STRESS MANAGEMENT

Introduction - Answer the following questions:

1. What is stress?
2. Are you exposed to a lot of stress?
3. Which life events are considered to be the most stressful?
4. How can you fight it and relieve it?
5. What can long exposure to stressful situations cause?
6. Which hormone is called the stress hormone? Iti s also called fight-or-flight
hormone? Why? What is going on in your body if the levels of this hormone are
high?
7. Can you, as a PT, help your patients manage stress? How?

I. Main Article
o Which two major types of stress triggers does the article distinguish? Can we
control it?
o How can stress be compared to syphilis?
o The main presentations of stress can be grouped into four categories. Which
ones?
o What do you need to change in order to manage stress?

Find the words in the text which mean the following (Main Article):

1. doable, easily conducted

2. realistic
3. resign
4. change
5. a repeated occurrence, something that has happedned before

II. Decrease or Discontinue Caffeine

 Which types of drugs does caffeine belong to?
 Is it highy addictive? Can you put it under control? In which period of time?

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 Find the words in the text which mean the following ( Decrease or Discontinue
Caffeine):

1. nervous and unable to relax

2. a burning pain in your chest that gets worst after eating
3. accustom (someone) to managing without something which they have
become dependent on

III. Regular Exercise

 What are the benefits of regular exercise when fighting stress?
 Which sports are best for it?
 How often should sports be practised to relieve stress?

1. the physiological and psychological state of being awoken or of sense organs

stimulated to a point of perception
2. cause to disappear, waste

IV. Relaxation / Meditation and Sleep

 What happens to our body as relaxation response?
 What else can help?
 Have you tried any of these things personally? Did they help?
 What is insomnia? Why do so many stressed out patients suffer from it?
 How much do you sleep? Are you getting the rest you need?
 How are you feeling when sleep-deprived?
 What are the three criteria of succesful sleep?
 What is a daytime nap? What is power nap? Do you practise them?

V. Time-outs and Leisure

 What is the relation between stress and work performance?
 What is eustress? What is distress? Explain.
 When you study for exams, do you take breaks? How often? How long?
 What are ultradian rhythms?
 Do peope work more or less now than they did in the past? How much?

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  Which four life compartments are there?
 What does your work/leisure ratio look like, in terms of per cent?
 What is hedonism?

Now read the paragraphs: Realistic Expectations, Reframing and Belief Systems
and retell them briefly, using your own words.

What is ventilation? What helps people? Have you tried any of these
techniques yourself? Who is your support system?

What is the role of humour? How can humour help in stressful situations?
Which two examples does the author mention?