RRISD�Stress Management…

…For Adults

You take care of everyone else, now take care of yourself!

What Causes You Stress?

Talk with a partner or write it down…

What Causes You Stress?

• Environment
• Clutter, distractions, weather, etc.
• Changes- moving, job, etc.
• Pressure of society- fast paced
• Situations- traffic, emergencies, etc.

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• Relationships- conflicts with others
• Physical- unhealthy habits, pain, lack of sleep, etc.
• Mental-
• Expectations of ourselves
• Self-talk
• Needed to be accepted

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What are Your Symptoms of Stress?

Write down your personal physical/mental symptoms…

Signs of Stress

Physical

• Rapid heartbeat
• Headache
• Stiff neck and/or tight shoulders
• Backache
• Rapid breathing
• Sweating and sweaty palms.
• Upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea

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Mental

• Become irritable and intolerant
• Feel irritated or frustrated, lose your temper
• Feel jumpy or exhausted all the time
• Hard to concentrate
• Worry about insignificant things
• Doubt your abilities
• Imagine negative, worrisome, or terrifying scenes
• Feel you are missing opportunities

Types of Stress

Eustress

• The healthy, cognitive response that results in motivation towards improvement and pushes us outside our comfort zone to improve our skills or meet a challenge.
• Keeps us alert and prepared

Distress

• Negative tension or pressure that develops when an individual cannot adapt to stress.
• When faced with difficult challenges without relief and results in being overworked.

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Stress on Performance

Effects on the Body

• Immune system. Increased sickness and if you have a chronic illness stress can make your symptoms worse
• Heart. Risk of high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), blood clots, and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). It's also linked to coronary artery disease, heart attack, and heart failure.
• Muscles. Constant tension from stress can lead to neck, shoulder, and low back pain. Stress may make rheumatoid arthritis worse.
• Stomach. Risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, or irritable bowel syndrome
• Reproductive organs. Stress is linked to low fertility, problems during pregnancy, and painful menstrual periods.
• Lungs. Stress can make symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) worse.
• Skin. Skin problems such as acne and psoriasis are made worse by stress.

Fight or Flight Response

• The brain triggers distress signals to the hypothalamus
• Increase Epinephrine/Adrenaline
• Increases Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
• Breathing Faster
• Burst of Energy
• Blood goes towards major muscle groups
• *Fight or Flight Video (I actually use this for kids in regards to controlling emotions but it’s great!)

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4-7-8 Deep Breathing

• Place tip of tongue on the ridge of the roof of your mouth, behind teeth
• Inhale 4 counts through the nose
• Filters air, humidifies the air
• Nerve endings activate the parasympathetic nervous system
• Hold 7 counts
• Exhale 8 counts through the mouth
• Repeat four cycles and as often as needed

Relax Your Mind- Write

Journal or Diary

• Write about the stressful event
• May help pinpoint the stressor
• Hobby: Write a story, poem, etc.
• Exercises:
• Imagine yourself somewhere peaceful and write about it in detail
• Make a list of 3 things you are grateful for and meditate on them or read them out loud
• Write about a positive experience you have had recently

List Task

• Organize list into: Urgent/Important/Not Important
• Break big tasks into smaller pieces
• Clean House= Start laundry
• Pay the bills= Pay high-priority bills
• Schedule breaks; exercise/stretch, hobbies, stress relief
• Reassess the list the next day

Relax Your Mind- Embrace Feelings

Talk

• Talking shows you want to find an effective solution
• Talk to someone who has your best interest in mind: friend, family, counselor, etc.
• If the stress is a person, talk to them
• Relaying a situation may help clear up the problem
• Be careful how you say things, don’t use this to start rumors
• Talking can help remedy the feelings of isolation

Laugh

• Have a good sense of humor
• Lighten mood
• Watch funny videos
• Go to a comedy club
• Be silly with friends
• Look up jokes, share them with others
• Don’t laugh at the expense of others

Relax your Mind- Embrace Feelings

Cry

• Crying releases stress relieving hormones
• Suppressing tears can increase stress
• Find a place you feel comfortable to cry in or a place you will be left a lone
• You feel better after crying

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Anger and Frustration

• Recognize the emotions
• Express these emotions instead of bottling them up
• Talk to someone or talk out loud
• Write about it
• Accept the things your cant change
• Seek self help groups or counseling

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Relax Your Mind- Do Things You Enjoy

Hobbies

• Choose hobbies that reduce stress
• Reading
• Writing
• Knitting
• Gardening
• Exercise
• Playing an instrument
• Painting or Crafting
• Baking or Cooking

Pets

• Pet or play with your pet or therapy pets
• Take trip or volunteer at a shelter

Music

• Listen, play, or sing anything that is calming to you
• Music therapy

Nature

• Sit outside or take a walk
• Refresh mood and mind
• Can’t get outside? Have photos, decorations, scents or audio of nature to get close

Relax Your Mind- Nurture Relationships

Nurture Relationships

• Good relationships should be stress reducing, not stress inducing
• Have a variety of people to talk to
• Keep in contact with people that are important to you
• Text them a funny memory
• Call or Skype them
• Email a funny video to brighten their day

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• Plan a date night with spouse
• Make new friends
• Complements people
• Acknowledging someone's hard work
• Communicate your needs, listen/respect theirs
• Share your fears and goals
• Share highs and lows of the day
• Ask if they need help

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Relax Your Mind- Be In the Present

Guided Imagery

Guide thoughts and imagination into a peaceful state: A safe & comfortable place, a beach or mountains or imagining success

Meditation

Focus attention on what is happening instead of worrying about the past or the future

• Concentrative: focus on a single sound, word, mantra or breathing
• Mindful Meditation: being aware of thoughts, feelings, sounds or images in your mind

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Mindfulness

Being aware of emotions, thoughts and physical feelings, without judgment

• Engage Curiosity-
• How stressed am I right now? 1-10
• Why did I just act like that?
• Mindful Triggers- garage door, phone, etc.
• Mindful Eating

Practice- Use videos, books, podcasts, apps, audio, research articles, etc.

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https://www.mindful.org/meditation-for-beginners-video/

Relax Your Body- Exercise

Aerobic/Anaerobic- Increase Heart Rate

• Swim, walk, run, hike, bike, dance, ski, basketball, tennis, jump, play, etc.

Strength- Build Muscle

• Bodyweight, weights, resistance bands, machines, etc.
• Focus on breathe, slow and controlled motion

Stretch- Improve Range of Motion

• Yoga, Pilates, static stretching, etc.

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• Do something you enjoy
• Exercise with a friend
• Make it a routine
• Ideas:
• Walking meetings
• Dance party in the living rom
• Park further away or take the stairs

Relax Your Body- Techniques

Deep Breathing Exercises

• 4-7-8 Deep Breathing
• Roll Breathing

Guided Muscle Relaxation

• Relaxing tense muscles

Massage

• Professional or at home
• Full body, foot massage, shoulder massage

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Relaxing Bath

• Bath Salts, music, candles, book

Aromatherapy

• Oils, candles, mists, wax warmer, plants
• Lavender, citrus, eucalyptus, etc.

Acupuncture

• Can trigger painkilling chemicals in the body
• Jump-start bodies natural healing
• Helps to balance emotions

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Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Try it Now!

Relax Your Body- Nutrition

New Look: Comfort Foods

• Stress can trigger comfort eating, but comfort eating can cause more stress
• Comfort food provides only short-term satisfaction
• Healthy foods can provide more energy
• Again, try Mindful Eating

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Chewing Gum (sugar free)

• Relieves muscular tension and anxiety
• Especially for those quitting smoking and losing weight

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Nutrition Ideas

• Warm foods like oatmeal or soup
• Warm beverages like tea, hot lemon water, decaf black coffee
• Healthy fats: nuts, legumes, avocado
• Herbal supplements: valerian, kava, gingko, St. John's Wort, and chamomile may relieve anxiety and insomnia. (Ask doctor before taking supplements)

How can you Avoid Stress?

What are ways that you avoid stress? Write down a list.

Avoid Stress – Manage Time

• Procrastination Creates Stress
• Prioritize
• Urgent- must be done to avoid a major problem
• Important- tasks that are meaningful to you
• Not Important- tasks that don’t need to be done
• Outsource- laundry, cleaning, groceries, etc.

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• Make Commitments
• What is important to you?
• Are you ready to commit?
• Manage Commitments
• Letting go doesn’t mean giving up
• Don’t commit if it’s not important
• Accept that it’s a work in progress

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Avoid Stress- Manage Lifestyle

• Manage Work/Life Balance
• Find Meaning/Purpose within Yourself
• Sleep: Quality and Quantity
• How much sleep do you get now?
• Sleep Stress

• Healthy Habits
• Diet
• Exercise
• Limit Alcohol
• Don’t Smoke

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Avoid Stress- Get Support

• Emotional Support- Friends and Family
• Someone to talk to, cry with, laugh with or share concerns with
• Coworkers- Ask for help or be helpful to them
• Professional Counselor or Therapist
• Spiritual and Religious Leaders
• Work: Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Support Groups- Advice for Specific situations

Avoid Stress- Mental

• Change your thinking
• Problem Solving
• Make stressful tasks or situations more enjoyable- Traffic, cleaning, exercise, etc.
• Breaking up tasks into bite-sized pieces
• Money- budgeting, minimizing
• Assertive and Clear Communication
• Relationships- knowing what is expected and what the person needs

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• Cognitive Behavior Therapy
• Change how we view stress or challenging situations
• Break the negative thought cycle
• Responding to stressful situations in a more effective way
• Cognitive psychology research shows that one of the most effective methods for reducing stress is to engage in self-reflection directed toward appraising it as a challenge rather than a threat.

Negative Thought Cycle

Situation: You have gained weight over the years.

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Automatic Thought:

“It’s a lost cause, I don’t have enough time, it is not worth the effort, it is going to take forever to get it off, I don’t even know where to start”

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Feeling: Discouraged, hopeless, possibly depressed

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Reaction: Comfort eat, become irritable

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Outcome: You gain more weight

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New Situation: The newly added weight may have caused more health issues- ex. high blood pressure.

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Negative Thought Cycle

Avoid Stress- Mental

Change the Negative Thought Cycle

• Is it true?
• Is it absolutely true?
• What would it be like if I didn’t have these beliefs/thoughts?
• How does it make me feel?

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Stop!

Be Mindful

Response

Situation: You have gained weight over the years.

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Automatic Thought:

“My health is worth making a priority. I will take it one step at a time and look into some options that will work with my lifestyle. My health is a work in progress. It may take time and I may have set-backs but I will accept that and work to over-come them.”

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Feeling: Encouraged, hopeful, perhaps excited!

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Reaction: Research your options and find an exercise program that works for you and you find ways to ensure you eat better.

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Outcome: You lose weight over-time, your health has improved, you have more energy.

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Stop!

Be Mindful

Response

Top 10 Irrational Thoughts

• All or nothing thinking
• Overgeneralization
• Mental Filters
• Discounting the Positive
• Jumping to Conclusions

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• Minimizing or Magnifying
• Emotional Reasoning
• Should / Need to / Must
• Labeling
• Blame and Personalization

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” Hans Selye

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Are you Coping Well?

• Not sleeping well?
• Comfort Eating?
• Not exercising?
• Drinking too much?
• Smoking?

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Negative stress management techniques prevent recovery

Reflection

• When we managed our stress, it can be used to our advantage
• We can reduce our stress by breaking the negative thought cycle
• Make the time to practice stress management activities
• Retrain your brain to be mindful
• When all else fails, STOP, BREATHE, and THINK

Resources

Professional

• Nutrition Consultations
• Acupuncture
• EAP Program
• Counseling/Therapy
• Wellness Coaching

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Other

• Podcasts
• Smart Phone Apps
• Guided Meditation Internet Videos
• Internet Search
• Mindfulness
• Meditation
• Stress Management

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Comedic Stress Relief