STRESS AUB B Counselin nseling g Center er Ola Ataya - AUB - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

UNDERSTANDING & MANAGING STRESS AUB B Counselin nseling g Center er Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center 2

OBJECTIVES OF THIS SESSION  Identifying stress factors  Learning skills needed to better cope with stress  Developing personalized self-care plans 3 Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center STRESS  Stress is one of the body's natural responses to something that is threatening or frightening.  When you become stressed, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system gets switched on and releases the neurochemical adrenaline.  The problem starts when periods of stress become prolonged. 4

Protective factors Stress factors RESILIENCE ILIENCE & COPING… FINDING EQUILIBRIUM 5 5

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center  Stress: The effect of anything in life to which people must adjust. Stress requires us to adjust our attention and behavior and makes demands on our energy.  Stressor: Anything that has the effect of causing stress.  Stress Capacity: The amount of stress a person can carry, since each person has some stress in their lives.  Stress Load: This refers to the amount or quantity of stress a person has in their lives. Red Cross, 2002 6

STRESS Most people experience eustress (mild to moderate stress), which is manageable and not necessarily negative, as it can act as a motivator and energizer. However, distress (high levels of stress) is a serious problem that can result in medical and/or social problems. Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center 7

STRESS REACTIONS Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center What are some common stress reactions? Physica ical  (Headaches, Muscular pains/aches, Tremors of hands, Palpitation Cold sweating, Tiredness, Sleep disturbance, Decreased/ increased appetite, Gastrointestinal problems, Persistent pain without any apparent cause) Cogni niti tive/me e/ment ntal al  (Mental black-outs, forgetfulness, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, negative thoughts, difficulty with decisions, perfectionism … ) Emoti otion onal al  (excessive fear, anxiety, worry, mood changes, guilt … ) Relati tiona onal/ Social al  Withdrawal, mistrust, intolerance, loneliness, changes in intimacy 8

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center OTHER IMPACTS OF STRESS  Job Job Tas asks ks – Decrease in quality & quantity, lower motivation, increased mistakes, perfectionistic standards.  Mor Moral ale – Loss of interest, dissatisfaction with work, negative attitude, apathy, decrease in confidence, demoralization, feelings of incompleteness.  Worl rld d View w (Spiri ritu tual) l) – Feel sense of unfairness, lack of support, anger at Higher Power, questioning beliefs, loss of purpose. 9

Physical Psychological Social Impaired Concentration Social withdrawal Headaches, Muscular Pains/aches, Tremors of Hands Palpitation Forgetfulness Inability to perform day to day tasks Cold sweating Irritability Increased conflict with family or community members Tiredness Worrying, Sadness or Inability/difficulty in going back to work , school etc Crying and Loss of pleasure from regular activities Sleep disturbance Fearfulness substances abuse Decreased/ Anger increased appetite Guilt/ Shame Gastrointestinal problems Persistent pain without any apparent cause 10 10

STRESS REACTIONS  These stress reactions are not genetic  They are learned & can be unlearned Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center 11

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center DEFINING COPING  Constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of a person (Folkman & Lazarus, 1984, p. 141) … anything people do to adjust to the challenges and demands  of stress … any adjustments made to reduce the negative impact of stress (Red Cross: Community-based Psychological Support, p. 87) 12

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING Coping efforts that are directed toward regulating emotional states: -- Denial/avoidance -- Distraction or minimization -- Wishful thinking -- Self-control of feelings -- Seeking meaning -- Self-blame -- Expressing/sharing feelings 13

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center PROBLEM-FOCUSED COPING Efforts to act on the source of stress to change the person, the environment, or the relationship between the two: 1. Planned problem solving 2. Confrontation 14

Ola Ataya - AUB Student Counseling Center MANAGING STRESS BEFORE EXAMS  A simple and very practical step is to develop a plan of action by preparing well and organizing your time and workloads. This will help address that “out -of- control feeling”.  A second step is to begin to understand the physiological responses going on in your body and try to adjust them. 15

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center WHY TIME MANAGEMENT?  Students will encounter many stressful situations during their college years. Sometimes it may seem that there isn't enough time to do everything that they need to. This can lead to a buildup of stress.  Successful time management can work to reduce stress in many situations. 16

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center ON PROCRASTINATION  “Putting off the task at hand is an effective way of regulating low mood. Avoid the task, avoid the bad mood.” …while…  “A real mood boost comes from doing what we intend to do— the things that are important to us” Why?  Lack of motivation  Skill deficits  Fear of failure 17

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center WHY: BY LEARNING HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO-  Achieve More  Lead a Balanced Life  Have More Free Time  Meet Deadlines  Overcome Procrastination  Reduce Stress  Improve your personal productivity 18

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center WHY TIME MANAGEMENT? Effective Time management helps us attain:  Predictability  Sense of purpose  Empowerment 19

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center Predictability  According to research, we humans have a primal fear of the future when we don’t know what’s going to happen. But schedules help us deal with that anxiety by structuring an otherwise shapeless future.  Having a schedule reduces ambiguity about future work. 20

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center SENSE OF PURPOSE  Second, time structure gives us a sense of purpose. According to research, people who structure their time are more likely to have a sense of purpose in life and are less prone to anxiety and hopelessness. 21

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center EMPOWERMENT  Third, time structure empowers us.  “Time flies but you’re the pilot”  When people feel more in control and manage to stay on top of things, they’re much less stressed out and more satisfied with their lives.  The more you realize you are in charge, the more you live your life on your own terms. 22

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center SO,  Having effective organizational and time- management skills is beneficial to the whole process of studying, to your everyday life, and to future career prospects. Developing good strategies helps you to look after your mental well-being and to get the most out of your study, because you stay in control. 23

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Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center HOW TO MANAGE OUR TIME EFFECTIVELY?  Time management methods involve finding ways to work more efficiently, so as to maximize one's use of time  A variety of techniques and tools are typically used for this purpose.  Action planning is fundamental in time management. 25

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS  list making to remind you of the tasks;  prioritizing - focusing on urgent and important tasks rather than those that are not important or don't move you towards your goals;  organizing your work schedule;  persevering when things are not working out; positive attitude  avoiding procrastination . 26

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center FIGURE 1 – EISENHOWER'S URGENT/IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE 27

THERE ARE 168 HOURS IN A WEEK Urgent Not Urgent Important Do Now Plan to Do Not Important Reject Resist • ‘Comfort’ activities, computer • Trivial requests from others games, net surfing • Apparent emergencies • Chat, gossip, text, social • Interruptions and distractions communications • Daydreaming, doodling over long Scrutinize and probe demands. breaks Help originators to re-assess. Wherever possible reject and • Unnecessary adjusting avoid these tasks. equipment Habitual ‘comforters’ not true tasks. Non-productive, de-motivational. Minimize or cease altogether. Plan to avoid them.

Ola Ataya-Psychologist-AUB Counseling Center  Identifying your objectives  Setting objectives which are achievable & measurable.  Prioritizing your tasks effectively.  Identifying the steps needed to achieve your goals.  Using lists .  Being able to work effectively under pressure .  Completing work to a deadline.  Having a contingency plan 29