Tips and Tricks

Stress
Management
Review of Stress
 Stress is your body’s response to a perception of danger.

 Cortisol (stress hormone) causes increase in heart rate, breathing at a faster rate,
and gives you a burst of energy.

 If you already have a health problem, stress may worsen it.

See Image Previous Slide
Stress

• Is a fact of life for most people.

• You may not be able to get rid of it.

• But you can find ways to lower it.

 Stress Quiz
• Let’s find your starting point by taking the following
quiz
• You do not need to save your tally at the end, it will
still calculate your score.
• https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_
82.htm

• OR try this one from The Canadian Mental Health

Association.
• https://cmha.ca/whats-your-stress-index
Stress Management
• Following slides include:

• Quickest solution tips

• Simple techniques for stress management

• My 2 cents for time management

• Links to specific guidance for stress management techniques

• Apps to help with mental health and well-being

• Resources and references

 Quickest Solution
• Involve your senses.

• Everyone is unique so you need

to find what works for you.

• You may need a combination of

techniques to be most effective.

• Keep trying.
1. Exercise
• Benefits are strongest with routine exercise
• Lowers your stress hormones (improves mood and acts as a natural
pain killer)
• Improves your quality of sleep (which helps reduce stress and anxiety
• Engaging large muscle groups with repetitive movements can be
particularly stress relieving.
• Find something you like doing- walking, dancing, rock climbing,
yoga)
• Prioritize exercise in your routine because of the overall health
benefits associated with movement.
2. Consider Supplements
• Common ones are:
• Lemon balm (member of the mint family and has anti-anxiety effects)
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (one study showed 20% reduction in anxiety
symptoms)
• Ashwagandha (used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat stress and anxiety)
• Valerian (popular sleep aid due to its tranquilizing effects and decreases
anxiety)
• Kava kava (psychoactive member of the pepper family used to treat mild
stress and anxiety in the US and Europe)
• Green Tea (contains polyphenol antioxidants which may lower stress and
anxiety by increasing serotonin levels)
***Some supplements can interact with medications or have side effects,
consult a physician if you consider supplements.
3. Aromatherapy
• Light a candle or use essential oils
 Common scents are:
 Lavender
 Rose
 Vetiver
 Bergamot
 Roman chamomile
 Neroli
 Frankincense
 Sandalwood
 Ylang ylang
 Orange or orange blossom
 Geranium
4. Reduce your caffeine intake
• Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks, pop, and
some non-prescription medication like cough syrups and slimming
tablets
• High doses can cause anxiety
• People have different thresholds and if you notice you are jittery or
anxious you need to cut back
• Studies show coffee can be good, but it is not for everyone
• 5 or fewer cups of coffee a day is considered moderate intake
5. Write it down

• Write down what stresses you out

• Better yet, write down what you are grateful for in life

• Gratitude may relieve stress and anxiety by focusing on

the positive (changes your mindset to a more positive
frame of mind)
6. Chew Gum
• One study found a greater sense of well-being and lower stress with
chewing gum

• Recent study on stress relief also found the greatest relief with
chewing more strongly.

• Experts are uncertain of the reason (need more research), but a

possible explanation is that chewing gum (rhythmic motion) causes
brain waves similar to relaxed people and/ or may promote blood
flow to the brain
7. Spend Time with Family and Friends
• Provides a sense of belonging which helps in tough times

• One study found that (women in particular) spending time with

family and children, helps release oxytocin (a natural stress reliever)

• Both men and women benefit from friendship

• Another study found men and women with the fewest social
connections were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety
8. Laugh
• Laughing helps by:
• Relieving your stress response
• Relieving tension and relaxing muscles

• It is hard to feel anxious when you are laughing

• Long-term laughter improves immune system and mood

• Study of a laughter intervention group, found individuals with cancer

experienced more stress relief with laughter intervention than with
simple distractions
 9. Learn to Say No
• Say “no” more often and take control of the parts of your life
you can change and are causing you stress

• This is especially important when you find yourself taking on

more than you can handle

• Being selective about what you can take on and saying “no” to
things that will unnecessarily add to your load, can reduce
stress levels
10. Learn to Avoid Procrastination
• Stay on top of your priorities and stop procrastinating
• Procrastination leads to reactive behaviour which leaves you scrambling
to catch up
• This can cause stress which negatively impacts health and sleep quality
• Make a to-do list organized by priority
• Make realistic deadlines and work down your list
• Work on things that need to get done today
• Give yourself uninterrupted time because multitasking and switching
between tasks can be stressful
11. Take a Yoga Class
• This has been a popular stress reliever and is offered in a variety of styles
to choose from.
• All styles join body and mind together- it does this by increasing your
body-breath awareness
• Research has found that yoga enhances mood and may even be effective
as an antidepressant drug at treating depression and anxiety
• Studies are limited, but
• Experts think the benefit of yoga is related to its effects on your nervous
system and the stress response system
• It may help decrease cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate
• It may also increase a neurotransmitter in mood disorders
12. Practice Mindfulness
• Mindfulness anchors you to the moment
• It helps combat the anxiety-inducing effects of negative thinking
• There are several methods of mindfulness
• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction
• Yoga and meditation
• A recent study on mindfulness found that it may increase self-esteem
which lessens anxiety and depression symptoms
13. Cuddle

• Cuddling, kissing, hugging, and sex can help relieve anxiety

• Positive physical contact releases oxytocin which lowers

cortisol levels, lowers blood pressure, and heart rate
14. Listen to Soothing Music
• Slow-paced instrumental music can induce the relaxation response
by helping lower blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones

• Some types of classical, Celtic, Indigenous, and East Indian music

can be soothing

• Simply pick a type you enjoy

• Nature sounds may also help calm individuals

15. Deep Breathing
• Mental stress activates your sympathetic nervous system which causes a
fight-or-flight response (increase heart rate, increases breathing rate, and
constricts blood vessels
• Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system which
controls your relaxation response
• There are several types of breathing exercises (diaphragmatic , abdominal
and belly breathing, along with paced respirations)
• The goal is to focus on your breath by making it slower and deeper
• When you breathe deeply through your nose, your lungs fully expand, and
your belly rises causing your heart rate to slow which provides a feeling of
peace
 16. Spend Time with Your Pet

• Pets decrease stress

• Spending time with your pet also releases oxytocin

which improves your mood

• Having a pet gives you purpose, keeps you active,

provides companionship, all of which help to
reduce anxiety symptoms
 17. Get Enough Sleep
• Make a good sleep environment (dark with little noise)
• Limit alcohol and caffeine
• Take a warm shower or bath (lowers your body temperature so you can fall
asleep faster)
• Avoid blue light exposure before bedtime (interferes with circadian rhythm)
• Practice good sleep hygiene (routine wake time and bedtime, limit naps,
prioritize sleep, make gradual adjustments)
• Journal (write down thoughts and worries and then you don’t have as much
anxiety at bedtime)
• Schedule worry time (Cognitive behaviour therapy which helps you think it
through and address your concerns before bed)
 18. Time Management
• Say “no” to more unnecessary tasks
• Prioritize (ensure your health is a priority)
• Map it out so you can coordinate your time-write down everything (if
you are unable to pencil in new tasks- do not agree to take them on)
• Do tasks online if possible, instead of having to go out (saves travel time
and is much safer now a days with COVID-19)
• Stay organized (it is difficult to reduce stress if you live in disorganized
chaos-stop the drain of a messy house)
• Know your limitations
• Review your schedule weekly and adjust and prioritize accordingly
• Plan ahead so you are not scrambling to complete tasks
My 2 Cents on Time Management
• The more prepared you can be, the less stressful future moments will be.
• If you are fighting every morning with children to get out of bed?
• Buy them an alarm clock, regardless of how old they are- let them take responsibility for their actions
• Communicate that you are overwhelmed and that they need to take responsibility for their
behaviour.
• Communicate that school will have consequences for being late
• Leave the onus on them- they need to learn responsibility too
• Do not wake them up (give them 10 minutes or so before they leave- they will learn)- they may have
set the alarm a little later than you may have once they realize you are serious- your timeframe may
not be the same as yours, so let them take responsibility and learn.

• If mornings are rushed for time?

• Get clothes and lunches ready the previous evening.
• Recruit help (spouse, child)
• Children can pick their own clothes out each evening and ensure they have mitts, hat, boots, signed
school papers, backpack, etc. ready at the door for the morning
Phone Apps
• There are an abundance of mental health apps out on the market.

• Many of them are free for use with a simple download.

• Below is a link to the various apps that are available in Canada.

• https://wello.ca/2019/08/12/mental-health-apps/
• https://www.parallelwellness.ca/mental-health-apps-therapist-approved/
• https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/apps-stress-management-mental-welln
ess
 • Various relaxation techniques with step-by-step
voice to follow
Relaxation Tips
for Stress Relief https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation
-techniques-for-stress-relief.htm?pdf=11830
 • Step-by-step Booklet:
https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/4667/how-to-manage
-stress_2015.pdf
Booklets for
Stress
Management • An Interactive Booklet for Stress Management:
https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/psychiatry/wel
lness/documents/managestressworkbook_dec2013.pdf
 • https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-reli
eve-stress-anxiety
• https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/h
ow-to-relieve-stress-for-bedtime
• https://www.stress.org/stress-effects/
References • https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/stress-
management-tips.pdf

• https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/ccds/time-manage
ment-and-stress

• https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-find-more
-time-in-a-busy-schedule-3144749
 • Previous segments of Health Hurdles can still be
found at:

Health Hurdles • https://www2.acadiau.ca/OHS/safety/health-hurdl

es.html