Stress Management for Adults

Presented by:

Diane Magee, LPC, LCADC, NCC &Doug Seiden, Ph.D., ACT, BCIA-EEG

March 23, 2016

WHAT IS STRESS?

Stress is a person’sphysical and emotional

response to

Sources of Stress

The GoodGet marriedHave childrenBuy a new homeGo on vacationNew jobPromotion

The BadBreak a legSpouse loses jobChild gets in trouble Lose your walletIn-laws coming

The UglyNasty car accidentBankruptcyDivorceIllnessLoved one dying

The Stress Response is the Body’s 911 System

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

• 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.

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)

Stress can be Bad

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

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

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

Burnout A State of Mental Exhaustion

• Powerlessness · Hopelessness · Emotional exhaustion · Detachment · Isolation · Irritability

· Frustration · Being trapped · Failure · Despair · Cynicism · Apathy

Stress Burnout· Characterized by over-engagement · Characterized by disengagement· Emotions are over-reactive · Emotions are blunted· Produces urgency and hyperactivity · Produces helplessness and hopelessness· Loss of energy · Loss of motivation, ideals, and hope· Leads to anxiety disorders · Leads to detachment and depression· Primary damage is physical · Primary damage is emotional· May kill you prematurely · May make life seem not worth living

Stress vs. Burnout

So what can we do about it?

A bunch of things . . .

We can change . . .1. The situation

2. The way we think about the situation

3. The way our body responds

Change the situation

1. Defining the problem

2. Brainstorming solutions

3. Choosing and trying solutions

4. Evaluating the results

5. REPEAT

by . . .

Change your thought content

1. Identifying worry thoughts

2. Evaluating evidence for and against

3. Generating alternative thoughts

(this is called Cognitive Restructuring)

by . . .

Change your thought process

1. Noticing thinking

2. Bringing attention back to the other senses

3. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT

by . . .

Multitasking Exercise1. 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)

3 flashlights

& 6 things to shine them on:Seeing, hearing, feeling,

smelling, tasting, thinking

It’s like your brain has

1, 2 or all 3 of them are always focused on . .

THINKINGThe problems is . . .

So if this is the problem:

THINKING

Seeing Hearing Feeling

Smelling Tasting

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR 3 ATTENTIONAL FLASHLIGHTS?

THAT’S RIGHT!

POINT THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Smelling

SEEING Tasting FEELING HEARING Thinking

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

THINKING

BRING THEM BACK AGAIN! To . . .

Smelling

Tasting

SEEING FEELING

HEARING Thinking

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

THINKING

BRING THEM BACK AGAIN! To . . .

Smelling

Tasting

SEEING FEELING

HEARING Thinking

THAT’S MINDFULNESS ORMEDITATION 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)

• Mindfulness Meditation• Breathing Techniques• Guided Imagery• Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Stress Reduction and Management

Relaxation Skills

• Breathing Retraining

• Visual Imagery

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation

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

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

• Comfortable, quiet location• Develop an image or scene• Increase vividness of the image• Notice any changes after exercise

VISUAL IMAGERY

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

RESOURCESBOOKS

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 VIDEOSMindfulness and Meditationhttp://elishagoldstein.com/videos/http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22http://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/mindfulness/programs/mbsr/Pages/audio.aspx

Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Guided Imagery:https://www.dartmouth.edu/~healthed/relax/downloads.html

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS