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Stress ManagementMUS WELLNESS

CRISTIN STOKES & NEAL ANDREWS

2Objectives

Stress definedHow stress affects our bodies and mindsStrategies with how to deal with stress

3Wellness Model

Mental

Spiritual

Emotional

Physical

Chronic Stress compromises all of these areas!

4A Stressful Question: During the past work week, due to busyness or stress, I

have: Lost at least an hour of sleep Skipped a workout Skipped a meal Made a poor nutritional choice Missed a social outing Neglected a loved one

52013 Wellness Survey: What do you consider your biggest health concern(s) at this time?

Weight Con-trol

Stress Physical Fitness

Quality of Life

Anxiety Depression CVD/Cancer0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45 42.45

37.98 37.64

21.94

14.22 13.81

6.7

2013 Data, n=1477

2013 Data, n=1477

6Understanding Stress What is Stress?

Traditionally a noun, today also a verb.

Psychological state of stress

Physiological response to stress

Stress, by definition, is something that threatens the body’s state of equilibrium or homeostasis

Eustress and Distress Eustress is “positive stress”, stress that the body and mind

need to perform

Distress is negative stress

“I’m so stressed!”

7The Stress Response Fight or Flight!

Acute effects from stressful stimulus Release of adrenaline and other hormones

Heart Rate (HR), Blood Pressure (BP), Blood sugar, Ventilation, and resting muscle tension increase

Blood directed away from extremities and GI tract

Pupils dilate

Hearing is more acute

Sweat

READY FOR ACTION!!!

Agile, Mobile, Hostile!

8The Stress Response Chronic: effects of stress response remaining on constantly

Increase in glucocorticoids (stress hormones)

Impairs digestion, immune response, tissue repair and maintenance

Sex drive

Effects nearly every system in the body!

Psychosomatic symptoms

Muscular tension, hypertension, headaches, back/neck pain, indigestion, insomnia

Chronic disease risk increases

Premature aging

Can damage brain structures tied to memory

Clinical Anxiety Disorder affects 40 million Americans, making it the most common psychiatric disorder.

9The Stress Response Conditions linked to Chronic

Stress Hypertension

Elevated Blood Sugar

High Cholesterol

Increased frequency of heart attack and stroke

Heart Arrhythmias

Decreased Mental Acuity

Headaches

Pain

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Depression

Fatigue

Sleep Disruption

Heartburn

Weight fluctuation

Poor Performance

Aging

10The Stress Response Chronic Stress and the Human Being

Brain gets locked into same pattern

“Marked by pessimism, fear, and retreat” –Ratay, Spark

“The mind is so powerful that we can set off the [stress] response just by imagining ourselves in a threatening situation.”

The End of Stress as we Know it, Bruce McEwen, Rockefeller University Neuroscientist

Humans are unique in this way—we are the only animal that can think ourselves into a frenzy, without an actual stress stimulus.

“…you lose the capacity to compare the situation to other memories or to recall that you can grab a jump rope and immediately relieve the stress or that you have friends to talk to or that it’s not the end of the world. Positive and realistic thoughts become less accessible, and eventually brain chemistry can shift toward anxiety or depression.”

Ratay, Spark

11Key Stressors Drastic Changes

Loss of Control

Loss

Positive Life events cause stress too! Marriage, birth of child, etc.

Work

Minor Stressors Accumulation

Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale1. Death of a spouse2. Divorce3. Marital Separation4. Imprisonment5. Death of close family

member6. Personal injury or illness7. Marriage8. Dismissal from Work9. Marital reconciliation10.Change in health of family

member11.Pregnancy42. Christmas

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff!

12Quarterbacking Game Manager, or All-Pro?

“Change your thoughts and you can change your world.”

Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking

13Stress Hardiness Understanding/Envisioning stressors as opportunities, rather than

threats

The “right” amount of tension is required for optimum performance.

Too much tension—everything has a breaking point.

For our bodies and mind, a degree of stress is necessary for growth. Muscular system

Cardiovascular system

Skeletal system

Central Nervous system as well!

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Yerkes-Dodson Stress Graph

15Stress Hardiness Achieved by:

Feeling in control of life circumstances

Focus on your locus of control—your psychological response to stress

Sense of commitment to homes, families, and work

Good social network

Good self-care

Balance

16Stress Management Techniques

Behavioral Modification Cognitive Restructuring

Changing negative thoughts into

positive or neutral thoughts

Assertiveness Training

Learning to say “no”

using “I” statements, strong posture, eye contact

Mindful Breathing

Progressive Relaxation

Meditation

“Today there is an ever-widening gap between the evolution of our biology and our society. We don’t have to run from lions, but we’re stuck with the instinct…The trick is how you respond. The way you cope with stress can change not only how you feel, but also how it transforms [your] brain.”

John J. Ratay, Spark

17Stress Management Techniques

Sleep 7-8 hours of quality sleep recommended for adults 1/3 of adults do not get recommended amount Sleep deprivation affects ability to:

Handle Stress

Control Mood

Judge Mood of others

Tolerate Pain

18Stress Management Techniques Exercise

“When we exercise in response to stress, we’re doing what human beings have evolved to do over the past several million years.”

John J. Ratay, Spark

Fight or Flight gets us ready to be physical.

A 2002 article in the Journal of Applied Physiology studied physical activity patterns of early man (Paleolithic rhythm)

Found that modern man’s average energy expenditure per unit of body mass is less than 38% of our early ancestors.

Paleolithic man had to walk 5 to 10 miles on average per day, in order to find food to survive.

10,000 Steps!!!

19Stress Management Techniques Stress and Exercise Research in the Literature

2004 Study at Leeds Metropolitan University in England Workers who used company gym were more productive and felt

better able to handle their workloads.

Based on questionnaire, 65% fared better in colleague interaction, time management, and meeting deadlines on days in which they exercised.

Northern Gas Company employees who participate in corporate exercise program took 80% fewer sick days.

20Stress Management Techniques Nutrition

People tend to respond to stress in two ways nutritionally: eat too much or lose appetite

Best strategy: Eat nutritionally dense, balanced foods on a regular basis for stable energy

Reduce added sugars Sugars trigger release of endorphins, but can be followed by

crash in blood glucose

Limit caffeine, alcohol

Stay Hydrated!

21Stress Management Techniques

Social Support

22Stress Management Techniques Other Avenues:

Yoga

Tai Chi

Massage Therapy

Aromatherapy

Pet Therapy

Mental Imagery/Guided Imagery

Time Management (Fall Webinar!)

Planning and Prioritizing

Music

Hobbies

Biofeedback

Autogenic Training

23Counseling Benefit

MUS insured plan members eligible for 4 free counseling sessions per year with an in-network provider

24Life is Difficult “Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest

truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters…

Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them? Do we want to teach our children to solve them?”

Excerpt from opening page of The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck.

25Be a Hero! We idolize characters in life that weather the storm—that are cool

under pressure. Perhaps because we can all relate to stressful situations, and understand on a deep level that we are built to cope with stress, and not only survive but strive under stressful situations. This is our legacy as human beings.

26Sources

The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook, 6th ed. Davis, Eshelman, & McKay.

Stressaholic, Heidi Hanna. Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and

the Brain, John J. Ratey. Managing Stress, Brian Luke Seaward. The Healthiest You, Kelly Traver.

27Online Resources wellness.mus.edu muswell.limeade.com montanamovesandmeals.com wellness@montana.edu

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