The document discusses techniques for managing stress and nervousness. It begins by defining stress and nervousness, and describes the different types of stress. It then discusses the physical, behavioral, and emotional symptoms of stress. Various causes of stress are outlined, including life events, daily hassles, jobs, and personality types. The document provides many techniques for managing stress, such as time management, exercise, relaxation, spirituality, and seeking social support. It concludes by discussing how stress management relates to Islamic teachings like patience, prayer, gratitude, and having faith in Allah.

1. Overcoming and Managing Nervousness and
Techniques for Managing Stress
BY
DR.SHAZIA ZAMIR
(RESOURCE PERSON)
INDIGENOUS ON CAMPUS TRAINING
NUML

2. Overcoming and Managing Nervousness
and techniques for Managing Stress
 What we’ll cover
◦ What is nervousness/stress?
◦ What causes nervousness/stress?
◦ Techniques to reduce stress
◦ Techniques for dealing with stress in Islam

3. What is Nervousness/Stress?
 Constant worry, anxiety, pressure, strain,
wear and tear on the body, feeling excited
and worried, or slightly afraid.
Stress: is the reaction of the body and mind to everyday
challenges and demands or the way that you react physically,
mentally and emotionally to various conditions, changes and
demands in your life. Stress can have healthy or unhealthy
effects on our lives. For example, when we know we have a
big test coming up, it can give us the motivation to study. But
if we become too stressed about the test, it can prevent us from
focusing.
Stressor: is anything that causes stress like war, over
crowding, deadlines , marital conflict etc

4. Types of Nervousness/Stress
Acute stress:
Acute stress is usually for short time
and may be due to work pressure, meeting
deadlines pressure or minor accident, over exertion, increased
physical activity, searching something but you misplaced it.
Symptoms of this type of tension are headaches, back pain,
stomach problems, rapid heartbeat, muscle/body pain,
Chronic Stress:
Chronic stress is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks,
months, or even years. This stress is due to poverty, broken
or stressed families and marriages, chronic illness and
successive failures in life. People suffering from this type of
stress get used to it and may even not realize that they are
under chronic stress. It is very harmful to their health.

5. Stress Can Be Helpful or Harmful
Eustress (Helpful) : Eu- meaning “good” or “pleasant”,
eustress is good stress. The pleasurable stress that
accompanies positive events and provides energy to
meet physical challenges, solve problems and reach
goals, motivates, focuses energy, feels exciting,
improves performance.eg getting into college, getting
engaged, winning the lottery, engaging in an athletic
competition etc

6. Stress Can Be Helpful or Harmful
 Distress (Harmful) The unpleasant stress that
accompanies negative events and can lead to
mental and physical problem like headaches,
backaches, loss of appetite, fatigue, digestive
problems, depression, difficulty focusing thoughts
and impaired memory, causes anxiety, can be
short- or long-term, perceived as outside of our
coping abilities, feels unpleasant, decrease
performance. e.g Troubled relationships , Death ,
fear of exam etc

7. Workload, Stress, and Performance

8. What causes stress?
There are different categories of stressors:
• Biological Stressor: illnesses, injuries, lack of sleep etc.
• Environmental Stressor: poverty, noise, and pollution,
noise, injury,, drug use etc
• Cognitive Stressor: the way you handle a situation.
• Personal Behavior Stressor: negative reactions caused
by tobacco or other drugs or by lack of physical activity etc.
• Life Situation Stressor: death, divorce, situations with
peers, getting a drivers license, graduation, birth, illness, etc
•Daily Hassles: time pressures, responsibilities,
conflicts etc

9. Causes and Consequences of Stress

10. What Stresses You the Most?
10
And
How Stressed Are You?
( An Activity)

11. Our Body’s Reaction to Stress
 ALARM REACTION
Alarm is the first stage in the stress response.
This is when the body and mind go on high
alert. (Flight or Fight Response). E.g.
Muscles tense, heart beats faster, the breathing and perspiration
increases , the stomach may clench etc.
 RESISTANCE OR ADAPTATION
During this stage, your body adjusts to the
rush created by alarm and reacts to the
stressor. This is the stage in which you
to “fight” or take “flight.” E.g. Fatigue,
Concentration lapses, Irritability and lethargy.

12. Our Body’s Reaction to Stress
EXHAUSTION
 The Third stage of the stress response, a tired feeling
takes over that lowers your level of activity. Both the
mind and the body become exhausted eg decreased
stress tolerance ,progressive mental and physical
exhaustion and illness etc

14. 14
Physical Symptoms of Stress
 Allergies
 Change in appetite
 Back pain
 Chest pain
 Breathlessness
 Clammy hands
 Dizziness
 Fatigue
 Nightmares
 Racing heartbeat
 Muscle tension
 Restlessness
 Rashes
 Sleeping
problems
 Stomach aches
 High/low blood
pressure
 -----------------------

15. 15
Behavioral Symptoms of Stress
 Neglecting
appearance
 Arguing
 Avoiding tasks and
responsibilities
 Difficulty
concentrating
 Being late to work
 Overeating
 Snapping at people
 Increasing use of
alcohol or other
drugs
 Crying easily
 Watching more TV
 Withdrawing from
family and friends
 --------------------------
-

16. 16
Emotional Symptoms of Stress
 Anger
 Anxiety
 Denial of a problem
 Depression
 Difficulty making
decisions
 Loneliness
 Nervousness
 Feeling powerless
 Feeling unhappy for
no reason
 Being easily upset
 Worrying frequently
 Feeling trapped
 -------------------

17. EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF STRESS
 Tired but can't sleep
 Need more sleep
 Sudden weight loss
 Sudden weight gain
 Low blood pressure
 High blood pressure
 Lack of coordination
 Repeated influenza
 Repeated colds
 Muscle aches
 Excessive fatigue
 More impatient
 Hair loss
 Chest pain
 Ulcers
Gastric disturbance
Withdraw from social life
Low/high blood sugar
Speech difficulties
Headaches
Infertility
Nail biting/Grinding teeth
Forgetfulness
Nervous talking
Lower back pain
Loss of appetite
Increased appetite
High cholesterol
_______________

18. Exercise: Self-assessment
◦ Take the stress assessment
◦ Use the results of this assessment to pinpoint specific
causes of stress in your life. What (if any) control do
you have over these areas of your life?
◦ Make a list of things that you can do to lessen your
stress.

19. Jobs and Stress
Causes of job stress:
Environmental (noise, overcrowding,
open plan offices, for child care facilities etc)
Contractual (low pay, shift work, excessive overtime, job
insecurity)
Job designed (boring work, too much/little work, lack of job
control , role ambiguity)
Relationships (poor relations with colleagues, lack of
communication, impersonal treatment)
Loss of self-esteem and a lack of control are two very
common themes.

20. 20
An Activity
Events do not cause stress. Stress is
caused by our beliefs about the events.
Do you agree?

21. Good personal habits are essential for
stress management
 Eat right – balanced, nutritious diet, with something
from all 5 food groups. Minimize sugar, fats, caffeine
and alcohol.
 Exercise regularly – 30 minutes or more of moderate
physical activity 3-5 days a week. An active mind
benefits from an active body.
 Get enough sleep – 6-9 hours per night.
 Take time to relax.
21

22. Stress and Personality
 How we deal with stress is due in large part to our
personalities, yet regardless of personality, we each
exhibit many inner resources to use in the face of stress.•
New behaviors can be learned and adopted to aid in this
coping process.

23. Personality and stress
 The relatively stable and distinctive patterns of behavior that
characterizes an individual and his or her reactions to the environment.
 The Myer Briggs Type and Stress
• Identifies an individual’s personality preferences.
• Is based on an individual’s four preferences (or inclinations) for
certain ways of thinking and behaving:
• Extrovert (external focus, energy from people)
Introvert (internal focus)
• Sensing (rely on senses, practical, deal with facts)
Intuitive (dreamers, deal with ideas)
• Thinking (logical, analytical, think through decisions)
Feeling (emotional, decisions based on values)
• Judging (organization and order, work ahead of schedule)
Perceiving (spontaneous, work best at the last minute)

24. Scoring the Briggs-Myers
See in class!

25. Stress Management
 Stress management refers to the wide spectrum of
techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a
person's levels of stress, especially chronic stress, usually
for the purpose of improving everyday functioning.
 Stress management comprises a wide range of approaches
to help you better deal with stress and difficulty.

26. Stress Management
1.Stress Relief Strategies
body relaxation exercises
• breathing techniques
• guided imagery
2. Physical exercise
• yoga
• work out routine
3. Meditation
4. Counseling
• talk therapy
• life coaching
Changing perceptions and
expectations
 Break jobs/tasks into
manageable parts
 Set reasonable/realistic
goals
 Avoid
procrastination(delay)
 Set boundaries
 Don’t compromise your
values/beliefs
 Schedule “me” time

27. 27
NO!!!

28. 28
YES!!!

29. Exercise: Reflect on a stressful situation
 A brief description of a recent situation that
caused you stress. Summarize your mental,
emotional and physical states at the time.

30. Stress Management Techniques
Set Priorities. Manage your time instead of letting it manage
you. Use a to-do list, follow a written plan, set goals and
follow through. Do the most important things first.
Avoid procrastination, a major cause of stress.
Make a realistic list of things you need to do each day.
Take a break
Sometimes it is better to get away from the situation for a
short time.Recognize symptoms of stress and take
action e.g take a brisk walk, focus on pleasant
thoughts. Then, go back to the task feeling
refreshed and ready to tackle whatever it is you have to do.

31. Stress Management Techniques
 Work on/Change your attitude
Identify the causes of stress and avoid blaming others
Put things into perspective. Do not take yourself too
seriously. Chances are there, this is only one small part of the
rest of your life
 Think positive. “If you think you will fail, or think you
will succeed, you are probably right.”
 Get help. See your instructor, go to tutoring, and
participate in study groups.
 Keep in touch with friends and family, and develop a
support group.
 Physical activities Eat right, exercise regularly and get
plenty of rest and water , take proper sleep.

32. Stress Management Techniques
 Practice, practice, practice
Build your confidence: practice test-taking at home, rehearse
your speech a couple of times before the presentation etc
 Just Relax
Take responsibility for your feelings. When you
Get angry, take a break and cool down before
you act.
 Use it
A little stress is good . Use it to increase your performance.
 Go on a diet
Maintain an ideal weight and healthy diet

33. Stress Management Techniques
 Join the crowd
Even though you may think you are the
only person in the world who is experiencing stress, the fact is
that everyone experiences it sometime.
Draw boundary
“People take advantage of you only with your permission”
Control negative thoughts
One negative thought
leads to another………..
then another………..
then another …..
Pretty soon you have ruined your entire life

34. Stress Management Techniques
• Believe in your self
 Self contracting
 Reminders
 Self monitoring
 Cold turkey(the actions of giving up a habit abruptly rather than
gradually)
 Diaphragmatic breathing
 Problem focused coping (targets the causes of stress in practical
ways which tackles the stressful situation that is causing stress)
 Emotion focused coping (to reduce the negative emotional
responses associated with stress such as embarrassment, fear,
anxiety, depression, excitement and frustration).
 Spiritual coping
 Systematic desensitization
 Occupational therapy/Behavior therapy etc

35. Spirituality
 Mosque etc
 Help others
 Spend quiet time every day
 Be thankful and count blessings of Allah
 Think positively
 Put your faith to work!
"I am at peace in the midst of chaos or madness.
No person, place or thing has the power to upset me.".
----------------------------------------

36. Time Management

37. Self Reflection(Activity)
Go back to the stressful incident that you described earlier in
this workshop.
List some strategies for dealing with the situation.
List some things you could have done to prevent it from
being stressful.
List some ways you can avoid a reoccurrence of
such a situation in the future.

38. Stress Relaxing technique
 It’s all in your head... and shoulders
Roll your head loosely in a wide circle. Repeat five times.
Tighten right shoulder and raise it as far up as possible and
hold, then relax slowly. Repeat with left shoulder. Repeat with
both shoulders.
 Breathe
Sit quietly, and breathe deeply and slowly. Continue for five
or six breaths.
 Visualize
Sit comfortably and think of a favorite
place. Imagine yourself in a successful
situation.

39. More Ideas…
 Smile Often
 Try a New Thing
 Weep
 Meditation/Thought
 Get counseling
 Take financial/legal/health/parental advice
 Encourage open dialogue with close one
 Understand human psychology
 Build a Support System – Friends, Family and Co-Workers
 Say “NO” occasionally
 Focus less on pleasing others and more on pleasing yourself
 Stay away from negative people
 --------------------------

40. Personal Stress First Aid Kit
 What would you put in yours?
 I have in mine…

41. Name Your Stressor and Enlist Stress
Management Techniques(Activity)
 Person
 Place
 Thing
 Combination

42. Stress Management and Islam
Allah Tawakkul is an intrinsic part of our life as a Muslim or
Muslima, and especially so during times of stress.
“Remember Me, and I shall remember you; be grateful to Me,
and deny Me not“(Quran 2:152).
“And your Lord says: ‘Call on Me; I will answer your
(prayer)…” (Quran 40:60)
“And despair not of Allah‟s mercy; surely none despair of
Allah‟s mercy except the unbelieving people”
(Yusuf: 87)

43. Stress Management and Islam
 Seek help through Sabr and Salat (Quran 2:45)
 "If you are grateful, I will give you more" (Quran 14:7).
 One Hadith stresses that if you think positive, the result
will be positive; and if you think negative, the result will be
negative. (Al-Bukhari)
 One Hadith quotes, “Moderate act is the best act”.
 “We have made your sleep as a thing for rest. And have
made the night as a covering (through
Its darkness), And have made the
day for livelihood.”
(Chapter Al-Naba, verse no.9, 10, 11)

44. Stress Management and Islam
 Anas said that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, was
faced with a serious difficulty, he would always supplicate,
“Ya Hayyu, ya Qayyumu, bi-rahmatika astaghithu (O the
Living, O the Eternal, I seek help in Your grace)."Source:
Tirmidhi
 Sa’d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon
him, said, “The supplication made by the Companion of the
Fish (Prophet Yunus) in the belly of the fish was, ‘La ilaha
illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin (there is no
god but You, You are far exalted and above all weaknesses,
and I was indeed the wrongdoer)’.

45. Stress Management and Islam
 Abu Hurairah also reports that Allah’s Messenger, peace be
upon him, said: “For every misfortune, illness, anxiety,
grief, or hurt that afflicts a Muslim-even the hurt caused by
the pricking of a thorn – Allah removes some of his sins.”
 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told of the Dua in one of His
hadith “If a person reads (this) when he is angry, then his
anger shall go away. اَعُوْذُُ بِاللُِ مِنَُ الشَّيْطَانُِ الرَّجِيُْمُِ
 “The Noble Prophet(PBUH) said, whoso ever recites this
dua before leaving his home, all his difficulties will go
away بِسْمُِ اللُِ تَوَكَّلْتُُ عَلىَُ اللُِ وَلَُ حَوْلَُ وَلَُ قُُوَّ اََُِلَُّ بِاللُِ ط
 Hazrat Abu Hurairah States – “I have heard from Rasool
Allah (PBUH) that there is cure for every disease in black
seeds except death.”

46. Foods of Qur’an!
Dates Olives
Pomegranates Honey
Figs Milk
Bananas Grapes
Ginger Mustard seed
lentil Cucumber etc

47. How Can We Manage Stress according to
Islam?
Live with an Attitude of Gratitude Be
Grateful for what you have.

48. Benefits of Stress Management
 Physical health gets better
-more energy and stamina
 Emotions stabilized
-positive attitude
-hopeful/happier
 Ability to focus improved
-able to learn and achieve
----------------------------------

49. The Key Word Is….
Balance

50. Class Activity
‘Early to bed; early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and
wise.’
How many of you follow this saying?

51. Questions?

52. Summary
 Stress is mental, emotional and
physical tension, strain, and/or distress
 The signs of stress are common. You
may get a headache, stiff neck, backache, become
irritable, lose your temper, and you may feel
exhausted and find it hard to concentrate.
 When these symptoms appear, recognize them as
signs of stress and find a way to deal with them.
Just knowing why you’re feeling the way that you
are may be the first step in
coping with the problem.

53. Apply what you’ve learned
 Think about a situation where you would
normally experience a high level of stress, (i.e.
taking a test, giving a presentation, etc).
 What coping strategies can you use to help you
deal with the situation?
 Can it be used to increase your performance?