17. How are you going to keep your stress to
yourself?
Editor's Notes
Long term stress is well-known to create not only physical but also emotional changes in a person. You will be looking at your own early signs and symptoms of stress in the next activity
PAIRS EX/WB: with a partner, discuss and identify your own signs of stress, both physical and emotional. Record your findings in the workbook Page 7.
Key Learning Point: until you can identify how your body and mind react to stress, then you can’ do much to manage it. Knowledge is the key to change.
Mandy: a picture here
QUESTION : What things in life stress people? Give a couple of examples to start them off if you need to like moving house, losing your job etc. Flipchart their answers.
IND EX/WB: Ask them to go to pages 12 & 13 of the workbook so that they can identify the sources of stress in their lives, both external and internal, and make concrete action plans to deal with them. (allow about 10 minutes for this)
Ask for feedback on the actions they have decided upon – keep the discussion positive and on focused on action.
mANDY: another picture – can be same as before, don’t need different pics each time!
QUESTION: How do you manage your stress now? P/O that these will be individual ways of coping and won’t apply to everyone.
Flipchart the strategies the group already has for managing their stress.
P/O that use of excessive smoking, alcohol, drugs (like tranquilisers and sleeping tablets), eating and sex are external signs of stress and not coping mechanisms! They may help in the short-term but aren’t recommended for the long-term.
Facilitator’s note: depending what comes up from the group, you may wish to endorse good practise of something like meditation or yoga, or regular sport and exercise.
IND EX/WB: give them 5 minutes or so to complete the questions in the workbook page 15.
KLP: Each person has the control of their stress in their own hands!
INPUT: now you’ve identified your own ways of managing stress, let’s look at a few others which you might like to try. Some are really quick and others need more time spent on them
Go through the exercise to shift the breathing (page 17 in the workbook) and get them to practise it with you. Emphasise that this is the quickest, most effective way to switch the stress response to a relaxation response and can be done at work, at your desk and no-one will see what you’re doing.
Facilitator’s note: how many exercises you cover in this session will obviously depend on how much time they take. Choose one or two of the other techniques from the workbook –eg Mindfulness or positive self-talk (page 19) and go through it/them with the group. You could ask them to make notes on any insights gained in the back of their workbook.
PPT: Key strategies to manage your stress
