1. Presented by:
Ethan Bennett & Chelsee
Dalcourt
*WKU Marriageand Family Counseling & Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Master’s Students*
*GraduateInterns at the Talley Family Counseling Center in Gary Ransdell
Hall*
MENTAL HEALTH IS
COOL!
STRESS…IS NOT.

2. Contact: Talley Family Counseling Center @ (270) 745-
4204
Ethan: Ethan.Bennett490@topper.wku.edu
Chelsee: ChelseeDalcourt@outlook.com
What is Stress?
“Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental
equilibrium.” – Psychology Today
 The stimulus can be real or perceived.
 Equilibrium = the comfortzone.
 Small amounts of stress can be beneficial, but long-term exposure to stress
has negative effects on mental and physical health.
Does Stress Affect Me?
Stress affects everyone!
 Each personresponds differently to stress. Some are more resilient to
stressors than others.
“A stressful event can trigger the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, causing hormones such
as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body.”– PsychologyToday
 Pulse quickens, breathe faster, muscles tense, brain uses more oxygen and
increases activity
 Short-term: boosts immune system
 Long-term: lower immunity, digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems
stop working normally, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,
depression, anxiety disorder
How Can I Tell if I’m Stressed?

3.  Digestive problems, headaches, sleeplessness, depressed mood, anger and
irritability
 Stress Quiz: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/just-listen/201010/are-
you-stressed-out-take-the-quiz
Basic Relaxation Tips for
Stressful Times
1.) Sleep, Eat Well, & Exercise
Sleep deprivation causes stress hormones to skyrocket (Singer, 2015). Eating
a diet high in fiber and low in saturated fat has a positive effect on overall mood.
Good foods:spinach, romaine lettuce, lean chicken breast, meats, fish, poultry and
dairy (Buettner, 2012).
2.) Rehydrate
“Dehydration, even by levels as low as 17 oz (just over two glasses)
increases cortisol levels in your body.” – Buettner, 2012
3.) “Tend-and-befriend”
Removing oneself from social isolation and connecting with others increases
oxytocin and reduces cortisol. Face to face is best, however, a phone call or even
Facebookcan help if there is an experience of genuine connectivity. Laughter is
key.

4. 4.) Meditate
Start in small increments and meditate your own way. Meditation is
wonderful for those who are over thinkers or are prone to anxiety. The following
website is full of tips for beginning meditators:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-practice/201303/5-meditation-tips-
beginners.
What are mandalas?
The word “mandala” comes from Sanskirt and is loosely translated to mean
“circle.” Mandalas are meant to represent wholeness and unity and can be seen in
everyday life, as the sun, moon, earth, and even in such ideas as a “circle of family
and/or friends.” These mandalas signify psychic and cosmic harmony and
completeness, just as mandalas within coloring pages and/or coloring books do the
same. Mandala coloring pages (as seen as some of the examples provided below)
were created to help users block out excessive thought and throw complete
concentration into absorbing the beauty that is coloring a mandala. While adult
coloring books and pages have taken the literary world by storm, mandalas can
also be created by many other means. According to mandalaproject.org, mandalas
can be made together in groups in order to signify harmony and coming together.
There have been mandalas created with rocks on a beach, twigs in a forest, and
even sewn together to create a mandala quilt. Mandalas can be used as a mode of
meditation as well and more information regarding that topic can be found on
http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Main.html and http://www.whats-your-
sign.com/meaning-of-mandala.html.
So now that I know what a mandala
is…How can coloring reduce stress?
While art therapy has been clinically proven to help with numerous mental
ailments, like stress, anxiety and even depression, adult coloring books and
coloring books in general do not fall into the category of being deemed as art

5. therapy. These coloring books are, however, helping users to reduce stress by
narrowing their broad focus into completing one specific activity, i.e. coloring a
page. This has allowed users to better focus and become less fidgety even during
class lecture times. Because an inability to focus is one of the signs of stress, many
professors are now allowing their students to color while they lecture. Coloring is
viewed as a task with a predictable result, which is why it is so calming for users
and functions almost as a form of meditation (kind of like knitting). When you
combine mandalas spiritual properties with that of a coloring page, users can find
relief from stress in their everyday lives.

9. References
Bergland, C. (2013, January, 22). Cortisol: Why “The stress hormone” is public
enemy no. 1. Psychology Today. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-
why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1#sidr-main
Buettner, D. (2012, June, 06). 4 easy stress management strategies. Psychology
Today. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thrive/201206/4-easy-stress-
management-strategies
Singer, T. (2015, November, 20). The perfect amount of stress. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201203/the-
perfect-amount-stress
Stress. Psychology Today. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/stress