MENTAL HEALTH: Handling Stress In Your Life Ms. Mai Lawndale High School

Handling Stress There are a few things we can do in our life to help us better handle stress …. 1. Recognize Your Reaction 2. Maintain Physical Health 3. Relax 4. Nurture Social Support Networks 5. Manage Your Time 6. Allow For Setbacks 7. Change Your Thinking

1. Recognize Your Reactions We have discussed some common stressors the you deal with everyday We also know that these stressors can cause physical and mental reactions Recognizing what your body is telling your is the first step to managing stress

Biofeedback Biofeedback can help people recognize when their body is under stress In recognizing the stress, you can then learn to counteract those effects For example, a headache may tell you that you are under stress. You can then learn to relax the muscles that tighten to cause your headaches

Mental Awareness Mental Awareness - stressful situations can be dealt with directly by using a problem-solving strategy Remember from our Healthy Choices unit when we discussed dealing with stressful situations by following a plan: 1. Identify the Problem 2. Consider Your Options 3. Evaluate the Outcome 4. Decide and Act 5. Review Your Decision

2. Maintain Physical Health In order to reduce the effects of stress on your body, it is important to maintain your health This includes good eating habits, plenty of rest, and adequate exercise to help you stay in good physical condition

Nutrition During times of distress, it is important to pay close attention to your nutrition Being well-nourished helps you gain the energy to cope with your stress It is best to eat lightly during times of stress because our digestive system slows down Most importantly, avoid overeating or under eating. Eat balanced meals!

Physical Activity Exercise is a good defense against stress Increasing your physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins (chemicals released to reduce pain) During exercise, there are increased levels of endorphins that circulate in the blood to help us feel strong and relaxed

3. Relax Some part of each day should be reserved for relaxation Relaxation can include listening to music, reading a book, or spending time with your friends When you are stressed, it is important to practice relaxation techniques What do you do?

2 Relaxation Techniques Progressive Relaxation – help your muscles relax (lie on your back with arms on the side and relax each part of your body separately) Visualization – daydreaming (picture yourself in a pleasant place and imagine the environment with all five senses)

4. Nurture Social Support Networks When you are stressed, it is important to have a group of trusted friends or family members to help support you Strong relationships are built over a period of time by the mutual sharing of happy and sad feelings Even if they cannot relieve your stress, they can at lease encourage and support you from a new perspective

5. Manage Your Time Although small amounts of stress can help you achieve goals and motivate your to learn, you may take on too much It is important to know how much you can handle mentally and physically before you begin to stress

Strategies for Reducing Stress Set your priorities Schedule your tasks Be realistic in estimating your time Identify your big goal, and then break it into smaller tasks Don ’ t procrastinate Schedule time to relax

6. Allow For Setbacks Some people seem to bounce back from setbacks in achieving their goals This is not always easy to do, especially if you have focused on a goal for a long time However, setbacks can be used as an opportunity to review your goal and make modifications

7. Change Your Thinking Good friend can help us put things into perspective using logic and knowledge, instead of our emotions (cognitive appraisal) Sometimes you can talk yourself into anxious feelings about upcoming events or tasks that you have to finish The negative talk creep into your mind and you are stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy (you fail a test because you keep thinking that you are going to fail)

Suggestions for Positive Self-Talk Accept compliments with “ thanks ” and smile Compliment yourself as you look in the mirror everyday Make a list of ten good things about yourself Don ’ t dwell on past mistakes Recognize that nobody is perfect

In Conclusion Laughter is an important way to defuse stressful situations and feelings Each time you laugh, your body responds both physically and psychologically Being able to laugh at yourself is the most natural and effective stress reliever