This document discusses various causes and effects of stress. It provides statistics showing that many Americans suffer from stress-related health issues such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, alcoholism, and use of tranquilizers. It then discusses definitions of stress, types of personalities and their responses to stress (type A vs type B), common stress symptoms, stress reduction techniques including diet, exercise, relaxation and attitude, creating a peaceful home environment, and foods that can help reduce stress.

1. Stress
Reduction

2. Effects of Stress
Stress is the cause of many ailments in America. For example:
25 million people are estimated to have high blood pressure.
1 million people are estimated to develop high blood pressure each year.
8 million people are estimated to suffer from stomach ulcers.
12 million people are estimated to be alcoholics.
19.6 million people are estimated to be prescribed tranquilizers.
25
18
12
19.6
Effect of Stress on American Population
Hypertension
Develop Hypertension
Stomach Ulcers
Alcoholics
Use Tranquilizers

3. Dr. Hans Selye, the “father” of modern
stress management techniques, defines
stress as this:
 Stress is the wear and tear of life.
 Stress can be triggered by biological events and
can be pleasant or unpleasant.
 Stress is the mobilization of the body’s defenses
that allow human beings to adapt to hostile or
threatening events.
 Stress is dangerous when unduly
prolonged, comes too often, or concentrates on one
particular organ of the body.

4. Stress is NOT:
 Nervous tension
 The discharge of hormones from the adrenal glands
 The influence of negative occurrence
 An entirely bad event

5.  Life Event Lifechange Units
 Death of a spouse 100
 Divorce 73
 Marital Separation 65
 Imprisonment 63
 Death of a close family member 63
 Personal injury or illness 53
 Marriage 50
 Dismissal from work 47
 Marital reconciliation 45
 Retirement 45
 Change in health of a family member 44
 Pregnancy 40
 Sexual difficulties 39
 Change in financial state 38
 Number of arguments with spouse 35
 Major mortgage 32
 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30
 Change in responsibilities at work 29

6.  Life Event Lifechange Units
 Son or daughter leaves home 29
 Trouble with in-laws 29
 Outstanding personal achievement 28
 Spouse begins or stops work 26
 Begin or end school 26
 Change in living conditions 25
 Revision of personal habits 24
 Trouble with boss 23
 Change in work hours or conditions 20
 Change in residence 20
 Change in schools 20
 Change in recreation 19
 Change in church activities 19
 Change in social activities 18
 Minor mortgage or loan 17
 Change in sleeping habits 16
 Vacation 13
 Christmas 12
 Minor violation of the law 11

7.  Difficulty breathing
 Digestive disturbances
 Easily annoyed
 Headaches
 Heart pounding
 Hopelessness

8.  Insomnia
 Low self-esteem
 Pain in muscles
 Tension; feeling “uptight”
 Upset stomach

9.  Feel bored with your life?
 Cry a lot?
 Have unnecessary fights or arguments?
 Use too much alcohol?
 Lose concentration?
 Overeat?

10.  React angrily with your family?
 Smoke or take drugs?
 Withdraw?
 Take anti-anxiety medication?
 Worry about everything?

11. The D.R.E.A.M. Approach to Stress
Dr. Richard F. Gerson, Ph.D. developed the D.R.E.A.M. approach to
stress reduction – Diet, Relaxation, Exercise, Attitude and Motivation.
When you have learned to recognize and manage the stressful events
in your life, you will be happier, healthier and more relaxed. It’s
never too late to learn stress management.
Look at these statistics:
 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce.
 40 percent of all children in the U.S. spend part of their youth in a single-
parent family.
 There are twice as many households headed by single mothers than there
were 20 years ago.
 In most American families, both parents must work outside the home to
support the family.
 More than 20 percent of families move each year.

12. If I Had My Life to Live Over
Someone asked me the other day, if I had my life to live over, would I
change anything? “No,” I answered. Then I began to think…
If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened
more. I would have invited friends over for dinner even though the
carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten popcorn in
the “good” living room and worried less about the dirt when someone
wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it
melted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my children
and not worried about grass stains.
The following words of wisdom appeared in Ann Lander’s syndicated advice
column. The Rabbi Hillel Cohn included this in his column from the Congregation
Emanu El Bulletin. A reader thought enough of it to share:

13. (continued)
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and done
more of it while watching life. I would have shared more of the
responsibilities carried by my wife.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of worrying that the earth
would go into a holding pattern if I missed work for one day. I would never
buy anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or because it
was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
There would have been more “I love you,” more “I am sorry”. . . but
mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every moment, look at it and
really see it and live it – and never give it back.
Anonymous

14. Ancient peoples practiced mind-body relaxation in the
form of ancient arts such as Yoga, Tai-Chi, and
meditation. Anyone can achieve peace of mind and body
by doing a combination of physical and mental exercises.

15. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the director of the Stress Reduction Department
at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He says:
“The deepest relaxation is a sense of being at home in your own skin and being
comfortable with whom you are. By learning to direct your energy into a more
aware observation of your changes in circumstance and mood, you will be
developing this deeper level of relaxation. The awareness itself is the essential
ingredient for maximum clinical improvement in our patients, rather than any
of the specific combination of relaxation techniques a patient chooses to use.”

16. Use Time Wisely
You must plan your time wisely. There are only 24 hours in a day. If you
make a daily to-do list and allocate time for each task, you will have more
time to yourself when you can relax and do things that you enjoy.
(reproduced from Beat Stress, Lynn Allison, © 1993, Globe Communications Corp.)

18. Dr. Hans Selye said that there are different stress reducing methods
for different types of personalities. What works for one type of
personality may not work for the other.
Some people are “tortoises” and some people are “hares”. Both types
are valuable in their own way. Hares are the go-getters and jump on
opportunities to get things done quickly. Tortoises plod along slowly
but surely. They may be slower, but they are likely to do a more
thorough job. Tortoises usually have less stress than hares.
Behavioral psychologists have labeled these two personality types.
The hare is called Type A, the tortoise is called Type B.

19. Type A Type B
Hyperactive Easygoing
Short-tempered Calm
Impatient Patient
Always pressurized Hardly ever stressed
Aggressive Complacent
Competitive Reflective
It is very clear from this table that Type A
'stress junkies', whereas type B people are
like cucumber! If you are still confused
type A or type B, take down the following
test will clearly tell you your personality.
just two rules about this test, think and
be frank.www.buzzle.com/articles/type-b-personality-test.html

20. 1. When facing an unfamiliar problem, what do you usually do?
a. Address the problem immediately.
b. Think about what to do and then take action.
c. Sit back and let things work out for themselves.
2. If you have to wait for someone or something for about thirty
minutes, what do you do?
a. Keep checking the watch.
b. Get impatient and somewhat angry.
c. Do not mind spend your time looking around.
3. Someone does something nice for you. How do you react? What are
your immediate thoughts?
a. You wonder what it is that they want.
b. You feel a little uncomfortable but definitely appreciate the gesture.
c. You think it's very kind of them and go out of your way to return the
favor.

21. 4. What is a normal day in your life like?
a. Full of problems.
b. A mixture of problems and fun.
c. There are never enough things to keep me busy.
5. There is something good in every person. You
think of this statement as:
a. Over-rated.
b. Yes, because you have experienced it.
c. Absolutely true.
6. Do you often finish other people's sentences
because they speak too slowly?
a. Yes, frequently
b. Yes, sometimes
c. No, never

22. 7. What do you think of praising others?
a. Shouldn't praise, as praise makes people proud
and lazy.
b. Should praise sometimes.
c. Should always be praised, as it helps boost their
performance.
8. Do you keep a daily schedule plan?
a. Yes
b. Once in a while
c. No
9. Do you think scientific approach is the best
approach to anything?
a. Yes, definitely
b. Depends on the situation
c. No

23. 10. When conversing with someone who has less knowledge than
you (e.g. lower education level), you:
a. Feel superior
b. Find an excuse to end the conversation.
c. Try to adjust your speech to make him/her comfortable.
If you chose the A option the most, your
personality type is 'A', maximum of option B,
means you are a mixed personality i.e. 'AB' and
maximum of option C, means you are type 'B'
personality.
www.buzzle.com/articles/type-b-personality-test.html

24.  HEALTHY & HAPPY LIFE EVERYBODY
 This is Selye’s “secret recipe” for a healthy and happy life:
 1. Test and set your own limits. Decide if you are a race horse or a
 turtle. Then structure your life accordingly.
 2. Choose your life’s goals. Test them or try them on to see if they
 really fit. Make sure these goals are yours and not your mother’s,
 your father’s, your spouse’s or some influential teacher’s.
 3. Practice altruistic egotism. By this we mean look out for others while
 you take care of yourself.

26. 6:00 a.m. Wake up and have coffee.
6:15 a.m. Make breakfast for family. Pack lunches for school and work.
6:45 a.m. Eat breakfast.
7:00 a.m. Shower; dress.
7:30 a.m. Leave for work.
12:30 p.m. Have lunch; take a 20-minute walk
4:30 p.m. Leave work.
5:30 p.m. Go to Tai-Chi class.
7:00 p.m. Arrive home; do laundry; fold clothes.
7:30 p.m. Make dinner.
8:00 p.m. Pick up children from sports practice.
8:15 p.m. Eat dinner. Wash dishes.
8:30 p.m. Help kids with homework.
9:00 p.m. Reading or television.
10:00 p.m. Get ready for bed; review chores for tomorrow.

27. Monthly
Week 1: Make spaghetti sauce and freeze half; try a different walking
route; visit the park on Sunday; buy new shoes
Week 2: Prepare large beef stew and freeze half; call Sarah for tennis
game; movies on Saturday night; get hair and nails done
Week 3: Roast turkey; try weight lifting; pay bills; make reservations
for Sunday dinner out
Week 4: Make chicken casserole and freeze half; try 5 pound hand
weights during walk; call Susan in Arizona for her birthday;
Sylvia’s ballet recital: buy film for camera.
(reproduced from Beat Stress, Lynn Allison, © 1993, Globe Communications Corp.)

29. A man or woman’s home is their castle. It is
well known that your environment can have a
significant effect on your mood. Therefore, it is
important to create a peaceful, serene
atmosphere.

30. Violet creates a peaceful, spiritual environment.
Blue creates a very peaceful yet cool atmosphere.
Turquoise has a cooling yet spacious feeling.
Green creates an atmosphere of lethargy if used in interior decorating.
Yellow can be a happy color. However, some people find too dynamic.
Orange is a joyful color, but can be overpowering in the home.
Red can be stimulating but tends to reduce space.
Pink is associated with tranquility and serenity.
Grey and beige tones create an atmosphere of intimacy.
White represents purity and spirituality.

32. NOISE
KEEP NOISE AT A
COMFORTABLE LEVEL.
LIGHT
SOFT LIGHTING IS SOOTHING.
AVOID HARSH, FLUORESCENT
LIGHTING IN THE HOME.
HUMIDITY
IF THE AIR IN YOUR HOME IS
TOO MOIST OR TOO DRY, IT
CAN AFFECT YOUR MOOD AS
WELL AS YOUR HEALTH.
FURNITURE
SIMPLICITY IS THE KEY TO A
PEACEFUL HOME. CHOOSE
PRACTICAL, COMFORTABLE
FURNITURE BUT AVOID
CLUTTER.

33. Good homemakers know that there is only one foolproof
secret to keeping a clean and neat home: Don’t let things
pile up!

34. Experts have found t hat certain foods, such as milk and milk products, help lower stress levels. Here are
some foods that help you reduce stress instead of creating it. When you are experiencing stress and
crave food, try:
A glass of skim milk with several crackers
Hot herbal tea
A glass of fruit juice or fruit drink,
especially lemonade
A bowl of hot chicken soup, cream of chicken,
cream of cheddar or cream of carrot
Hot baked potat o with margarine.
During particularly stressful periods in your life, try to eat meals consisting of:
Low-fat or fat-free ingredients
Bland and easy-to-digest foods such as mashed potatoes, rice or pasta dishes
Milk and milk-based dishes to coat t he gastrointestinal trace
Small portions, more frequently eaten. Don’t overload the system,
Remember: Eat slowly and savor each bite. Do not read, work or talk on the telephone while you are
eating. If you tend to eat when you are depressed, take a walk or visit a friend instead.
(reproduced from Beat Stress, Lynn Allison, © 1993, Globe Communications Corp.)

35. I hope you have learned something that you can use in your
everyday life. Remember to take care of yourself – there is only
one YOU and YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Power Point Production (2013) by:
Caroline Balduzzi, Keyboard Specialist I, Director’s Office
SUNY Cortland Memorial Library; (607) 753-2221