Busting Stress Workshop

On a piece of paper: Write five things that causes you stress and how you handle them. SAMPLE Stress FactorsHow I solve it Too much work in schoolComplain My mom nags meI ignore her

What do the professionals say? Click on the words below to find out: Stress is not good...we want to help you ;)

(fill this out in column three of a worksheet) After watching the video, how do you think you could handle your stress differently?

Stress Triggers…what are they? Do you have ?:Have you experienced ?: Changes in your life Trauma or crises Small daily hassles Conflicts Unpleasant people Barriers that prevent you from reaching your goals Feeling little control over your life Excessive or impossible demands Noise Boring or lonely work Irrational ideas about how things should or must be; perceiving that life is not unfolding as you think it should

FINGER & NECK STRESS TEST A simple way to test your stress level is by comparing your hand temperature to your neck temperature. Test your hand temperature by touching your neck with the fingertips of both hands. Do your fingers feel colder than your neck? How much colder? Allot or just slightly? Do your fingers feel warm like your neck? Remember "Warm Hands are Relaxed, Cold Hands are Tense!" Neck temperature is typically around the high 80's to low 90's F. Hand temperature can vary from 60 degrees to 99 degrees in a normal room temperature. If your fingers feel really cold, then you are showing extra tension perhaps too much stress. If your fingers feel cool, then you are showing some tension. If your fingers are warm like your neck, then you may be relaxed and comfortable. If your fingers feel hotter than your neck, then you may be deeply relaxed. This is a simple test. Some people feel stress in muscle tension, sweaty hands or other ways that may be more apparent than hand temperature.

Dealing with Stress Identify whether you are feeling stressed (take the finger test) Can you control your stress on cue? Try this exercise: Sit with your eyes closed. Take long, slow, deep breaths. For 3 minutes imagine that you are laying in the warm sunshine or under a heavy blanket in front of a fireplace. Feel the warmth flowing down your arms and into your hands. Feel the warmth pulsing and throbbing over your entire body.

Shake It Off And Step Up Author Unknown A story is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. In this way he could solve two problems: put the old mule out of his misery and have his well filled. To work they went. Shovel full of dirt after shovel full of dirt began to fall on the mule's back. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP! You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT US! Shake It Off And Step Up Author Unknown A story is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. In this way he could solve two problems: put the old mule out of his misery and have his well filled. To work they went. Shovel full of dirt after shovel full of dirt began to fall on the mule's back. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP! You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT US!

THE END!