Hans Seleys General Adaptation Syndrome and Stress Management

There are three parts, or stages, to Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome: alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion (Selye). These stages explain the progression of symptoms caused by stress, or in other words, this is how the mind, brain, and body deal and react to prolonged exposure to stressors. The first stage is the reaction stage; the body enters a physically heightened state due to a release of hormones, and a great deal of energy is used–this will be important when evaluating stress management.

After the initial alarm reaction, the body enters a coping stage, called resistance by Selye. The is the first step to responding to a stressor because the body exits homeostasis; the body is no longer in its natural state. After the reaction comes the coping stage. The coping stage is Selye’s resistance stage, which is bound to occur after the alarm reaction. Here there is an unconscious bodily return to a normal state–one where energy is not being depleted–as well as a conscious response to the stressor.

The body attempts to stabilize, and the person tries to manage the stress, be it effectively or ineffectively. Following resistance comes exhaustion. Exhaustion is not required or inevitable in stress management, as it is likely that during the resistance or coping stage that the stressor will be prevented from driving the individual to a state of exhaustion due a continuous usage of energy caused by the alarm reaction, and not effectively controlled during the resistance stage.

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During exhaustion, the body begins overusing remaining energy, possibly using negative means of coping, and leading to a collapse, as a toll is taken on health.

Stress management is a way of restoring the energy depleted from the alarm reaction stage, and it is broken down into effective vs. ineffective. Effective stress management manages the stressors by either removing the stressor, or changing the stressor to be interpreted by the mind as positive. While continued exposure to a negative stressor causes the individual to go through the three stages in G.A.S. until exhaustion. Ineffective stress management, or ineffective coping, simulates an adaption to the stress through negative reinforcement, but does not fix the stressor itself. Ineffective stress management is also very likely emotion based, while effective is problem based–focussing on the problem and alleviating it directly. Ineffective coping may restore energy depleted by the alarm reaction phase, but it does not stop the alarm reaction phase from occurring later–and harsher. The difference between effective problem based stress management and ineffective emotion based stress management is best broken down by Walt Schafers Four A’s of stress management: alter, adapt, avoid, and awfulize (Schafer). The two former A’s being effective methods of coping, they require optimism, hardiness, and social support–something ineffective coping methods lack.

Here are four ways that stress can be effectively managed during the resistance to avoid reaching exhaustion: physical exercise, healthy diet that satisfies what the brain and body need to produce positive chemicals/neurotransmitters, sufficient sleep, and healthy pleasures (“Chapter 13-Health Buffers”). All four of these methods are called health buffers because they physically– chemically–fix negative effects of stress. But besides these simple four methods, it is important to remember the two A’s of healthy management–altering and adapting. Altering would be removing the stressor from the individual’s life. As altering is often impractical, adapting to the stressor by turning it into a positive by using it to build hardiness and self-esteem is the best choice. These four health buffers supplement this adaptation. Having a healthier body means that one is more able to respond to stressors without losing to much energy from alarm reaction, and being able to restore it faster. A healthy mind is less likely to rely on emotional coping methods because it knows how to effectively manage its stress.

Stress is ineffectively managed through highly emotion based strategies; strategies revolving around avoiding or awfulizing the problem. Avoiding speaks for itself; letting the stressor remain the way it has been without changing the stressor, or one’s attitude towards the stressor. This is likely because they put so much value on the stressor that they are unable to alter it, and they are intimidated by the stressor–awfullization. So during the resistance stage, they trick themselves into thinking that they are coping with the stressor, when in reality they are prolonging their negative exposure to it through negative reinforcement. Here are four ways this occurs, and they are the exact opposites of the effective methods: lack of sleep, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and unhealthy pleasures. All four of these relate to each other in that a poor nutrition leads to a lack of motivation to exercise which leads to a lack of sleep. Unhealthy pleasures such as drug use have the same trigger effect.