5.1 Introduction to Health Psychology

Health psychology examines how mental and behavioral factors influence physical well-being. This field explores the intricate relationship between stress, lifestyle choices, and health outcomes, highlighting the importance of holistic approaches to wellness.

Stress plays a central role in health psychology, impacting both physical and mental health. Understanding different types of stress, coping mechanisms, and the body's responses helps individuals develop strategies to manage stress and improve overall well-being.

Health Psychology and Wellness

Health psychology studies how behavior, thoughts, and social factors affect physical health and overall well-being. It helps people make healthier choices and manage illness more effectively.

Key areas of health psychology include:

• How habits like diet, exercise, and sleep impact physical health
• How stress, anxiety, and emotions affect the body and recovery from illness
• The connection between mental state and physical health, such as stress increasing heart disease risk
• Helping people follow medical treatments and overcome barriers to care
• Creating public health programs to prevent illness and promote healthy lifestyles

Stress and Its Effects

Stress affects both physical health and mental well-being. It can influence emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, sometimes leading to long-term health problems.

How stress impacts the body and mind:

• Increased risk of illness due to a weakened immune system
• Physical symptoms like headaches, high blood pressure, and fatigue
• Mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and trouble focusing

Types of stress:

• Positive stress can be motivating and help with challenges
• Negative stress feels overwhelming and can harm well-being
• Stress can come from sudden traumatic events or build up over time through daily struggles

Long-term effects of stress:

• Stressful experiences in childhood (ACEs) can have lasting effects on mental and physical health
• Chronic stress over a lifetime can lead to emotional struggles and increased health risks

Reactions to stress

When a person experiences stress, the body and mind go through a series of stages to handle it. This process helps explain how stress affects emotions, thinking, and physical health.

• The first stage is the alarm reaction, which happens when stress is first encountered. The body responds with a fight, flight, or freeze reaction, releasing energy to deal with the situation.
• The second stage is resistance, where the body stays alert and works to cope with the stress. A person may try to solve the problem, adapt to the challenge, or push through the situation.
• The final stage is exhaustion, which happens when stress lasts too long or takes too much energy. At this point, the body’s resources are drained, leading to fatigue, burnout, and a higher risk of illness.

Tend-and-befriend theory

The tend-and-befriend theory suggests that some people, especially women, respond to stress by caring for themselves and others while seeking social support.

• Tending means taking care of one’s own needs or helping others, such as comforting a child or providing emotional support to a friend.
• Befriending involves reaching out to others for connection, safety, and support during stressful situations.

This response is believed to be influenced by biology and may have evolved as a way to promote survival by strengthening social bonds in difficult times. Instead of reacting with fight, flight, or freeze, people who use this response manage stress through nurturing and social connection.

Coping with stress

People cope with stress in different ways, and the method they choose can affect their emotions, thoughts, and actions. There are two main ways people handle stress:

• Problem-focused coping – This approach treats stress as a problem that needs to be solved. A person using this method takes action to fix the situation, such as making a plan, seeking advice, or finding a practical solution. This is useful when the stressor is something that can be changed or controlled.
• Emotion-focused coping – This approach focuses on managing emotional reactions to stress rather than changing the situation itself. Strategies include deep breathing, meditation, exercise, talking to a friend, or using medication to reduce anxiety. This is helpful when the stressor cannot be immediately changed, such as dealing with grief or a long-term challenge.

The way a person copes with stress affects their mental well-being and behavior. Problem-focused coping can lead to active problem-solving and a sense of control, while emotion-focused coping helps regulate feelings and prevent emotional exhaustion. A balance of both strategies can be beneficial depending on the situation.