Types of Stressors
This is the general term for any event, person, or rule in the world that makes a demand on you and causes a reaction.
What is a stressor?
This common defense mechanism is when a person simply refuses to believe that a problem or reality exists.
What is denial?
This automatic physical reaction prepares your body to either battle a physical threat or run away from it.
What is the "fight-or-flight" response?
A simple breathing and mindfulness technique mentioned in Session 9 that helps instantly calm the mind and body.
What is the Relaxation Response (or deep breathing)?
A major rule in Session 9 reminds us that you do not (and should not) have to do this alone.
What is recover (or go through recovery)?
This type of stress occurs when an obstacle blocks you from reaching a goal (like losing a job or getting a flat tire).
What is frustration?
This defense mechanism involves stuffing away or hiding painful thoughts or memories deep down so you don't have to think about them.
What is repression?
A rapid heartbeat, fast breathing, and sudden sweating are all biological signs of this.
What is stress (or a panic/alarm response)?
Cleaning your physical space, keeping a schedule, and planning your day are all examples of getting this.
What is getting organized?
Doing positive, fun activities is a great way to relieve stress, especially when you do them with these types of people.
What are supportive (or sober) friends?
This type of stress comes from feeling forced to speed up, work harder, or meet the heavy expectations of others.
What is pressure?
This is when people return to childish ways of coping with the world (like throwing a temper tantrum) that they have long since outgrown.
What is regression?
This is the first stage of responding to stress, where the body's defenses are suddenly activated like a siren.
What is the Alarm stage?
Making a list of your daily tasks and deciding which ones are the absolute most important is called setting these.
What are priorities?
Constant arguing or conflict with a partner or family member is known as this type of struggle, which is a massive trigger.
What is a relationship struggle?
This type of stress happens when you are forced to make a difficult choice between two or more things.
What is a conflict?
This mechanism uses seemingly logical, textbook explanations to completely remove the painful feelings from an event.
What is intellectualization?
This is the second stage of responding to stress, where the body tries to adapt to the ongoing stressor and keep functioning.
What is the Resistance stage?
When faced with a massive, overwhelming problem, you should break it down into these to make it easier to handle.
What are small, manageable pieces (or steps)?
Going to these specific types of community gatherings is a highly recommended way to find supportive, sober people.
What are self-help groups (or 12-Step/support meetings)?
True or False: Going to a job interview or having a baby are examples of "good" events that cannot cause stress.
What is False? (Good events can still be major stressors!)
This is the act of pulling away and removing yourself from a situation emotionally, even if the event is very important to you.
What is emotional distancing (or isolation)?
This is the final stage of stress, where the body's resources are completely drained, leading to physical illness or mental breakdown.
What is the Exhaustion stage?
Instead of isolating and trying to fix everything yourself when stressed, a healthy coping skill is to ask for this.
What is help (or support)?
Taking the time to rebuild trust, improve communication, and set boundaries helps reduce stress in this specific area of your life.
What are your relationships?