financial problems, and work
difficulties.

However, eustress causes much less damage than distress. This demonstrates conclusively that it
is how an individual accepts stress that determines ultimately whether the person can adapt successfully to
change (AIS 2017).

Selye hypothesized a general adaption or stress syndrome. This general stress syndrome affects
the whole body. Stress always manifests itself by a syndrome, a sum of changes, and not by simply one
change (AIS 2017).
THE GENERAL STRESS SYNDROME HAS THREE COMPONENTS:

1. THE ALARM STAGE - represents a mobilization of the body’s defensive forces. The body is preparing
for the entire “fight or flight” syndrome. This involves a number of hormones and chemicals excreted at high
levels, as well as an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration, and respiration rate, among others.
2. THE STAGE OF RESISTANCE – the body becomes adaptive to the challenge and even begins to resist
it. The length of this stage of resistance is dependent upon the body’s innate and stored adaptation energy
reserves and upon the intensity of the stressor. The acquired adaption is lost if the individual is subject to
still greater exposure to the stressor.
3. THE EXHAUSTION STAGE – the body dies because it has used up its resources of adaptation energy.
Stress diseases are maladies caused principally by errors in the body’s general adaptation process. They
will not occur when all the body’s regulatory processes are properly checked and balanced. The biggest
problems with derailing the general stress and causing disease is an absolute excess, deficiency, or
disequilibrium in the amount of adaptive hormones. For example: Corticoids, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
(ACTH), Growth Hormones are produced during stress. Unfortunately, if stress is induced chronically, our
defense response lowers its resistance since fewer antibodies are produced and an inflammatory response
dwindles (AIS 2017).

In the article “Understanding Stress Response” of the Health Harvard Journal (2017), it further
discussed chronic stress and human body response:
“Chronic stress is unpleasant, even when it is transient. A stressful situation --- whether something
environmental, such as a looming work deadline, or psychological, such as persistent worry about losing a
job can trigger a cascade of stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes. A
stressful incident can make the heart pound and breathing quicken. Muscles tense and beads of sweat
appear.”

This combination of reactions to stress is also known as the “fight-or-flight” response because it
evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening
situations.
Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life- threatening, such as traffic jams,
work pressure, and family difficulties. Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood
pressure, promotes the formation of artery – clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may
contribute to anxiety, depression and addiction.

More preliminary research suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to obesity, both
through direct mechanisms (causing people to eat more) or indirectly (decrease sleep and exercise)
(Health Harvard 2017).

The stress response begins in the brain. When someone confronts an oncoming car or other
danger, the eyes or ears (or both) send the information to the amygdala, an area of the brain that
contributes to emotional processing. The amygdala interprets the images and sounds. When it perceives
danger, it instantly sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus (Health Harvard 2017).
FUNCTIONS OF HYPOTHALAMUS

When someone experience a stressful event, the amygdala, an area of the brain that contributes to
emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. This area of the brain functions like a
command center, communicating with the rest of the body through the nervous system so that the person
has the energy to fight or flee (Health Harvard 2017).

The hypothalamus is a bit like a command center. This area of the brain communicates with the
rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions like
breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat, and the dilation or constriction of key blood vessels and small airways
in the lungs called bronchioles. The autonomic nervous system has two components the sympathetic
nervous system and the parasym-pathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like
a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight- or-flee response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that
it can respond to perceived dangers.

The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake. It promotes the “rest and digest” response
that calms the body down after the danger has passed (Health Harvard 2017). After the amygdala sends a
distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the
autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands.

These glands respond by pumping the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the
bloodstream. As epinephrine circulates through the body, it brings on a number of physiological changes.
The heart beats faster than normal, pushing blood to the muscles, heart, and other vital organs. Pulse rate
and blood pressure go up. The person undergoing these changes also starts to breathe more rapidly. Small
airways in the lungs open wide. This way, the lungs can take in as much oxygen as possible with each
breath. Extra oxygen is sent to the brain, increasing alertness. Sight, hearing, and other senses become
sharper. Meanwhile, epinephrine triggers the release of blood sugar (glucose) and fats from temporary
storage sites in the body. These nutrients flood into the bloodstream, supplying energy to all parts of the
body (Health Harvard 2017).

All of these changes happen so quickly that people aware of them. In fact, the wiring is so efficient
that the amygdala and hypothalamus start this cascade even before the brain’s visual centers have had a
chance to fully process what is happening. That is why people are able to jump out of the path of an
incoming car even before they think about what they are doing. As the initial surge of epinephrine subsides,
the hypothalamus activates the second component of the stress response system known as the
hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis glands. The HPA axis relies on a series of hormonal signals to
keep the sympathetic nervous system– the “gas pedal” –pressed down. If the brain continues to perceive
something as dangerous, the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), which
travels to the adrenal glands, prompting them to release cortisol. The body thus stays revved up and on
high alert. When the threat passes, cortisol levels fall. The parasympathetic nervous system– the “brake”–
then dampens the stress response (Health Harvard 2017).

Persistent epinephrine surges can damage blood vessels and arteries, increasing blood pressure
and raising risk of heart attacks or strokes. Elevates cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to
replenish the body’s energy stores that are depleted during the stress response. But they inadvertently
contribute to the build-up of fat issue and to weight gain. For example, cortisol increases appetite, so that
people will want to eat more to obtain extra energy. It also increases storage of unused nutrients as fat.
Chronic low – level stress keeps the HPA axis activated, much like a motor that is idling too high for too
long. After a while, this has an effect on the body that contributes to the health problems associated with
chronic stress (Health Harvard 2017).

TECHNIQUES TO COUNTER CHRONIC STRESS

Several techniques to counter chronic stress were presented in the same article (Health Harvard 2017):

1. RELAXATION RESPONSE. Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for
Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has devoted much of his career to learning how
people can counter the stress response by using a combination of approaches that elicit the relaxation
response. These include deep abdominal breathing, focus on a soothing word (such as peace or calm),
visualization of tranquil scenes, repetitive prayer, yoga, and tai chi.

2. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. People can use exercise to stifle the build-up of stress in several ways. Exercise,
such as taking a brisk walk shortly after feeling stressed, not only deepens breathing but also helps relieve
muscle tension. Movement therapies such as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong combined with fluid movements,
with deep breathing, and mental focus, all of which can induce calm.

3. SOCIAL SUPPORT. Confidants, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, relatives, spouses, and

companions all provide a life-enhancing social net, and may increase longevity. It is not clear why, but the
buffering theory holds that people who enjoy close relationships with family and friends receive emotional
support that indirectly helps to sustain them at times of chronic stress and crisis.
Self-care therapy

Nancy Apperson [2008] of Northern Illinois University has provided steps for self- care:

1. Stop, breathe and tell yourself: “This is hard and I will get through this one step at a time.”
2. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling. All feelings are normal so accept whatever you are feeling.
3. Find someone who listens and is accepting. You do not need advice. You need to be heard.
4. Maintain your normal routine as much as possible.
5. Allow plenty of time for a task.
6. Take good care of yourself. Remember to:
a) Get enough rest and sleep.
b) Eat regularly and make healthy choices
c) Know your limits and when you need to let go
d) Identify or create a nurturing place in your home.
e) Practice relaxation or mediation
f) Escape for a while through reading books, watching movies, or short trip.

SELF-COMPASSION THEORY
It is another counter stress by Kristin Neff [2012] in her article “science of self- compassion]
“Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel
inadequate, rather than flagellating ourselves w/ self-criticism. It recognizes that being imperfect and
experiencing life difficulties is inevitable. So we soothe ourselves when confronting pain rather than getting
angry when life fails short of our ideal. Self-compassion recognizes that life challenges and personal
failures are part of being human, an experience we all share. In this way, it helps us to feel less desolate
and isolated when we are in pain.

SELF-COMPASSION PHRASES ACCORDING TO NEFF

3 COMPONENTS:

 Helps to mindfully open to the sting of emotional pain. [ex. It hurts!];

 Reminds us that suffering unites all living beings and reduces the tendency to feel ashamed and
isolated when things go wrong in our lives; and
 Begins the process of responding w/ self-kindness rather than self-criticism. The final phrase
reinforces the idea that you both need and deserve compassion in difficult moments.

SELF- COMPASSION AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

One of the most consistent findings in the research literature is that self- compassion is linked to
less anxiety and depression. The key feature of self-compassion is the lack of self-criticism, and self-
criticism is known to be an important predictor of anxiety and depression. Self-compassion is not merely a
matter of looking on the bright side of things or avoiding negative feelings. Self-compassionate people
recognize when they are suffering, but are kind toward themselves in these moments, acknowledging their
connectedness with the rest of humanity. Self- compassion is associated with greater wisdom and
emotional intelligence, suggesting that self-compassion represents a wise way of dealing with difficult
emotions.

SELF COMPASSIONATE LETTER

An example of self-compassion exercise is the self-compassionate letter. This exercise has been
used in therapeutic programs. Below are the following steps in doing the self-compassionate letter exercise
as provided by Neff (2012).
1. Candidly describe problem that tends to make you feel bad about yourself, such as a physical flaw, a
relationship problem, or failure at work or school. Note what emotions come up – shame, anger, sadness,
fear – as you write.
2. Think of an imaginary friend who is unconditionally accepting and compassionate; someone who knows
all your strengths and weakness, understands your life history, your current circumstances, and
understands the limits of human nature.
3. Finally, write a letter to yourself from that perspective. What would you friend say about your perceived
problem? What words would s/he use to convey deep compassion? How would your friend remind you that
you are only human? If your friend were to make any suggestions, how would they reflect unconditional
understanding?
4. When you are done writing, put the letter down for a while and come back to it latter. Then read the letter
again, letting the words sink in, allowing yourself to be soothed and comforted.
Less stress, more care

You should be in control of the stress that confronts us every day. Self-care and self-compassion are two
ways to positively confront stress. We should love and care for our self-more and more each day.
ACTIVITY 1:

Make Self – care plan. Design for your self-care plan for the whole school year.

ACTIVITY 2:
1. What are the 3 components of General Stress Syndrome? Explain each.
2. What are the Functions of Hypothalamus?
3. What are the techniques to counter chronic stress?

REFERENCES:
J. Dunlosky, KA Rawson, EJ Marsh, MJ Nathan, & DT Williamhang (2013)
Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions from Cognitive and
Educational Psychology. Psychological Science in Public Interest
Locke, E (2002). Setting Goals for Life and Happiness. In Snyder and Lopez (eds) Handbook of Positive
Psychology.
Neff, K. (2012) The science of Self Compassion.
[Link]
Article of Michael Tan at [Link]
Urdan (1991) The Achievement Goal Theory: Past Results, Future Directions, Advances in Motivation and
Achievement.
Zimmerman, B (2002) Becoming Learner: Self-Regulated Overview. Theory into Practice.

Prepared by:

ELLEN GRACE P. LORETE-AÑONUEVO

GE 1 Instructor