Stress Management Slideshow.pptx

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STRESS MANAGEMENT

Exploring Personal

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What is Stress?

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal

hanging on of an unaccomplished task” -Criswell Freeman, author

“Life is a Journey, not a guided tour.” -Anonymous

Stress is anything that places a physical,

mental or emotional demand on us.

Our body, mind and actions are affected

by stress.

Our success in school, work, and our

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It’s not all bad…

Astress is not having enough stress (boredom)

Eustress is motivating and helps us achieve more •We view the stressor as an opportunity.

•Provides energy and motivation to meet our

responsibilities and achieve our goals.

•Examples include graduating from college, getting

married, receiving a promotion, or changing jobs.

Distress

•Feeling overwhelmed, oppressed, and behind in our

responsibilities.

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Stress Motivates Us

Q: What happens

when put our

hand on a hot

stove?

A: We move our

hand.

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The “Fight or Flight” Response

Essential to human survival

A story:

Og, the caveman is walking through the forest

picking berries. He turns a corner and is face to knee with T-rex*.

Og has two choices:

1. Put down his berry pail and pick up his spear. 2. Run.

Either way, the mind better think quickly and the body better react.

* I know T-rex and man didn’t live during the same period, but it made the story better.

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The Stress Response

Body responds as though you are in

danger.

• Shuts down the prefrontal cortex and fires up

limbic system.

It makes hormones (norepinephrine,

adrenaline and cortisol) that:

• speed up your heart • make you breathe faster • give you a burst of energy • slow down metabolism • make you sweat

This is called the fight-or-flight stress

response.

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Eye of the Beholder

Q: Would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

Some will skydive, some won’t.

We don’t all respond the same way to stressors.

We “stress out” for two major reasons:

• We perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful. • We don't believe we have the resources to cope.

Some see skydiving as thrilling, others as extremely

frightening.

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What is Stressful to You?

Work School Money

Physical health Appearance Mental health

Family life Conflict with

peers Legal issues

Cats Relationships Spiritual/

Religious issues Not “fitting in” Not meeting your

own expectations College/Career decisions Moving/Change

to a new school Loss of pet/friend/family member

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Stress Management Journal

1. What causes stress in your life? How

does it affect you? Discuss.

2. How do you deal with/prevent stress in

positive ways? In what ways do you not

positively manage stress? Explain.

3. What are some of the general

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Stress Warning Signals

 What are your "red flags," or

warning signs, that stress is creeping into your life?

 If we keep pushing ourselves,

eventually something inside of us will send "red flags," or

warning signs that stress is becoming a problem.

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Signs of Stress

Physiological

• Rapid heart

rate

• _{Rapid breathing} • _{Sweaty palms} • Headaches

• Muscle tension • Sleep difficulty • Lack of energy/

fatigue • _Dizziness • Shallow breathing Emotional/ Mental • Irritability • Nervous/Edgy • Crying

• Losing temper • Memory lapse • Emotional sensitivity • Negative attitude • _Worry • Depression • Panic Behavioral

• Sleeping more • Sleeping less • Eating more/less • Angry outbursts • Withdrawing from others • Substance abuse

• Nail biting

• Teeth Grinding

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Suggestions for Reducing

Stress



1. Find a support system.

Find

someone to talk to about your

feelings and experiences.

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Suggestions for Reducing

Stress



2. Change your attitude and

guard against negative self talk.

Find other ways to think about

stressful situations.

•

"Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90%

how we react to it.“

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Stress



3. Be realistic.

Set

practical goals for

dealing with situations

and solving problems.

• Develop realistic

expectations of yourself and others.

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Stress

4. Get organized and

take charge. Being unorganized or

engaging in poor

planning often leads to frustration or crisis

situations, which most always leads to feeling stressed.

• Plan your time, make a

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Suggestions for Reducing

Stress

5. Take breaks, give yourself "me

time."

Learn that taking time to

yourself for rejuvenation and

relaxation is just as important as

giving time to other activities.

•

At minimum, take short breaks during your

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Stress

6. Take good care of yourself. Eat

properly, get regular rest, keep a routine. Allow yourself to do something you enjoy each day.

• Paradoxically, the time we need to take care of

ourselves the most, when we are stressed, is the time we do it the least.

• Drink lots of water, eat fruits and vegetables, eat

whole foods, limit sugar and caffeine, limit fat and eat good fats (nuts, fish, avocado, yogurt)

• Teens need about 9 hours of sleep each night to

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Suggestions for Reducing

Stress

7. Learn to say "no."

Learn to pick and

choose which things

you will say "yes" to

and which things you

will not.

• Protect yourself by not

allowing yourself to take on every request or

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Stress

8. Get regular

exercise.

Exercising regularly

can help relieve

some symptoms of

depression and

stress, and help us

to maintain our

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Stress

9. Develop a hobby, do

something different.

For a balanced lifestyle,

play is as important as

work.

• Play an instrument • Do art

• Work on a car • Go on a hike • Knit

• Rock climb

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Suggestions for Reducing

Stress

10. Slow down.

Know your limits and cut

down on the number of things you try to

do each day, particularly if you do not

have enough time for them or for yourself.

– _{Be realistic about what you can}

accomplish effectively each day.

– _{Monitor your pace. Rushing through}

things can lead to mistakes or poor performance. Take the time you need to do a good job.

 Poorly done tasks can lead to added

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Suggestions for Reducing

Stress

11. Laugh, use humor.



Watch a funny movie or

video



laugh with friends,



reading a humorous

book,



Watch a comedy show

or video.

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Stress

12. Learn to relax.

Develop a regular

relaxation routine.

•

Try yoga, meditation, reading,

or some simple quiet time.

•

No matter how busy your life

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Relaxation Exercises



Many different kinds, but some are:

•

Deep Breathing

•

Visualization:

Visualization is a nice way of

giving our minds and bodies a "mini

vacation.“

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Relaxation Exercises



Complete one of the relaxation

exercises:

•

Visualization and Relaxation Technique

s



Think about the exercise and how it

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Managing Your Personal Stress

Complete the following:

1. From the lesson/reading, which stress

management techniques do you currently use? Which would you like incorporate into your life? Discuss.

2. What is a stressor you’re currently facing? Describe it.

3. In what ways does it manifest itself,

behaviorally, emotionally, mentally or physically? 4. What aspects of the stressor can you control?

Not control?

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Stress Management: Next

Steps



Try to change the way you appraise a

situation to make it less stressful



Remember stress is normal but watch out

for symptoms of stress



Use coping skills/ways to reduce stress.

They need to be developed with practice so

that we can use them during difficult times.

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Craig Vattiat Oregon City High School

Adapted from the Academic Skills Center at Mansfield University

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