MANAGING STRESS EFFECTIVELY 1
Apr 01, 2015
MANAGING STRESS EFFECTIVELY
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TO LEARN: TO RECOGNIZE YOUR STRESS
SYMPTOMS YOU DO HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER
YOUR STRESS HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND USE THIS
CONTROL ADDITIONAL COPING STRATEGIES
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GOALS OF WORKSHOP
Does practicing stress management improve our long-term functioning?
AGREE OR DISAGREE
HOW???
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QUESTION
To reduce wear and tear on ourselves
and our families, we must learn and understand how stress affects each of us.
Many people have symptoms of stress every day and accept it as a part of a normal day, rather than something we should learn to manage.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT BEGINS HERE: UNDERSTANDING
Time, money, and relationships ensure that stress will always be with us
Which sorts or stresses are you here to learn about at the workshop ?
Generate a stress list on flip chart
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STRESS LIST
Anything that places a demand on our personal resources….our time, energy, support, family
Zig Ziglar ~ Many companies have long contended that stress in the home causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it does. But research now reveals that stress on the job causes stress at home. In other words, they feed off each other
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Stress Can Be Viewed As..
ThreatNoveltyUnpredictability/unexpectedThreat to egoLoss of Sense of control
From the Center for Studies on Human Stress at www.humanstress.ca
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STRESS INGREDIENTS
CAUSES OF STRESS FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES:
Internal External
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CAUSES OF STRESS
- Everyday pressures such as financial problems, arguments with families or colleagues, lack of sleep and work stress
- These are called : DAILY HASSLES- (Kohn and McDonald, 1992)- They can slip below the radar – we
stop noticing - DISCUSSION PT
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DAILY HASSLES ….
THE STRESSOR MAY BE PLEASANT OR UNPLEASANT, OR THE RESULTS ARE GOOD OR BAD
Planning a wedding (good stress) Increased workload at work (bad
stress)
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MAJOR STRESSES
STRESS SCALES CAN HELP US CLUE IN: NUMBER AND TYPES OF STRESSES WE ARE COPING WITH
PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE
Heart and Stroke Foundation – Internet Quiz
AVAILABLE ON THE BREAK…11
STRESS SCALES…
Little control over external stress in the short run
There are parts that you cannot change (other people, certain events, etc)
Recognizing this may free up energy to focus on what you can control
Applying this to a situation: DISCUSSION PT
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IT’S ABOUT WHAT YOU CONTROLAND WHAT YOU DON’T!!
“INSIDE OURSELVES”
Hans Selye ~ Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it ~
The way you perceive a situation is more important than the situation itself
The same event can affect us differently depending on how we interpret the situation
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INTERNAL STRESSORS
We attach our own meaning to events (either good or bad) so depending on the meaning, the event is either stressful or not
How event is perceived (internal stress)
Internal stressor can play a major role in the stress of daily life
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INTERNAL STRESS
DO YOU EVER STRESS ABOUT STRESS?!
POSITIVE SELF TALK: LEARN THAT YOU CAN MANAGE A STRESSFUL SITUATION BY WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF, “I CAN HANDLE THIS ONE STEP AT A TIME”.
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STRESS VS INTERPRETATION
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What kind of self-talk do you use in managing these stresses?
1. Leaky toilet 2. Cuts you off, driving 3. Partner loses wallet 4. Argument with a friend
Are you aware if and when you do that? Stress vs Interpretation
(cartoon)
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STRESS AND INTERPRETATION
ON THE BREAK: TRY OUT A FEW THINGS:
BREATHING< STRESS BALLS> MEDITATION SAYING NO ETC
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TAKING TIME TO MANAGE STRESS
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STRESS RESPONSE CURVE(Yerkes- Dodson Law)
Performance increases with arousal, only to a point; then it diminishes.
WHAT YOU NOTICE: HEART RATE SPEEDS UP BP RISES BREATHING SPEEDS UP BLOOD TO MUSCLES SWEATING BLOOD SUGAR INCREASESPLUS RELEASE OF STRESS HORMONES
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INCREASE IN SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY
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HOW DO YOU REACT TO STRESS?
MUSCLE TENSION NAUSEA CHANGES IN APPETITE HEADACHES JAW, NECK & BACK PAIN DIARRHEA SLEEP DISTURBANCES DRY MOUTH, SWEATY PALMS UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS COLD HANDS BREATHING CHANGES (E.G., SHALLOW, SIGHING)
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PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Relaxation Massage Exercise : Specifics?
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MANAGING PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
REDUCED CONCENTRATION MOODINESS, ON EDGE, DEFENSIVE TROUBLE MAKING DECISIONS RACING THOUGHTS NIGHTMARES CLOSE TO TEARS FORGETFULNESS LONELINESS DISORGANZED
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EMOTIONAL/MENTAL SYMPTOMS
BECOMING AWARE CAN HELP:
UNDERSTAND IMPORTANCE OF TAKING TIME TO DO THINGS TO FEEL BETTER
SEEK SUPPORT STOP DOING THINGS THAT AGGRAVATE
THE STRESSMINDFULNESS BASED STRESS
REDUCTION
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MANAGING EMOTIONS
TARDINESS SERIOUS APPEARANCE NERVOUS BEHAVIOR/HABITS RUSHING/PACING YELLING OR OVERREACTING MORE ACCIDENTS/CLUMSY WASTING TIME REDUCED PODUCTIVITY USE OF ALCOHOL?SUBSTANCES TO FEEL
BETTER
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BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS
How many people experience stress at work?
How many people carry that stress home?
Also the Psychology Foundation has free information on workplace resilience at www.psychologyfoundation.org
Some of their brochures are here to look at over the break
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WORK AND STRESS
MOST OF US BOUNCE BACK. UNDER PROLONGED LONG-TERM STRESS AND LACKING SUPPORT AND EFFECTIVE COPING:
OUR PERSONALITIES CAN CHANGE MAY BECOME DEPRESSED, FEEL
HELPLESS/HOPELESS OR BECOME EXPLOSIVE/IMPULSIVE
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LONG TERM EFFECTS MAY BE HARMFUL
THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS (EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS OVERWHELMING)
SIMPLE STEPS CAN GO A LONG WAY
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STRESS MANAGEMENT BASICS
TAKE CHARGE: 1. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
MAKING YOUR LIFE WHAT YOU WANT.2. ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN’TCONTROL3. ACTIVELY MANAGE YOUR STRESS
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THREE STEPS TO REDUCE STRESS
WHAT HAVE YOU TRIED BEFORE THAT HELPSDECREASE YOUR STRESS? (emotional/behavioural/physical/thoughts?)
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Where To Start
GET ORGANIZED: USE CALENDERS OR “TO DO LISTS”
KNOW YOUR LIMITS: BE REALISTIC
CHANGE ATTITUDE: LEARN TO SEE STRESSFUL
SITUATIONS AS CHALLENGESTALK IT OVER:
TALK THE SITUATION OVER WITH A FRIEND
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NUTS AND BOLTS
LEARN TO SAY “NO”: THERE ARE SOME DEMANDS THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. SEPARATE THOSE FROM ACTIVITIES OVER WHICH WE HAVE SOME CONTROL, AND LEARN TO SAY “NO” TO DEMANDS.
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NUTS AND BOLTS 2
DEEP BREATHING PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION BIOFEEDBACK MEDITATION BEGIN AN EXERCISE PROGRAM LAUGH! FIND A BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE
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NUTS AND BOLTS 3 :RELAX
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BUT HOW CAN I RELAX WHEN BAD THINGS ARE HAPPENING?
WORKING WITH A COUNSELLOR WE CAN
ADJUST OUR EXPECTATIONS OF SELVES & OTHERS ;
REAPPRAISE OUR PRIORITIES LEARN OTHER STRATEGIEGRADUALLY IMPROVE HOW YOU COPE
WITH STRESS
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LONG TERM GROWTH CAN REDUCE STRESS
There are now proven short-term OHIP covered stress courses in hospitals that teach meditation and stress reduction (See handout)
Mindfulness has been shown to reduce not only anxiety but also symptoms associated with chronic stress (psoriasis)
The person who researches and developed this approach is John Kabbat Zinn
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MINDFULNESS
BREAK DOWN STRESSINTERNAL/EXTERNAL
Become aware of (physical, behavioral, mental, emotional :
Stress interpretations/stress reactions) Identify what we can and cannot control Take time to cope with those areas we have
some control SEEK SUPPORT
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LET”S SUMMARIZE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
REALIZE THAT MUCH STRESS COMES FROM WITHIN, NOT WITHOUT.
TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE FLOWERS AND TASTE THE STRAWBERRIES.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT
QUESTIONS?
Materials Available at www.safht.ca
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTIVENESS
Kimberley Boyle and Carol Garson
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STRESS MANAGEMENT
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