Stress Management for Adults

Learn about stress and its impact on health and how using strategies including cognitive restructuring, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness can help you more effectively manage daily stress and promote overall wellness.

1. Stress Management for Adults Presented by: Diane Magee, LPC, LCADC , NCC & Doug Seiden, Ph.D., ACT, BCIA -EEG March 23, 2016

2. WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is a person’s p hysical and emotional response to

3. Sources of Stress The Good Get married Have children Buy a new home Go on vacation New job Promotion The Bad Break a leg Spouse loses job Child gets in trouble Lose your wallet In-laws coming The Ugly Nasty car accident Bankruptcy Divorce Illness Loved one dying

4. The Stress Response is the Body’s 911 System

5. It is a Matter of Perception Stress and its associated physical reactions is your body preparing itself for a threatening situation When we perceive Threat we prepare ourselves for action Very rarely attacked by Bears so threat is now: Social Emotional Financial Work related

6. When demands are in balance with your coping abilities and resources you do not feel stressed. When demands are greater than your coping abilities you feel stressed.

7. Stress is Good in Small Doses Gives you a burst of energy when you need it Increases your motivation to complete tasks Protects you from harm ( Prevents you from walking down a dark alley way at night)

8. Stress can be Bad

9. Emotional Reactions Feeling angry, irritable or easily frustrated Feeling overwhelmed Feeling nervous or anxious Feeling that you can’t overcome difficulties in your life Having trouble functioning in your job or personal life Feeling afraid or worried Feeling Helpless or Hopeless Desire to hide or runaway

10. Cognitive Reactions Difficulty Making Decisions Confusion Difficulty Naming Familiar Items Poor Concentration Blaming Others Memory Problems Replaying Events Over & Over Thinking the Future is bad

11. Behavioral Reactions Difficulty functioning at work or home Withdrawal Isolation Suspiciousness Working more and being less productive Excessive Humor or Silence Increased Smoking, Alcohol or Food Change in Activity Level Angry Outbursts Crying Spells Sleep

12. Burnout A State of Mental Exhaustion Powerlessness Hopelessness Emotional exhaustion Detachment Isolation Irritability Frustration Being trapped Failure Despair Cynicism Apathy

13. Stress vs. Burnout

14. So what can we do about it? A bunch of things . . .

15. We can change . . . 1. The situation 2. The way we think about the situation 3. The way our body responds

16. Change the situation Defining the problem 2. Brainstorming solutions 3. Choosing and trying solutions 4. Evaluating the results 5. REPEAT b y . . .

17. Change your thought content 1. Identifying worry thoughts 2. Evaluating evidence for and against 3. Generating alternative thoughts (this is called Cognitive Restructuring) by . . .

18. Change your thought process Noticing thinking 2. Bringing attention back to the other senses 3. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT by . . .

19. Multitasking Exercise 1. See something in the room AND 2. Hear sounds in the room AND 3. Feel your back against the chair 4. Try to do these all at the same time 5. Raise your hand when one of these RE-APPEARS (meaning you had lost awareness of it )

20. 3 flashlights & 6 things to shine them on: Seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling , tasting , thinking It’s like your brain has

21. 1, 2 or all 3 of them are always focused on . . THINKING The problems is . . .

22. So if this is the problem: THINKING Seeing Hearing Feeling Smelling Tasting

23. WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR 3 ATTENTIONAL FLASHLIGHTS ?

24. THAT’S RIGHT!

25. POINT THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE ! Smelling SEEING Tasting FEELING HEARING Thinking

26. And when 3 seconds later they go back to . . . THINKING

27. BRING THEM BACK AGAIN! To . . . Smelling Tasting SEEING FEELING HEARING Thinking

28. And when 3 seconds later they go back to . . . THINKING

29. BRING THEM BACK AGAIN! To . . . Smelling Tasting SEEING FEELING HEARING Thinking

30. THAT’S MINDFULNESS OR MEDITATION IN ACTIVITY Meditation and Mindfulness are not: Keeping the mind still or not thinking Meditation and Mindfulness are: Bringing the mind back to it’s focus every time it starts thinking (which will be OFTEN)

31. Mindfulness Meditation Breathing Techniques Guided Imagery Progressive Muscle Relaxation Stress Reduction and Management

32. Relaxation Skills Breathing Retraining Visual Imagery Progressive Muscle Relaxation

33. Breathing Retraining The Calming Response (Parasympathetic Response) Oxygen Consumption Decreases Breathing Slows Heart Rate Slows Blood Pressure Decreases Muscle Tension Decreases Growing Sense of Ease In Body, Calmness in Mind

34. Breathing Retraining Comfortable, quiet location Count one breath in and think “relax” on breath out Focus attention on breathing and counting Expand diaphragm on breath in and keep chest still Count up to 5 and back to 1 Practice 2x/day, 10 minutes each time

35. Comfortable, quiet location Develop an image or scene Increase vividness of the image Notice any changes after exercise VISUAL IMAGERY

36. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Comfortable, quiet location Loose clothing Tense for 5 seconds and relax for 10 seconds the major muscle groups: Lower legs to upper forehead Count from 1 to 5 to deepen relaxation, breath slowly for 2 minutes, count from 5 to 1 to be more alert Practice 2 x’s day

37. RESOURCES BOOKS Cognitive Therapy: Book: Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think (Greenberger & Padesky ) Mindfulness: Book: Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World (Williams, Penman, Kabat-Zinn ) AUDIOS AND VIDEOS Mindfulness and Meditation http:// elishagoldstein.com /videos/ http:// marc.ucla.edu / body.cfm?id =22 http:// health.ucsd.edu /specialties/mindfulness/programs/ mbsr /Pages/ audio.aspx Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Guided Imagery: https:// www.dartmouth.edu /~ healthed /relax/ downloads.html

38. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS