7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

1/11

Managing StressA Balancing Act

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

2/11

What is Stress?

Stress is any physical, chemical oremotional factor that causes bodily ormental tension (Dr. Melissa Stopper,

M.D., 2004)

A disruption of the bodies balance

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

3/11

Types of Stress

Stress can be positive Eustress Energy and motivation

Stress can be negative Distress/Burnout

Overwhelming Poor management of life

How you view the world depends on hoe youdeal with stress

It isnt the event that causes the stress but your perceptions, beliefs,attitudes and opinions about the event that label and determine it to be

stress.

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

4/11

I know Im Stressed when

Questions: Whats going on with me right now?

How I feel?

Am I operating at maximum capacity? Am I handling things that way I normally do?

Lets take a stress assessment!

Stress manifests itself in several ways. But its always important to beginwith some basic questions to help you determine whether or not you areexperiencing stress.Have participants complete the stress assessment and share their thoughts/ feelingsregarding it.

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

5/11

My Stress Type is

6 Stress Types:

The Speed Freak

The Worry Wart

The Drifter

The Loner

The Basket Cases and Cliff Walkers

Source: Richard Earle, PhD (2004)The Speed Freak is the one who says if I give 110%, sooner or later, I will succeed. And when you dont experience feelings of success,satisfaction or accomplishment you push harder.

The Worry Wart is the one who has difficulty turning odd their thoughts which paralyze them and creates frequents anxiety, tensionheadaches. This is the person who has grown more accustomed to worrying to the point of inaction. You usually spend most of your time

worrying about all the possible outcomes until you end up doing nothing.

The Drifter is the one who never finishes on thing before starting another. You get caught up in so many different things unt il you actually endup accomplishing very little. You have a list and just keep adding to it to the point of spreading yourself to thin.

The Loner is the one who walks around as though all is well when it actually is not. You have difficulty with intimate relationships, feel lonelywith little support for the difficulties you face in life and often either avoid or drop out of social events at the last minute. You also tend to havereal difficulty in relationships due to feeling as though others would not understand your situation so you tend to avoid hav ing them in someway. You may have relationships with co-workers but they may be superficial at best.

The Basket case is the one who something is always wrong with. You have this ache or that pain or complain of being tired all the time. Youcan be the one to have the whoe is me syndrome. You also may come across as being lazy because you see and communicate to o thers that

most activities are too much for you to do.

The Cliff Walker is the one who has different health problems but actively thinks it will never happen to me. Usually suffe r from high blood

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

6/11

Identifying Stressors

Multiple obligations/responsibilities

Lifestyle changes

Financial responsibilities

Health

Children

Relationships Other expectations of us etc

We all experience may different responsibilities that we have to add on a daily basis that can cause usstress. Many of these responsibilities include things that we have to so and have no choice but to do,things we have to do but dont want to do, and things we like to do but dont get to do. All of these may

cause some type of positive or negative stress.Lifestyle changes include making the decision to go back to school, having to drop out of school, changeor losing a job or any change that impacts the life you live.

Health refers to trauma, infections, illness, and injury.

Talk about my fall last week on my way to work . Stressful for me because it was difficult for me to walknot to mention getting done all the things that I had been planning to take care of at the end of the day

that now I either had to rely on someone else to take care of for me or put off for the day. Also, beingpregnant or having kids slows you down and you cant get as much done as you could if it ere just youcan be ust as stressful because there are loose ends that need tendin to but ou cant.

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

7/11

Impact if Stress

Children

Increase risk of experiencing stress

Learn by observation

Self Blame

Be on the lookout

Irritability

Change in appetite, sleep patterns or behaviors

Anger Fighting

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

8/11

Signs of Stress

Vary and depend on how you manageyour life.

Feelings of anxiety, poor concentration,tension, increased/ decreased appetite,inability to rest well at night, irritability,inability to control anger, loss of interest

in normal activities, headaches

Frequent illness, i.e. colds, etc

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

9/11

Balance

To bring into harmony or proportion

Set priorities

Say no when necessary

Let yourself off the hook

Source: Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

10/11

When stress goes to far

Burnout- physical or mental exhaustion

Overworked , overtaxed emotionally

Physically exhausted

Unable to cope w/ daily life Lots of enthusiasm in life

Distress- overwhelming, chronic,

Exceeds your ability to cope well

No outlets/ release May result in developing physical symptoms

7/27/2019 Managing Stress a Balancing Act

11/11

Managing Stress Effectively

Rules to live by Dont over commit Time management Get plenty of rest and eat well Establish a support network

Relaxation techniques Progressive muscle relaxations Exercise Find what works for you

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions Set priorities