1. How to Manage Stress
Lesson 6
November 9th, 2010

2. The Stress Model
Steps
1. A new or potentially unpleasant situation (the stressor)
May trigger bodily response
2. You interoperate the situation as threatening
3. Your emotional response
You feel anxious, nervous, or insecure

3. The Stress Model 4. Your physical response
You experience the physical response
5. Negative consequences
Stressors can cause negative effects in your body if nothing is done to release the stress

4. Stress Intervention
Any action that prevents a stressor from resulting in negative consequences

5. Methods of Stress Intervention
For each step in the stress model there is a method of intervention
We will look at different areas that interventions can be used.
The 5 step does not have an intervention because it is the Negative consequence that occurs when the stress is not avoided.

6. 1. Eliminating some stressors
If a list of stressors was made of every stressor that you face it would be huge.
By anticipating stressors in your life it is easier to remove them from your life.
Example: sleeping in and being late can be solved by going to bed earlier.

7. 1. Eliminating some stressors
By intervening stress at step one you are preventing the possibility of the stress from becoming a physical response.
You have some control over the number of stressors in your life

8. 2. Changing your interpretation of a stressor
The way you interpret events in your life if often more important than the events themselves.
Do not become distressed about insignificant things.
Each person controls how they react to a situation

9. 2. Changing you interpretation of a stressor
Try to look at a unfortunate situation in a positive light
Selective Awareness
Focusing on the aspects of a situation that help a person feel better (thinking positively)
Try to look at the positive side to everything

10. 3. Using Relaxation Techniques – controlling emotional response
These are to be used when you are past the point of changing your interpretation of the situation
Relaxation techniques are used to take the persons mind off of the problem.

11. Effective Techniques Meditation
Focusing on something that is repetitive and unchallenging
Example: Sit down and close your eyes, In your mind repeat a word you find relaxing every time you breathe out.

12. Effective Techniques Progressive Relaxation
A more active form of relaxation
Steps
Tense the muscles in a specific part of your body, think about how it feels to have those muscles tensed
Relax the same part of your body that you just tensed. Notice how it feels to have those muscles relaxed.
Move from one muscle group to another throughout the entire body. Start from the top of the head and work down.

13. Progressive Relaxation
Some people also like to use deep breathing techniques while doing this. Start breathing from the bottom of your stomach so that you stomach area feels like it is filling up with air first before your lungs.
This technique is very popular with athletes as it also teaches muscle control of each specific muscle.

14. Body Scanning
When stressed, there is always somewhere else that your body is relaxed and comfortable.
Scan you entire body for a relaxed place.
Imagine that warm, relaxed place being transferred to the rest of your body.

15. Autogenic Training
Relax by imagining that your arms and legs feel heavy, warm and tingly.
When they have reached that point, you have let go of muscle tension and have dilated blood vessels in the limbs
Think of peaceful images – picturesque scenes.
Deep relaxation breathing also helps

16. Laughing One of the easiest and most natural forms of relaxation
Laughing only works when it is true laughter
Nervous laughter will not help in a stressful situation

17. Yelling or Crying
For some people, a good yell or a good cry will help a person relax and feel more capable to deal with a stressor.

18. 4. Using physical Exercise
By the forth step the physical response has already happened.
Take advantage of body being ready to move by doing something physical
Doing this uses the stress to do something positive for you and helps to release the tension and anxiety.

19. Questions Define the term stress intervention C (1)
Give one example of a stressor, explain how a person could use selective awareness to change his or her interpretation of that stressor C (1)
Why is physical exercise a good way to relieve stress? I (1)
Practise one relaxation technique at least once. How did it make you feel? C (1)
How can regular practice of relaxation techniques help people to feel more energetic? I (1)