Professional Documents
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Stress Management
Stress Management
Work Load
1. Always too much work; never able to relax 2. High Pressure periods; deadlines, test come all at once 3. One or two difficult courses take all my time; no time left for anything else 4. Efforts often seem for nothing Dont get satisfying results
5. Seems like I have a lot more work than roommate, friends 6. I have to work harder than roommate and friends to get the same results 7. My job takes up too much time; I cant afford to cut back 8. My stress is complicated by commitments I cant get out of
People
1. Tension with family, friends or romantic partner 2. Incompatibility with roommates habits, schedule, lifestyle 3. Change in relationship; love lost/gained new romantic partner 4. Death of a close friend or family member
5. Parents divorce, separation or conflicts. Adjustment to parents new partner. 6. Interpersonal conflict; trouble expressing needs or standing up for rights 7. Reluctant to ask for help 8. Trouble saying no
Mind
1. Worry about what people think? 2. More time spent thinking about what can go wrong than what can go right 3. More time spent thinking about what DID go wrong than where you can go from here 4. No time to think, always having to do
5. Motivation problems, difficulty getting started 6. Tendency to get too worked up when under pressure or in a crisis 7. Tendency to get down, dwell on how bad things are 8. Often feel guilty
Information or counseling on self talk, irrational beliefs and reinterpretation might be a good place to start.
Body
1. Insufficient sleep 2. Frequent colds, sickness 3. Negative effects from caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, etc. 4. Uncomfortable chair, poor posture, excessive time hunched over book or computer.
5. Eye Strain (wrong glasses, poor lighting, computer screen overload) 6. Inadequate nutrition, missed meals, reliance on junk food 7. Lack of exercise 8. Aversive environment
- Exercise regularly - Choose healthy foods - Change your environment (lighting, space, etc.) - Reduce or eliminate caffeine, nicotine and alcohol intake - Get enough sleep
To improve air quality: Ban smoking Open windows Use an ioniser Have plants in the room.
Bad lighting can cause eye strain and increase fatigue, as can light that is too bright, or light that shines directly into your eyes. Fluorescent lighting can also be tiring. What you may not appreciate is that the quality of light may also be important. Try experimenting with working by a window or using full spectrum bulbs in your desk lamp. You will probably find that this improves the quality of your working environment.
Large amounts of background noise during the day can cause irritability, tension and headaches in addition to loss of concentration. Solutions:
use of quiet rooms when concentration is needed Use earplugs Try a pleasantly assertive approach. Ask that music is turned down or that the person use headphones
It is important for people to feel that they have sufficient personal space at work and at home.
Where no personal space is available, then you can establish some feeling of ownership by bringing personal objects such as small plants or photographs of loved-ones. Block off a space using furniture, sheet or divider when you need some space.
The essence of meditation is to quiet your thoughts by focusing completely on just one thing. Unlike hypnosis, which is more of a passive experience, meditation is an active process which seeks to exclude outside thoughts by concentrating all mental faculties on the subject of meditation. Keep your body relaxed. It should be in a position that you can comfortably sustain for a period of time (20 - 30 minutes is ideal).
Focus your attention on your breathing. Concentrate on breaths in and out. Count your breaths using the numbers 0 to 9. Visualize images of the numbers changing with each breath. Alternatively, visualize health and relaxation flowing into your body when you inhale, and stress or pain flowing out when you exhale.
Focusing on an object
Completely focus attention on examination of an object. Look at it in immense detail for the entire meditation. Examine the shape, color differences, texture, temperature and movement of the object. Objects often used are flowers, or flowing designs. However you can use other objects equally effectively (e.g. alarm clocks, desk lamps, or even coffee mugs!)
Some people like to focus on sounds. The classic example is the Sanskrit word 'Om', meaning 'perfection'.
Create a mental image of a pleasant and relaxing place in your mind. Involve all your senses in the imagery: see the place, hear the sounds, smell the aromas, feel the temperature and the movement of the wind. Enjoy the location in your mind.