What is Stress - Good and Bad Stress

How do we know how much stress is

good for us?
We need a certain amount of it to get
up in the morning.
Stress can keep us on our toes and
vigilant. It can protect us from danger.
It can inspire us to work efficiently and
productively.

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 How Much Stress is Too Much Stress?

Too much stress is when you find

yourself tense and uncomfortable -
tired and perhaps worried. You
probably don't want to get up in the
morning and you possibly don't sleep
well. Your work will actually become
inefficient and unsatisfactory.

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 Imagine You Were Stress Free All of the Time

Imagine you were stress free all of the

time. What would that achieve for you?
Be careful what you wish for though. If
you were crossing the road in traffic
and a speeding car approached what
would happen if you didn’t experience
the stress response? Perhaps it would
be better to be less stressed more of
the time!

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 What Causes Stress?

Is stress all in the mind? The simple

answer is No.

Although stress can be caused by

emotional triggers such as worrying
about coping, the symptoms of stress
are often very physical and very real.

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 Coping With Stress - Everyone's Stress Is Different.

Because everyone becomes stressed

for different reasons and experiences
stress differently, surely the answers
will be different for each person. What
could the answers be for you?

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 Stress Management in the Workplace and at Home

We take home stress to work and

workplace stress home with us. The
two are often not unique. We can learn
highly effective stress-management
techniques and exercises to cope with
both but we must keep being honest
with ourselves and trusting others.
When was the last time someone told
you that you were stressed? How did
you react?

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 Workplace Stress and Absence

Stress is probably the main cause of

sickness absence from work. It could
be a migraine or bad back. On the other
hand, it could be because of an
accident caused by not being able to
concentrate. Stress may start with a
damaging thought or feeling but that
headache/ stomach ache is not in your
mind is it?

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 Long Term Stress

If you suffer from long term stress,

amongst other things, your immune
system will be seriously low and so of
course you will catch that bug going
around at work. Your blood pressure
may also be raised and you probably
will have worrying thoughts which can
lead to headaches and migraines. Need
I go on!

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 What is Stress?

Stress occurs when an individual

perceives that the demands of an
external situation are beyond his or her
perceived ability to cope with them.
Lazarus 1966

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 In Other Words....

Just what is round the corner - or

maybe you know what's round the
corner and you're not sure how you will
cope with it. Perhaps you didn't cope
well with it last time and that leads you
to doubt yourself or worry.

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 Stress as a Verb - Being Stressed

Imagine if stress was something that

we did rather than something we have.
Funnily enough, that's exactly what it
is. We are doing it to ourselves even if
it's automatic and we're not aware of
it. Pretend for a moment that stress is
just our body's way of telling us to slow
down or to change something.

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 The Stress Response - Fight or Flight

When our body is stressed, it is telling

us that it wants to fight or run away
from danger, just like in the old days
when an encounter with a wild animal
was a daily occurrence. Nowadays, in
the domestic or workplace situation,
this is completely unnecessary and,
indeed, inappropriate. You need to
develop a relaxation response!

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 The Relaxation Response - Learn To Relax

You can learn how to relax at will. It

will take time and effort but the
rewards will be rich. Relaxation
exercises can encourage lowered blood
pressure, slower breathing, clearer
mind and many physical benefits.

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 Am I Stressed? - The Signs of Stress

Stress can result in many signs -

headaches, stomach complaints,
dizziness, irritability, insomnia, raised
blood pressure and many more things.
It will be different for everyone.
It can also result in denial of the
obvious! How do you experience
stress?

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 Stress Can Affect Your Lifestyle - 2 + 2 does not equal 5!

When we are under stress we tend to

lose our appetite and so when we get
away from the stress it returns and we
eat. Often inappropriate food and too
much of it.
This can result in comfort eating. We
feel comfortable because we are away
from the stressful situation but our
brains put 2 and 2 together and get 5.
The food comforts us.
The same thing happens with smoking.

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 Stress Can Be Caused by Nice Things - Holiday Stress

Stress isn't always caused by

unpleasant things.
Think about holiday stress, wedding
stress, Christmas stress, even 'not
having anything to be stressed about'
stress!

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 Ways To Beat Stress - What Can I do?

Ways to beat Stress

1. Exercise
Exercise burns off the exercise energy
left over from the stress response.
It combats many of the physical and
emotional symptoms of stress and can
make you feel better about yourself.

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 So Why Is It So Difficult?

Because stress is not a passive thing.

Remember, it is something you are
doing. It takes up a lot of energy and,
quite frankly, leaves you feeling
exhausted.
Just when you really need to exercise
to feel better, you are too tired to.

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 Stress Reduction - It Really Is Worth The Effort?

No-one ever came back from running or

swimming saying 'I wish I hadn't done
that it was horrible.' If you're feeling
stressed and not sure whether to
exercise or not then simply remind
yourself of how you are going to feel
afterwards. These are the moments
when you start to change what you do.

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 Ways To Beat Stress - Time Management

2. Time Management
Time management allows you to plan
and organise your life so as to give
yourself more space and opportunity. It
involves planning, delegating, making
goals and not wasting time doing
unnecessary things or worrying about
things you can do nothing about.

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 Make a List of Long and Short Term Goals

Goals can be long or short term. Why

not do both?
List the different areas of your life, for
instance, work and home and then
break them down into smaller
categories. Make a list of a few things
you would like to get done in the next
week for each category. Then make a
list of things you would like to do in the
next year or so.

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 What Shall I do With The Lists?

Why don't you take a few minutes

relaxation time and sit down with your
lists and start to use your imagination.
Practice imagining what it will be like
to have achieved all of those goals,
short and long term. Try and picture
yourself after you have achieved them.
Maybe you look different, feel different
or even sound different.

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 Motivation

When you have set goals and outcomes

for the future, you will find your
motivation naturally increases. At this
point the organisational side will, to a
large extent, take care of itself. It's
funny how, if you're convinced you're
going to do something, time can be
very accommodating.

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 Ways To Beat Stress - Relaxation

3. Relaxation
When was the last time you really
relaxed? And that doesn't mean lying
on the sofa with a T.V. dinner and a
bottle of wine! What would happen if
you made relaxation a part of your
daily routine? Do you think it will be
easy or will you need to practice?
Do you think it will be worth the
practice once it becomes a habit?

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 Guided Relaxation and Visualisation Techniques

These can be learned easily and are

very effective. If its convenient and
safe to do it now then close your eyes
and take a couple of deep breaths. Take
yourself to a relaxing place in your
mind and spend a minute or two there.
If you feel resistance or interference
from outside distractions or thoughts
then take yourself further into that
place.

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 Stress Reduction Methods and Exercise

Create some distance from the

stressor. Walk away and find a quiet
place even if that's sitting in your car
or a bathroom. Take a couple of
deeper breaths and imagine yourself
far away. See the stressor for what it
is. See it small and manageable and
notice how much calmer you feel -
much more able to do what needs to
be done.

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 Meditation Methods and Meditation Techniques

Learning how to meditate can bring an

abundance of calm and relaxation into
your life. The methods and techniques
take practice and patience - but then, it
took you a long time to learn how to be
truly stressed and look how good you
are at it now!

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 Breathing and Relaxation

When we are born we breathe properly.

As we get older we learn to breathe in
a more stressful way. When you
breathe in, your stomach should move
out as your diaphragm expands. If this
doesn't happen then try learning a new
breathing technique.
Visit - http://www.hypnos.info/pages/air.html

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 Relaxation Exercises - Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Find somewhere comfortable to sit or

lie and try this popular relaxation
technique.
Carefully tense the muscles of your feet
and toes, hold onto the tension for a
couple of moments and then release the
muscles, breathing out slowly. Do this
for all main muscle groups and then
spend a minute or two enjoying the
physical feelings of relaxation. If you
have had any muscular or skeletal
injuries/ accidents, check with a doctor
before using these kinds of techniques.

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 Relaxation Therapy

Other methods and therapies include;

reiki, floatation tanks, various forms of
massage. Do your research, maybe visit
a local clinic or floatation centre and
find the treatment most suitable for
you.

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 Ways To Beat Stress - Problem Solving

4. Problem Solving
Problem Solving helps you to define
what the problems actually are. It
helps you divide the problems into
smaller, and therefore more
manageable parts. You can then look
for solutions, options and ways forward
- in other words, alternatives to stress.
How does that sound?

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 Have a Plan To Beat Stress - Solving the 'where next?'
Problem

Knowing where you are and where you

are going will help combat stress.
Have you ever noticed how driven
people suffer less stress. It's as if
they've already overcome certain
worries and uncertainties.

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 Overvcoming Stress - Make a List

The first thing to remember with

problem-solving is that you need to
recognise the signs that there is or
could be a problem. As soon as you
notice a feeling of stress, make a list.
Write down everything that is
bothering you. The list won't be as
large as the feeling of stress within
you.

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 Overcoming Stress - Speak to Someone

Alternatively, speak to a friend or

colleague. It has the same effect. When
you address the problems, they won't
seem nearly as large.

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 Act on the Problem - You'll be Glad that You Did

Act as soon as you notice or identify

the problem. The relief will be instant
and problems seem to grow in intensity
if they are not dealt with. It's as if they
start to shout louder, the more they are
ignored.

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 You Do Have Choices

It's important to realise you have

choices. Sometimes you don't have
time to write a list and need to make a
quick decision. Even in the most
difficult of situations, start to maybe
ask yourself, 'What choices do I have
here?'
Perhaps, make that your motto. By the
way, what is your personal motto at
the moment?

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 Problem Solving for the Future

Problem solving doesn't have to be just

about current problems or problems as
they occur. You can also plan for times
of stress. Know when the stressors
(e.g. Aunt Hilda) are going to be about
and prepare for them. Get yourself in
good shape. How are you going to do
that then?

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 Ways To Beat Stress - Assertiveness Skills

5. Assertiveness Skills
If you can learn how to be more
assertive, you are more likely to have
choices and to be able to say how you
feel and what you think. Imagine how
much less stressed this will make you
feel.

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 Assertiveness Training

Consider attending an Assertiveness

training course. It will help you
understand how to achieve your goals
and stand up for your rights without
neglecting the rights of others.
Assertiveness is not about getting what
you want - It is about creating win-win
outcomes. It is a great way of
managing stress.

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 Ways To Beat Stress

6. Other Things which you can do.

What else might you be able to do to
beat stress. One thing is to stop
thinking about not thinking about it.
Think about something completely
different. What would that be? What
else could you do?

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 Information on Yoga

Yoga classes can help with stress as it

combines exercise and relaxation. It
also teaches meditation techniques.
Maybe you can find out about classes
near you or speak to someone who
already attends one. It could be just
the thing for you.
For free online yoga advice and
information on Yoga and meditation in
the UK visit http://www.yogauk.com/

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 Self-Hypnosis For Relaxation and Stress Management

Self hypnosis is similar in some ways to

meditation but in other ways different.
A good hypnotherapist will teach you
self-hypnosis and how to use it for
stress management. There are also
some good tapes and cds available on
the market for you to buy.

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 Healthy Habits - Eat Less, Exercise More

Reassess your plan continuously.

Support yourself as you would a close
friend.
Exercise Lose Weight
What is your favourite exercise?
Do you like running, walking,
swimming or the gym?
Do your prefer team sports or
competitive individual pursuits?
Do things you enjoy. That way you will
stick to them.
Remember habits!

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 Managing Stress through Necessity

Many stressful people go on to learn

effective stress - management
techniques after suffering serious
illness such as strokes. Wouldn't it be
better to implement your plan before
this happens. Wouldn't it be better to
chose to be a more relaxed person
rather than being forced.

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 Diet and Nutrition - Overcoming Stress

Eating a healthy diet will help you

defend against stress. Breakfast gives
you everything you need for a stress-
free day. Perhaps you could think of
breakfast as a statement about how
you are going to live your day.

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 Laughter - The Perfect Answer to Stress

People who are suffering with stress or

anxiety can become very serious. Have
you ever noticed that? Find out what
really makes you laugh and feel happy.
Next time you feel yourself becoming
stressful, expose yourself to the
humour or happiness. It might not be
easy but you might be very glad you
did.

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 Stress and Health

Stress can cause serious illness and

even if it doesn't go on to do that, it
can make you thoroughly miserable in
the meantime. This isn't supposed to
scare, just to inspire you to do
something else.

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 Stress - Realise that You are Different

Your reasons for experiencing stress

and ways of experiencing stress will be
slightly different than everybody else's.
To become calmer, happier and
healthier you will need to search for
your own answers and it probably
won't just happen overnight.

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 Quote About Stress

" Try to relax and enjoy the crisis."

(Ashleigh Brilliant)

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 Stop Thinking About Stress

Even if it's to try not to think about it!

Our minds are not very good at
processing double-negatives - try not
to think about a big spotty, purple cat
and notice what happens.
Forget about stress, create a void and
fill that void with something very
pleasant, your goals and dreams for the
future.
Very best wishes.

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