Stressed?

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 Stressed?

• Created by
• Dan Goss
• Deborah Mastin
• Diane Deal
• Karen Buckenmeyer

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Introduction

• In this presentation, you will be learning about
•  What stress is
• Sources of Stress
• Signs of Stress 
• Stress Management Techniques

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 What is stress?

• Stress is hard to define because no one can agree
  on a set definition. Everyone experiences stress
  differently.
•  
• Stress causes different reactions in everybody.
  There are no two people who will experience the
  exact same stress signs in their body.
•  
• The two most common definitions according to the
  American Institute of Stress are
•  "a condition or feeling experienced when a
  person perceives that demands exceed the personal
  and social resources the individual is able to
  mobilize."
• "physical, mental, or emotional strain or
  tension"
•  
• There is good stress and bad stress.

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Sources of Stress

•  
•       
• What may be considered stressful for one person
  isnt necessarily a stressful situation for
  someone else.  Everyone experiences stress but
  understanding what triggers it for you can help
  you take control of it.
•  
• vAcute Stress
•     This is the kind of stress that produces an
  immediate raise in heart rate and blood pressure,
  also called a fight-or-flight response.  It is
  your bodys response to a frightening or intense
  situation.  Acute stress can be caused by either
  negative  (distress) or positive (eustress) life
  events.
•   Examples of Acute Stress   
•   A car accident (distress)
  
•                      A job interview (eustress)
•                      Family member dies
  (distress)
•                      Starting college (eustress)
  
•    
• The fight-or-flight response is designed to be a
  short term response.  Additional physical and
  mental problems can arise when the acute stress
  response is sustained over a long period of time. 

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  vChronic Stress   When stress is persistent
and the response is more subtle it is defined as
Chronic stress.  This type of stress can result
in long-term health problems. Prolonged exposure
to chronic stressor can also make handling acute
or  daily stresses more difficult.  Examples of
Chronic Stress       Ongoing  discrimination
issues    Long-term financial problems or living
in poverty    Chronic health problems   
Unconstructive and conflictive work environments  

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  vExternal and Internal Stressors What are
external stressors?   -External stressors are
events and situations that happen to you. They
come from an outside source and can be negative
or positive.  Major life changes.  Getting
married, having a baby, buying a house, getting a
divorce, a death in the family, or moving to a
new area. Family and social. Household
arguments, conflicts with relatives, a blind
date. Workplace.  Deadlines, excessive
workload, tension between co-workers or
supervisor. Daily hassles.  Overdue bill arrives
in the mail, a flat tire on the way to
work. Environment. A room that is too noisy, too
hot or cold, a barking dog.
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  What are internal stressors?      - Internal
stressors come from within yourself.  It can be a
perception, belief or feeling.   Beliefs. They
are expectations or opinions of the world we live
in and our role in the world.  An example would
be making what we believe is a perfect holiday
gathering for family.  These are usually
unrealistic expectations become a source of
stress. Fears.  A fear of heights, the dark, a
fear of public speaking. Uncertainty. The
unknown can be frightening for most people.  For
example, beginning a new job, waiting to hear
results of a test.   Unlike external stressors a
person has more control over internal stressors
and we can learn to manage them if we dont let
our own attitudes and ideas get in the way. 
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Signs of Stress

• There are many signs of Stress.  There is short
  term stress, which occurs in quick bursts. 
  This is our reaction to something in our
  environment.  Signs of short term stress can
  include
•          Making your heartbeat faster
•          You may sweat more
•          It can make you sick to your
  stomach(like butterflies)
•          Your muscles or tendons may become
  tense
•          You may experience a dry mouth
•          You may have increase in muscle spasms,
  headaches, or
• shortness of breath
•          It may disable your ability to make
  quick reliable decisions
•          It can leave you feeling anxious or
  frustrated
• These are signs of short term stress.

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Things, people or jobs that cause a constant
stress, the signs and symptoms are much
different.  This is called long-term stress. 
Long-term stress, signs and symptoms are much
greater and at times can be very debilitating.
These signs consist of, but are not limited
to          Feeling out of control,
overwhelmed, and confused          Mood changes
such as depression, overreacting, impatient,
frustration, anger, irrationality,
defensiveness, irritability, restlessness      
    An increase dependence on food, cigarettes,
alcohol and or drugs          Neglect of
important the things in life such as work,
school, and person appearance          You may
develop a loss of enthusiasm to do things you
enjoyed doing          A constant feeling of
worrying and anxiousness(these can lead to
anxiety disorders or panic attacks)         
Sleep disturbances, you may have insomnia or
sleep more          Increase in tension
headaches or migraine headaches          You may
develop irrational fears such as a physical
illness, natural disasters, thunderstorms or
earthquakes. The signs and symptoms
of stress are many.  Each sign or symptom can
lead to bigger physical and or psychological
problems.  Just because you may experience one
or two of the above signs, does not necessarily
mean you are experiencing stress in your life.
Everyone has a few nervous habits and
difficulties in their lives.  Not everyone deals
with stress in the same way and not everyone
develops signs or symptoms of stress.
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Your Stress Levels

• Follow this link and complete the short test to
  evaluate your own stress levels
• http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-assessment
  /SR00029

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Managing StressMany people feel that stress is
out of their control, but people can learn to
manage stress (WebMD Tips for Reducing
Stress).Start with these stress management
tips1) Keep a positive attitude2)Accept that
there are events that you cannot control.3) Be
assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your
feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of
becoming angry, defensive, or passive4) Learn
and practice relaxation techniques5) Exercise
regularly. Your body can fight stress better
when it is fit.6) Eat healthy, well-balanced
meals.7) Get enough rest and sleep. Your body
needs time to recover from stressful events.8)
Dont rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce
stress.9) Seek out social support.10) Learn to
manage your time more efficiently.And here is
something you can say to yourself each day as you
embrace the 10 steps listed aboveHe is able
who thinks hes able BuddhaDo or do not there
is no try - Yoda
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Go in the Internet to find websites that give
instructions on how to Manage Stress

• Job related stress is easily brought home, and
  before you know it, it can consume your life.
• Remember that people feel little stress when they
  have the time, experience, and resources to
  manage a situation. They feel great stress when
  they think they cant handle the demands put upon
  them. Stress is therefore a negative experience.
  
• Turn stress into a positive experience by
  managing it.
• (MindTools.com)

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Relaxation Technique
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Managing Stress A Guide for College Students

• The previous slide mentioned turning Stress into
  a positive experience.
• Stress is a response to a demand that is placed
  on you. But, without some stress, people would
  not get a lot done. That extra burst of
  adrenaline that helps you finish your final
  paper, perform well in sports, or meet any
  challenge is POSITIVE STRESS.
• College students have unique stressors in direct
  relationship with the college environment.
• Heres some tips to manage college stress Do
  not procrastinate, use time management for
  studies, eat healthy foods and exercise.
• www.uhs.uga.edu/stress

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Conclusion

• Stress affects everyone, but in different ways.
  There is good stress and bad stress.
• All situations in life cause some sort of stress,
  but there are always techniques that can be used
  to manage it.
• Stress can cause physical and mental symptoms in
  a person.
• Some of these symptoms can cause long term health
  issues while others may only cause short term
  issues.
• Our group has learned a lot during this project
  about what stress is and how we can stay healthy
  by managing our stress. We have also learned how
  to recognize stress and techniques we can use to
  be healthy.

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References   American Institute of Stress.
(n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2011 from
www.stress.org Manage Stress, WebMD. (n.d.).
Retrieved May 28, 2011 from webmd.com/balance/guid
e/health-and-balance-manage-stress Managing
Stress A Guide for College Students, (n.d.). The
University Health Center, University of Georgia,
Retrieved May 28, 2011 from www.uhs.uga.edu/stress
Mayo Clinic (n.d.) retrieved May 29, 2011
http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-management
/SR00031 Serido, J., Almeida, D., Wethington,
E. (2004). Chronic Stressors and Daily Hassles
Unique and Interactive Relationships with
Psychological Distress. Journal of Health and
Social Behavior, 45, 1. Retrieved from Research
Library Core Pg 17 Stoppler, M. C., MD (2011).
Stress What are the signs and symptoms of poorly
managed stress?. Retrieved from
http//www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?art
iclekey488pf3page1symptoms. Stress
Management from MindTools, (n.d.). Retrieved May
28, 2011, from www.mindtools.com/smpage.html