Stress Reduction, Schemes and Mind Maps of Nutrition

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Stress Reduction

SSS Workshop

What is Stress?

 The subject of stress has become a common topic of

conversation. We often hear friends, classmates, coworkers, and family members talk about the problems they have in managing the stresses of everyday living. We say we feel "burned out," stressed out, overwhelmed, angry, irritable, depressed, anxious, and on the verge of "losing it."

 Stress can be defined as our mental, physical,

emotional, and behavioral reactions to any perceived demands or threats.

Stress is a Normal Part of Life

 Experiencing some amount of stress in our lives is

protective and adaptive. Our responses to stress help our minds and bodies to prepare for difficult challenges, and to react appropriately in a time of crisis. In fact, a certain amount of stress is necessary to help us perform at our best. Stress adds flavor, challenge and opportunity to life. Without stress, life could become quite dull and unexciting.

Not All Stress is Bad

 There are two types of stress...

 Distress is a continuous experience of feeling overwhelmed, oppressed, and behind in our responsibilities. It is the all encompassing sense of being imposed upon by difficulties with no light at the end of the tunnel. Examples of distress include financial difficulties, conflicts in relationships, excessive obligations, managing a chronic illness, or experiencing a trauma.

 Eustress is the other form of stress that is positive and beneficial. We may feel challenged, but the sources of the stress are opportunities that are meaningful to us. Eustress helps provide us with energy and motivation to meet our responsibilities and achieve our goals. Examples of eustress include graduating from college, getting married, receiving a promotion, or changing jobs.

Vulnerability to Stress

 Certain aspects of our habits, our lifestyles,

and our environments can make each of us

more or less vulnerable to the negative

effects of stress.

Are You Vulnerable to Stress?

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytj9PNg2R

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Our Perceptions = How Stressed We Feel

 We often identify specific events, people, or

situations that seem to make us feel

stressed. It's as if these things automatically

cause us to feel stressed out. In reality, it's

how we perceive an event, the meaning we

give to it, that leads us to feel stressed or not

stressed about it.

Some Stress Warning Signals

 We pay a lot of attention to things in the outer world that are related to stress such as financial difficulties, conflicts in relationships, and overwhelming responsibilities.

 We tend NOT to pay enough attention to our inner worlds, the signals that stress is starting to take its toll on us.

 We are often quite good at ignoring those internal signals and pushing ourselves even harder. If we keep pushing ourselves, eventually something inside of use will send "red flags," or warning signs that stress is becoming a problem.

Some Stress Warning Signals

 Behavioral Symptoms

excess smoking bossiness eating too little or too much critical attitude of others short-tempered procrastination sleeping too much or too little driving too fast grinding of teeth overuse of alcohol inability to finish tasks nail biting fidgety

Some Stress Warning Signals

 Emotional Symptoms

bothered by unimportant things nervousness, anxiety boredom edginess irritable feeling "burned out" feeling powerless crying easily overwhelming pressure anger loneliness unhappiness, depression "moodiness" feeling helpless

Ways to Reduce Stress

 Confront the Problem and Devise a Plan —Try to

understand your problems or tasks and come up with a plan, those who know what to do suffer less stress.

 Time Management —Making good use of your

time and planning a schedule helps prevent last

minute stress.

 Physical Activity —Exercise releases endorphins and

other biochemicals that can help relax and calm you.

Ways to Reduce Stress

 Biofeedback to Control Tension —Recognize how your

body reacts to and how to counteract the signs of stress (IE: a tension headache coming on).

 Humor —A good sense of humor can distract you from

stress and help keep it under control and in perspective.

Ways to Reduce Stress

 Change the What You Can , Forget What You

Cannot —Only you can control and change yourself, but even you can only change certain aspects. Focus on what you can change (organization, time management, hair style, clothing, grades) and pay less attention to what you cannot (teachers, parents, IQ, disability, race, height).

"Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it." Talk to yourself positively. Remember, "I can handle it, " "this will be over soon," or "I have handled difficult things before, and I can do it again."

Ways to Reduce Stress

 Learn to say "no." Learn to pick and choose which

things you will say "yes" to and which things you will not. Protect yourself by not allowing yourself to take on every request or opportunity that comes your way. It is okay to decline a request for a favor. Saying "no" does not mean you are bad, self-centered, or uncaring. Learn skills of assertiveness so that you can feel more confident and have effective ways of saying "no."