1 Understanding and Handling Stress Nurturing Parenting Section 7.2 GOAL To gain a greater understanding of stress and how it impacts our lives

2 OBJECTIVES To examine the meaning of stress. To identify ways adults create stress in themselves. To reinforce the use of personal power to reduce stress.

3 STRESS The next 50 minutes will focus on understanding stress, recognizing how it feels, identifying sources of stress in our lives and learning ways to reduce it.

4 STRESS. FEELS Show how it feels. Write how it feels.

How does stress look Each parent stand up show how they look when they are stressed. Write on a piece of paper how you feel. 5

What are your stressors Write on a piece of paper two stressors in your life. Examples Not enough sleep No friends 6

Handling Stress Look at Self Growth – Lesson 9 Stress is natural and is an emotional response to the demands of life. There is no way to live life without stress, but only to reduce it’s negative influences in life. 7

Types of Stress Good Stress Energizes the fulfillment of our dreams Accomplish our goals Complete our daily tasks Examples Getting up early to get ready to go on picnic Trading an old car for a new one Getting ready for a date or special occasion 8

Types of Stress Bad Stress Drains our energy and weighs us down Bad stress is called distress Examples No money to pay bills Living in a high crime neighborhood Living in domestic violence 9

Meeting Our Needs Physical – Not enough Sleep Emotional – loneliness Intellectual – job satisfaction Social – no friends Spiritual – no purpose/direction Creativity - Bored 10

Rank the number one stressor in your life Look at your stressor list 11

Is stress different for children? How is different Name some stressors for children Look at Lesson 12 – Helping Children Manage their stress. 12

What are the stressors in Our Adult Lives? Event Value Death of spouse 100 Divorce 73 Marital separation 65 Jail term 63 Death of close family member 63 Personal injury or illness53 Marriage 50 Fired from job 47 Marital reconciliation 45 Retirement 45 Change in family member’s health 44 Pregnancy 40 Sexual difficulties 39 Addition to family 39 Business readjustment 39 Change in financial status 38 Death of close friend 37 Career change 36 Change in number of marital arguments 35 Mortgage or loan over $10, Foreclosure of mortage or loan 30 13

What are the stressors in Our Children’s Lives? When parents argue Unstructured surroundings where they do not know what to expect. Inconsistent discipline The bully at school (school violence) Their own physical worth and self esteem. 14