Stress Management

1. Stress
Management
Presented by
Dr.Harim Mohsin

2. What Is Stress
 Stress is the body’s automatic response to any
physical or mental demand placed on it.
 Stress is the “wear and tear” our minds and bodies
experience as we attempt to cope with our
continually changing environment
 Adrenaline is a chemical naturally produced in
our body as a response to stress resulting in Fight
or Flight response.

3. Stressors
 Situations, activities, and relationships
that cause ‘trauma’ to one’s physical,
emotional, or psychological self

4. TYPES OF STRESSORS
 External
 Internal

5. EXTERNAL STRESSORS
 Physical Environment (noise)
 Social Interaction (Aggression)
 Organisational Stress (Rules)
 Major Life Events (Marriage)
 Daily Hassles (Transport)

6. INTERNAL STRESSORS
 Lifestyle choices (Over-worked)
 Negative self – talk (pessimism)
 Mind traps (unrealistic thinking)
 Personality traits (perfectionists)

7. Stressors
 School
 Work
 Family
 Relationships
 Legal
 Finances
 Health/illness
 Environment
 Living Situation

8. TYPES OF STRESS
 Negative stress
 Positive stress

9. Types of Stress
 EUSTRESS
Stress resulting from pleasant events or conditions is called
eustress. Eustress can be defined as a pleasant or curative stress.
We can't always avoid stress, in fact, sometimes we don't want to.
Often, it is controlled stress that gives us our competitive edge in
performance related activities like athletics, giving a speech, or
acting.
 DISTRESS
Stress resulting from unpleasant events or conditions is called
distress.

10. Stress Types

11. Types of 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, or similar things.
 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.

12. SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
 Physical symptoms
 Mental symptoms
 Behavioural symptoms
 Emotional symptoms

13. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
 Sleep pattern changes
 Fatigue
 Digestion changes
 Loss of sexual drive
 Headaches
 Aches and pains
 Infections
 Indigestion
 Dizziness
 Fainting
 Sweating & trembling
 Tingling hands & feet
 Breathlessness
 Palpitations
 Missed heartbeats

14. MENTAL SYMPTOMS
 Lack of concentration
 Memory lapses
 Difficulty in making decisions
 Confusion
 Disorientation
 Panic attacks

15. BEHAVIOURAL SYMPTOMS
 Appetite changes - too much or too little
 Eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia
 Increased intake of alcohol & other drugs
 Increased smoking
 Restlessness
 Fidgeting
 Nail biting
 Hypochondria

16. STRESS RELATED ILLNESSES
Stress is not the same as ill-health, but has been related to
such illnesses as;
 Cardiovascular disease
 Immune system disease
 Asthma
 Diabetes
 Digestive disorders
 Ulcers
 Skin complaints - psoriasis
 Headaches and migraines
 Pre-menstrual syndrome
 Depression

17. Stress Management plan

18. RECOGNISE THE PROBLEM
The most important point is to recognise the source
of the negative stress.
This is not an admission of weakness or inability to
cope! It is a way to identify the problem and plan
measures to overcome it.

19. STRESS CONTROL
A B C STRATEGY

20. ABC STRATEGY
A = AWARENESS
What causes you stress?
How do you react?

21. ABC STRATEGY
B = BALANCE
There is a fine line between positive / negative stress
How much can you cope with before it becomes
negative ?

22. Change your Thinking
 Re-framing
 Positive thinking

23. Improving lives-Reducing stress
 Change perceptions and expectations
 Get Organized
 Be Assertive
 Time Management
 Break tasks into manageable parts
 Set realistic goals
 Avoid procrastination & plan better
 Ventilation- emotional release
 Distraction & diversion
 Lifestyle & diet changes (smoking, salt, sleep,
exercise)

24. Alternatives
 Conventional
Medicine
 Counselling &
psychotherapy
 Relaxation
 Meditation
 Massage
 Yoga
 Acupuncture
 Aromatherapy
 Floatation
 Herbalism
 Biofeedback
 Homeopathy
 Hypnotherapy
 Osteopathy
 Religious Therapy
 Reflexology

25. 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

26. The Key Word Is….
Balance