Stress Management advising office The subject of stress has become a common topic of conversation. We often hear friends, classmates, coworkers, and family members talk about the problems they have in managing the stresses of everyday living. We say we feel "burned out," stressed out, overwhelmed, angry, irritable, depressed, anxious, and on the verge of "losing it." Stress can be defined as our mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral reactions to any perceived demands or threats. advising office

Key points: What is Stress? Is it always negative? Facts about stress. Why? Reasons. How? Effective strategies. Fact - stress is unavoidable, but you can control stress, you

Defining Stress Stress may be considered as any physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental unrest and that may be a factor in causing disease. Stressors are events that threaten or challenge us.

What is stressful for you?

What is your reaction?

Psychological manifestations Depressed Bored Urge to cry Urge to hide Suspiciousness Negative attitude/thoughts Loneliness Irritation Poor decision making, doubts Low self esteem Poor memory Absence of motivation

Evaluate your stress Scale your stress; how important is it? Is it a frequent stress situation? Can you control the situation? Can you avoid or solve stressful situation? How can you cope with this particular stress? Why is it stressful?

Lack of interest and apathy Insomnia Anxiety & Depression Low productivity Weak immune system Lack of interest and apathy Decreased mood Absent-mindedness Irritation in communication

How to cope? There are several types of stress management techniques: relaxation techniques, time-management skills, counseling or group therapy, exercises maintaining healthy lifestyle

Relaxation techniques There are hundreds of different relaxation techniques to help manage stress: Yoga, Imagery, Progressive Muscle Relaxation http://www.medicinenet.com/stress_management_techniques/page4.htm#what_can_i_do_to_better_manage_stress

Relaxation techniques DoNothingFor2Minutes.com Calm.com SimplyNoise SimplyRain Rainy Mood naturesoundsfor.me Coffitivity

Imagery: the use of pleasant or relaxing images to calm the mind and body. By controlling breathing and visualizing a soothing image, a state of deep relaxation can occur. A form of meditation popularized for several decades is transcendental meditation (TM). TM has the goal of achieving transcendental consciousness (the simplest form of awareness). It is practiced for 15-20 minutes in the mornings and evenings and is relatively easy to learn. Numerous classes and teaching materials are available for beginners. Another variant of a meditation technique has gained popularity in the U.S. since its description in the 1970s by Harvard physician Herbert Benson. This technique involves generation of the so-called relaxation response throug

Yoga Yoga One goal of yoga is to restore balance and harmony to the body and emotions through numerous postural and breathing exercises.

Additional Options: Counseling or group therapy Exercises maintaining healthy lifestyle Meditation

Immediate stress busters. Breathe slowly and deeply. Before reacting to the next stressful occurrence, take three deep breaths and release them slowly. If you have a few minutes, try out a relaxation techniquesuch as meditationor guided imagery.

Immediate stress busters. When stressed -practice speaking more slowly than usual. Stressed people tend to speak fast and breathlessly; by slowing down your speech you'll also appear less anxious and more in control of any situation. Jump-start. Choose one simple thing you have been putting off (e.g., returning a phone call) and do it immediately. This is not a solution, but this helps you to find solution by Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

Relax &Take it easy Cope & Move forward Conclusion Relax &Take it easy Cope & Move forward