Mental Stimuli
What is a mental stimulus?
Something that happens in your mind that causes your body to react.
What are positive stimuli?
Things that can make us feel happy, excited, calm, or safe.
What are negative stimuli?
Experiences that the brain perceives as stressful, threatening, uncomfortable, or upsetting.
What comes first in this sequence: Brain → Stress Response → Physical Reaction?
Negative stimulus
What is the phenomenon called when psychological stress manifests physically?
Somatization
Name something that can be mental stimuli.
Thoughts, feelings, memories, situations, or worries.
Name an example of a positive stimuli.
Getting a hug, listening to favorite music, laughing with friends, receiving a compliment, etc.
Name an example of negative stimuli from the presentation.
Fear, school stress, conflict, danger, etc.
What happens to your heart rate during a stress response?
It increases your heart beat
Give one example of a physical symptom that may occur when stress manifests physically.
Headache, body ache, or insomnia.
A stressful thought about an upcoming test causes your heart to race. What is the thought considered?
A mental stimuli
Your friend gives you a compliment and you immediately feel happier. What type of stimulus is this?
A positive stimuli
You have three tests tomorrow and feel extremely overwhelmed. What could this be considered?
Negative stimulus
What happens to your breathing when you're experiencing a stress response?
Your breathing becomes quicker.
What can happen when mental health carries strong stigma?
Psychological stress may manifest physically.
True or False: A mental stimulus has to be something physically happening to your body.
False
Positive stimuli can come from the things we see, hear, feel, taste, or _____.
Experience/live through
True or False: Conflict can be considered a negative stimulus.
True
Name a physical reaction your body can experience during stress.
Faster heart rate, quicker breathing, tense muscles, or sweating.
Name a way to calm negative stimuli from the presentation.
Cognitive reframing, progressive muscle relaxation, 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding, box breathing, or a brain dump.
Complete the idea: A mental stimulus tells your body, “_____.”
"Something is happening!"
Someone listens to their favorite music after a stressful day and feels calm. What concept does this demonstrate?
Positive stimuli can influence our emotions and help us feel calm or safe.
What can happen when the brain perceives something as a negative stimulus?
It can trigger a stress response and lead to physical reactions.
Put these in the correct order: Physical Reaction, Negative Stimulus, Brain, Stress Response.
Negative Stimulus -> Brain -> Stress Response -> Physical Reaction
Someone feels overwhelmed but instead of talking about their stress, they experience headaches and insomnia. What concept does this demonstrate?
Somatization