Transcript
What today is about All about stress- what it is, risks of, effects on body,
why we need it, how to recognise it in yourself, why it can be good for you
Stress reduction
Stress, Burn-out and Vicarious trauma
Mindfulness
Stress Reduction
Self care in remote areas
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What is Stress?
The interaction between your coping skills or resources (or perceptions of) and the demands of your environment.
A reaction which occurs when the actual or perceiveddemands made on an individual overwhelm that person’s ability or resources to manage the situation.
What is stress? The rate of wear and tear on the body caused by
living
The situation may involve a gradual build-up of pressure, or it may be a sudden stressful event.
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Why are we here?
Why did you consider this to be a relevant topic today and what would be most helpful??
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DID YOU KNOW THAT EXCESSIVE STRESS…
Doubles our Risk of Heart Attacks
Weakens the immune system
Increases our likelihood of developing serious illnesses like cancer
Can lead to other life-threatening illnesses like diabetes and heart disease
Makes people more susceptible to colds and flues
Leads to ailments from gum disease to osteoporosis
Causes premature aging
What do we know about stress in the moment Slows the thinking part of our brain down (frontal lobe)
So we don’t problem solve very well
We say things we don’t want to – this can wreck our personal relationships and work relationships!
We can’t remember things we really do know- or learn as easily
Immune system diminished
Difficult to make decisions- even if they are simple
Can lead to unhelpful thoughts or conclusions about ourselves and our environment
Makes good people act badly
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Where does YOUR stress sit?At some levels, stress can improve performance. At higher levels,
however, it can be detrimental to performance.
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The Fight/Flight Response
When we feel threatened, our bodies are “hard-wired” to either fight or run away
Most modern stressful situations do not offer this choice-perceived threat as demonstrated by brain mapping
Today, our stressors are much more subtle and complex
Selye identified three stages of adaptation which a person goes through in his General Adaptation Syndrome in 1936. They are:
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion
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Risks of no stress No fear in your life then
you are not living!!!
New and novel things should make you stressed
Push yourself to your limits and then show yourself you can do it…that builds self esteem (not playing it safe)
No stress leads to poor performance
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Stress Signals
The best way to cope with stress is to recognise when your stress levels are building…
Stress signals fall into 4 categories:
1. Thoughts
2. Feelings
3. Behaviour
4. Physical symptoms
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Perception Stress is unique to each of us
While we often think of stress as the result of external events, the eventsthemselves are not always stressful
It is the way in which the individual interprets and reacts to an event thatproduces stress
The key to stress reduction is identifying strategies that suit you as anindividual
Opportunity knocks How can we turn stress into opportunity
One door opens when one closes
Problem solving
Communication
Conflict resolution for win/win
Learn that can master what you fear by learning new skills and noticing what you do to overcome it
Increases confidence (if you don’t avoid)
Connect with others
Reframe the stress symptoms
Dealing with Stresses in our Lives• When we perceive a threat we tend to react automatically
using one of two ancient doing mind strategies:
• Adrenalin based reactions – saving ourselves from danger by fighting with, running away from, protecting or camouflaging
ourselves...
....fight, flight and freeze.
• Problem-solving processes where we attempt to fix or resolve the perceived problem
Stress Reduction Strategies Self awareness-how do you react to stress
Body Awareness
Breathing
Progressive relaxation
Meditation
Visualisation
Mindfulness
Thought stopping
Coping skills training
Nutrition and Exercise
Goal Setting and time management
Assertiveness training
Vicarious Trauma- related to stress but its different
Compassion fatigue:
Exhaustion and desensitization to violent and traumatic events
Burn-out is non-specific to an event and is gradual.
Definition of Post-traumatic Stress and its relationship to Vicarious Trauma-debilitating symptoms arising from direct personal exposure to, witnessing or learning about an event involving actual or threatened serious harm, injury, death or threat to the physical integrity of oneself or another person
Definition of Vicarious traumaTrauma reactions that are secondary to clients’ traumatic experiences
Debilitating symptoms arising from prolonged empathic work with victims of trauma
Effects of VT Experiences such as a change in beliefs and values and the
way that one looks at the world, intrusive imagery and physical effects are normal consequences of this kind of work.
Violated core assumptions about care and safety- mistrust, cynicism. Apathy and loss of concern, lack of desire and need for intimacy, loss of confidence and sense of control, compromised occupational functioning
Re-experiencing, hyperarousal, avoidance, numbing-symptom onset may be sudden
Physical, emotional, cognitive symptoms, impact on workplace
Factors that influence traumatic stress Degree of unpredictability
Threat to life
Intent to cause harm
Helplessness
Relationship to the perpetrator
Current research in brain mapping has shown that there are strategies that assist with self care including stress and trauma related symptoms
Approaching our experience and responding mindfully
Mindlessness “Mindlessness” (Langer, 1989)
Our tendency to be in “autopilot”:
not focused, reactive mode.
Most of our waking hours are spent in “thinking about” mode:
our default mode of mind.
Two Modes of Self-focus: Conceptual and Experiential
Conceptual
Experiential
/ Direct
Noticing
Labeling
Elaborating
Analyzing
Judging
Goal-setting
Planning
Comparing
Remembering
Self-reflecting
Seeing Tasting Touching
Hearing Smelling
Visceral sensations
Proprioceptive sensing
En
vir
on
men
tal
Inp
ut
Mindfulness: Being With and Approachingour Experience
• Seeing things as they actually are, here and now/in this moment• Bringing a friendly curiosity to our experience, however that is• Investigating the detail of our experience• Non-fixing, not trying to change what’s here. • Choices to respond based on full and current information - rather than habitual reacting.• Opening to a broader view including what is “right” as well as perceived problems.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is....
”....paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally....”
Jon Kabat Zinn
Being here, in the moment, not in the past, not in the future.
40 – 10 – 50
The % of time our mind is concerning itself with and focused on the:
Past – Present – Future
Background to Mindfulness Courses
Mindfulness has its origins in Eastern, Buddhist philosophy.
It was adapted to a secular, 8 week programme format Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction(MBSR) in the USA by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979.
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Mindfulness – stop struggling Happiness Trapp???
Myths: Happiness is the natural state of all human beings
If you are not happy you are defective.
To create a better life you must get rid of negative feelings.
You should be able to control what you think and feel-whatever you do now don’t think about icecream.
Common Control Strategies For Flight Response: Hiding, Escaping, Distraction, zoning
out, numbing
For Fight Response: Suppression, Arguing with your own thoughts, Taking Charge of thoughts and feelings eg saying snap pout of it to self, Bullying
These methods of control are okay in moderation, you use them only in situation where they can work and where using them doesn’t stop you from doing the things you value. Eg with run of the mill everyday stress.
What does control have to do with Stress? When we try to feel happy by trying to control what
we are feeling, these control strategies have three significant costs:
1. They take up a lot of time and energy and are usually ineffective in the long run.
We feel defective or weak-minded or crazy because the thoughts and feelings we are trying to get rid of keep coming back.
Some strategies that decrease unpleasant feelings in the short term actually lower our quality of life in the long term
The Costs of Avoidance Write or think about The thoughts and feelings I would most like to get rid
of are…….
Now list the things you have tried in order to avoid or get rid of them eg moving, eating drinking, judging others or self, criticising others or self, denial, blame, affirmations, workshops, work
Now look at list one-what worked? Did you get rid of painful thoughts and feelings in the long run?
What did it cost in time, money, energy, friends, health?
How did it help?
Mindfulness can be cultivated and trained
It has the potential to change your brain and foster your psychological and physiological well-being.
Technique AND a way of being
Mindfulness Practice Is a Radically Different Approach to Living Our Lives and Managing Stress...
• Increasing awareness - We come to realise that we are usually operating on “automatic pilot “ - our tendency for our minds to be more frequently in the past or in the future rather than with our experience in this moment.
• Placing our attention where we want it to be
• Developing a new relationship with our experience (mindfulness meditation).
• Responding to experience based on awareness of what’s actually here rather than habitually reacting
• Formal practice – meditation e.g. bodyscan, mindful movement, sitting practice, breathing
• Informal Practice – awareness of body sensations, thoughts, emotions and sensory input during daily life. Practiced in ordinary activities like eating, washing brushing teeth
Mindfulness is essentially experiential – we practice it
Aspects of Aindfulness Self Awareness- write, draw, talk……
Psychological flexibility- Acceptance and Commitment:
Defusion
Expansion
Connection
The Observing Self
Values
Committed Action
Becoming Aware of our Mind’s Activity.
As we practice mindfulness it becomes apparent that the mind will “have its say” in all that we do.
We will notice:Judgements = liking or dislikingAssociations = memories, stories, comparisonsEmotional inter-relationship with thoughts Thoughts don’t occur singularly or without some
emotional “flavour”.Commentary = our thoughts comment on all our experiences.
…lets have a go!!
Benefits of Mindfulness It directly impacts our development, health, healing
wellness & behavior- more pre-frontal and less Amygdala9 functions of the mPFC (medial prefrontal cortex):
Bodily regulation Attuned communication Emotional balance Response flexibility Empathy Insight Fear modulation Intuition Morality
Remember- this all Improves with practice
Benefits of MindfulnessPhysiological: Increase activity in medial prefrontal cortex
Decreased heart rate and blood pressure
Improved, more restful sleep
Changes perception of pain
Improved immune function
Mindful Communication 1. Listen: To verbal & non-verbal cues (not in your
own head listening to your dialogue)
2. Mindful inquiry: Ask questions and for clarification with a beginner’s mind (lack of judgement of them)
3. Mindful dialogue: Have respect for other person’s journey. Notice tendency to compare experiences.
Mindfulness In Professional life Fosters presence, compassion and understanding
Facilitates empathetic attitudes, as well as decreased tendency to take on others’ negative emotions.
(Beddoe, A. & Murphy, S. 2004)
Increases self-compassion
Decreases personal stress and reactions
Improves performance
Increases flexibility
Improves creativity
Timeout for Mindfulness practice- What are thoughts/
Stories- neither true nor false-how we see life, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, judgements, beliefs, theories, goals, strategies. Ideals, wishes, values- in mindfulness we are interested in if it is helpful-we it help us/work/life thrive.
The story is not the event
Role of fusion- the thought and the things it refers to –the story and the event become stuck together and we react to works as if the thing or event was present.
Fusion cont… We react to the the words eg “I am stupid” as if its true- B
In a state of fusion it seems as if: thoughts are reality- what we are thinking is actually happening here and now.
Thoughts are the truth-we believe them
Thoughts are important-we take them seriously and give them our full attention
Thoughts are orders
Thoughts are wise
Thoughts can be threats
Some starting practices for mindfulness I’m having the thought that……
I notice that I am having the thought that…
In defusion we recognise:
Thoughts are sounds, words, stories, language
They may or may not be important-are they helpful
They are not orders- don’t have to obey
They may or may not be wise
They are not threats to us – even if disturbing
Other practices include- Musical thoughts
Name your story-eg its all too hard, this will never work- remind – what do you want to attune to?
I am a banana-everybody now
Thanking you mind
Silly voice technique
Reminder – aim of defusion is just that – it does not get rid of thought or even make you feel good-its aim is to disentangle you from unhelpful thought processes. It may not neccesarily change your life.
Other helpful places to start Look whose talking
Close eyes and observe where your thoughts go
Ten deep breaths
Realistic expectations
Defusing an unpleasant image-not traumatic memories – use with unhelpful thinking- tv show-rewind or add subtitles or a soundtrack.
Feelings Emotions originate from the middle layer of the brain-
at the core of emotions is a complex set of physical changes throughout the body that prepare us to take action.
Emotions influence us to act in different ways- egchange voice, body posture and behaviour-action tendency..
Emotions closely tied to thoughts, memories and images. Our emotions don’t control behaviour eg I can be angry but remain calm. I might be scared right now but I remain.
Emotions are like the weather Three phases to emotions:
Event
Getting ready for Action-evaluation-checking out the scene
The mind gets involved-gives meaning to changes
Fight/flight response- IN prehistoric times it was life saving-now our mind often perceives threat almost everywhere- no-one liked out fb page, spouse moody, someone didn’t ring, debt, body image-non of these things are really life threatening-but our brain and body act as if they are.
I just want to feel the positive feelings-struggling with what is We get angry with our emotions eg when we are stressed.
I should feel different.
I will not accept the presence of unacceptable feelings-they distress me and I will have to have another drink to not feel them.
Which of these emotions are good/bad:Fear, anger, shock, disgust, sadness, guilt, love, Joy, curiosity.
What was your life programming re emotions eg which ones are okay to have? Which did you grow up expressing feely. What were you taught about the best way to handle your emotions. What emotional control strategies were role modelled in your life.
Judging doesn’t help- adds to stress. Question- why am I feeling like this may not be helpful. And what have I done to deserve this doesn’t help either-sets you up for self-blame.
What can be helpful? Process of expansion-this involves the observing self-
awareness, attention and focus-
Body Awareness- an exercise in observation
Four steps of expansion-observe, breathe (frontal lobe), create space. Allow, acceptance self-talk
Acceptance imagery-clearing visualisation here.
Connection- with breathing, the environment
Notice yourself noticing
Nature
Job Stress Management What causes job burnout?
Prolonged stress leads to burn-out
Several core characteristics:
Emotional and physical exhaustion
Low self-esteem
Poor job satisfaction
Negative and cynical attitudes towards staff and clients
Insomnia, alcohol and drug use
Relationship and family problems
Protection against Burn-out Ensuring Self-Care:
Set realistic goals-unrealistic goal setting and working so hard to meet them is a “sure path to Burn-out, job dissatisfaction and stress
Managing your time:
Are you completely satisfied with the way you use your time?
If not, why not?
What could be done to use your time more satisfactorily?
Steps to take to achieve Burn Out Erode your resilience:
Give all of your energy and focus to the job
Isolate yourself from others
Don’t take regular breaks
Don’t have a social life
Live unhealthy lifestyle
Fail to act on the situation:
Don’t ask what it is you are meant to be doing and expectations of others
Complain to everyone but those who can help
Stubbornly persist with behaviours that don’t work in the new environment
Fail to identify stressors or to change those that can be changed
Do not use problem solving skills
“Shoulds” or rather that accept what cannot be changed
Fail to use effective coping strategies and see your wellbeing as someone else’s responsibility or use coping strategies that create more problems- or allow self to remain in pain for prolonged periods
Path to burn-out continued Fail to acknowledge human limitations: attempt to
meet excessive demands and place all oher’s needs before your own
Set unrealistic goals and then work hard to achieve them
Be pessimistic-engage in negative self talk
Fail to critically reflect
Issues re working in remote areas Adaptation process – settling in
Lack of privacy- visibility
Lack of boundaries between personal, professional and community
24 x 7 can be an issue
Expectations on workers
Generalist nature in your work
Inadequate orientation and preparation for living and working in environment
Role conflict- needs of community vs those of the agency/funding body.
Workload simply unmanageable-overwhelming sense of responsibility
Turnover of staff-staffing in general
Signs of Burn-out Long work hours with little sense of achievement Work becomes mechanical Exhaustion Other issues in relationships and life Acute stress reactions Emotions all over the place Difficulty making decisions and setting priorities Poor short term memory Sleep difficulties including restlessness Physical- hert, stomach, head Lack of interest in sex
Protection Against Burn-Out Exercise- relieves Stress and burns off the energy
created by stress
Rest and Relax-simple pleasures-walk, read, draw
Relaxation, meditate, grow a garden or a plant-personal investment in dealing with stress.
Have a Life:-regular breaks from community, accept the support of others, good social networks
Admit Vulnerability:-accepting support, isolation is a risk- closing off to the support structures places an individual more at risk
Deal effectively with conflict:-be aware of arousal levels during high levels of demands- plan ahead if possible. Attempt resolution before things get out of hand.
Taking responsibility for actions and behaviours:-set the limit of involvement of work, be positive about the nature of work- why are you there?-be a positive realist rather than an idealist.
Try to change the situation if possible-structures and roles are sometimes easier to change that people’s expectations.
Accept what cannot be changed:
you are unable to control the multitude of factors and events that you are faced with (including the weather and environment and others)
You can control your actions, attitudes and expectations.
Sustainability Maintain resilience and wellbeing: work/ life
balance- time out, networks and healthy lifestyle.
Discuss flower exercise here.
Act on the Situation:
Clarify your role and boundaries, clarify other’s expectations of you, identify sources of stress, skill up, change stressors that can be changed, use good problem solving and de-escalation skills
Be active about managing your stress response: realistic goals and boundaries, opportunities for personal growth, critical reflection
Assisting with people who are facing Stress, Vicarious Trauma or Burn-out Recognise that this can happen to anyone
Indicate that it is a result of prolonged stress or traumatic event
Help the person talk about the event and reactions to it and accept where they are at.
Be willing to listen
Provide resources
Allow time and space
Help with lifestyle priorities
Is the job worth it?
Ten Steps towards Managing your Job Stress
Identify your symptoms of job stress Identify the sources of your job stress:
Lack of control Information Gap Cause and Effect Conflict Blocked Career Alienation Overload Under-load Environment Value Conflict
Ten Steps continued Identify how you respond to your specific job stressors- stressor,
feelings, thoughts, behaviour-what patterns have you found
Set Goals to respond more effectively to your job stressors
Motivate yourself-rewards?
Change your thinking- Mindfulness
Clarify job with manager or organisation-expectations- mission statement for self-and organisation, what are you doing? What additional education do you need? What happens if something goes wrong- future expectations.
When in conflict- negotiate
Pace and balance yourself- when do you work optimally?
Know when to quit- Gambler song.
In any situation what is kindness?
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How to Contact EASA8941 1752
1800 193 123
easadarwin@easa.org.au
Training and Development – 8941 5661
www.easa.org.au
2nd Floor, Highway Arcade
47 Stuart Highway
Stuart Park
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