Say Yes to Good Stress: Tips to Staying Healthy and Well

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 6th edition. Martha Davis, PhD; Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MSW; Matthew McKay, PhD

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Our Objectives
1. Learn about your current level of wellness 2. Understand stress and identify how you react to stress 2. Stress reduction techniques
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What is your current level of wellness?

Wellness Wheel

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What are the sources of stress?

Sources of Stress
Environment Weather, pollen, allergies, traffic, air pollution Social Stressors Demand for your time and attention: job interviews, deadlines, competing priorities, interpersonal conflicts, loss of loved ones Physiological Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, inadequate sleep, illnesscan result in muscle tension, headache, stomach upset, anxiety, and depression Your Thoughts Your brain interprets complex changes in your body and determines when to turn on the stress response. Example: Your boss gives you a sour look; you interpret that to mean youre doing an inadequate job and you get upset and anxious.
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How do you handle stress?

Think About It

What causes you stress? Give an example in both your personal and professional life. How do you respond to stress? 1. When you are under stress what negative and unhealthy coping devices do you use? 2. When you are under stress what positive and healthy coping devices do you use?
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Stress management is not the total absence of stress. Some stress is good!
When stress becomes overwhelming and leaves you unable to cope, thats when you need to employ stress management techniques.
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Stress Management Techniques

Mindfulness: observing your experience in a nonjudgmental, compassionate, and accepting manner. Example: Instead of automatically responding to negative thoughts, you calmly observe those thoughts and how they impact your feelings. This allows you to make wiser decisions. Take a time out! Body Awareness: The ability to recognize how your body reacts to stress is a powerful tool. Your body registers stress long before your conscious mind does. Observing your breath. Body scanning. Breathing for Tension Release and Awareness
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Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness. American author, cartoonist, and humorist, James Thurber (1894-1961)
To speak with Jacki, email Wellness.Advisor@twc.edu