GOT STRESS

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GOT STRESS??

• A Presentation of the
• Alabama Mental Health Counselors Association
• In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week
• www.almhca.com

Todays Presenter
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Workshop Outline

• Define Stress
• Strategies for managing stress
• Tips to prevent stress
• Personal action plan

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Stress vs. Stressor

• Stressors
• Deadlines
• Relationship challenges
• Financial difficulties
• Health concerns
• Stress
• Physical, mental, emotional responses to stressors

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What is Stress?

• A basic human survival mechanism left over from
  our primordial 'roots' when we could best respond
  to perceived dangers by either fighting or
  fleeing
• The body's non-specific (physical and
  biochemical) response to stressors

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What is Stress?

• Long-Term consequences of being
• too stressed for too long
• Digestion
• Reproduction
• Inhibited growth
• Inhibited tissue repair
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Heart disease (a leading cause of death)
• Kidney disease

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What is Stress?

• Any change requiring you to adapt
• Unavoidable and Necessary
• Stress can be POSITIVE!
• a source of high energy and increased awareness
• Some stress actually improves performance, but
  too much stress impedes performance

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OK, youre stressed right now.

• What do you do?

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Some examples of things to do when stressed

• Go for a walk
• Call somebody
• Repot a plant
• Put a puzzle together
• Walk around the mall
• Throw ice at a tree
• Beat a drum
• Cook
• Tear up a phone book

• Listen to music
• Rock in a rocking chair
• Play with your pet
• Weed a garden
• Scream into a pillow
• Take a bath
• Watch a movie
• Paint
• Pray/meditate

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Even MORE examples

• Scream out loud
• Play an instrument
• Search the internet
• Do your nails
• Write a poem
• Organize CDs
• Rearrange furniture
• Wander around a bookstore

• Play racquetball
• Take pictures of nature
• Light scented candles
• Beat a pillow
• Shoot hoops
• Hit a punching bag
• Build something
• Yoga
• Take a nap

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• BREATHE!!
• When youre stressed, you tend to breathe from
  your chest in short, shallow breaths. Take a
  break, get quiet somewhere and breathe deeply,
  from your diaphragm.
• Use bubbles to practice good and healthy
  breathing they help you control your breathing,
  and you cant stay mad while you blow a bubble!
• Practice blowing bubbles now with your workshop
  favors

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• SELF vs. STRESSOR
• Distance yourself from the stressor
• CONTROL
• Get clear about what you can and cant control
• Choose responses (actions, words, etc) for what
  you can control
• Develop tolerance for what you cant control

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• THINKING vs. FEELING
• Thoughts are what you say to yourself about the
  stressor
• I cant handle this relationship
• I must have it my way
• I cant fail
• Feelings are emotions that come from your
  thoughts
• Hopeless
• Desperate
• Afraid

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• SAY NO
• If you are too busy to meet your obligations,
  handle your life, or do the things you want to
  do, consider cutting your obligations in half
• LIVE IN THE PRESENT
• Keep your mind where your body is
• Be like a kid yesterday was a million years
  ago, and tomorrow is far, far away

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• MONITOR YOUR SELF-TALK
• Get rid of your musts, shoulds, and oughts
• Remember that everyone you meet is involved in
  some kind of strugglepeople typically do not
  intend to hurt you
• Allow for the fact that were all human and we
  all mess upno one is perfect!

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• USE DIFFERENT WORDS
• Take a positive approach by describing things in
  a more positive manner
• problem vs. opportunity
• deadline vs. finish line
• need vs. want
• should have vs. next time

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• REMEMBER THAT OTHER PEOPLE AND THINGS CAN NEVER
  MAKE YOU ANGRY
• ONLY YOUR MIND CAN DO THAT!
• Blame your thinking, not things, for your stress
• With enough practice, you CAN change your thoughts

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Stress-Reducing Tips

• ENERGY/EFFORT CHECK
• Is what youre doing (or about to do) helping you
  get what you want?
• What else could you try?
• Are you spending your mental energy on things
  that really matter to you?
• Getting mad at traffic vs. using the unavoidable
  delay to do something enjoyable or productive

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Maximizing your resistance to stress
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Maximizing Resistance

• HELP OTHERS
• Getting too wrapped up in yourself can lead to
  stress
• When you volunteer time to help a chemotherapy
  patient, your bad hair day begins to look
  fairly minor
• LAUGH
• Use the secret of stand-up comicsbe bigger than
  your problems by finding the lighter side of
  them.
• Laughter releases feel good chemicals in your
  body

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Maximizing Resistance

• GIVE PEOPLE A BREAK
• When you see someone doing something weird or
  strange, just tell yourself hes having a bad day
  instead of condemning him.
• We can all benefit by some increased patience and
  tolerance!

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Maximizing Resistance

• TREAT YOURSELF RIGHT
• Eat right, exercise enough, take time each day to
  be alone with your thoughts, get enough sleep
• LET OTHERS DO THEIR OWN THING
• You are not the general manager of the universe,
  so relax! Celebrate the different ways there are
  to do things.

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Personal Action Plan

• At the end of one month, what improvements would
  you like to see in your ability to manage stress?
  
• What is one thing that you can start doing today
  to reach that goal?
• What do you need in order to do that one
  different thing?

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THANK YOU!!!!

• Remember to take care of yourself, no matter what
  else is going on in your life
• Get professional help if you need itcounseling
  can help you bring your life back into balance,
  enhance your sense of hope and joy, and increase
  the quality of your relationships with others!
• Door Prize Time!!