This document provides information on stress, what causes it, and strategies for managing and relieving stress. It defines stress as the body's reaction to threatening, exciting, or new situations, and notes that some stress can be helpful but too much causes physical and emotional problems. The document outlines sources of stress, differences between stress and burnout, and healthy coping mechanisms like relaxation techniques, exercise, breathing exercises, visualization, and setting boundaries. It emphasizes finding a few stress relief strategies that work well on a personal level.

1. Stress Management

3. Thank you for coming today!
If it were only that easy…

4. Stress is simply a fact of life

7. • Why am I here?
• What is stress?
• Have I contracted it?
• Is there a cure/prescription for it?
• What is the prognosis?
Learning Objectives

8. • It’s the way your mind and body react to
any new, threatening or exciting situation.
• “It’s what you feel when there’s just too
much going on!”
What is Stress?

9. What is Stress?
• Stress is what you feel when you have to
handle more than you are used to. When
you are stressed, your body responds as
though you are in danger. It makes
hormones that speed up your heart, make
you breathe faster, and give you a burst of
energy. This is called the fight-or-flight
stress response.

10. • {Flip Chart Exercise}
What Stresses YOU the Most?

11. Stress Can Be Helpful or Harmful
• Helpful: extra energy to meet physical
challenges, solve problems and reach
goals
• Harmful: can cause headaches,
backaches, loss of appetite, fatigue,
digestive problems, depression, difficulty
focusing thoughts and impaired memory

12. Effects of Stress
• Events do not cause stress. Stress is
caused by our beliefs about the events.

13. Stress vs. Burnout
Stress Burnout
Characterized by over engagement Characterized by disengagement
Emotions are over reactive Emotions are blunted
Produces urgency and hyperactivity Produces helplessness and hopelessness
Loss of energy Loss of motivation, ideals, and hope
Leads to anxiety disorders Leads to detachment and depression
Primary damage is physical Primary damage is emotional
May kill you prematurely May make life seem not worth living
The Difference Between Stress and
Burnout

14. How can I manage
my stress?

15. NO!!!

16. YES!!!

17. Healthy Ways to Cope with
Stress
• No single coping strategy is going to
be effective all the time
• Any one strategy, if used too much,
can become stressful or an
undesirable habit. Also, if used too
much will lose it effectiveness.

18. Coping Strategies
It is important to continue to
develop new means of coping.
Only you can decide what works
best.

19. Stress Strategies
Stress will always be around. The
trick is finding two or three stress
busters you genuinely enjoy!
(flip chart….again)

20. Relaxation Methods
Progressive Relaxation - progressively
tensing and then relaxing muscle groups -
by progressive, I mean one muscle group
after another... the relaxation progresses
through the body

21. Other Techniques
Physical Techniques - includes progressive
muscle relaxation; also stretching, yoga, tai
chi, pilates and other physical techniques.

22. Visualization
Visualization - visualizing something for
relaxation or making positive changes, such
as picturing in your mind a relaxing scene.

23. Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing - breathing slowly and
regularly and taking sufficiently deep
breaths.

24. Alternative Methods
Other methods - Exercise, massage,
hypnosis, self-hypnosis, crafts, hobbies,
dance, music, conscious mental rest,
artwork, walking..... etc.

25. Boundaries
Set boundaries.
Don’t overextend yourself. Learn how to say
“no” to requests on your personal time. If
you find this difficult, remind yourself that
saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to the
things that you truly want to do.

26. Technology
Take a daily break from technology
Set a time each day when you completely
disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off
your phone, and stop checking email.

27. End Result of Unrelieved
Stress

28. Burnout Recovery
Burnout recovery strategy #1:
Slow down

29. Burnout Recovery
Burnout recovery strategy #2:
Get support.

30. Burnout Recovery
Burnout recovery strategy #3:
Reevaluate your goals and
priorities

31. Coping Strategy
Coping with job burnout
• Actively address problems
• Clarify your job description
• Ask for new duties
• Take time off

32. Now for some
stress relief!!!