How do you know when you are stressed?

Stress  Moody  Irritable  Demanding  Depressed  Anxious  Lack of humor  Hostile  Nervous  Short fused  Lonely  Emotional outbursts  Dissatisfied  Worried  Tearful  Apathetic Emotional features

Stress  Forgetful  Inattentive  Distracted  Poor judgment  Disorganized  Confused  Unclear perceptions  Lack of interest  Unusual dreams  Belief things always go wrong  Prolonged thoughts of boredom  Fearful thoughts Cognitive features

Stress  Sleep changes  Eating disturbances  Increased substance use  Avoidance of tasks and others  Nervous laughter  Frequent illness  Allergies  Headaches/pain  Sexual problems  GI disturbances  Muscle tension  Cold hands  Rapid breathing  Rapid heart rate  Shaking  Fatigue  Inability to relax  Relationship conflicts Behavioral & Physical features

What makes you stressed?

Good Stress or Bad Stress? Death of spouse Divorce/Marital separation Jail term Death of a close family member Personal injury or illness Major mortgage Death of close friend Foreclosure of mortgage or loan Son or daughter leaving home Trouble with boss Dismissal from work Change in health of family member Marriage/Marital reconciliation Pregnancy Change in financial state Change to different line of work Change in responsibilities at work Outstanding personal achievement Begin or end school Change in living conditions Change in work hours or conditions Change in social activities Vacation

Stress… …develops when demands require more energy than you have

Stress vs. performance Yerkes Dodson Law

Stress Impairing Performance? “Choking” on an assessment Forgetting a class you signed up for Missing an important deadline Failing to remember an assignment Forgetting to drop off or pick up your child Any of these sound familiar???

How do you manage stress?

Un-Healthy Coping Consuming too much caffeine Smoking Drinking in excess Compulsive spending Emotional eating Using drugs Defensiveness Blame others/avoid responsibility Act out- passive/aggressive

Healthy Coping

Time Management

What is Important? Imagine having led a long and fulfilling life… What would you remember? What would you value? Imagine being told you have 6 months left on this planet… How would you spend your time? What would you want to do or experience?

Wellness Wheel Occupational Vocational Career Intellectual Creativity Informational Skills Emotional Sexuality Relationships Physical Fitness Nutrition Self-Care Safety Spiritual Values Ethics Social Family Community Environmental

Sometimes you just have to say…. There are only 24 hours in a day… You are human – with only so much energy….

Self-Care Being Healthy

Social and Emotional Support Who to talk to… about what ? about what ?

Healthy Thinking

Thoughts and Emotions Thoughts Interpretation Emotion Behavior Event

Limited-Thinking Patterns  Filtering – focus on negatives  Polarized Thinking – all or nothing  Overgeneralization – globalization  Mind Reading – know what others think  Catastrophizing – visualize disaster  Magnifying- exaggerate intensity  Personalization – all about me  Shoulds – ironclad rules

Relaxation Exercises

Relaxation Techniques Deep Breathing Muscle Relaxation Visualization

Deep Breathing Deep breathing exercises can serve a multitude of purposes, ranging from controlling anger to relieving stress and improving overall respiratory functions, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Stress reduction in any form reduces wear and tear on the body and mind. Breathing properly with intention is one of the simplest forms of relaxation that can be done anywhere.

Simple Deep Breathing Exercise This exercise can be performed either sitting or standing. Start with your elbows bent at your sides. As you take in a breath through your mouth, extend your elbows behind your back and stick out your chest. Hold for a count of five and release the air by sucking in your abdomen. This will force out the air in a quick burst. Let your arms return to the starting position and repeat 10 times.

Muscle Relaxation Progressive muscle relaxation is a way to systematically relax all of the muscles in your body. This reduces unnecessary muscle tension and saves your energy for the things that really matter. With practice, just telling yourself to relax can quickly Make your body be as loose as a rag doll. Muscle relaxation exercises should be done in a comfortable chair. Don't do them in bed as you want to teach your body to relax (not to fall asleep). Doing them right before bed is an excellent idea as a more relaxed body will sleep better.

Simple Muscle Relaxation Exercise For each muscle group, tense for 10 seconds and release, taking a few deep breaths as you notice sensation that comes as those muscles relax, before moving on to the next muscle group. Skip areas that cause pain when tensing. Sit in a comfortable position, with eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths, expanding your belly as you breathe air in and contracting it as you exhale. Begin at the top of your body, and go down. Start with your head, tensing your facial muscles, squeezing your eyes shut, puckering your mouth and clenching your jaw. Hold, then release and breathe. Tense as you lift your shoulders to your ears, hold, then release and breathe. Make a fist with your right hand, tighten the muscles in your lower and upper arm, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Repeat with left hand. Concentrate on your back, squeezing shoulder blades together. Hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Suck in your stomach, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Clench your buttocks, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Tighten your right hamstring, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Repeat with left hamstring. Flex your right calf, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Repeat with left calf. Tighten toes on your right foot, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. Repeat with left foot.

Visualization Visualization exercises use the power of the imagination to bring about a state of relaxation. Visualization taps into our right brains, thus quieting our oh-so-busy left brains and redirecting us away from all of our worries, concerns and to do lists. Visualization exercises are like a vacation for the mind, as you imagine yourself in a place that represents beauty and serenity for you. It can be a place you have actually been to, or just a place in your imagination. Visualization exercises are best done in a quiet setting.

Simple Visualization Exercise 10 Minutes Pick a place. Choose a setting that evokes a sense of peacefulness and serenity for you. It can be a real place, in other words, somewhere you have actually been, or it could just be a place from your imagination. The following possibilities are offered as a guide, but feel free to use whatever place works for you. The only requirements are that the place feels peaceful, safe and serene to you. For example, the spa, beach, garden, mountain top, etc. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in your peaceful place. It’s as simple as that. Your beautiful, safe place is waiting for you whenever you choose to go there. Imagine the smells. To help you to get the most out of the experience, focus on the smells that are a part of your safe place. What scents are in the air? Are there flowers? The sweet moldy smell of damp leaves? The tang of sea salt? Listen. What are the sounds in your place? Quiet? The wind rippling the leaves? The gentle roar of the surf? Birds singing or chirping? The gurgling of the stream? Feel. What sensations can you feel on your skin as you relax in your serene spot? The heat of the sun? A gentle breeze? A light spray coming off the tops of the waves? The cool ground beneath you? The warm sand? Look. As you gaze around your spot, what do you see? The beauty of nature? The gorgeous blues of the sky? Wispy white clouds? The crystal-like colors of the water making its way downstream? The reds, yellows and oranges of leaves or wildflowers? The deep sea green of waves before they topple into a froth of white? Gently banish disruptive thoughts. Use your imagination to help to shoo away the intrusive thoughts that love to pop up, particularly when we are trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. Attach the thought to a twig floating downstream or to a cloud that drifts off the horizon. Enjoy. This is your time to be quiet and relaxed so that you can recharge your batteries. Keep telling yourself that this is your special place, where you are completely safe and where all of your worries and concerns are far away.

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