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Stress Management and Coping

Stress Management and Coping. Karlene Cunningham Outreach Coordinator Auburn University Psychological Services Center. Overview. What is Stress? Signs and Symptoms of Stress Coping with Stress Rethink Your Stressors Other Helpful Tips When You Can’t Cope Suggested Books.

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Stress Management and Coping

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  1. Stress Management and Coping Karlene Cunningham Outreach Coordinator Auburn University Psychological Services Center

  2. Overview • What is Stress? • Signs and Symptoms of Stress • Coping with Stress • Rethink Your Stressors • Other Helpful Tips • When You Can’t Cope • Suggested Books

  3. What is Stress? • Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to the environment.

  4. What is Stress? • When stress is seen as a stimulus it’s a stressor • Stressors can be internal • Lifestyle • Personality characteristics • Or External • Environmental • Social • Familial • Occupational

  5. Stressors • What are some current examples of stressors in the graduate school environment? • Thesis/Dissertation • Financial Demands • Deadlines • Productivity Demands • Social Demands • Family Demands

  6. What is Stress? • When stress is viewed as a response it’s considered distress • Distress can manifest itself as • Behavioral signs • Physiological signs • Affective (feeling) signs • Cognitive (Thinking) signs

  7. Signs and Symptoms of Stress • Physiological signs • Gut responders (nausea, ulcers, GI problems) • Respiratory responders (shortness of breath, wheezing) • Muscular responders (neck aches, chest pains) • Vascular Responders (Tension headaches) • Behavioral signs • Heightened arousability (startle response) • Irritability • Restlessness • Disorganization • Change in sleeping pattern • Change in eating • Substance use/abuse

  8. Signs and Symptoms • Affective Signs • Irritability • Depression • Anxiety • Hypervigilance • Cognitive • Catastrophising • Poor Concentration • Disorganization

  9. Signs and Symptoms • Your health both influences and is effected by your level of distress • Stress impacts your immune system • Catching the cold during finals • Hypertension, cancer, heart disease

  10. Coping

  11. Process of managing the discrepancy between the demands of the situation and the available resources. Ongoing process of appraisal and reappraisal (not static) Can alter the stress problem OR regulate the emotional response. What is Coping?

  12. How do you Cope? • What are some ways you currently cope with stress? • Typical (and sometimes harmful) strategies include • Procrastination • Anger/irritability • Depressive behavior • Cigarette, alcohol or substance use

  13. Better Coping Strategies • Relaxing (not escaping) • Improving eating habits • Sleep • Exercise • Rethink your stressors

  14. Relaxation • Protecting time for yourself is key to managing stress • Short relaxation breaks help to relieve built up tension • Robot/Ragdoll • Deep breathing • Meditation

  15. Improving Eating Habits • Eating better will help your body function better overall • Drinking more water • Consuming less caffeine (sorry) • Vitamins

  16. Sleep…. • Get more SLEEP! • When you’re sleep deprived your body does not function at optimal levels. • This can lead to clouded thought and feeling overwhelmed because you can’t think straight.

  17. Exercise • It improves blood flow to your brain • It also causes the release of chemicals called endorphins. • These give you a feeling of happiness and positively affect your overall sense of well-being.

  18. Rethink Your Stressors • How you perceive a stressor greatly influences how much distress you feel. • High levels of stress is usually associated with thoughts such as: • “I can’t do this.” • “There is not enough time.” • “What is the perfect answer?” • “It may be a mistake.”

  19. Rethink Your Stressors • When evaluating a stressor you should: • Open up to all of the possibilities and visualize each one. • Banish vague fears. • Let go of the idea of a perfect answer. • Trust yourself and take action.

  20. Tips and Resources

  21. Other Helpful Tips • Study & work effectively • Have a personal work space • Minimize distractions from others • Set a mood for completing tasks • Try to handle one thing at a time

  22. Other Helpful Tips • Money management • Major source of stress • Budget needs vs. wants • Avoid impulse buying (retail therapy)

  23. Other Helpful Tips • Build strong interpersonal relationships • Develop good relationship skills • Conflict resolution • Listening skills

  24. When You Can’t Cope • Mental health professionals can help when you feel you can’t cope. • There are places on campus where you can seek help: • AUPSC: 844-4889 • Student Counseling Center: 844-5123 • Crisis Hotline 821-8600

  25. Suggested Books • Groves, D., (2004). Stress Reduction for Busy People: Finding Peace in an Anxious World • Covey, S. R., The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People • Davis, M., Eshelman, E.R. & McKay, M. (2008) The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook (5th edition)

  26. Comments and Questions

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