Stress

Management
Definition of Stress
In a medical or biological context stress is a
physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes
biological or mental tension.
In other words, stress is something we
experience when we face a situation and our
ability to cope is challenged. We feel we’ve lost
control of events.
Life stress can either be positive or negative for you.

TYPES OF STRESS

• Distress
• Eustress
Distress
“Distress” a negative stress is potentially
overwhelming and perhaps out of control.

Experiencing distress for a lengthy period of time is

called chronic stress and can result in serious
physical disorders, such as heart disease, diabetes
and obesity.
Negative sources can include:

The loss of a job

medical illness
mental unrest, such as depression
grieving the loss of a family member
Eustress
Eustress is the “positive” stress that keeps us
excited about life. This positive stress gives us a
feeling of fulfillment and vitality in our everyday
lives. Without it, our lives would start to feel
meaningless and we may start to feel
depressed.
Here are few real life examples of positive stress:
Planning a wedding
Buying your first home
Purchasing your dream car
Getting promoted at work
Finding your true love
Getting in touch with an old friend or lost relative
Going on vacation
Landing your dream job
Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms

❖Cognitive Symptoms

• Memory Problems
• Inability to concentrate
• Poor Judgment
• Seeing only the negative
• Anxious or racing thoughts
• Constant worrying
❖Emotional Symptoms

• Moodiness
• Agitation or inability to relax
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Sense of loneliness & isolation
• Depression or general unhappiness
❖Physical Symptoms
• Aches & pains
• Food Digestion problems
• Nausea &/or dizziness
• Chest pain &/or palpitation
• Frequent colds
• Eating more or less
• Sleeping too much or less
• Using cigarettes or drugs to relax
• Nervous habits(e.g. nail biting)
What's stressful for you may be quite different from what's
stressful to someone else.
For example:

• Sabeera is terrified of getting up in front of people to

perform or speak, while her best friend Samar, lives for the
spotlight.

• Nayyar thrives under pressure and performs best when he

has a tight deadline, while his co-worker, Touseef, shuts
down when work demands escalate.
Things that influence your stress tolerance level
• Your support network
A strong network of supportive friends and family
members can be an enormous buffer against life’s
stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated
you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.
 Your sense of control
It may be easier to take stress in your stride if you
have confidence in yourself and your ability to
influence events and persevere through challenges. If
you feel like things are out of your control, you’re
likely to have less tolerance for stress.
• Your attitude and outlook

Optimistic people are often more stress-hardy. They

tend to embrace challenges, have a strong sense of
humor, and accept that change is a part of life.
• Your ability to deal with your emotions
You’re extremely vulnerable to stress if you don’t know
how to calm and soothe yourself when you’re feeling
sad, angry, or overwhelmed by a situation. The ability
to bring your emotions into balance helps you bounce
back from adversity and is a skill that can be learned
at any age.
• Your knowledge and preparation

The more you know about a stressful situation,

including how long it will last and what to expect, the
easier it is to cope. For example, if you go into surgery
with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a
painful recovery will be less traumatic than if you
were expecting to bounce back immediately.
Activity: Individual Self Assessment
Score Your stress level
Below average
0 to 10
Congratulations, you seem to be handling life’s
stressors well at the moment.
Averag
eYour life is far from stress-free so now is the time
11 to 14 to learn how to reduce your stress to healthier
levels.
Medium-High
15 to 18 You may not realize how much stress is already
affecting your mood, productivity, and
relationships.

19 High
+ You’re experiencing high levels of stress. The
higher your score, the more damage stress is
doing to your mind, body, and behavior.
Stress management
Stress management refers to the wide spectrum of
techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling
a person's levels of stress, especially chronic stress,
usually for the purpose of improving everyday
functioning.
Stress Management Techniques
• Organize
Yourself
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Love Yourself by giving yourself positive

feedback.
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Reward Yourself by planning leisure

activities into your life
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Exercise Your Body since your health

and productivity depend upon your
body's ability to bring oxygen and food
to its cells
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Procrastination is stressful
Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today;
whatever you want to do today, do it now.
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Relax Yourself by taking your mind off

your stress and concentrating on
breathing and positive thoughts
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Take rest as regularly as possible.

Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)
Be Aware of YOU.
Stress Management Techniques(Cont.……)

• Feed Yourself / Do Not Poison Your Body

Forgive everyone & Be Optimistic

Set your Priorities

Deep Breathing
Exercises
BENEFITS OF DEEP
• Cleanses and rejuvenates your vital channels of energy.
BREATHIN • Calms the mind and the nervous system, triggering deep
relaxation
G • Great preparation for meditation
• Increase in the intake of oxygen helps to nourish the body
and brain
• The holding of the breath between inhales and exhales helps
to regulate and direct the flow of breath in the body.
• Helps to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain
(linear thinking with creative thinking)
• Helps to regulate the heating and cooling cycles of the body
• Balances the ultradium rhythm (as one nostril is responsible
for wake cycles and sleep cycles)
• Alleviates headaches and calms anxiety and tense mental
states
1. RELAXATION BREATHING
TECHNIQUE • Sit or stand in a comfortable
position.
• Inhale slowly through your nose,
focusing on the breathe and count
in your mind 1-2-3-4-5
• Exhale through your mouth,
counting for 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 as all
the air leaves your lungs.
• Let your belly go as you breathe.
• Rather than filling up your chest and
raising your shoulders.
• It allows more oxygen reach your
lungs.
2. STIMULATING
BREATHE. • Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose,
keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your
breaths in and out should be equal in
duration, but as short as possible. This is a
noisy breathing exercise.
• Try for three in-and-out breath cycles per
second. This produces a quick movement of
the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows. Breathe
normally after each cycle.
• Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your
first try. Each time you practice the
Stimulating Breath, you can increase your
time by five seconds or so, until you reach a
full minute.
• *It will make you feel invigorated,
comparable to the heightened awareness you
feel after a good workout.
3. 4-7-8 EXERCISE TECHNIQUE
• Exhale completely through your
mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale
quietly through your nose to a
mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count
of seven.
• Exhale completely through your
mouth, making a whoosh sound
to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale
again and repeat the cycle three
more times for a total of four
breaths.
4. ALTERNATE-NOSE
TECHNIQUE
BREATHING 1) Sit with spine straight and feet flat on the floor
2) Close the right nostril with your right thumb, and
inhale through the left nostril. Inhale into the
belly, for a count of 4
3) After inhaling, hold your breath for 4 seconds
4) Exhale through your right nostril while closing
the left with your ring and pinky finger of your
right hand for 4 counts
5) Repeat steps 1 to 3, but this time start inhaling
through the RIGHT nostril (while you close the
left nostril with your ring and pinky finger).
• *Start off practicing this breathing exercise
for 2 minutes at a time and then increase to 10
minutes for maximum benefits
5. ABDOMINAL BREATHING TECHNIQUE
• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your
abdomen. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on
the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the
chest. This insures that the diaphragm is pulling air into
the bases of the lungs.
• After exhaling through the mouth, take a slow deep
breath in through your nose imagining that you are
sucking in all the air in the room and hold it for a count
of 7 (or as long as you are able, not exceeding 7)
• Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8. As all
the air is released with relaxation, gently contract your
abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining
air from the lungs. It is important to remember that we
deepen respirations not by inhaling more air but through
completely exhaling it.
• Repeat the cycle four more times for a total of 5 deep
breaths and try to breathe at a rate of one breath every
10 seconds (or 6 breaths per minute). At this rate our
heart rate variability increases which has a positive
effect on cardiac health.