Counselling & Psychological Services

1. Counselling & Psychological Services Harriet Bowyer Assistant Psychologist

2. Stress We all experience stress at some point in our lives and for different reasons. Short-term stress can be useful; it can make you feel more alert and improve your performance. However, high levels of stress may overwhelm you and affect your ability to concentrate. So, what can you do to help manage your stress?

3. Ways to manage stress Time management Stick to what works for you – some people need a short deadline to make them work effectively and efficiently, others need to prepare well in advance. Deal with problems on the spot Don’t bottle up your feelings. They will just grow until they erupt. The sooner you deal with a problem, the sooner you can find a solution. Slow down Don’t do things at 100 miles an hour, as this can feed your stress. You might worry that you will be less productive if you allow yourself to slow down, but you may be more productive if you’re less stressed. Must’s and should’s ‘I must see my mum today’; ‘I should offer to run the football team this year’. Work out what you can cope with and be happy with this. Don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure.

4. Ways to manage stress Do one thing at a time Lots of people believe multi-tasking is a very efficient way of working, however it can actually reduce the quality of your work as your brain is working on overload. Try to work on one thing at a time, failing that, try to multi-task less. Prioritise If you have a busy life, you must decide what has to be done and what can wait. Put these in some order and make a list. Keep revising your list. Do the worst thing first If you have a list of things to do, do the one you least want to do first. Once you get it out of the way, the rest of the tasks will seem easier to cope with. If you keep putting it off, it will prey on your mind and may seem a lot worse than it really is. Divide problems up If you face a huge problem and can see no way to cope with it, see if you can divide it up into ‘bite sized’ bits. Then tackle the bits one at a time.

5. Ways to manage stress Maintain strong relationships Stress often makes us hard to live with and can cause problems with those close to us. Strong relationships can help fight stress, so if there is a problem, try and work it out. Confide in others Seek out those you can trust and let them know how you feel. They may be able to see ways out of problems that you have not thought about. In any case, it will help to get things off your chest and may help you feel less isolated. Step into other people’s shoes If you have a problem, think how you would react if a friend came to you with that same problem. What advice would you give them? Would that advice work for you? Learn from your experiences If you have a problem, ask yourself if you have had a similar problem before. How did you deal with it? If what you did worked, try it again. If it didn’t, learn from your mistakes.

6. Ways to manage stress Eating There seems to be a link between what you eat and how you feel. Try to have a balanced diet: eat more fruit, veg and whole-wheat bread. Try to cut down on high sugar food such as cakes, biscuits and sweets as these may increase anxiety. Smoking While some people find smoking helps them relax, it floods the body with nicotine which may feed stress. If you feel able to try to reduce the amount you smoke, or consider stopping. Medication Sometimes when stress gets too much, the GP may prescribe medication to help you in the short-term, however they won’t help you deal with stress in the long-term. Self-help or counselling may help. Build relaxation into your life Put side some time each day just for you. Go out for a walk, phone a friend, read a book, watch TV, listen to music.

7. Ways to manage stress Keep a structure to each day You may find that stress affects most areas in your life. Keeping a routine in your life can really help, even if you don’t feel like it. Don’t try to be perfect Do you try to do it all? Be the best? Don’t put yourself under so much pressure; recognise your strengths and weaknesses – don’t strive to be perfect; no one is. It’s OK to say NO Make sure that if you do say yes to something it’s because you want to and have time set aside to do it. It’s OK to say no to people. Situations beyond your control Recognise that there are some things in life that you can’t change or control – you can get ill or lose your job, but you can learn how to deal with them.

8. Problem-solving technique Solution 1 Do all of the reading first, then start writing Solution 2 Write about & critique papers at the same time Solution 3 Decide on structure/headings first, then carry out solution 1 Writing straight away Got all the information before you begin Writing straight away Easier to draw links between papers Helps structure essay Helps structure essay Example problem: How to write an essay Limits your focus More manageable chunks Could be difficult multi-tasking Might panic as you haven’t written anything Might not be possible for with some essay questions Writing things that you delete later; wastes time Takes a long time Need a basic understanding of area to know your headings Difficult to know when to stop reading

9. Relaxation techniques Podcasts: • http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/podcasts Books: • Managing stress by Terry Looker & Olga Gregson • Exam stress? No worries! By Su Dorland • The exam skills handbook : achieving peak performance by Stella Cottrell