1. Personal Stress Management

2. Stress Management Objectives
Define stress and discuss different types of stress
Identify signs and symptoms of personal stress

3. What is Stress?
Stress can be anything that stimulates you and increase you level of alertness
There are several major types of stress;
Survival stress
Internally generated stress
Environmental and job stress
Fatigue and overwork

4. Short Term Effects Faster heart beat Increased sweating Cool skin
Cold hands and feet
Feelings of nausea, or “butterflies in stomach”
Rapid breathing
Tense muscles
Dry mouth
A desire to urinate
diarrhea

5. Long Term Effects Change in appetite Frequent colds Illnesses such as
Asthma
Back pain
Digestive problems
Headaches
Skin eruptions
Feelings of intense and long-term tiredness
Aches and pains

6. Stress Feeling of tension that is both emotional and physical
Stress Management:
Effort to control and reduce the tension that occurs with a situation that is considered difficult or unmanageable.

7. The following factors are a predictor of how you handle stress
Attitude
Physical well-being
Physical activity
Support systems
Relaxation

8. Attitude
The attitude of an individual can influence whether a situation or emotion is stressful of not. A person with a negative attitude will often perceive situations as stressful.
Negative attitude is a predictor of stress.

9. Physical Well-Being
If the nutritional status of the person is poor, the body is stressed and the person is not able to respond to a stressful situation. As a result, the person can be more susceptible to infections.

10. Nutrition Plan to eat foods for improved health and well-being
Use the food guide pyramid to help select healthy food choices
Eat an appropriate amount of food on a reasonable schedule

11. Nutrition
Caffeine: this raises your levels of stress hormones, makes it more difficult to sleep, and can make you more irritable.
Bursts of sugar from sweets or chocolate: these can make you feel more energetic in the short term. However, your body reacts to stabilize abnormally high sugar levels by releasing too much insulin. This causes a serious energy dip shortly after the sugar high.
Too much salt: this raises your blood pressure and puts your body under chemical stress.

12. Physical Activity
Inadequate physical activity can result in a stressful state for the body.
Start an individualized program of physical activity. Decide on a specific time, type, frequency, and level of physical activity.

13. Social Support Systems
A minimal or total lack of support systems can be beyond the coping ability of a stressed person.
Make an effort to interact socially with people.
Reach out to individuals.
Nurture yourself and others.

14. Relaxation
When a person has no hobbies or means of relaxation, they may be unable to handle stressful situations because the individual has no outlet for stress

15. Individual Stress Management Plan
Refocus the negative to be positive.
Talk positively to yourself.
Write down 1 to 3 items that are a source of stress for you.

16. Develop a Plan for Stress Management!
The art of stress management is to keep yourself at a level of stimulation that is healthy and enjoyable.

17. Stress Management Plan
The techniques that you select depend on the cause of the stress and the situation in which the stress occurs.
In choosing methods to combat stress, it is worth asking yourself where the stress comes from.

18. Stress Reduction Techniques
Short Term
Rational thinking
Keeping things in perspective
Imagery in stress reduction
R.E.T. (rational emotional therapy)
Self-hypnosis and meditation
Deep breathing
Exercise
PMR (Progressive muscular relaxation

19. Stress Reduction Techniques
Long Term
Time management
Attitude
Being in control of your life
Change
Social interactions
Slowing down out of work
Health, nutrition and exercise
Eliminating stress from your environment

20. Summary Stress you experience is under your control.
Stress can come from a range of different sources. (Identify)
Once you understand what is causing your stress, you can make an action plan for stress management.

21. Do you have an Action Plan?