The definition of 'mentally strong' is someone who is in tune with his/her own body and emotional thoughts and is able to have a positive outlook on most things in life.

1. MENTAL
ROBUSTNESS &
STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Youth Development
Camp
2019
By
Sidra Akhtar Ch.
Clinical Psychologist

2. Overview
– What is Stress?
– How stress Progresses?
– Symptoms - Can stress kill us?
– Stress at work
– Stress management
– Psychological Treatment
– Religious Perspective

3. What is Stress?
A silent killer

4. What is Stress?
– Stress can be defined as
our mental, physical,
emotional, and
behavioral reactions to
any perceived demands
or threats.

5. Defining Stress
S =P>R
P = Pressure
R = Resource

6. What is Trauma?
Painful and distressing Experiences
What is Stress?
Response to events that are threatening or challenging
“Stressor”
A stimulus or situation
“Stress Response”
mental and physical response to the stressor

7. Categories of Stressors
• Frustrations
• Conflict
• Pressures

8. Frustration
–One’s progress is
blocked by
obstacles

9. Conflicts
Struggle or clash between opposing
Forces

10. Pressure
Forces a
person to
speed up

11. Types of Stressors
External Stressors
Physical Environment
Social Interaction
Organizational
Major life events
Daily Hassles
Internal Stressor
Life Styles Choices
Negative Self –Talk
Mind Traps
Personality Traits

12. Variation in Stress
Intensity
High
Low
Duration
Short
Long
Complexity
Less
More
Predictability
Unpredictable
Predictable
Acute Stress
Sudden , typically
Short lived
threatening events
Duration: Less
then 1 months
Chronic Stress
Ongoing
environmental demands
Duration: 3 moths or
more
Specifiers

13. Eustress:
Positive stress (exciting
opportunities & challenges).
Positive Stress:
motivation, awareness and
providing the stimulation to
cope with challenging
situations.
Types of Stress

14. Distress:
Negative stress (high
demands & undesirable
tasks).
STRESS
DISTRESS
DISORDER
Types of Stress

15. Activating Agent
Your work is well below
standard. Its terrible

16. Visualization

17. Verbalisation
How unfair of him!
I did my very best and this is
what I get
I deserve better than this

18. Emotional Reaction
Angry
Sad
Frustrated

19. Resultant Behaviour
I’m not going to try
again
I’ll do nothing

20. Symptoms of Stress
How much does stress influence
our selves?

22. Can Stress kill us?

23. Illnesses related to
Stress
Cost of Stress:
80% of all modern diseases have
their origin in stress

25. Stress & Physiological
Disorders

26. Stress & Psychological
Disorders
– Acute reaction to stress
– Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
– Adjustment Disorders

27. Social Readjustment Rating
Scale
– The SRRS lists significant life events and offers a
rating to their contribution to illness.

28. – Death of Spouse 100
– Divorce 73
– Separation 65
– Relative Death 63
– Injury and illness 53
– Fired at work 47
– Retirement 45
– Business readjustment 39
– Change in financial state 38
– Change in responsibility 29
– Trouble with boss 23
Life Event Life Change Unit

29. Stress at Work
How much does stress influence
our Performance?

30. Work:
Work provides income
and inhibits a variety of
other needs ; mental
and physical exercise,
social contacts and a
feeling of self - worth
and competence.

31. Factors Influencing Work Stress
– The drive for success
– Changing work patterns
– Working conditions
– Overwork
– Under work
– Uncertainty
– Conflicts
– Responsibilities
– Relationships at work
– Changes at work
– Changing work patterns
– Unemployment

32. Stress Management
How to cope with Stress?

34. Recognizing the Problem
The most important point is to recognize the
source of the negative stress .
It is a way to identify the problem
and plan measures to overcome it.

35. Stress Management Techniques
–Change your Behavior
–Change your Thinking

36. Developing Coping Skills for
Stress Relief
 Be realistic
Nobody's perfect
 Try to be assertive
 Be flexible
 Think positively
 Humor

37. Stress Control _ ABC Strategy
A= Awareness
What causes stress?
How do we react?
B= Balance
There is a fine line between positive / negative stress,
C= Control
What can we do to combat the negative effects of stress ?

38. Strategies
Assertiveness,
time management
Healthy and positive
relationships
Dealing with change
Dealing with problems
Resource management
Get organized

39. Time Management
Plan your day
Make a list
What MUST be done
What WOULD you like to do
Cut out time wasting
Learn to drop unimportant activities
Set achievable goals
Don’t waste time making excuses for not doing
something

40. Change Your Life Style
–Diet
– Smoking & Alcohol
– Exercise
– Sleep
– Leisure
– Relaxation

41. Psychological Treatment
of Stress

42. Counseling and Psychotherapy
CBT , REBT, Counseling Sessions, Relaxation Exercises
1. Physical Relaxation
2. Mental Relaxation
Imagery ,
Music therapy
Deep Breathing
3. Spiritual Relaxation
By listening Quran and Praying Namaz

43. Catharsis
Catharsis is the release or active expression
of
emotions
–verbalize it
–act it out
– work it off

44. Behavioral Techniques
Deep Breathing
 Relaxation Training
 Verbalizing Positive Statements
 Guided imagery/ Visualization
Meditation
Yoga
Religious
Activities

45. Stress Management
in the Frame of Islam
A person's religious belief has an important bearing
on his personality and his outlook towards life. By
putting his trust in God, a believer minimizes the
stress by reducing his responsibility and power to
control his failures.
Now how to deal with stress in the light of the
Qur'an and the Sunnah.

48. The “Fight or Flight” Response
– When situations seem
threatening to us, our bodies
react quickly to supply
protection by preparing to
take action. This
physiological reaction is
known as the "fight or flight"
response.
– The physiological response to a
stressor is known as reactivity
– Physiological responses can
accumulate and result in long-
term wear on the body

49. What Makes Something
Stressful?
– Situations that have strong demands
– Situations that are imminent
– Life transitions
– Timing (e.g., deviation from the “norm”)
– Ambiguity
– Desirability
– Controllability

50. Not All Stress is Bad…
– Distress is a continuous experience of feeling overwhelmed,
oppressed, and behind in our responsibilities. It is the all
encompassing sense of being imposed upon by difficulties with
no light at the end of the tunnel.
– Examples of distress include financial difficulties, conflicts in relationships,
excessive obligations, managing a chronic illness, or experiencing a trauma.
– Eustress is the other form of stress that is positive and
beneficial. We may feel challenged, but the sources of the
stress are opportunities that are meaningful to us. Eustress
helps provide us with energy and motivation to meet our
responsibilities and achieve our goals.
– Examples of eustress include graduating from college, getting married, receiving
a promotion, or changing jobs.

51. Stress Response: Example
– A good example of a stressful situation for
many people is taking a test. If you find
testing to be stressful, you might notice
certain physical, behavioral, mental, and
emotional responses.
– Physical Response?
– Behavioral Response?
– Mental Response?
– Emotional Response?

52. Vulnerability to Stress
– Some people are more vulnerable to stress
than others. Determine your level of
vulnerability to stress by completing the
following worksheet: Vulnerability to Stress
– Email the completed
worksheet (as an attachment)
to jtrump@mansfield.edu

53. What is Stressful to You?
Work Roommate Legal matters
Classes Childcare Mental health
Studying Finances Law violation
Relationship with
partner
Appearance Spiritual/Religious
issues
Relationship with
family
Physical Health Major/Career
decisions
Relationship with
friends
Not “fitting in” Attitudes/thoughts
Trauma Getting married Buying a house
Change in
residence
Change to a new
school
Change in amount
of recreation
Change in amount
of social activities
Change in eating
habits
Death of
friend/family
member

54. Why Do We "Stress Out"?
– For two major reasons:
– We perceive a situation as
dangerous, difficult, or
painful.
– We don't believe we have
the resources to cope.

55. Stress Warning Signals
– What are your "red flags," or
warning signs, that stress is
creeping into your life? If we
keep pushing ourselves,
eventually something inside
of use will send "red flags,"
or warning signs that stress
is becoming a problem.

56. Stress Warning Signals
– Complete the worksheet
below by checking off all of
your own stress warning
signals: WARNING SIGNALS
– Email your completed
worksheet (as an
attachment)to
jtrump@mansfield.edu

57. Suggestions for Reducing
Stress
– 1. Find a support system. Find someone to talk to about
your feelings and experiences.

58. Suggestions for Reducing
Stress
– 2. Change your attitude. Find other ways to think about
stressful situations.
– "Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it."

59. Suggestions for Reducing Stress
– 3. Be realistic. Set
practical goals for
dealing with situations
and solving problems.
– Develop realistic
expectations of yourself
and others.

60. Suggestions for Reducing Stress
– 4. Get organized and take
charge. Being unorganized or
engaging in poor planning
often leads to frustration or
crisis situations, which most
always leads to feeling
stressed.
– Plan your time, make a
schedule, establish your
priorities.

61. Suggestions for Reducing
Stress
– 5. Take breaks, give yourself "me time." Learn that taking
time to yourself for rejuvenation and relaxation is just as
important as giving time to other activities.
– At minimum, take short breaks during your busy day.

62. Suggestions for Reducing
Stress
– 6. Take good care of yourself. Eat properly, get regular rest,
keep a routine. Allow yourself to do something you enjoy
each day.
– Paradoxically, the time we need to take care of ourselves the
most, when we are stressed, is the time we do it the least.

63. Suggestions for Reducing Stress
– 7. Learn to say "no." Learn
to pick and choose which
things you will say "yes" to
and which things you will
not.
– Protect yourself by not allowing
yourself to take on every
request or opportunity that
comes your way.

64. Suggestions for Reducing Stress
– 8. Get regular exercise.
Exercising regularly can
help relieve some
symptoms of depression
and stress, and help us
to maintain our health.

65. Suggestions for Reducing Stress
– 9. Get a hobby, do something
different. For a balanced
lifestyle, play is as important
as work.

66. Suggestions for Reducing
Stress
– 10. Slow down. Know your limits and cut down on
the number of things you try to do each day,
particularly if you do not have enough time for them
or for yourself.
– Be realistic about what you can accomplish effectively
each day.
– Monitor your pace. Rushing through things can lead to
mistakes or poor performance. Take the time you need
to do a good job.
 Poorly done tasks can lead to added stress.

67. Suggestions for Reducing Stress
– 11. Laugh, use humor. Do
something fun and enjoyable
such as seeing a funny
movie, laughing with friends,
reading a humorous book, or
going to a comedy show.

68. Suggestions for Reducing
Stress
– 12. Learn to relax. Develop a regular relaxation routine.
– Try yoga, meditation, or some simple quiet time.

69. Relaxation Exercises
– Many different kinds, but some are:
– Deep Breathing
– Visualization: Visualization is a nice way of giving our minds and bodies a "mini
vacation.“
– Muscle Relaxation

70. Relaxation Exercises
– Complete one of the relaxation exercises:
– Visualization and Relaxation Techniques
– Think about the exercise and how it made you feel. Email your feedback
and thoughts to jtrump@mansfield.edu.

71. Stress Management: Next
Steps
– Think about a situation (or situations) that is particularly
stressful to you.
– Come up with a plan for handling this situation (using the
information that you have gained from this presentation).
– Use the Stress Management Worksheet as a guide.

72. Stress Management: Next
Steps
– Try to change the way you appraise a situation to make it
less stressful
– Remember stress is normal but watch out for symptoms of
stress
– Use coping skills/ways to reduce stress
– Practice relaxation techniques
– Contact TRiO advisor for counseling at 662-4365

73. – STRESS FEELINGS
– • Worry
– • Tense
– • Tired
– • Frightened
– • Elated
– • Depressed
– • Anxious
– • Anger

75. THANK
YOU!
Materials adapted from:
Price, P. (2002)
Sarafino, E.P. (2002)