Managing Stress University of Houston

Managing Stress

• University of Houston

• Department of Health and Human Performance

Stress

• Definition:

• State of tension that arises when you experience demands from your environment or from inside yourself

• Can be a real OR perceived threat

Stress Happens!!

• Childhood
• Adolescence
• Young adult
• Marriage
• Parenthood
• middle age
• aging

Our Body’s Design

• Our bodies are uniquely designed to handle stress.

• When presented with a threatening situation it is our most basic survival instinct to either:

• Engage in a fight
• Or run for our lives

• This is what is known

• as the “fight or flight”

• response

During Fight or Flight

• Adrenaline is secreted from the kidneys

• Cortisol (a hormone) is released providing bursts of energy

• The heart suddenly beats faster

• Breathe rate and blood pressure increase

• Blood sugar is released into the bloodstream

• Hearing and sight are enhanced

• Digestive system and urine production slow to divert blood to more critical areas, such as the brain and muscles

It makes us able to fight or run, BUT…

• It is rarely necessary AND…

• Has some side effects that deteriorate our health

• increased blood pressure
• Decreased immune function
• Several important functions of the body are interrupted

Over time this can result in:

• Headaches

• Asthma

• Hypertension

• Ulcers

• Low back pain

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Upper respiratory infections

What can we do to prevent this?

• Fix the fixable

• Accept the inevitable

• Protect yourself from the physical affects

Some stressors can be avoided?

• If traffic stresses you out, take the bus

• If you get anxious about your carpet

• being stained, install tile flooring

Many stressors can be avoided.

• When you think about stress as something that can effect your health, it may encourage you to take drastic measures

• Many are questioning whether “having it all” is worth the effort

• Changing jobs
• Spending the holidays with only the immediate family
• BUT…every decision has consequences which in turn may cause more stress

• Could you simplify your life?

You can’t avoid life

• Life is filled with unpredictable ups and downs that will inevitably promote stress

• One suggestion is to change your interpretation of the situation for example.
• Consider the following scenario:
• You are driving on a busy highway and Someone cuts right in front of you then slows down
• How do you interpret this
• situation??

Response??

• If you said:

• “I would probably Yell, ‘IDIOT!’ at the top of my lungs.”
• OR
• “I would be irritated and likely have negative thoughts about the driver.”

• Than you have just initiated the “Flight or Flight” response.

• Your heart is beating faster, sugar is filling your veins and in the next several hours your immune system will function a little less efficiently

Positive Interpretation??

• If you said:

• “That person must not have been paying attention, we all make mistakes.”
• Or
• “I’ll be glad when I can pass, but it is no big deal.”
• Or
• “I am glad that I am not in a hurry.”

• Than you are stopping the stress response before it even starts

To stay positive it may help to:

• Consider that we are all human and flawed

• Try to think of adults as children who happened to be grown up. We are less likely to judge and feel angry when a child makes a mistake..Why?
• Consider that it is possible that you do not have all the information to make a decision about the person or situation.
• For example…

More information

• What if you found out that the person who cut you off in traffic was rushing to the hospital to visit his mother. And he just received a beep on his pager with the message “911.” It is possible that his mother had just passed away. He was slowing down because he was distracted by the news.

• How does this change your interpretation?

Also

• Tell yourself that it may not be a bad thing that this bad thing is happening right now.

• At the very least you can learn something from the experience that can help you or others
• This situation may have prevented you or someone else from having to deal with one that was even worse
• Example: You will never know how many people who have cut you off may have saved you from being in a life-threatening collision.

Another way to “accept the inevitable”

• Stress inoculation or preparing yourself for potentially stressful events ahead of time.

• Example:

• If you know you have to face the boss with information that may cause a conflict, you may practice sharing this information with a spouse, with friends, or even in front of a video camera.

• This can reduce or even eliminate the stress response from the actual event.

Protect Yourself

• Whether it is a stressor that you can change or one you cannot it is imperative that you practice techniques that prevent the stress response from taking over your body.

• Several techniques can be used to decrease your bodies response to stress

Exercise

• Exercise boosts endorphins which in turn can

• Put us in a better mood
• Give us more energy
• Reduces anger
• Improves mental alertness

Deep Breathing

• Breath in deeply and slowly.

• Focus on the air moving in your nose, down your neck into your chest and feel your belly push out. Hold your breath for a few seconds.

• Now exhale slowly. First feel your belly contract in towards your spine, then feel the air move through the chest, up the neck, and through your mouth.

• Visualize stress leaving your body

Meditation

• Close your eyes and mental follow the air in and out of your body. As you exhale mentally repeat a soothing word like “Peace”

• Or

• Visualize a peaceful scene

• Do this for 5 to 30 minutes

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• While sitting or lying down, tense the muscles of your feet (curling your toes) as hard as you can.

• Then relax them.

• Do this once or twice for each part of the body

• Continue this process for each muscle group all the way up your body until you reach your head.

• When finished remain relaxed for a few minutes

Stretching

• Several stretches can be done at your desk

• Tilt head to the left and hold

• Tilt head to right and hold

• Reach arms over the head

• and interlace fingers

• For information of stretches that can be done at your desk or for the head and neck click on the stretching girl

Get a Massage from yourself or from a professional

• Self-Massage

• Sit with your shoulders relaxed

• Use your right hand to massage you left shoulder and neck, working your way up to the scalp

• Repeat with left hand for right shoulder

Laugh!!

• Find ways to add laughter in your life

• Buy tapes of comedians you like and listen to them during your commute or whenever you need a boost.
• Read joke books or funny books
• Watch your favorite comedy on television
• Buy movies that are sure to make you laugh
• Don’t take yourself too seriously