1. All Staff Quarterly Meeting Dec. 14th, 2007
University Services
All Staff Quarterly Meeting
Dec. 14th, 2007

2. Stress Management:
Is Stress Managing You or are YOU Managing Stress?

3. What is stress?
Stress is what you experience when you believe you cannot cope effectively with a threatening situation.
Stress is created when your mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some idiot who desperately deserves it.

4. Five Good Reasons to Manage Your Stress
1. Better Health
2. Probably a longer life span
3. More fun
4. More energy
5. Something to talk about at parties

5. Presentation Objectives:
1. Understand stress and how it affects you
2. Work, home, money, general hassles affecting you
3. Effects of Stress
4. Identifying your stress level (test)
5. Stress relievers
6. Organizational skills strategies
7. Time management strategies
8. Stress resistant strategies
9. Clarifying goals and values

6. The Three D’s of Stress: Disorders
________ Americans have some form of major heart disease.
________ Americans die from a heart attack every year.
________ Americans have high blood pressure.
________ Americans are alcoholics.
67 million
1 million
69 million
18 million

7. Three D’s of Stress: Disorders
_______ adults are either obese or overweight.
_______ preventable deaths annually are caused by modifiable, behavioral patterns.
_______ people have diabetes associated with obesity and inactivity.
108 million
300,000
31 million

8. Three D’s of Stress: Drugs
Each year…
_______doses of tranquilizers are prescribed.
______ doses of muscle relaxants are prescribed.
______ doses of antidepressants are prescribed.
______ doses of painkillers are prescribed.
______ people are abusing prescription drugs!
6 billion
4 billion
5 billion
4 million

9. Three D’s of Stress: Dollars
_________is lost annually from stress related reasons.
_________ is lost annually from alcoholism and drug abuse.
_________ is lost annually from chronic pain.
_________workdays a year are lost because of stress-related absenteeism and lost productivity.
Sources: US Dept of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, and National Center for
Health Statistics
$300 billion
$246 billion
$100 billion
$132 million

10. The Top Ten Stresses 1. Loss of a loved one 2. Major illness or injury
3. Divorce or separation
4. Serious financial difficulties
5. Loss of job/New job
6. Getting married
7. Moving to a new place/Major remodeling
8. Serious falling out with a close friend
9. Birth of a child
10. Retirement

11. Work Stress Requirements don’t match capabilities or needs.
Working conditions – excessive workloads; conflicting expectations.
Poor communication; not involving employees in decisions affecting their jobs.
Lack of opportunity for growth.

12. Work Stress
Lack of support, trust or respect.
Rapid changes.

13. Work Strategies
National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety identified the following organizational low stress characteristics:
Recognition for good work performance
Opportunities for career development
Culture that values the individual worker
Effective management strategies and actions
Open and honest communication
Effective work/life balance benefits
Specific job expectations and continuous feedback

14. Home/Personal Stress Need more time? Less leisure time
"Stress Sandwich" - generational divide
Primary care giving roles
Meals, clean house, bills, chores, shopping, lawn and garden, car maintenance, phone calls, kids chauffeured, walking the dog, helping kids with homework, doctors appointments, etc...

15. Something to Ponder… "Life is what happens while you're busy making
other plans." - John Lennon

16. Money/Financial Stress
There never seems to be enough money, is there?
The search for the American Dream.
Keeping up with others.
Media and ‘must-have’ items.
Instant gratification.
Charge it now and pay later.

17. Money/Financial Strategies
Develop and maintain a budget.
Read “Mind over Money: How to get Control of your Finances and Revitalize your Emotional and Physical Well-being” by Dr. Charlesworth and Wayne Nance.
Live within your means.
Don’t equate money with success.
Understand what you really want.

18. General Hassles Noisy Traffic - stupid drivers Rude salesclerks Crowds
Deliveries made 'between 9 and 5'
Long lines
Cell phones
Technology

19. Effects of Stress
_____ of people surveyed said that stress affected their health
_____ said stress negatively affected their friendships
_____ said stress was hurting their marriages
_____ said stress affected work performance
50%
21%
19%
15%

20. Physical Symptoms of Stress
Tiredness, fatigue
Heart palpitations, racing pulse, rapid, shallow breathing
Muscle tension and aches
Shakiness, tremors, tics, twitches
Heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, nervousness
Dry mouth and throat
Excessive sweating, clammy hands, cold hands and/or feet
Rashes, hives, itching
Nail-biting, fidgeting
Overeating, loss of appetite
Sleep difficulties
Increased use of alcohol and/or drugs and medications

21. Psychological Signs of Stress
Irritability, impatience, anger, hostility
Worry, anxiety, panic
Moodiness, sadness, feeling upset
Memory lapses, difficulties in concentrating, indecision
Work absenteeism, lowered productivity
Feeling overwhelmed
Loss of sense of humor
This is for STARTERS!!!

22. Understanding Stress – A,B,C-
A is the Activating event or potentially stressful situation
B is your Beliefs, thoughts, or perceptions about A.
C is the emotional Consequence or stress that results from holding these beliefs.
A potentially stressful situation → your perceptions → your stress

23. A, B, C Example A. Activating Event: Boss pointing out my errors.
B. Irrational Belief: I must be totally incompetent
and I am sure I will lose my job.
C. Stressful Emotional Consequence: Anxiety, terror, worry, loss of sleep, overeating.
D. Dispute Your Irrational Beliefs: If would be nice if I didn’t make any mistakes, but I am not totally incompetent, just human.
E. New, Less Stressful, and More Effective Emotions: Some appropriate concern and motivation to get the job done correctly.

24. It’s The Thought That Counts
How your beliefs, thoughts, perceptions and interpretations impact the stress you feel.

25. How Stressed Are You?
Handout

26. Managing Stress Body Scan/Muscle tension release Breathing
Affirmations
Visualizations

27. Techniques to Mitigate Stress
Massage
Stretching
Exercise
Yoga
Tai Chi
Pilates
Listen to Music
Meditate

28. Organizational Stress
Reducing Organizational Clutter
Schedule it
Have a party

29. Stop Feeding Your Stress
Stressed backwards spells: DESSERTS

30. Food Solutions Prepare food ahead of time
Ask yourself if you are really hungry
Substitute relaxation for food
Eat breakfast and lunch
Eat healthy
Exercise

31. Need More Sleep?
1. I notice a major dip in my energy level early in the afternoon.
2. I need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.
3. On the weekend, when I don't have to get up , I end up sleeping much later.
4. I fall asleep very quickly at night.
5. On most days, I feel tired and feel as though I could use a nap.
Is this YOU?

32. Sleep Solutions
Go to sleep earlier
Bed = Sleep

33. Stress – Reducing TM Skills
Ten signs you're experiencing time-stress and that your time
management skills need help:
1. I feel I don't have enough time for myself, my family, or friends.
2. I feel that I waste too much time.
3. I find myself constantly rushing.
4. I find I don't have enough time to do things I really enjoy.
5. I find I frequently miss deadlines or am late for appointments.
6. I spend almost no time planning my day.
7. I almost never work with some kind of prioritized "To-Do" list.
8. I have difficulty saying NO to others when they make demands on my time.
9. I rarely delegate tasks and responsibilities.
10. I find I procrastinate too often.
Checking 1-2 items - tune up
Checking 4 or more items - overhaul

34. Step One Determine what you DO want to spend more time doing Kids
Spouse
Friends
YOU
Job or career
Hobby or interest
Reading
Exercising
Nurturing your soul
Spending time on community activities
Traveling
Sleeping

35. Step Two Determine what you want to spend LESS time doing
Fewer hours late at the office
Fewer hours on paperwork (touch it once)
Fewer hours attending events I don't enjoy
Fewer hours cleaning house
Fewer hours doing laundry
Fewer hours with people you don't enjoy
Fewer house watching television
Fill in your item here...

36. Step Two Exercise
Use the space below to identify where you want to spend YOUR time…

37. Step Three Find more time 80/20 rule Unload low priority stuff
Delegate
Start a list
Save time by doing similar tasks at the same time (bills, phone calls, bundle errands, cook ahead)
Use technology (shop by mail or web)
Eliminate interruptions
Get up earlier
Buy time

38. Secrets of Stress Resistant Thinking
You can control the amount of stress you feel
You feel stressed because you have to give a presentation at work tomorrow to win an important new client.
You feel stressed at the store because you got trapped in the slowest moving check-out lane.
You feel stressed because your picky Aunt Agnes is coming to stay with you for a whole week.
You feel stressed because your neighbor is playing his music too loudly.

39. Clarifying Your Values & Goals
The tombstone test (The )
When I am gone, what would I like my tombstone to say about me?
How would I like people to remember me in life?
What would I have liked to have accomplished in life?

40. Clarifying Your Values & Goals
2. Five-ish years to live
If you had just five more years to live, would you spend the time you have left any differently than the way you are spending it now?
If yes, what would you do that is different? Would you stay at your job? Would you live where you live? Would you finally call you mother? Etc...

41. Question:
Why are you not doing these things?

42. Suggestion: "Live each day as if it was your last because
someday you're going to be right." - Anonymous

43. Handouts & Exercises
Staying on track
Making the time

44. The Power of Humor Laugh… at yourself if you have to 
Humor as a healing tool
“Seven days without laughter makes one weak.”
- Anonymous

45. Integrating Humor Watch funny movies/shows.
Find funny sayings, poems, or witty remarks to repeat to yourself.
Find humor in stressful situations or past stressful events.
Go to a comedy club.

46. Integrating Humor Look for cartoons connected to stress in your life.
Find something fun to do and make it a habit.
Consult Directory of Humor Magazines and Humor Organizations in America.

47. Ten Habits of Highly Effective Stress Managers
1. They know how to relax.
2. They eat right and exercise often.
3. They get enough sleep.
4. They don't worry about the unimportant stuff.
5. They don't get angry often.
6. They are organized.
7. They manage their time efficiently.
8. They have and make use of a strong social support system.
9. They live according to their values.
10. They have a good sense of humor.

48. Giving Thanks