Are you Stressed?

Feel like you are Losing It?

 STRESS MANAGEMENT
Prof. Franco A. Quodala
PhD Educa3onal Psychology (in-progress)
De La Salle - Manila
MA Educa3on in Counseling – De La Salle –Dasmarinas
Professor, Philippine Na3onal Police Academy
 Presenta3on Outline

Part 1 - General Awareness

Part 2 - Self - help
 Part 1



General Awareness
 Part 1 - Outline
•  What is Stress ?
•  Types of Stresses
•  Individuals
•  Stress origins & body systems
•  Adapta3on Syndrome
•  Symptoms
•  Costs of Stress
•  Discussion & Ques3ons
 HELP ME!

WHAT IS STRESS ?

Stress is the reac3on people have to
excessive pressures or other types of
demand placed upon them. It arises when
they worry that they can’t cope.
 I HATE YOU

WHAT IS STRESS ?

Stress is the “wear and tear” our minds and
bodies experience as we aQempt to cope
with our con3nually changing environment
 DEFINITION

S = P > R
Stress occurs when the pressure is greater than the resource
 STRESS FEELINGS

•  Worry
•  Tense
•  Tired
•  Frightened
•  Elated
•  Depressed
•  Anxious
•  Anger
 TYPES OF STRESSORS

•  External

•  Internal
 EXTERNAL STRESSORS

•  Physical Environment
•  Social Interac3on
•  Organisa3onal
•  Major Life Events
•  Daily Hassles
 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

•  Noise
•  Bright Lights
•  Heat
•  Confined Spaces
 SOCIAL INTERACTION

•  Rudeness
•  Bossiness
•  Aggressiveness by others
•  Bullying
 ORGANISATIONAL

•  Rules
•  Regula3ons
•  Deadlines
 MAJOR LIFE EVENTS

•  Birth
•  Death
•  Lost job
•  Promo3on
•  Marital status change
 DAILY HASSLES

•  Commu3ng
•  Misplaced keys
•  Mechanical breakdowns
 INTERNAL STRESSORS

•  Lifestyle choices
•  Nega3ve self - talk
•  Mind traps
•  Personality traits
 LIFESTYLE CHOICES

•  Caffeine
•  Lack of sleep
•  Overloaded schedule
 NEGATIVE SELF - TALK

•  Pessimis3c thinking
•  Self cri3cism
•  Over analysing
 MIND TRAPS

•  Unrealis3c expecta3ons
•  Taking things personally
•  All or nothing thinking
•  Exaggera3on
•  Rigid thinking
 PERSONALITY TRAITS

•  Perfec3onists
•  Workaholics
 TYPES OF STRESS

•  Nega3ve stress

•  Posi3ve stress
 NEGATIVE STRESS

It is a contributory factor in minor

condi3ons, such as headaches, diges3ve
problems, skin complaints, insomnia and
ulcers.
Excessive, prolonged and unrelieved stress
can have a harmful effect on mental,
physical and spiritual health.
 POSITIVE STRESS

Stress can also have a posi3ve effect,

spurring mo3va3on and awareness,
providing the s3mula3on to cope with
challenging situa3ons.
Stress also provides the sense of urgency
and alertness needed for survival when
confron3ng threatening situa3ons.
 THE INDIVIDUAL

Everyone is different, with unique

percep3ons of, and reac3ons to, events.
There is no single level of stress that is
op3mal for all people. Some are more
sensi3ve owing to experiences in
childhood, the influence of teachers,
parents and religion etc.
 Most of the stress we experience is self-
generated. How we perceive life - whether
an event makes us feel threatened or
s3mulated, encouraged or discouraged,
happy or sad - depends to a large extent on
how we perceive ourselves.
 Self-generated stress is something of a
paradox, because so many people think of
external causes when they are upset.

Recognizing that we create most of our own
upsets is an important first step towards
coping with them.
 The Stress Response

Dr. Hans Selye Dr. Walter Cannon

1930’s

‘ Flight or Fight Response’

 Endocrine System
Stress response controlled by the
Endocrine System.

Demands on the physical or mental
systems of the body result in hormone
secre3on (Adrenaline, testosterone)
 ENDOCRINE SYSTEM RESPONSES

•  Increased pupil dilata3on

•  Perspira3on
•  Increased heart rate and blood pressure
•  Rapid breathing
•  Muscle tenseness
•  Increased mental alertness
 GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME

•  Alarm response

•  Adapta3on

•  Exhaus3on
 ALARM RESPONSE

This is the “ Fight or Flight” response that
prepares the body for immediate ac3on.
 ADAPTATION PHASE
If the source persists, the body prepares for
long-term protec3on, secre3ng hormones
to increase blood sugar levels. This phase is
common and not necessarily harmful, but
must include periods of relaxa3on and rest
to counterbalance the stress response.
Fa3gue, concentra3on lapses, irritability
and lethargy result as the stress turns
nega3ve.
 EXHAUSTION

In chronic stress situa3ons, sufferers enter

the exhaus3on phase: emo3onal, physical
and mental resources suffer heavily, the
body experiences ‘ adrenal exhaus3on’
leading to decreased stress tolerance,
progressive mental and physical
exhaus3on, illness and collapse.
 SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

•  Physical symptoms
•  Mental symptoms
•  Behavioural symptoms
•  Emo3onal symptoms
 PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

•  Sleep paQern changes •  Dizziness

•  Fa3gue •  Fain3ng
•  Diges3on changes •  Swea3ng & trembling
•  Loss of sexual drive •  Tingling hands & feet
•  Headaches •  Breathlessness
•  Aches and pains •  Palpita3ons
•  Infec3ons •  Missed heartbeats
•  Indiges3on
 MENTAL SYMPTOMS

•  Lack of concentra3on
•  Memory lapses
•  Difficulty in making decisions
•  Confusion
•  Disorienta3on
•  Panic aQacks
 BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS

•  Appe3te changes - too much or too liQle

•  Ea3ng disorders - anorexia, bulimia
•  Increased intake of alcohol & other drugs
•  Increased smoking
•  Restlessness
•  Nail bi3ng
 EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS

•  Bouts of depression
•  Impa3ence
•  Fits of rage
•  Tearfulness
•  Deteriora3on of personal hygiene and
appearance
 STRESS RELATED ILLNESSES

Stress is not the same as ill-health, but has

been related to such illnesses as;

•  Cardiovascular disease
•  Immune system disease
•  Asthma
•  Diabetes
•  Diges3ve disorders
•  Ulcers
•  Skin complaints - psoriasis
•  Headaches and migraines
•  Pre-menstrual syndrome
•  Depression
 COSTS OF STRESS

80% of all modern diseases have their

origins in stress.
In the UK, 40 million working days per year
are lost directly from stress - related illness.
Costs in absenteeism to Bri3sh industry is
es3mated at £1.5 billion pounds per year.
 Summary - Part 1
•  What is Stress ?
•  Types of Stresses
•  Individuals
•  Stress origins & body systems
•  Adapta3on Syndrome
•  Symptoms
•  Costs of Stress
 Part 2

Self - help
 Part 2 - Outline

•  Causes of Stress
•  Iden3fica3on and admission
•  Coping strategies
•  Summary
 Statement

Not all the stress we

experience is generated at
work !!
Causes of Stress

•  External Stresses

•  Internal Stresses
 External Stresses - Major Life Events

Death of a loved one Change in financial status

Divorce / separa3on Change of job / work
Imprisonment Mortgage or loan
Injury/illness ( self / family ) Foreclosure of mortgage/
Marriage/ engagement loan
Loss of job Change in responsibili3es
Re3rement Moving house
Pregnancy Holidays
Sexual Problems Christmas
Minor viola3ons of the law
 RECOGNISE THE PROBLEM

The most important point is to recognize

the source of the nega3ve stress.

This is not an admission of weakness or
inability to cope! It is a way to iden3fy the
problem and plan measures to overcome it.


STRESS CONTROL

A B C STRATEGY
 ABC STRATEGY

A = AWARENESS


What causes you stress?
How do you react?
 ABC STRATEGY

B = BALANCE

There is a fine line between posi3ve /
nega3ve stress

How much can you cope with before it
becomes nega3ve ?
 ABC STRATEGY

C = CONTROL

What can you do to help yourself combat the
nega3ve effects of stress ?
 Stress Management Techniques

•  Change your thinking

•  Change your behaviour

•  Change your lifestyle
 Change your Thinking

•  Re-framing


•  Posi3ve thinking
 Re-framing

Re-framing is a technique to change the

way you look at things in order to feel
beQer about them. There are many ways to
interpret the same situa3on so pick the one
you like. Re-framing does not change the
external reality, but helps you view things
in a different light and less stressfully.
 PosiTve Thinking

Forget powerlessness, dejec3on, despair,

failure
Stress leaves us vulnerable to nega3ve
sugges3on so focus on posi3ves;
•  Focus on your strengths
•  Learn from the stress you are under
•  Look for opportuni3es
•  Seek out the posi3ve - make a change.
 Change your Behaviour

•  Be asser3ve
•  Get organized
•  Ven3la3on
•  Humor
•  Diversion and distrac3on
 Be AsserTve

Asser3veness helps to manage stressful

situa3ons, and will , in 3me, help to reduce
their frequency.
Lack of asser3veness omen shows low self -
esteem and low self - confidence. The key
to asser3veness is verbal and non - verbal
communica3on. Extending our range of
communica3on skills will improve our
asser3veness.
 Equality and Basic Rights

1) The right to express my feelings

2) The right to express opinions / beliefs
3) The right to say ‘Yes/No’ for yourself
4) Right to change your mind
5) Right to say ‘I don’t understand’
6) Right to be yourself, not ac3ng for the
benefit of others
7) The right to decline responsibility for other
people’s problems
8) The right to make reasonable requests of
others
9) The right to set my own priori3es
10) The right to be listened to, and taken
seriously
 Being AsserTve

Being asser3ve involves standing up for
your personal rights and expressing your
thoughts, feelings and beliefs directly,
honestly and spontaneously in ways that
don’t infringe the rights of others.


 AsserTve People

•  Respect themselves and others

•  Take responsibility for ac3ons and choices
•  Ask openly for what they want
•  Disappointed if ‘want’ denied
•  Self - confidence remains intact
•  Not reliant on the approval of others
 AsserTve Skills

•  Establish good eye contact / don’t stare

•  Stand or sit comfortably - don’t fidget
•  Talk in a firm, steady voice
•  Use body language
•  ‘I think’ / ‘I feel’
•  ‘What do you think?’ ‘How do you feel ?’
•  Concise and to the point
 Benefits

•  Higher self-esteem
•  Less self-conscious
•  Less anxious
•  Manage stress more successfully
•  Appreciate yourself and others more easily
•  Feeling of self-control
 Get Organized

Poor organisa3on is one of the most

common causes of stress. Structured
approaches offer security against ‘out of
the blue’ problems. Priori3sing objec3ves,
du3es and ac3vi3es makes them
manageable and achievable. Don’t
overload your mind. Organisa3on will help
avoid personal and professional chaos.
 Time Management

•  Make a list
What MUST be done
What SHOULD be done
What would you LIKE to do
•  Cut out 3me was3ng
•  Learn to drop unimportant ac3vi3es
•  Say no or delegate


•  Plan your day
•  Set achievable goals
•  Don’t waste 3me making excuses for not
doing something
 VenTlaTon

‘A problem shared is a problem halved’

Develop a support network through friends
or colleagues to talk with. It’s not always
events that are stressful but how we
perceive them.

Wri3ng a diary or notes may help release
feelings but do not re-read what has been
wriQen.
 Humor

•  Good stress - reducer
•  Applies at home and work
•  Relieves muscular tension
•  Improves breathing
•  Pumps endorphins into the bloodstream -
the body’s natural painkillers
 Diversion and DistracTon

•  Take 3me out

•  Get away from things that bother you
•  Doesn’t solve the problem
•  Reduce stress level
•  Calm down
•  Think logically
 Change Your Lifestyle
•  Diet
•  Smoking & Alcohol
•  Exercise
•  Sleep
•  Leisure
•  Relaxa3on
 Diet

•  Healthy ea3ng habits

•  Caffeine (S3mulant)
•  Salt
 Smoking and Alcohol

•  Stop or at-least your consump3on to bare

minimum
 Benefits of Exercise

•  Uses up excess energy released by the

‘Fight or Flight’ reac3on.
•  Improves blood circula3on
•  Lowers blood pressure
•  Clears the mind of worrying thoughts
•  Improves self image
•  Makes you feel beQer about yourself
•  Increases social contact
 Sleep
•  Good stress reducer
•  Difficult to cope when 3red
•  Wake refreshed amer night’s sleep
•  Plenty of day3me energy
 Leisure
•  Interest
•  Gives you a ‘break’ from stresses
•  Provides outlet for relief
•  Provides social contact
 Benefits of RelaxaTon

•  Lowers blood pressure
•  Combats fa3gue
•  Promotes sleep
•  Reduces pain
•  Eases muscle tension


•  Decreases mental worries
•  Increases concentra3on
•  Increases produc3vity
•  Increases clear thinking
 Alterna3ves

•  Conven3onal Medicine •  Floata3on

•  Counselling & •  Herbalism
psychotherapy •  Biofeedback
•  Relaxa3on •  Homeopathy
•  Medita3on •  Hypnotherapy
•  Massage •  Osteopathy
•  Yoga •  Religious Therapy
•  Acupuncture •  Reflexology
•  Aromatherapy
 Summary
•  Causes of stress
•  Iden3fica3on and admission
•  Ways to control stress
•  Alterna3ve methods

•  References:
•  Dr. M. Nasar Sayeed Khan
•  Head department of psychiatry,
services Ins3tute of Medical Sciences &
Services hospital, Lahore