Stress Management General

8/4/2019 Stress Management General

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Identify causes of stress

Discuss the harmful effects ofstress

Discuss how to eliminate

avoidable sources of stressDiscuss how to adjust to

unavoidable sources of stress


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Discuss techniques for improving

assertiveness

Discuss techniques for better

anger management

Describe and practice three stressmanagement exercises


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What are sources of stress in your life?

Stress may result from daily hassles

Stress may result from major life

events

Stress may result from welcome lifeevents (e.g., promotion, marriage)

CHANGE is a major source of stress


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Illness - infections, cancer

progression, high blood pressure,

obesity from overeating, heartdisease, ulcers

Fatigue - that may lead tomistakes and injury or death


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Stress can be helpful when it

motivates us to accomplish a tasknow!


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Physical

Emotional

Cognitive

Behavioral


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muscle tension

headache

fatigue

sleep problems

gastrointestinal problemshigh blood pressure


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irritability

arguing

anxiety depression

lack of enjoyment

mood swings

suicidal thoughts

homicidal thoughts


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inattention

distractibility

forgetfulness

confusion

poor concentration


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social isolation

work problems

conflicts with coworkers, friends, andloved ones

unhealthy habits - overeating, alcohol

misuse, nicotine use, caffeine misuse,workaholism

aviator: conflicts with peers,disregarding rules and checklists


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Eliminate avoidable causes of

stress

Handle unavoidable causes of

stress more effectively


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Nicotine

Alcohol

Overeating

Caffeine

Sleep problems


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Chewing tobacco (dip) cancause mouth or lip cancer

Exhaled secondhand smokecan cause lung cancer, heartdisease, and respiratory infections

in nonsmoking bystandersSmokers miss twice as much work

as nonsmokers due to illness


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The medical effects of nicotine useshould be well known

Children exposed to smoke developcolds, ear infections, asthma, bronchitis,and pneumonia

To stop smoking - talk to a medicaldepartment representative aboutsmoking cessation classes and nicotinereplacement products


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Medical problems from alcoholism -depression, liver disease, ulcers, high

blood pressure Almost one half of sailors who suicide are

drunk

A blood alcohol level of .15 increasesyour chance of a car wreck 24 times

NATOPS 3710.7Q: no alcohol within 12hours of flight planning; no hangover!


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Drinking only two drinks at

bedtime causes less restful sleep -

leading to fatigue the next day If you drink too much - talk to your

command DAPA or medicaldepartment representative, or

visit Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)


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Medical problems from overeating -obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes,

heart disease, stroke, high lipid levels Strict dieting or fasting does not result in

sustained weight loss - your metabolismslows and you regain weight when youresume normal eating

Overeaters Anonymous may help


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Commercial weight reduction programsand diets are costly and no more effective

Eat three meals a day - to avoid eveningbinges

Select a high fiber, low fat diet

Cut calories by using sugar substitutes,

sugar-free sodas, fat-free salad dressing,and skim milk; avoid gravy, deserts

Healthy snacks - carrots, celery, pickles,lettuce, fruit


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Caffeine increases your alertness forseveral hours - but then causesincreased fatigue

Health problems from caffeine use - highblood pressure, anxiety, irritability,withdrawal headaches, sleep problems

Insomnia may result from any caffeineuse after noon

Mountain Dew, chocolate, and teahave caffeine


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Decrease your caffeine intake to

two or less cups of coffee (or the

equivalent) per dayDecrease your caffeine use by

eliminating one cup of coffeefrom your daily intake every few

days


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80% of Americans do not get enoughsleep

Poor sleep causes fatigue, irritability,depression, work inefficiency, andaccidents

Optimal sleep - 8 to 8.5 hours per night

(need minimum of 5 hours to avoidperformance difficulties - especially forsedentary persons making complexdecisions or needing to be attentive)


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Causes of fatigue:1) sleep debt

2) circadian rhythm disruption3) prolonged effort (mental,physical)

Myths about sleep:

1) cannot bank sleep2) wakeful rest does not replacesleep


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Symptoms of sleep deprivation:

1) hallucinations (REM intrudes into day)

2) excessive yawning3) impaired concentration and memory

4) head bobbing (due to microsleep)

Remedy for sleep deprivation:

1) caffeine

2) naps for 60 minutes max (if longer,allow 20 minutes to reach alert state)


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avoid heavy exercise and alcohol beforebed

avoid caffeine use after noon

go to bed and awaken at the same time

if unable to fall in 30 minutes, arise and readuntil you feel sleepy

avoid naps longer than 30 - 60 minutes relax for 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime

relaxation techniques may induce sleep

do not check your alarm clock during night


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Try specific stress management

techniques discussed later

Change your outlook on how youview stress


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Talk to someone (friend, chaplain,mentor, Family Service Center counselor,

flight surgeon) Create a support network of friends

Schedule fun activities - noncompetitivehobby, reading, music, sightseeing

Schedule down time when you have noother activities planned

Introduce spirituality into your life


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Volunteer to help someone - your life willfeel meaningful

Aerobic Exercise (biking, running, walking,swimming, aerobics) at least 30 minutesthree times a week - improves mood and

mental alertness and relieves tension

Unclutter your brain - keep an appointmentbook; write down tasks and prioritize them

Allow extra time (arise 10 minutes earlier)


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review your calendar and list of tasks daily

prioritize your tasks

tackle difficult or irksome tasks first have an agenda for meetings - develop

time limits for each agenda item

avoid taking office work home

work efficiently - you do not have tocomplete all tasks perfectly

make a plan of attack and set milestones


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Remember that your job is important(hull technician example)

Be cheerful - the world will not end if youare grim and serious all the time!

Praise your coworkers often - with formaland informal awards

Take fun breaks at work- talk tosomeone or review pictures ofmomentos of fun times


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Divide the work day into time chunks

Plan a fun activity after work

Delegate work to others If you fall behind, request help and

inform your supervisor

Set limits on what you are asked to do Establish realistic goals

If you feel overwhelmed, do something!


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When you feel stressed - take a break,breathe slowly, walk around

View life as a challenge or opportunity toexcel - and not as a crisis

When something goes wrong - think ofthree ways the situation could be worse

Live life one day at a time - do notdwell on past mistakes, worry about thefuture, or wait (miserably) for futurehappiness


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Learn to enjoy the simple pleasures of life

Do not wait for others to make youhappy (maintain an internal locus ofcontrol)

You cannot control how you feel - butyou can control what you do with those

feelings and how long you keep them(example: when you are angry, dosomething fun after 30 minutes)

Find the positive part of every situation


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Stop wasting time worrying - develop a planto approach the problem and dosomething

Be prepared to wait - carry book to read, aportable cassette player, or hobbymaterials

Be wary of the grass is always greenersyndrome before you leave your currentsituation

Always have a back-up plan

Decide now what is really important


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Catastrophizing - anticipating a terribleoutcome; overexagerating the importanceof a situation

I cant stand it - deciding that you cannothandle a situation, without trying

- alternative: I can handle this!

Should statements

e.g. I should always be happy

- alternative: Im human. I am allowed to

make a mistake or have a bad day.


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Beating yourself up about pastmistakes that you cannot change

Worrying about situations over which youhave no control, or cannot change

e.g., If only I had 20/20 vision

Overgeneralizing - viewing one negative

event as predicting a never-endingpattern of defeat

e.g., My girlfriend dumped me. I willnever date again!


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Emotional reasoning - thinking, I feel it,so it must be true.

e.g., I am anxious today, so somethingterrible will happen!

Personalizing - blaming yourself forsomething that is not your fault

Fairness fallacy - becoming angry whensomething disappoints you because youthink, life is supposed to be fair!


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Recognize your faulty thought

patterns

Replace irrational ideas with moreaccurate and realistic ideas


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You can choose to control how youexpress your anger (others wont respect

you if you curse, yell, or use violence -and you are too important to letsituations control you)

Speak calmly when disagreeing

If you are about to lose control - count to10 slowly, breathe deeply, and walkaway if necessary


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Set limits on how long you choose tobe angry - then do something nice

for yourselfWhen you disagree with someone,

stick to the present issue (and avoid

dredging up past hurts)Criticize someones behavior, not

their character


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Ask for what you desire

Refuse a tasker if you do not reallywant to do it, or if you lack the time todo it well

When you make a request, give a reason

Be specific with your request (tell the

receiver exactly what you want done) Be a good listener - give your full

attention, show interest, and summarizewhat you heard


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Slow deep breathing

Progressive muscle relaxation

Guided imagery


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Inhale slowly through your mouth or nosefor 5 seconds, while allowing your

stomach to push out Without pausing, exhale slowly for 5

seconds, and tell yourself to relax

Perform this techniques for at least 5minutes whenever you feel stressed,angry, anxious, overwhelmed, or unableto sleep


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Sit in a comfortable chair or liedown

Practice slow deep breathing forseveral minutes

Then, tighten and relax each

major muscle group in turn (youmay choose to relax each musclegroup twice)


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Practice slow deep breathing forseveral minutes

Then, practice progressive musclerelaxation

Finally, imagine yourself in apleasant, relaxing setting (example,the beach)

Use all of your senses to observe yoursurroundings


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Stress Management General

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