WAYS TO COPE WITH STRESS HEALTH – MR. TAYLOR

1. Take steps towards thinking more __________. Stop and count your blessings. Write down even the simplest things such as: a roof over your head, a bed to sleep on, quality food, warmth, security or good health. Say something positive to yourself as soon as you wake up every morning. This will keep your energy and mind focused on positivity. Use positive self-talk — reinforce your resolve through positive statements such as, "I can handle this, one step at a time," or "Since I've been successful with this before, there's no reason why I can't do it again". positively

1. Take steps towards thinking more positively. Visualize positive things; this does not take long but can help you regain focus. Treat your body right. Your body needs to be healthy, happy and properly fueled to help you tackle stress. Drink water it is the best beverage and stay off alcohol which always adds to stress one way or another. Caffeine is also known to raise stress levels, so again it is best to drink water. Eat a healthy breakfast and healthy snacks only. Your choice of food is very important when dealing with stress; stay away from sugary snacks and have unsalted nuts and fruit available.

1. Take steps towards thinking more positively. Get fit. Exercise a little every day. This releases endorphins that can lower stress levels, also eat chocolate it also releases endorphins, but only in a small to moderate dosage. Get enough sleep, and, if possible, get into regular sleeping habits.

2. Learn to _______ Listen to calm and soft music. It really gets you relaxed and happy. Try listening to music with no vocals and pick music with instruments like the flute, piano, etc. Lie down on a bed with your eyes closed for a few minutes. Try to let your mind go blank. You may eventually fall asleep if you are relaxed enough. relax

2. Learn to relax Take a bath. this will give you private time and relax the body. Practice deep relaxation, muscle relaxation, and regularly schedule a day for relaxing

3. Be __________. Set ______ for what you need to achieve that day Know your limits - Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day. Prioritize your tasks and work to finish them starting with the highest priority (urgent/important). Do your most unpleasant or most difficult task at the beginning of the day when you are fresh, thereby avoiding the stress of last minute preparation. Procrastination feeds stress! Emphasize quality in your work, rather than sheer quantity. organized goals

3. Be organized. Set goals for what you need to achieve that day Schedule your day and your stress as this can reduce the number of stressors you must juggle at any one time. Stagger deadlines for large projects. Add some "breathing" space that will allow you time for "recharging" and creative thinking. You will also be better prepared when an unanticipated task arrives. Too much logical and systematic thinking creates stress - you need to give that part of the brain a rest and stimulate the other parts of the brain.

3. Be organized. Set goals for what you need to achieve that day Review your goals at the end of the day and think about everything you have achieved. This is cathartic and will help you sleep better. Check off the things that you accomplished on the "to do" list. Know your limits and do not push yourself too hard or beat yourself up when you do not achieve your goals. Tomorrow is another day, start writing tomorrow's to- do-list before you lie down so that it is off your chest.

4. _________ the things that put you under stress. Make sure you understand why you become stressed so that you can try to avoid these circumstances. Identify

5. Stop __________ about what you cannot change. This especially comes with things such as politics. Learning to accept things as they are is an important coping mechanism, but not as easy as it sounds. worrying

6. Take ______________ for making your life what you want it to be. It is less stressful to make decisions and take action than to feel powerless and react to other's decisions. Decide what you want and go for it! responsibility

7. Rehearse ( ) When you know that you are going to face a stressful situation, rehearse how you are going to handle it. Picture yourself overcoming it successfully. Create a mental "videotape" that you can play over and over in your mind. visualize

8. Develop a sense of ________ One of the barriers to stress reduction is the temptation to take things too seriously. It's okay to back off from your intensity and see the humor in life's situations. Laugh a little or better yet, laugh a lot! See the humor in stress. humor

9. Talk to ________. This is one of the most important things, as keeping things bottled up can only cause more stress. friends

10. Learn to say ____. You cannot do everything you are asked. no

11. ________ and ____________ the turmoil around you Understand, that to feel frustration and anxiety only indicates your own humanity, and it's nothing to feel ashamed of. Acceptappreciate

SELF TALK – POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE Self-talk can be positive ("I can do this" or "Things will work out") or negative ("I'll never get well" or "I'm so stupid"). Negative self-talk increases stress. Positive self- talk helps you calm down and control stress. With practice, you can learn to turn negative thoughts into positive ones.

POSITIVE STATEMENTS Having trouble getting started? Try positive statements such as these: "I can get help if I need it." "We can work it out." "I won't let this problem get me down." "Things could be worse." "I'm human, and we all make mistakes." "Some day I'll laugh about this." "I can deal with this situation when I feel better."

Reflection questions Which two daily hassles and stressors do you have the most trouble dealing with and why? How well would you say you are coping with them? What could you do better when managing them?