Stress Management

the good, the bad, and the useful

a seminar provided by Partners for Healthy Living, LLC

This group seminar is designed to help you understand stress and develop a personal stress management system.Stress is “how our mind and bodyreact to an environment that is largely shaped by our perceptionsof an event, person, or situation.” Sources of stress can be divided into three categories:

External

Internal

Survival

External sources of stress include the physical environment, social interactions, major life events, and daily hassles. Internal sources of stress can be lifestyle choices, personality traits, and negative thinking styles. Survival stress is the “fight-or-flight” response to eminent danger.

Although chronic stress can adversely affect your health, there are good forms of stress. Low levels of stress have been shown to improve performance by preventing you from becoming bored or unmotivated.

Having a stress management system in place can be helpful in relieving stress. One successful approach is a three-step cycle.

  1. Identify good and bad stress zones
  2. Develop healthy ways to relieve bad stress
  3. Continually reassess

You can identify bad stress zones by paying attention to your physical reactions to a situation. Look for nervous ticks, headaches, stomachaches, or neck and back tension. You should also be aware that bad stress zones might affect you mentally—you might become forgetful or more irritable. Identifying stress zones is a continual process. You should reassess your stress zones every few months to make additions or deletions to the factors that cause stress.

Once you have identified your bad stress zones, you need to determine healthy ways to relieve the stress. Good health practices—physical exercise, proper nutrition and adequate sleep—are good ways to lessen bad stress. Taking leisure time, enjoying a hobby, or listening to your favorite music can also help reduce stress. Other healthy ways to relieve stress include humor therapy, social support and relaxation techniques.[1]

If you need more assistance with designing your stress management system, we can help you in an individual session. You can contact our office to make an appointment at 601-555-1256. Our office hours are as follows:

Mon – Fri...... 8am - 5pm

Saturday...... 8am - 12pm

We have three members of our staff available to help you develop your stress management system.

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[1] Navigating Your Future: Interactive Journey to Personal and Academic Success, Bruce J. Colbert, Prentice Hall, 2009, pages 5–19