Who proposed the wellness and distress cycles?
Answers
In order to deal with stress management, we must be able
to recognize it and be aware of the impact that stress has on
the body (4). According to Walter J. McNerney, President of
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Associates, "Stress is the body's
physical, mental, and chemical reaction to circumstances that
frighten, excite, confuse, endanger, or irritate" (McNerney WJ
WJ, personal communication, 1989). The body responds to
stress through a variety of physical and chemical changes.
Heart rate increases, breathing becomes more shallow,
blood pressure increases, and the palms of the hands become
moist under stress. Chemically, a surge of adrenalin and lucocorticoids
occurs. Blood levels and the severity
of the stressor are the determining factors for whether the
body either will continue to produce adrenalin or whether the
system will return to normal production. Stress has two readily
identifiable cycles, a distress cycle and a wellness cycle.
Both cycles involve the same stressors, but the wellness
cycles incorporates the most effective methods for minimizing
stress. In effect, the wellness cycles is turning a perceived
negative action or event into a positive reaction. Stressors can
be either pleasant, unpleasant, or anything in between. Interestingly, it has been found that people who undergo an
abundance of positive stressors have as many problems coping
as those who encounter an abundance of negative stressors .