You Are Worth It: Taking Care of Yourself-Stress Management

1. You Are Worth It: Taking Care of Yourself-Stress Management Yolanda Fairell, M.S www.yolandaspeaks.com

2. Performance Objectives After completion of this training participants will: • Show an understanding of the negative effects of too much stress on the individual • Demonstrate an understanding of stress and workplace performance • Demonstrate knowledge and application of meditation postures and techniques • Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship b/w negative thoughts, exercise/ yoga, support systems, and stress management

3. Self Awareness & Stress Body Scan Mood Scan Thought Scan-Thought Recording Cochlear Implant

5. Mood Scan

6. Thought Scan

7. What is Stress?

9. Symptoms of Stress • Rapid heart beat • Headache • Rapid breathing • Upset stomach • Becoming irritable with minor disturbances • Worry too much about insignificant things • Doubt one’s ability to do things

10. Stress Causes or Exacerbates: • Heart disease • High blood pressure • Impaired immune functioning • Headache • Backache • Diabetes • Substance use/abuse • Eating disorders • Anxiety • Depression • Family problems • Accidents/injuries • Sleep disturbances • cancer

11. Stress and Job Performance

12. Relax

13. Let Go My Ego & Stress Less Keys to Stress Less Thinking: Acceptance Responsibility Defenselessness

14. The Relaxation Response/Meditation The relaxation response is a state of deep rest that is the polar opposite of the stress response. As noted earlier, the stress response wears your body down when constantly activated, the relaxation response brings your system back into balance: deepening your breathing, reducing stress hormones, slowing down your heart rate and blood pressure, and relaxing your muscles. The relaxation response and meditation are essentially the same…..

15. Meditation Regular slowed breathing- a common characteristic of meditation and prayer-alerts you brain that you are in a safe place far away from predators. It also relaxes your heart, decreases blood pressure and removes wastes from the bloodstream!

16. How to Meditate • Sit quietly in a comfortable position • Close eyes/or not • Deeply relax all your muscles • Breathe through your nose. Become aware of your breathing. On the in breath say to yourself, “in” and on the out breath, say “out” • Detach from your thoughts. Label all thoughts “thinking”. Return to concentrating on the breath • Five to ten minute meditation practice!

17. The Dynamic Trio

18. Other Effective Ways to Manage Stress Other Types of Meditation Yoga Exercises Support groups/Counseling

19. Other Types of Meditation • Musical Meditations • Use of Mantra during Meditations • Visualizations

20. Yoga Exercises The practice of yoga involves stretching the body and forming different poses, while keeping breathing slow and controlled. The body becomes relaxed and energized at the same time! Let’s Do It

21. Support Groups/Therapy • NA • AA • Al Anon • Spiritual Support • Adult Children of Alcoholics • Gamblers Anonymous • Create a Stress Support Group • Therapy

22. Training Does Not Equal Efficacy

23. Thank You For Letting Me Serve ! Let’s Commit to Stress Less www.yolandaspeaks.com Yolanda Fairell, M.S. yfairell@hotmail.com 850-509-9832