1. StressReduction

2. Effects of StressStress is the cause of many ailments in America. For example:25 million people are estimated to have high blood pressure.1 million people are estimated to develop high blood pressure each year.8 million people are estimated to suffer from stomach ulcers.12 million people are estimated to be alcoholics.19.6 million people are estimated to be prescribed tranquilizers.25181219.6Effect of Stress on American PopulationHypertensionDevelop HypertensionStomach UlcersAlcoholicsUse Tranquilizers 3. Dr. Hans Selye, the father of modernstress management techniques, definesstress as this: Stress is the wear and tear of life. Stress can be triggered by biological events andcan be pleasant or unpleasant. Stress is the mobilization of the bodys defensesthat allow human beings to adapt to hostile orthreatening events. Stress is dangerous when undulyprolonged, comes too often, or concentrates on oneparticular organ of the body. 4. Stress is NOT: Nervous tension The discharge of hormones from the adrenal glands The influence of negative occurrence An entirely bad event 5. Life Event Lifechange Units Death of a spouse 100 Divorce 73 Marital Separation 65 Imprisonment 63 Death of a close family member 63 Personal injury or illness 53 Marriage 50 Dismissal from work 47 Marital reconciliation 45 Retirement 45 Change in health of a family member 44 Pregnancy 40 Sexual difficulties 39 Change in financial state 38 Number of arguments with spouse 35 Major mortgage 32 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30 Change in responsibilities at work 29 6. Life Event Lifechange Units Son or daughter leaves home 29 Trouble with in-laws 29 Outstanding personal achievement 28 Spouse begins or stops work 26 Begin or end school 26 Change in living conditions 25 Revision of personal habits 24 Trouble with boss 23 Change in work hours or conditions 20 Change in residence 20 Change in schools 20 Change in recreation 19 Change in church activities 19 Change in social activities 18 Minor mortgage or loan 17 Change in sleeping habits 16 Vacation 13 Christmas 12 Minor violation of the law 11 7. Difficulty breathing Digestive disturbances Easily annoyed Headaches Heart pounding Hopelessness 8. Insomnia Low self-esteem Pain in muscles Tension; feeling uptight Upset stomach 9. Feel bored with your life? Cry a lot? Have unnecessary fights or arguments? Use too much alcohol? Lose concentration? Overeat? 10. React angrily with your family? Smoke or take drugs? Withdraw? Take anti-anxiety medication? Worry about everything? 11. The D.R.E.A.M. Approach to StressDr. Richard F. Gerson, Ph.D. developed the D.R.E.A.M. approach tostress reduction Diet, Relaxation, Exercise, Attitude and Motivation.When you have learned to recognize and manage the stressful eventsin your life, you will be happier, healthier and more relaxed. Itsnever too late to learn stress management.Look at these statistics: 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. 40 percent of all children in the U.S. spend part of their youth in a single-parent family. There are twice as many households headed by single mothers than therewere 20 years ago. In most American families, both parents must work outside the home tosupport the family. More than 20 percent of families move each year. 12. If I Had My Life to Live OverSomeone asked me the other day, if I had my life to live over, would Ichange anything? No, I answered. Then I began to thinkIf I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listenedmore. I would have invited friends over for dinner even though thecarpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten popcorn inthe good living room and worried less about the dirt when someonewanted to light a fire in the fireplace.I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before itmelted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my childrenand not worried about grass stains.The following words of wisdom appeared in Ann Landers syndicated advicecolumn. The Rabbi Hillel Cohn included this in his column from the CongregationEmanu El Bulletin. A reader thought enough of it to share: 13. (continued)I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and donemore of it while watching life. I would have shared more of theresponsibilities carried by my wife.I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of worrying that the earthwould go into a holding pattern if I missed work for one day. I would neverbuy anything just because it was practical, wouldnt show soil or because itwas guaranteed to last a lifetime.There would have been more I love you, more I am sorry. . . butmostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every moment, look at it andreally see it and live it and never give it back.Anonymous 14. Ancient peoples practiced mind-body relaxation in theform of ancient arts such as Yoga, Tai-Chi, andmeditation. Anyone can achieve peace of mind and bodyby doing a combination of physical and mental exercises. 15. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the director of the Stress Reduction Departmentat the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He says:The deepest relaxation is a sense of being at home in your own skin and beingcomfortable with whom you are. By learning to direct your energy into a moreaware observation of your changes in circumstance and mood, you will bedeveloping this deeper level of relaxation. The awareness itself is the essentialingredient for maximum clinical improvement in our patients, rather than anyof the specific combination of relaxation techniques a patient chooses to use. 16. Use Time WiselyYou must plan your time wisely. There are only 24 hours in a day. If youmake a daily to-do list and allocate time for each task, you will have moretime to yourself when you can relax and do things that you enjoy.(reproduced from Beat Stress, Lynn Allison, 1993, Globe Communications Corp.) 17. Dr. Hans Selye said that there are different stress reducing methodsfor different types of personalities. What works for one type ofpersonality may not work for the other.Some people are tortoises and some people are hares. Both typesare valuable in their own way. Hares are the go-getters and jump onopportunities to get things done quickly. Tortoises plod along slowlybut surely. They may be slower, but they are likely to do a morethorough job. Tortoises usually have less stress than hares.Behavioral psychologists have labeled these two personality types.The hare is called Type A, the tortoise is called Type B. 18. Type A Type BHyperactive EasygoingShort-tempered CalmImpatient PatientAlways pressurized Hardly ever stressedAggressive ComplacentCompetitive ReflectiveIt is very clear from this table that Type Astress junkies, whereas type B people arelike cucumber! If you are still confusedtype A or type B, take down the followingtest will clearly tell you your personality.just two rules about this test, think andbe frank.www.buzzle.com/articles/type-b-personality-test.html 19. 1. When facing an unfamiliar problem, what do you usually do?a. Address the problem immediately.b. Think about what to do and then take action.c. Sit back and let things work out for themselves.2. If you have to wait for someone or something for about thirtyminutes, what do you do?a. Keep checking the watch.b. Get impatient and somewhat angry.c. Do not mind spend your time looking around.3. Someone does something nice for you. How do you react? What areyour immediate thoughts?a. You wonder what it is that they want.b. You feel a little uncomfortable but definitely appreciate the gesture.c. You think its very kind of them and go out of your way to return thefavor. 20. 4. What is a normal day in your life like?a. Full of problems.b. A mixture of problems and fun.c. There are never enough things to keep me busy.5. There is something good in every person. Youthink of this statement as:a. Over-rated.b. Yes, because you have experienced it.c. Absolutely true.6. Do you often finish other peoples sentencesbecause they speak too slowly?a. Yes, frequentlyb. Yes, sometimesc. No, never 21. 7. What do you think of praising others?a. Shouldnt praise, as praise makes people proudand lazy.b. Should praise sometimes.c. Should always be praised, as it helps boost theirperformance.8. Do you keep a daily schedule plan?a. Yesb. Once in a whilec. No9. Do you think scientific approach is the bestapproach to anything?a. Yes, definitelyb. Depends on the situationc. No 22. 10. When conversing with someone who has less knowledge thanyou (e.g. lower education level), you:a. Feel superiorb. Find an excuse to end the conversation.c. Try to adjust your speech to make him/her comfortable.If you chose the A option the most, yourpersonality type is A, maximum of option B,means you are a mixed personality i.e. AB andmaximum of option C, means you are type Bpersonality.www.buzzle.com/articles/type-b-personality-test.html 23. HEALTHY & HAPPY LIFE EVERYBODY This is Selyes secret recipe for a healthy and happy life: 1. Test and set your own limits. Decide if you are a race horse or a turtle. Then structure your life accordingly. 2. Choose your lifes goals. Test them or try them on to see if they really fit. Make sure these goals are yours and not your mothers, your fathers, your spouses or some influential teachers. 3. Practice altruistic egotism. By this we mean look out for others while you take care of yourself. 24. 6:00 a.m. Wake up and have coffee.6:15 a.m. Make breakfast for family. Pack lunches for school and work.6:45 a.m. Eat breakfast.7:00 a.m. Shower; dress.7:30 a.m. Leave for work.12:30 p.m. Have lunch; take a 20-minute walk4:30 p.m. Leave work.5:30 p.m. Go to Tai-Chi class.7:00 p.m. Arrive home; do laundry; fold clothes.7:30 p.m. Make dinner.8:00 p.m. Pick up children from sports practice.8:15 p.m. Eat dinner. Wash dishes.8:30 p.m. Help kids with homework.9:00 p.m. Reading or television.10:00 p.m. Get ready for bed; review chores for tomorrow. 25. MonthlyWeek 1: Make spaghetti sauce and freeze half; try a different walkingroute; visit the park on Sunday; buy new shoesWeek 2: Prepare large beef stew and freeze half; call Sarah for tennisgame; movies on Saturday night; get hair and nails doneWeek 3: Roast turkey; try weight lifting; pay bills; make reservationsfor Sunday dinner outWeek 4: Make chicken casserole and freeze half; try 5 pound handweights during walk; call Susan in Arizona for her birthday;Sylvias ballet recital: buy film for camera.(reproduced from Beat Stress, Lynn Allison, 1993, Globe Communications Corp.) 26. A man or womans home is their castle. It iswell known that your environment can have asignificant effect on your mood. Therefore, it isimportant to create a peaceful, sereneatmosphere. 27. Violet creates a peaceful, spiritual environment.Blue creates a very peaceful yet cool atmosphere.Turquoise has a cooling yet spacious feeling.Green creates an atmosphere of lethargy if used in interior decorating.Yellow can be a happy color. However, some people find too dynamic.Orange is a joyful color, but can be overpowering in the home.Red can be stimulating but tends to reduce space.Pink is associated with tranquility and serenity.Grey and beige tones create an atmosphere of intimacy.White represents purity and spirituality. 28. NOISEKEEP NOISE AT ACOMFORTABLE LEVEL.LIGHTSOFT LIGHTING IS SOOTHING.AVOID HARSH, FLUORESCENTLIGHTING IN THE HOME.HUMIDITYIF THE AIR IN YOUR HOME ISTOO MOIST OR TOO DRY, ITCAN AFFECT YOUR MOOD ASWELL AS YOUR HEALTH.FURNITURESIMPLICITY IS THE KEY TO APEACEFUL HOME. CHOOSEPRACTICAL, COMFORTABLEFURNITURE BUT AVOIDCLUTTER. 29. Good homemakers know that there is only one foolproofsecret to keeping a clean and neat home: Dont let thingspile up! 30. Experts have found t hat certain foods, such as milk and milk products, help lower stress levels. Here aresome foods that help you reduce stress instead of creating it. When you are experiencing stress andcrave food, try:A glass of skim milk with several crackersHot herbal teaA glass of fruit juice or fruit drink,especially lemonadeA bowl of hot chicken soup, cream of chicken,cream of cheddar or cream of carrotHot baked potat o with margarine.During particularly stressful periods in your life, try to eat meals consisting of:Low-fat or fat-free ingredientsBland and easy-to-digest foods such as mashed potatoes, rice or pasta dishesMilk and milk-based dishes to coat t he gastrointestinal traceSmall portions, more frequently eaten. Dont overload the system,Remember: Eat slowly and savor each bite. Do not read, work or talk on the telephone while you areeating. If you tend to eat when you are depressed, take a walk or visit a friend instead.(reproduced from Beat Stress, Lynn Allison, 1993, Globe Communications Corp.) 31. I hope you have learned something that you can use in youreveryday life. Remember to take care of yourself there is onlyone YOU and YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!Power Point Production (2013) by:Caroline Balduzzi, Keyboard Specialist I, Directors OfficeSUNY Cortland Memorial Library; (607) 753-2221