7. Tidbits on STRESS…
1. Stress is not events; it is YOUR REACTION to
events.
2. Stressors affect people differently, and YOU determine
HOW you think about and approach situations.
3. STRESSOR = STIMULUS
4. STRESS (condition) = RESPONSE (or NOT)
8. Taming the Stress Beast
• Exercise*
• Diet
• Time management*
• Hobby or enjoyable activity
• Reprogram your thinking*
9. The Machine: Human Body
• Use it or lose it
• Build flexibility
• Stretch
• Aerobic exercise
– Cardiac benefit
– Stamina
• Strength training
10. Get ACTIVE!
Why?
Diversion
Burn OFF stress
hormones
HEALTH
benefits . . .
11. Time Management
• CALENDAR
• To-do List
• Schedule realistically!
• Allow personal time
• Beware of
TECHNOSTRESS
12. Reprogram Your Thinking
• Reframe situations
• POSITIVE “self-talk”
• Look for the GOOD!
• Write a concern/worry on
the back of the index
card.
• NOW, reframe HOW you
can turn a negative into a
positive.
13. A Stress Busters . . . The Magic of
Gardening
• Grow It Eat It—UME
Initiative
• Salad boxes and Salad
tables
• Construct salad boxes
• Select seeds
• Plant seeds
• Care for growing plants
10 MINUTES Take an index card. Write words that you associate with stress. Maybe a situation, a single word, a phrase, or perhaps a person. What similarities did you have? What differences?
Randomly share words common to ALL members in a group Randomly share words that were NOT common to all members in a group
Stressors (positive ones) increase performance; too MUCH stress decreases performance. Environmental stressors include smog, smoke, cold, wind, heat, chemical odors (formaldehyde, e.g., “hospital smells,” cleaners)…Can you name others? Psychological stressors (“psyche yourself out” on tests, public speaking, fear of failure, letting your brain spin the worst scenario, etc.) Physical stressors include injury, pain, repetitive motion issues, ergonomic design issues
Stress . . . Is it good? Is it bad? Can it serve a positive purpose? Some stress is involved in LIFE each day. A stressor, for example, increases performance. Perhaps an alarm clock is a STRESSOR, reminding you to get out of bed each morning.
Eustress is the area where we see an increase in performance, as stress gradually increases. Take a rubberband. Stretch the rubberband. We are STRESS (stretching the rubberband). The PERFORMANCE is how much the rubberband stretches. When you stretch the rubberband beyond a certain point, what happens? Is it possible to have a life with NO STRESS? Where are we if there is NO STRESS?
Genetics and experiences often affect how each of us reacts to stimuli. BUT, WE can also CHANGE how we react. Don’t get “sucked into” other people’s drama. Drama is for the STAGE, not for LIFE!!
Build positive habits for kids to carry through life. Sports enable us to “burn off” negative/stress hormones that build up in our bodies. Flexibility is important to build at a young age
Join with another pair of people (pairs are from previous pairings) Send an envoy to the front table. Have them pick an item from the table. Join all members of your group and create an active game so that you all can move around, using the item you selected.
Technostress: always being linked to cell phones, computers, constant texting, social networking, etc.
Instead of “I can’t do that,” THINK “I will give that my best effort.” Don’t think “That person is hard to get along with,” THINK “I’ll learn some new people management skills from them.” Other Examples from you all?
Gardening provides exercise, learning, and a “buy-in” for vegetables grown. Kids will at least TRY vegetables that they grow (Calvert School Work, ELB).
Your coping mechanism or stress management techniques must work FOR YOU!! Examples include: exercise, sports, talking with a friend/someone you trust, get outside and look at nature, fish tank, hobby, etc. OTHER?
Evaluations—have someone collect them and put them in the envelope provided.