STRESS MANAGMENT

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STRESS MANAGMENT

• Kathy Lay
• Kentucky Public Health Leadership

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What is Stress?

• Stress is the pressure and tension a person feels
  when faced with a situation that is new,
  threatening, or unpleasant.

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Stress

• Stress is automatic reaction to a demand or a
  danger. Muscles tense up and heart rate and
  breathing increase.
• The body gives a rush of adrenaline which gives
  you strength and energy needed to deal or run
  away from danger.
• Fight or flight response

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Stress

• Stress is a fact of life, because it effects
  everyone.
• Stress can be good because it spurs us to meet
  lifes challenges, motivates to do better.
• If we had no stress, life would be boring.

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Stress also can be bad..

• Unless steps are taken to reduce or control
  stress, tension can build up inside and overtime,
  stress can harm our health.

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Ways stress can harm our health

• Allergies
• Muscle tension, (stiff neck or sore back).
• Angina
• Sleep disorders
• Stroke
• Heart disease
• Menstrual irregularity

• Lower immunity to fight disease
• High blood pressure
• Heart attacks
• Migraine or tension headaches

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Warning symptoms (Physical)

• Stomachaches
• Sleeping problems
• Muscle tension
• Fatigue
• Clammy hands
• High blood pressure
• Chest pain

• allergies
• Constipation or diarrhea
• dizziness
• rashes
• Change in appetite
• Back pain
• Racing heartbeat

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Warning symptoms (Emotional)

• Worrying frequently
• Difficulty making decisions
• nervousness
• Unhappy for no reason
• Easily upset

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Denial of problem
• Depression
• Loneliness
• Nervousness
• Feeling powerless
• Feeling rejected

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Warning symptoms (Behavioral)

• Neglecting appearance
• Avoiding tasks and responsibilities
• Being late for work
• Over eating or under eating.
• Watching more T.V.

• Increase use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
• Arguing with friends or partner
• Difficulty concentrating at work or home
• Snapping at people

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What causes Stress?

• Each of us must recognize our source of stress,
  called stressors, then you may make changes to
  your life to reduce stress.
• We stay so busy and too stressed to stop and
  think about why we feel the way we do.
• Whats stressful for one person may not be
  stressful to another.

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Stressors

• Not all stressors are bad for example winning the
  lottery. A financial gain can also cause stress.

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Financial stressors examples

• Bankruptcy
• Child support
• Growing debts
• Fixed income
• Taxes
• Reduced income due to retirement

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Daily hassles stressors examples

• Child care
• Forgetting or misplacing something
• Oversleeping
• Traffic jams
• Waiting in the line at Walmart
• Car trouble

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Environmental stressors example

• Weather
• Traffic
• Overcrowding
• Crime
• Noise
• pollution

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Family-related stressors example

• Moving
• Arguments with partner or children
• Divorce, separation
• Serious illness or injury
• Marriage
• Pregnancy
• Being single or alone
• Death of a family member or partner

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Health stressors example

• Headaches
• Illness, injury or disease
• Loss of mobility or arthritis
• Being overweight
• Chronic pain
• Sleep disorders
• Poor eyesight

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Work related stressors example

• A lack of training
• New responsibilities
• Little recognition or a lack of feedback
• A long commute
• Noisy or unpleasant work environment
• Retirement
• Trouble with boss or co-workers

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Ways to cope with stress?

• Start a journal.
• A journal can help you see what causes your
  stress and how it affects you.
• The journal can be a outlet for emotion and
  frustration.
• It can help with decision-making or confronting
  problems or change you wish to make in your life.

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Accept what you cannot change!

• Many of us worry about things that we do not have
  the power to control.
• Accept the things we cannot change and be
  optimistic about the outcome.
• Focus on something positive, we may discover
  solutions to problems.
• Cope with stress with humor. Add laughter to your
  life.

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Coping with Stress

• Get up on time so you are not rushed.
• Get organized so you can find things quickly.
• Look positively at change, instead of fearing it.

• Plan ahead by determining when a task must be
  finished and how much time it will take.
• Break big jobs down into smaller jobs, that can
  be more manageable.

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Coping with Stress

• Learn to say no, to another volunteer activity at
  work, home or socially. Dont feel guilty when
  you say no.
• Make time for free time to do things you enjoy in
  life.

• Take breaks periodically, youll work more
  efficiently when you return to your job.
• Determine priorities, spend time on the most
  important things that need to be done.

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Coping with Stress

• Get moving, walk at a brisk pace, swim, hike,
  play some kind of sport.
• Take the stairs instead of elevators
• Park from the furtherest distance away from your
  location and walk.
• Remember to get the o.k. from your physician
  before starting any can of physical activity.

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Coping with Stress

• Dont skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast can
  make you tired, cause headaches, slow metabolism
  down causing weight gain.
• Choose a low-fat, high fiber diet to help
  maintain proper blood sugar levels to have energy
  and reduce constipation.
• Watch your sugar intake. Sugar will give you a
  quick energy boost, but the effects soon wears
  off, leaving you tired, irritable,anxious or
  depressed.

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Coping with Stress

• Eat more complex carbohydrates, which are
  vegetables, fruits, cereal, pasta, rice, wheat
  bread, peas and beans to give you more energy.
• Stick to a regular meal schedule
• Many people turn to food when under stress. Over
  eating can lead to weight gain and health problems

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Alcohol and other drugs wont help!

• They may produce temporary relief from stress,
  but they dont solve the underlying causes.
  Using alcohol and other drugs can actually cause
  problems. (Example arrested for D.U.I or
  problems with personal relationships.
• This leads to more stress

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Deep Breathing

• Deep breathing is one of the best ways to relieve
  tension.
• Close eyes, sit or stand straight
• Take in a deep breath through your nose, hold
  your breath for a few seconds and exhale through
  your mouth, which is in the shape of a donut.
• Repeat sequence at least 5-10 times or until calm

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Progressive muscle relaxation

• Wear loose clothing sit or lie down.
• Begin with facial muscles and frown hard for 5-10
  seconds and relax the muscles in your face,
  tighten other muscles in the face, and relax.
• Move on to other muscles groupsshoulders, arms,
  chest, legs, feet and etc. until your whole body
  feels relaxed.

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Visualization

• You can use your imagination sometimes to reduce
  stress.
• Visualize yourself in q pleasant, peaceful scene.
  For instance on a tropical sandy beach.
• Imagine feeling the sun on your face, and
  listening to the waves of the ocean.
• Focus being here for a certain amount of time and
  return slowly to your other activities.

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Meditation

• This is the practice of focusing on a single
  object or word for relaxing.
• Eyes closed concentrate on a calming, thought,
  word or object to focus on.
• Play soothing music or repeat a word or sound
  over and over to stay focused.
• Slowly you will begin to feel more relaxed.

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Chinese Proverb

• You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from
  flying over your head, but you can prevent them
  from building nests in your hair.
• Find joy in the little things of life, dont
  worry about what you cannot change, and be
  positive.
• Thank You!

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Available Resources

• Stress and Blood Pressure Tells ways to lower
  your blood pressure using breathing techniques.
  www.resperate.com
• Stress at Work How to tell if you are under a
  lot of stress at work. Talk to experts to see if
  your work causes you a lot of stress.
  www.georgiasfriends.com
• Stress Test Center Provides answers to
  questions you may have about stress test and what
  they really show.
  www.heartcenteronline.com