This document outlines a 6-unit program for reducing stress through emotional intelligence techniques. Unit 4 focuses on reducing stress through understanding what causes stress, managing stress reactions through the Yerkes-Dodson law, and reframing stressful situations using techniques like the 3 lenses approach and PERMA model. Practicing these stress management techniques can help shift self-talk and behavior for more effective stress regulation.

1. Dr Tim Baker
tim@winnersatwork.com.au
www.winnersatwork.com.au
Reducing Stress

2. EI & the Amygdala Hijack
When we feel threatened,
thinking can become fast and
reactive
• The “thinking” part of the
brain shuts down
• We become reactive (fight
or flight) and tunnel
visioned
• EI competencies are
diminished (self-awareness,
self-regulation, empathy
etc.)
BEWARE THE

3. Unit 1—Adopting a Growth
Mindset
Unit 2—Focus on Strengths
Unit 3—Regulating Emotions
Unit 4—Reducing Stress
Unit 5—Mastering
Mindfulness
Unit 6—Improving Self-Talk

4. What is
stress?
Self-talk
Three
lenses
Reframing PERMA Identity

5. What is stress? Sapolosky

6. Key points about
stress …

7. Necessary stress
7
Athletic achievement Tuning a violin

8. Reactions
8
Excess stress › Poor performance
› Dysfunctional behaviour
› Health problems
› High performance
› Job satisfaction
› Involvement
› Optimum performance
› Poor performance
› Dysfunctional behaviour
› Health problems
Too little stress
Moderate stress
Too little or too much stress
can be harmful.

9. Yerkes-Dodson Law
Performance
arousal
High
Low
Low
(distress)
Optimum
(eustress)
High
(distress)
Stress level
Boredom from
understimulation
Optimum
stress load
Conditions
perceived
as stressful
Distress from
overstimulation

10. Stress is a Transaction
(demands/resources)

11. Case Study
Simone is a mature aged student in her first year of
university. Simone is concerned about the amount of time
she studies. The issue of concern is the difficulty she has
studying the chapters set for reading. She is finding that
material particularly difficult but has heard that operant
conditioning may help.
Desired behaviour: She wants to study between 6pm and
7:30pm each night at least four times a week.

12. Case Study
• At 6pm Simone sits down at the kitchen table with her text in front of
her. Ten minutes into her study hour she looks up at the fridge and sees a
plate of pudding looming in front of her. She begins to feel hungry. She
eats the pudding and her hunger is allayed.
• She sits down at the table and finds herself yawning. The coffee filter is
on the bench and in front of her. She gets up and puts the kettle on the
boil. While she is waiting, she decides to catch a few minutes of news on
TV. The newsreader is reporting a story of a scandal involving a famous
person. Six minutes later she hears the kettle boiling. She rushes back to
the kitchen and pours water into a coffee filter. Then rushes back to the
TV room to catch the end of the story.
• Returning to the kitchen, she looks at the clock – where has all the time
gone, it is now 35 minutes into her study hour. She remembers her
favourite show on TV is going to start at 7pm and her planned study hour
and a half has been a failure.

13. Case Study
• Simone has monitored her study behaviour for the past week.
Her study time in minutes and the number of times she left the
table for any reason was:
• Monday 10 min (5)
• Tuesday 8 min (6)
• Wednesday 24 min (3)
• Thursday 10 min (5)

14. Self-talk
Current self-talk Current feelings Current behaviour Consequences
Functional self-talk Functional feelings Desired behaviour Consequences

15. The 3 lenses
1. Reverse lens
What would the other person
in this conflict say & in what
ways might it be true?
2. Long lens
How will I most likely view
this situation in 6 months?
3. Wide lens
Regardless of outcome, how
can I grow and learn from this?
Ref: Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time

16. The importance of reframing to manage stress
• Reframing is seeing the current situation from a different perspective, which can alter the way we think about a stressor.
• Reframing is helping you or another person to more constructively move on from a situation in which you or the other person feels stuck,
overwhelmed or confused.

17. Positive
Reframing is
essential to a
growth
mindset

18. A happy brain or a
negative brain?
Practice makes
perfect!

19. PERMA activity

20. Wheel of life
Farrell, 2017

21. Try some of the
techniques and notice
if it makes a
difference

22. Unit 1—Adopting a Growth
Mindset
Unit 2—Focus on Strengths
Unit 3—Regulating Emotions
Unit 4—Reducing Stress
Unit 5—Mastering
Mindfulness
Unit 6—Improving Self-Talk