Download Wellness Stress Management – October 2015

Healthy
Stress Reducing
Techniques
That Work
Debby Schiffer, Wellness Director
BURLCO & TRICO JIF
[email protected]
Dr. Chet Sigafoos
Clinical/Forensic Psychologist
[email protected]
Daily Stress is Inevitable
• Stress on the Job
• Rush hour Traffic
• Children/Spouse/Pets
• Financial Issues
• Sickness or Injury
• Caring for elder family member
• And on and on and on…
Stress and Health
Psychological states cause physical illness. Stress is any
circumstance (real or perceived) that threatens a person’s
well-being.
Lee Stone/ Corbis
When we feel severe stress, our ability to cope with it is impaired.
Stress
The Good and The Bad
• As a positive force, stress gives us the push we
need to achieve our most desired goals.
• When stress is unrelenting and out of control, it is
a villain that causes unhappiness, sickness, and
even death.
Stress and Health
Stress can be adaptive. In a fearful or stresscausing situation, we can run away and save our
lives. Stress can be maladaptive. If it is
prolonged (chronic stress, PTSD), it increases
our risk of illness and health problems.
Arousal and Performance
Arousal in short spurts is adaptive. We perform better
under moderate arousal, but optimal performance
varies with task difficulty.
Stress and Stressors
Stress is not merely a stimulus or a response. It is a
process by which we appraise and cope with environmental
threats and challenges.
Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works
When short-lived or taken as a challenge, stressors may have positive
effects. However, if stress is threatening or prolonged, it can be
harmful.
Stress has Two Parts
•
Stressor – event that creates demands
•
Stress response –person’s reactions to the demands
• Influenced by how we judge both the event and our
capacity to react to the event effectively
• People who sense that they have the ability and
resources to cope are more likely to take stressors
in stride and respond well
Comer, Abnormal Psychology, 8e
8
Stress and the Stress Response
•
When we view a stressor as threatening, the natural
reaction is arousal and possibly fear
• Fear is a “package” of responses that are physical,
emotional, and cognitive
•
Stress reactions, and the fear they produce, are often at
play in psychological disorders
• People who experience a large number of stressful
events are particularly vulnerable to the onset of anxiety
and other psychological disorders
Comer, Abnormal Psychology, 8e
9
The Stress Response System
The stress response is a
fight-or-flight response
marked by the outpouring
of epinephrine and
norepinephrine from the
inner adrenal glands,
increasing heart and
respiration rates,
mobilizing sugar and fat,
and dulling pain.
Health-Related Consequences
Kathleen Finlay/ Masterfile
Stress can have a variety of health-related consequences.
Personality Types
Type A is a term used for competitive, hard-driving,
impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people.
Type B refers to easygoing, relaxed people.
Type A personalities are more likely
to develop coronary heart disease.
Stress and the Heart
Stress that leads to elevated blood pressure may result in
coronary heart disease, a clogging of the vessels that
nourish the heart muscle.
Plaque in
coronary artery
Artery
clogged
Pessimism and Heart Disease
Pessimistic adult men are twice as likely to develop heart
disease over a 10-year period (Kubzansky et al., 2001).
Stress & Susceptibility to Disease
A psychophysiological illness is any stress-related physical
illness such as hypertension and some headaches.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a developing field in
which the health effects of psychological, neural, and
endocrine processes on the immune system are studied.
Psychoneuroimmunology
• Researchers have increasingly looked to the
body’s immune system as the key to the
relationship between stress and infection
16
Psychoneuroimmunology
•
The immune system is the body’s network of activities and
cells that identify and destroy antigens (foreign invaders,
such as bacteria) and cancer cells
• Among the most important cells in this system are the
lymphocytes
• Lymphocytes are white blood cells that circulate
through the lymph system and the bloodstream,
attacking invaders
• Lymphocytes include helper T-cells, natural killer Tcells, and B-cells
17
Psychoneuroimmunology
B lymphocytes fight bacterial infections, T lymphocytes
attack cancer cells and viruses, and microphages ingest
foreign substances. During stress, energy is mobilized
away from the immune system making it vulnerable.
Lennart Nilsson/ Boehringer Ingelhein International GmbH
Stress and Colds
People with the highest life stress scores were also the
most vulnerable when exposed to an experimental cold
virus.
Psychoneuroimmunology
•
Researchers now believe that stress can interfere with the
activity of lymphocytes, slowing them down and
increasing a person’s susceptibility to viral and bacterial
infections
•
Several factors influence whether stress will result in a
slowdown of the system, including biochemical activity,
behavioral changes, personality style, and degree of
social support
20
Biochemical activity:
Stress leads to increased activity by the sympathetic
nervous system, including a release of norepinephrine.
In addition to supporting nervous system activity, this
chemical also appears to slow down the functioning of
the immune system.
Similarly, the body’s endocrine glands reduce immune
system functioning during periods of prolonged stress
through the release of corticosteroids. In addition,
corticosteroids also trigger increased cytokines, which
lead to chronic inflammation (cardiovascular problems).
Behavioral changes:
Stress may set in motion a series of behavioral
changes – poor sleep patterns, poor eating, lack of
exercise, increase in smoking and/or drinking – that
indirectly affect the immune system.
Personality style:
An individual’s personality style (including their level of
optimism, constructive coping strategies, and
resilience) experience better immune system
functioning and are better prepared to fight off illness.
Social support:
People who have few social supports and feel lonely
seem to display poorer immune functioning in the face
of stress than people who do not feel lonely.
Studies have found that social support and affiliation
with others may actually protect people from stress,
poor immune system functioning, and subsequent
illness, and can help speed up recovery from illness or
surgery.
When Stress Gets Bad
•
•
Stress also plays a more central role in certain
psychological disorders, including:
•
Acute stress disorder
•
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
•
Other anxiety disorders
…as well as certain physical disorders, called
psychophysiological disorders
24
Stress and Arousal:
The Fight-or-Flight Response
The features of arousal and fear are set in motion by the
hypothalamus
• Two important systems are activated:
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
• An extensive network of nerve fibers that connect
the central nervous system (the brain and spinal
cord) to all other organs of the body
• Endocrine system
• A network of glands throughout the body that
release hormones
•
Comer, Abnormal Psychology, 8e
25
The Fight-or-Flight Response
•
When we face a dangerous situation, the hypothalamus
first excites the sympathetic nervous system, which
stimulates key organs either directly or indirectly.
•
When the perceived danger passes, the parasympathetic
nervous system helps return body processes to normal.
26
The Psychological Stress Disorders
•
During and immediately after trauma, we may temporarily
experience levels of arousal, anxiety, and depression
• For some, symptoms persist well after the trauma
• These people may be suffering from:
• Acute stress disorder
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• The precipitating event usually involves actual or
threatened serious injury to self or others
• The situations that cause these disorders would be
traumatic to anyone (unlike other anxiety disorders)
Comer, Abnormal Psychology, 8e
27
The Psychological Stress Disorders
Acute stress disorder
• Symptoms begin within four weeks of event and last for
less than one month
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Symptoms may begin either shortly after the event, or
months or years afterward
• As many as 80% of all cases of acute stress disorder
develop into PTSD
•
Comer, Abnormal Psychology, 8e
28
Behavioral Medicine
Psychologists and physicians have developed an
interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine that
integrates behavioral knowledge with medical knowledge.
Mind and body interact; everything
psychological is simultaneously
physiological.
Promoting Health
Promoting health is generally defined as the absence of
disease.
We only think of health when we are diseased.
However, health psychologists say that promoting
health begins by preventing illness and enhancing wellbeing, which is a constant endeavor.
Preventing Stress-related Problems
From an individual’s perspective, it has been said
that stress-related problems can be prevented in
basically two ways:
1. by eliminating the source (s) of the
stress or changing directions
2. by learning how to deal with
stressful conditions before they
lead to problems
Today we’re going to focus on the
second…ways to rethink and change
your reaction to situations that cause
you stress!
Focus of Today
Ways to Manage Stress and Promote Health
Physical Activity
Proper Diet
• Getting enough Sleep
• Mindful Awareness Techniques
• Yoga, Tai Chi and Daily Stretching
•
•
Let’s implement some basic survival skills
Ways to Manage Stress
Someday you too could be good at handling stress!!
Physical Activity for Stress
Release
Physical Activity has many proven benefits:
• Elevates mood and feelings of well-being by
releasing feel good brain chemicals
• Enhances relaxation and improves sleep
• Reduces feelings of anxiety and worry
Physical Activity for Stress
Release
• Additional benefits of physical activity:
• Decreases muscular tension and joint pain
• Strengthens cognitive functioning
• Helps manage anger and feelings of hostility
• Enhances immune system
More activity = Less stress
Exercise in almost any form can be a stress
reliever! Key is to do something!
Do What You
Enjoy Most
Walking
Running
Swimming
Aerobic Class
Cycling
Tennis
Be consistent….Make it part of your day...Schedule it like
any important meeting
Be Mindful in the Activity
Focus on what you are doing. Connect mind to body. Be in the
moment, don’t rush through it!
Reading
Laughing
Singing
Gardening
Weight lifting
Stretching…
Few Statistics that may get you
Moving!!
Average American spends 7.7 to 15 hours a day sitting
Spending a few hours a week exercising doesn’t seem to
significantly offset the risks.
• Sit longer than 3-4 hours and your metabolism slows
down
• Every hour of sitting cuts your life span by 22 minutes.
• One day of inactivity has roughly equivalent health burden
to smoking 3 cigarettes. (1 week of inactivity = pack of
cigarettes)
•
•
Start finding ways to move more at work
Look for Opportunities to Move
(OTM)
Workplace:
• Park further away.
• Use the furthest entrance into your workplace
from your parking spot
• Walk to meetings or have walking meetings.
• Walk during your 10-minute breaks.
• For every hour of work, take a 1-2 minute stretch
break, walking throughout your building.
• Circle the room when waiting for meetings to
start.
Look for Opportunities to Move
(OTM)
• Use the restroom, copy machine, printer, water
fountain, break room, etc. that is further from your
work area.
• Take the stairs if available to you.
• While on the phone, stand up and pace around
as you talk.
• Rather than phone or email, walk to a coworker's
office and talk to them live.
Look for Opportunities to Move
(OTM)
From Home:
• Hide the TV remote and walk to the TV to change
channels.
• During TV commercials, get up and walk around
the house. (jumping jacks, situps, hold a plank)
• Park further away from any store entrance. Skip
the drive through.
Look for Opportunities to Move
(OTM)
From Home:
• Walk while your kids warm up for their sport
• Return the shopping cart all the way into the store
after grocery shopping.
• Don't stand, pace
Stretch Break
(OTM)
Are you a Stress Eater?
Proper Diet Can Help Deal
with Stress
• Your body can only run on the fuel you give
it…much like your car.
• Junk in means junk out!!
Can some foods tame
stress?
YES!
• Boosts levels of serotonin
• Can cut levels of cortisol and adrenaline
• Strengthens the immune system
• Lowers blood pressure
Resources: WebMD and Prevention
Important Nutrients for Stress
Reduction
Vitamin C:
• can boost the immune system
• lower the levels of cortisol (stress hormone)
• lower the levels of blood pressure during high-anxiety
situations.
• Healthy sources include oranges and other citrus fruit
Complex Carbohydrates:
• can induce the brain to increase serotonin production
and stabilizing blood pressure
• Healthy sources include whole grains, oatmeal, fruits,
and vegetables
Important Nutrients
Magnesium:
• can help avoid headaches, muscle pain
and fatigue
• has been found to improve sleep quality
• Healthy sources include spinach or leafy greens, bananas,
nuts, wheat germ, fish, sea algae and dried fruits.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
• Reduce surges of stress hormones
• Can protect against heart disease and
depression
• Healthy sources include olive oil, fatty fish,
avocado, nuts (esp walnuts) and seeds
Important Nutrients
Potassium:
• helps reduce high blood pressure
• reducing your chances for heart disease
• Healthy sources include avocados, bananas, white
beans, artichokes, celery, spinach, baked potatoes (with
skin), dried apricots, baked acorn squash
Vitamin B-Complex:
• Protects the nervous system and soothes body
and mind increasing release of serotonin.
• Needed to covert carbs and fat to energy
• B-rich foods include dark greens, protein from
animal sources, and whole grains
Important Nutrients
Iron:
• combines with proteins to produce hemoglobin
which sends oxygen to our muscles.
• Helps the flow of oxygen when we are stressed
• Healthy sources include sardines, wheat germ,
liver, eggs, and spinach
Zinc:
• Lack of zinc causes irritability, depression, and a
low immune system..
• Helps you fight off illness
• Cashews, Fresh oysters, sesame seeds, ginger
root, whole flour and red meat
Certain Tea
•
Chamomile
• Barley tea
• Green Tea
• Passionflower
• Mint
• Ginger root
Can help you recover from
stressful events more quickly.
Study comparing people who
drank tea vs those who drank
another beverage:
Tea drinkers were calmer and
had lower levels of cortisol after
a stressful situation.
Everything in Moderation
High-fat foods: thicken our blood which makes us feel
tired, even lethargic. Not a good way to reduce stress!
• Alcohol: is a depressant, can increase levels of anxiety
and make dealing with stress even harder
• Caffeine: many time stress results in lack of sleep causing
us to turn to coffee, teas, Energy Drinks and colas to stay
alert. However can cause more problems sleeping thus
vicious cycle develops.
• Sugar: Tends to calm us but it enters and leaves our
system rapidly causing us to “crash”. When stressed our
glucose level is already increased.
Notice No Color!
•
Don’t use these as cooping
mechanisms!
Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is ESSENTIAL for restoring and rejuvenating
the brain and organ systems so they function
properly
Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle,
and can benefit your heart, weight, mind, and
more.
Too little or too much can shorten your life span.
Benefits of Sleep
• Strengthens memories or “practice” skills learned
while awake (process called consolidation)
• Curbs inflammation which is linked to heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, arthritis and premature aging.
• Tends to spur creativity
• Sharpens your attention to details and alertness
• Helps maintain a healthy weight
• Lowers stress, irritability and the onset of
depression
Sleep Deprivation and Health
Studies done by the National Sleep Association
have found a relationship between the quantity
and quality of one's sleep can lead to many
health problems.
• Obesity (hormones that regulate appetite and
feelings of satiety are disrupted with less than
6 hours of sleep)
• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
Are you getting enough sleep?
Average Adult needs 7-9 hours of quality
sleep a night
To Improve Sleep Quality
Keep These Things In Mind
• Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules, even on
weekends
• Create a sleep-conducive environment
• Avoid watching TV, using a computer or reading in bed
• Finish eating at least 2-3 hours before your regular
bedtime
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol products close to bedtime
• Give up smoking
Think about this question:
What is your Belief System?
Belief System
Your Belief System is the active set of principles
which govern your thoughts, words, actions and
how you live your daily life
These have been programmed in us from
childhood.
What you believe is what becomes reality.
Is your belief system working for or
against you?
Belief System
When it’s working for you
•
•
•
•
•
Your self-worth is not based on your achievement.
You don’t seek others for approval.
You’re able to find happiness inside yourself.
You don’t feel entitled to everything.
Love is not a requirement for your happiness or selfworth.
• You don’t need other people to agree with you.
• You let yourself make mistakes and you don’t always
have to try your best or be the best at everything.
• You can roll with life’s punches and your mind is a
fortress that serves and protects you.
Belief System
When it’s working against you
• Your mood is subject to whatever is going on around you.
• You feel a sense of entitlement.
• Love is a requirement for your self-esteem.
• You take things personally or try to control the world
around you.
• You’re a perfectionist and nothing is ever good enough.
Situation
Mistake
Friend
Scene
iBelief
Feelings
I must be totally
Frustration
Adequate
I should please others Sad/Guilt
I have to be in control
Stress
RBelief
All I Can Do is
my Best
Oh Well
Power of Positive Thoughts
Is the glass half-empty or half-full?
• Your response reflects your outlook on life and yourself
• Could have a positive or negative effect on your health
Health Benefits:
•Increased life span
•Lower rates of depression and distress
•Greater resistance to common cold
•Better psychological and physical well-being
•Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Power of Positive Thoughts
Start with one simple rule:
Don’t say anything to yourself that you
wouldn’t say to anyone else.
Negative Self-talk
Positive Self-talk
I’ve failed before I’ll fail again.
I’ll give it another try.
I’ll never be able to fit exercise in
my busy schedule.
Let me see if I can re-examine
some priorities and fit it in a few
times a week.
Other Stress Managing
Techniques
Mindful Awareness Techniques
The Healing Power of Laughter
The amazing story of Norman Cousins
American political journalist, author, professor, and world
peace advocate
Born:
1915 Union City, NJ (formerly known as West Hoboken)
Died: 1990 Los Angeles, CA
Age: 75 years old
Use of a Mantra
•
A Mantra is a word or phrase repeated over and over to
yourself silently during meditation to prevent distracting
thoughts from entering.
•
Examples:
• “I am doing my best”.
• “I can handle this feeling and manage my day”.
• “I’m the best person for this job”.
• “I care about my own health and well-being”.
• “It’s all going to be fine.”
• “I can do this!”
Why a Mantra or Affirmation?
Repeating the mantra…
•
creates a mental vibration that allows the mind to
experience deeper levels of awareness.
•
helps us to disconnect from our thoughts, allowing access
to the meditative state where all distractions and worries
drop away.
In this stillness, you may feel profound peace
and oneness with all life.
Pick a Mantra
Stress Stopper
Pick a word or phrase that means something to you
and repeat it silently to yourself.
Relaxation Training
• People can be trained to relax their muscles at will, a
process that sometimes reduces feelings of anxiety
• Relaxation training can help prevent or treat medical
illnesses that are related to stress
• Often used in conjunction with medication in the treatment of
high blood pressure
• Often used alone to treat chronic headaches, insomnia,
asthma, pain after surgery, certain vascular diseases, and
the undesirable effects of cancer treatments
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Stress Stopper
Yoga or Tai Chi
Although both have been proven beneficial in relieving
stress and improving health, they are very different.
Tai Chi – focuses on relaxed
movements with no pauses as the
body flows from one posture to
the next.
Yoga – focuses on stillness with
each posture being held for
several seconds
Yoga or Tai Chi
• Take a class at your local fitness center, at least
to learn the basic moves
• Practice at home
• Buy a DVD or go online for samples
• Download free phone apps
Stretching
• Stretching improves your mood
• Sharpens your concentration
• Enhances movement and muscle tone
• Minimizes Chronic pain
• Energizes your body and mind
It’s instinctive so listen to your body!
Stretch Daily
Poster was created
for employees to
have as a reminder
to Stretch!
Even five (5)
minutes a day can
help significantly
Basic Survival Strategies
• Don’t spread
yourself too
thin.
• Get organized
• Prayer
• Get a massage
• Don’t be ashamed to ask for
help if you need it.
Social Support
Bob Daemmrich/ Stock, Boston
Supportive family members, marriage partners, and close
friends help people cope with stress. Their immune
functioning calms the cardiovascular system and lowers
blood pressure.
Spirituality & Faith Communities
Regular religious attendance has been a reliable
predictor of a longer life span with a reduced risk
of dying.
Managing Stress Effects
Having a sense of control, an optimistic
explanatory style, and social support can
reduce stress and improve health.
Employee
Assistance
Program
• Educate to prevent loss productivity because of
mental health issues
• Identify employees in need of services
• Provide confidential counseling services
If nothing else:
Remember to “BREATHE”
Here is another way to think about
breathing
“BR_____”
• Breathe: take a deep breath, be
present with yourself in the moment
• Realistic Goals: set realistic goals for
this moment, this hour, this day.
Celebrate meeting them. Don’t try to
do too much…sets yourself up for
failure.
B.R.E.A.___
• Everyday events: notice the positive
moments in every day life (sunsets,
birds singing, pets)
• Acts of kindness: do something nice
and unexpected for someone else.
Kindness is contagious.
B.R.E.A.T.H.E
• Turn negatives around: even a negative
event can have a positive lesson. Use
positive phrases instead of negative.
• Honor your strengths: acknowledge
your personal strengths. Not conceded
to say “I am good at that”.
• End each day with gratitude: All things
you are thankful for. Note the positive
steps. Keep a gratitude journal.
Closing Thought
•
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the
last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any
given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
Viktor E. Frankl, M.D., Ph.D
Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor.
Became a prominent source of inspiration for humanistic
psychologists