Stress Management

Table of Contents

• What is stress• How stress is affecting you• Your reaction to stress• The 4 A’s of stress relief• Manage your stress• Top 10 stress relievers• Conclusion

Stress: What is it?• Stress is a normal psychological

and physical reaction to the ever increasing demands of life.

• Body senses danger– Stress response – “fight-or-flight”– Many stressors don’t “shut off”

• Good stress versus Bad stress– Acute and chronic

Stress: How does it affect me?

Your Body• Headache• Muscle tension or pain• Chest pain• Fatigue• Change in sex drive• Stomach upset• Sleeping problems

• Anxiety• Restlessness• Lack of motivation or focus• Irritability or anger• Sadness or depression

Your Mood

Stress: How does it affect me?

Your Behavior• Overeating or under eating• Angry outbursts• Drug or alcohol abuse• Tobacco use• Social withdrawal

Stress: How do you react?

• Genetics: body naturally anticipates stress– Depression and anxiety

• Life Experiences: exposure to extreme stress as a child makes you more vulnerable as an adult.

How do you react to stress?

• Take time to evaluate how you feel when a stressful situation arises– Do you take it in stride?– Do you get anxious?– Do you shut down?

• Keep a stress journal– How are you reacting to stressful situations?– When does acute stress become chronic for

you?

The 4 A’s of Stress Relief

• Avoid• Alter• Accept• Adapt

Avoid the needless stress

• Take control of your surroundings– Hate waiting in line for food, pack your own lunch

• Avoid people who bother you– Create physical distance by not sitting near them in the

conference room and walk around their cubical• Learn to say no– Taking on too much will build stress that will take you down

• Ditch part of your list– Prioritize your to-do list by rating each item’s importance

Alter: Take Inventory and Change

• Respectfully ask others to change their behavior– Be willing to do the same– Small problems created big problems if avoided for too

long• Communicate your feelings openly– Using “I” statements may help

• Manage your time better– Clump similar tasks i.e. phone calls, emails, errands

• State limits in advance– Put an end time to meetings, chitchat, and phone time

Accept things the way they are

• Talk with someone– If you can’t change the situation, talk to someone about

it• Forgive– Stewing with anger takes energy, shrug it off and let it go

• Practice positive self-talk– Negative self-talk quickly builds on itself, be positive

• Learn from your mistakes– Stop procrastinating

Adapt: change your standards/expectations

• Adjust your standards– Redefine success and perfection, you may operate with less guilt and

frustration• Practice thought-stopping

– Stop gloomy thoughts or replaying stressful moments• Reframe the issue• Adopt a mantra

– Create a positive saying and mentally repeat it in tough situations• Create an assets column

– Make a list of things that make you happy, reference it when stressed• Look at the big picture

– Will this matter in 5 years? In ten years?

Manage Your Stress• Prepare

– Schedule time to prepare and plan ahead.

– Set realistic time goals. • Scale Back– If you can’t cut back,

delegate to someone else.

• Reach Out– Make or renew

connections with supportive people.

– Volunteer in your community.

Manage your stress• Take up a hobby– Cliché? Yes. Helpful? YES!– Establish a pressure free environment to enjoy activities.

• Relax– Meditation, exercise, yoga, message: choose an activity that is

right for you.– Refocus your attention to something calming and that will

increase awareness of your body

Manage Your Stress

• Get enough sleep– Lack of sleep affects your

immune system and judgment– Most people need 7-8 hours a

night• Get professional help– If stress management isn’t

working, ask your doctor– Ongoing chronic stress can be

detrimental to your health

Stress Relievers1. Get active2. Meditate3. Laugh4. Connect5. Assert yourself6. Do yoga7. Sleep8. Journal9. Get musical10. Seek counsel

Conclusion• Stress is natural and can

be good• Identify your bad

stressors• Identify how you deal

with the stress they produce

• Decide how to cope with stress – try something new!

• Take action!

Source

"Stress management - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-management/MY00435>.