Mental Floss

1. Mental Floss Stress Management for Counselors Presented by: Betty White, MEd.,LPC Kidtools 746 C.R. 221 Stephenville, TX 76401 kidtools@academicplanet.com www.kidtools.net

2. What is Stress? • Simply put, STRESS is the brain’s response to any demand. Stress can be beneficial-this is referred to as eustress, while harmful stress is referred to as distress. There are several common types of stress: • Chronic Stress-stress that is long term or reoccurring • Acute Stress-stress related to a single event or negative occurrence-loss of a job, divorce, illness • Traumatic Stress-stress related to an event like a major accident, abuse, war or natural disaster where one feels he may be seriously hurt or killed

3. Risks Of Stress • The effects of stress • 1. Stress creates free radicals that kill brain cells. • Cortisol creates a surplus of the neurotransmitter glutamate. • 2. Stress makes you forgetful and emotional. • Forgetfulness may be one of the first signs of stress you’ll notice. 

4. Risks of Stress • 3. Stress creates a vicious cycle of fear and anxiety. • Stress builds up an area of your brain called the amygdala. • 4. Stress halts the production of new brain cells. • Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is protein that’s integral in keeping existing brain cells healthy and stimulating new brain cell formation. • BDNF can offset the negative effects of stress on the brain. • But cortisol halts the production of BDNF resulting in fewer new brain cells being formed.

5. Risks of Stress • 5. Stress depletes critical brain chemicals causing depression. • Your brain cells communicate via brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. • Chronic stress reduces levels of critical neurotransmitters, especially serotonin and dopamine. • Women low in serotonin are prone to depression, anxiety, and binge eating. Men, on the other hand, are more prone to alcoholism, ADHD, and impulse control disorders.

6. Risks of Stress • 6. Stress puts you at greater risk for mental illnesses of all kinds. • Stress predisposes you to developing a variety of mental illnesses including anxiety and panic disorders, depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, drug addiction and alcoholism. • 7. Stress makes you stupid. • Stress can cause your brain to seize up at the worst possible times — exams, job interviews, and public speaking come to mind.

7. Risks of Stress • 8. Stress shrinks your brain. • Stress can measurably shrink your brain. • Cortisol can kill, shrink, and stop the generation of new neurons in the hippocampus, the part of your brain that is critical for learning, memory and emotional regulation, as well as shutting off the stress response after a stressful event is over. Stress also shrinks the prefrontal cortex, which negatively affects decision making, working memory, and control of impulsive behavior.

8. Risks of Stress • 9. Stress lets toxins into your brain. • Your brain is highly sensitive to toxins of every kind. • The blood-brain barrier is a group of highly specialized cells that acts as your brain’s gatekeeper, protecting your brain from harmful substances while letting needed nutrients in. • Stress makes the blood-brain barrier more permeable or “leaky.” • Having a leaky blood-brain barrier is associated with brain cancer, brain infections, and multiple sclerosis.

9. Risks of Stress • 10. Stress increases your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. • Anxiety, jealousy and moodiness in middle age doubles your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Chronic stress and elevated cortisol is known to lead to dementia in the elderly. • 11. Stress causes brain cells to commit suicide. • Stress leads to premature aging on a cellular level, causing cells in both your body and your brain to commit suicide prematurely, by shortening the telomeres and telling a cell to stop dividing and die.

10. Risks of Stress • 12. Stress destroys your happiness and peace of mind. • Stress hugely affects the way you think and feel. • It can wear you down mentally and emotionally, and sap the joy from life.

11. Fighting Stress 1. Reduce free radical damage by eatinga diet high in antioxidant-rich foods like fruit, vegetables, dark chocolate, and green tea. 2. Increase levels of brain-boosting BDNF by getting daily physical exercise. It doesn’t have to be strenuous. Walking is excellent. So are exercises with strong mind-body orientations like yoga.

12. Fighting Stress 3. Start a daily meditation practice. It not only reduces stress, it’s a proven way to keep your brain young by keeping telomeres long. 4. Monitor your thoughts for automatic negative reactions and cognitive distortions. Stress does not come from events in your life as much as it comes from your thoughts about these events. Meditation is the best tool for learning how to master your thoughts. 

13. Why Bother??? My job as a counselor is inherently stressful and I can’t do anything about that!

14. Ethics Concerns • ASCA Ethical Code, Section B.3. e,f,g e. Engage in professional development and personal growth throughout their careers. Professional development includes attendance at state and national conferences and reading journal articles. School counselors regularly attend training on school counselors’ current legal and ethical issues. f. Monitor their emotional and physical health and practice wellness to ensure optimal professional effectiveness. School counselors seek physical or mental health support when needed to ensure professional competence. g. Monitor personal behaviors and recognize the high standard of care a professional in this critical position of trust must maintain on and off the job. School counselors are cognizant of and refrain from any activity that may diminish their effectiveness within the school community.

15. Ethics Concerns ACA Ethical Code-Section C.2 g Counselors monitor themselves for signs of impairment from their own physical, mental, or emotional problems and refrain from offering or providing professional services when impaired. They seek assistance for problems that reach the level of professional impairment, and, if necessary, they limit, suspend, or terminate their professional responsibilities until it is determined that they may return safely to work. Professional and personal growth are ongoing throughout the counselor’s career.

16. Keys To Contentment • Balance-Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual, Social, Emotional • The willingness to ask for help • The ability to say “No” • A keen sense of humor and appreciation of the absurd • The ability to recognize what one is and isn’t responsible for

17. Putting It On the Line About My Job Things I love:____________________________ _______________________________________ Things I hate:____________________________ _______________________________________ Things I can change:______________________ _______________________________________ Things I cannot change:___________________ _______________________________________

18. Mental Floss: Taking Care of Yourself • Know Yourself-adapt guidance suggestions, lesson plans, time and task management, and so on to suit your personal style, strength, and limits • Use your strengths at every opportunity • Respect your limitations-know when you are in over your head. Asking for help at these times is not just prudent-it is professional, intelligent, and healthy. • It is okay on occasion to let the people you work with know you are having a rotten day. You can share with them, on a limited basis, your feelings of anger, disappointment, or fatigue. Just take care not to use this technique too often. • Have several activities on tap which are simple and fun that can be pulled out for those times of mass frustration, group celebration, and so on. Keep all of the materials on hand at all times.

19. Mental Floss: Taking Care of Yourself • Plan at least one thing each day at work that you really enjoy doing • When you get that child that annoys you, is repulsive to you, or whom you simply do not like, admit it to yourself. Discuss it in confidence with a colleague. Make a conscious effort to be fair and to change your feelings, but remember that this is normal. • Take weekends, holidays, and as much of your evenings off as possible. The paperwork will wait, and you need breaks to stay fresh and avoid burnout. • Do not be afraid to utilize personal days when you really need them for whatever reason. You will be missed, but you will not be able to help others if your cup is empty • Try to re-frame the parts of your job that you do not like. For example, try to see testing as a chance for you to give students and teachers their best chance for success. See lunch duty as a chance to interact with kids in a less structured environment.

20. Mental Floss-Taking Care of Yourself • Take care of yourself both mentally and physically. The counselor who doesn’t get fed will eat the children (or the teachers!). You can’t give them love, concern, and support if you aren’t getting them in your own life. • Make ongoing lists of everything that needs to be done, and delegate whatever is possible to delegate. • Give your secretary (if you are lucky enough to have one) a list of responsibilities at the beginning of the term, and be very specific about what you expect. Include legal issues, do’s and don’ts, and so on. • Design a filing system that is simple enough so that you will use it. Keep up with documentation • Plan bulletin boards so that they are simple for you to put up and take down. Use students to help. • Keep an “Idea Journal” in a spiral notebook with pocket dividers. Write down ideas, etc. in the book-add clippings to the pockets. Periodically, transfer the information to appropriate files. (or use Pinterest)

21. Mental Floss-Taking Care of Yourself • Maintain a simple system of organization involving sturdy materials that do not need to be changed often. • Spend time weekly reading professional materials. Spend time daily reading motivational or uplifting materials. Spend as much time as you feel comfortable reading for pleasure. • Take part in both a professional and a personal support group. • Plan time for yourself each day to do something enjoyable, either alone or with others. • Plan a time at least twice a year to do assess your progress and set goals in all areas of your life. August and May are good times to do this. • Take care of yourself physically. A healthy body will help you to keep up with all the demands placed on you at school and still have enough energy to enjoy your own life. • KEEP A SENSE OF HUMOR!!!! • Remember that you cannot save them all-despite your best efforts, some students will be lost. Take heart in knowing that many of them will grow into successful adults. Remember-you may be planting seeds, not harvesting fruit.

22. Mindfulness and stress reduction • What is mindfulness? • “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn • Being mindful means you have control over your attention – you can focus your attention on what you want, and when you want to shift to something else, you can.

23. Mindfulness and stress reduction • Some of the benefits of practicing mindfulness: • Reduces stress • Encourages healthier eating habits • Decreases anxiety and depression • Improves self-awareness • Positively impacts memory, clarity, and focus • Improves immune function

24. Mindfulness and stress reduction • How does mindfulness reduce stress? • Leads you to interpret and react to situations differently, therefore the stress response is less activated • Helps you approach challenging situations rather than avoid them (building resilience) • Increases internal sense of stability and clarity • Better able to differentiate between the here and now and mental chatter • Better body awareness

25. Mindfulness is especially helpful for counselors! • Counseling students who practiced mindfulness were: • More attentive to the therapy process • More comfortable with silence • More attuned with themselves and their clients • One study showed that clients of counselor trainees who meditated displayed the following benefits compared to a control group who did not meditate: • greater reductions in overall symptoms • faster rates of change • scored higher on measures of well-being • perceived their treatment to be more effective

26. Mindfulness is especially helpful for counselors! • There is a positive correlation between clinician’s mindfulness and the therapeutic alliance • Improves empathy towards clients • Improves self-compassion of therapists • Reduces anxiety and depression, helping us to be more present and effective

27. So, do I have to meditate to practice mindfulness? • No! • Get started by finding small ways to be more present and connected with the here and now • Set an alarm on your computer or phone to get up and stretch once an hour • Create a mindful morning routine - challenge yourself to wait a certain amount of time before looking at your phone or turning on the news • Keep a gratitude journal • Share one thing you are grateful for at the dinner table and ask others to do the same • Go outside (nature has shown benefits to healing!)

28. Developing a mindfulness practice • Use your learning style. Some examples: • Language/Verbal learners might read an inspirational book or write in a journal • Visual/Spatial learners might take a walk in nature or go to a yoga class • Social/interpersonal learners might take a meditation class

29. Developing a mindfulness practice • Use your hobbies and interests • Most activities can be made mindful! • Think about activities you enjoy. How can you engage more fully in these activities in a mindful way? • For example: • Mindful gardening • Mindful baking • Mindful woodworking • Mindful sports or exercising

30. Personal VisionShould Take into Account: • Stage of Development-What are the most important issues for you at this time? In five years? Ten years? • Natural Talents and Abilities • Skills and Experience • Your Interests • Your Personal Style • Your Values • Your Family of Origin • Your Goals

31. The TEN Most Important Things I Do: MY View • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________

32. The TEN Most Important Things I Do: OTHERS’ View • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________

33. Finding A Balance • What do you do to support others? • What do you allow others to do to support you? • How do you support yourself? If you were a building, would the foundation be enough to support the structure?

34. Goal Setting for ME!! Ten things to do before I die: AT WORK • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________

35. Goal Setting for ME!! AT HOME • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________

36. Burnout • Burnout is a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by a devotion to a cause, a way of life, a job, or a relationship that fails to produce the expected reward or satisfaction. • The symptoms of burnout include feelings of mental and physical exhaustion, a sense of alienation, cynicism, impatience, negativism, and feelings of detachment to the point that the individual begins to resent the people who are a part of the system that produced the burnout.

37. What Causes Burnout? • Role Conflict -When a person has conflicting responsibilities he may begin to feel pulled in many directions and will try to do equally well in all of them. • Role Ambiguity -When an individual does not know what is expected of her, it is difficult for her to know when she has accomplished anything worthwhile. • Role Overload -When an individual cannot say no and takes on more and more responsibility until burnout occurs.

38. How Can Burnout be Prevented? • Establish and write down short and long term goals • Analyze how you spend your time, and prioritize and organize • Learn to delegate to others whenever possible • Set aside time for personal nurturance • Get in touch with what you want and need in work and seek it out.

39. Proven Stress Reducers • Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. • Prepare as much as you can the night before. • Use lists or a small recorder-not your memory • Make duplicates of all keys, and keep them in a safe place • Practice preventative maintenance • Procrastination increases stress-the dreadin’ is worse than the doin’. • Plan ahead-keep gas tank at least half full-keep home stocked with staples • Don’t keep anything that does not work unless you are married to it or gave birth to it. Replace it!

40. Proven Stress Reducers • Allow extra time to get to appointments. Bring along something to do. • Think of the worst that can happen and have a contingency plan • Relax your standards in areas where it does not matter • Say no! Practice!! • Unplug from your electronics. Really!! • Turn needs into preferences. We need food, water, shelter, transportation, basic clothing-everything else is a preference.

41. Proven Stress Reducers • Simplify, simplify, simplify! • Make friends with non-worriers. • Take a hot bath or shower. Lock the door! • Keep a set of earplugs handy. • Get enough sleep. • Practice deep, relaxed breathing frequently. • Keep a journal. • Use visualization and vicarious practice to inoculate yourself against stressful events. • When stress gets in the way of work, take a break and return refreshed.

42. Proven Stress Reducers • Move around at work when possible. • Develop a system to get rid of negative feelings. Empty chair, write and rip, write and burn, etc. • Don’t fight a sleepless night. Do something necessary or enjoyable. • Take time to write notes of appreciation. • Save notes of appreciation. • If something takes more time or money to keep than you get out of it, get rid of it. • Find a group of people with whom you can “cathart” from time to time.

43. Proven Stress Reducers • Dispense with the notion that doing things for yourself is selfish. • Find a type of movement that feels like play. Stop calling it exercise! • If a particular food, beverage, activity, behavior, or person always makes you feel worse afterward, STOP doing it!!! • Smile a lot-especially when you don’t feel like it. • Force yourself to accept compliments without disclaimers. Give more than you get. • Learn to disagree in an agreeable way.

44. Proven Stress Reducers • Learn something new on a regular basis. Include things that are “good for you” AND things that are simply fun. • Play a little every day. Find an animal or person who will play with you. • When you repeatedly deal with a negative person, remember to step back and say, “There she goes again, that’s what she does.” • Do your best when you need to, and do enough at other times. • Make a “bucket” list for your life both on and off the job. Look at it often! Act on it!

45. Building motivation for self care • Play the tape all the way through • Make sure the motivation is internal, not external • 3 Key Components to motivation: • Autonomy • Mastery • Purpose • Find the lead domino • Build one habit at a time until it no longer takes self-control to practice it • Leverage your environment