PDHPE Yearly Notes

What is stress?
Stress refers to the physical or emotional reaction by an individual due to stimulus
Also known as the bodys physical and or emotional response to a stimulus e.g.
excited or afraid
A stressor is a stimulus or demand e.g. job interview, exam pressure etc.

Fight or Flight Reflex

This term refers to the bodys response to stressful situations
It is a spontaneous short- term response which prepares the body to respond to a
particular situation

Different types of stress

Eustress

Short term stress

Positive type of stress
Gives us the motivation we need to win or complete a task
Provides focus and energy
Examples include motivating yourself to attain 1st place in something like a
competition or to do work for school

Distress

Negative stress brought by accidents, trauma etc.

Also known as anxiety, severe trauma, mental suffering etc.
Reaction to an upsetting event
Acute and chronic
Examples include being in a bad accident, barely evading injury, losing a loved one
etc.

Hyper stress

When a person is forced to perform above their normal capacity

Many can feel stressed due to heavy workloads
This causes sudden outbursts, even if you dont mean it
Examples include lots of assignments and mother asking you to wash dishes etc.

Hypo stress

The opposite of hyper stress

Happens when a person is constantly bored
Unchallenged job or same job repeatedly
Frequently restless and uninspired

 Example is working the exact same job everyday

The bodys response to stress

Muscle tightness
Sweating
Sore stomach
Fidgety body parts
Heart aching or pounding
Crying
Head aches
Sweaty palms
Cant think clearly
Stuttering, cant speak

NOTE
The fight or flight syndrome is designed to operate for a few minutes
Prolonged stress is one cause of poor physical and emotional health
What is depression?
A word to describe feelings of unhappiness or sadness
Everyone experiences this at some point in their life
A mood disorder which can be long-term or short term

Who is affected by depression?

One in 16 young Australians is currently experiencing depression
Not as common with older community

Signs and symptoms of depression

An unusually sad mood

Loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that used to be enjoyable
Lack of energy and often tired
Feeling worthless or guilty
Thinking a lot about death or suicide
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Moving more slowly or sometimes becoming agitated; unable to settle
Having sleeping difficulties or sometimes sleeping too much
Loss of interest in food; worsening appetite
Sometimes you can just wake up feeling unusually depressed, doesnt always have to
be a cause

Risk factors

History of depression in family

Poverty, poor education and social advantages
Excessive amounts of stress
Lack of close confiding relationships
Long-term or serious illness
Adverse events in a persons life e.g. serious illness, death of a friend etc.
Intoxication from alcohol or other drugs
Lack of exposure to bright light in winter months, staying inside a lot

Suicide and its causes

It is often seen that men dont seek professional help as much as women
This because they try to maintain their stigma or manliness image in society and
often turn to drugs and alcohol instead
Suicide is a big issue and takes the lives of many every year
It is often caused by:
Extended or extreme depression
Exam pressure
Bullying
Failures and unreached expectations
Tragedies within families/friends
Low self confidence
Warning signs to be noted include:
Not their usual self
Anti- social
Acting sad for a prolonged period of time
To prevent turning to such thoughts, one could:
Talk to someone
Avoid being alone
Set small goals
Preoccupy yourself with other activities
See a mental health professional
Write an action plan either for yourself or a friend/family member

TYPE A AND TYPE B PERSONALITIES

Certain personality traits can make us more vulnerable to stress
People with such traits are known as Type A personalities
Type As tend to be more competitive, more impatient, have time urgency etc. when
compared to relaxed and laid back Type B personalities
We are all a mixture of type A and type B but if we are too much like type A, we are
vulnerable to stress

 Example: Type As often must get things finished whereas Type Bs do not mind
leaving things unfinished for a while