The document discusses stress management and effective strategies. It summarizes research showing that how we think about stress significantly impacts our health. One study found over 20,000 annual premature deaths resulted from believing stress is harmful. However, viewing stress as helpful rather than harmful was found to produce healthier physiological responses. Additional studies demonstrated that caring for others builds resilience to stress, and focusing on time management, self-care, exercise and connecting with others can help reduce stress. The document advocates changing one's mindset about stress and using evidence-based strategies to manage it effectively.

1. Stress Management
Is “Stress” really the enemy?
Today we’re going to change your mind about
stress

2.  What is stress?
 How stress affects our body
 Simple tips to reduce stress
 Strategies for time management
AGENDA

3.  In typical stress response,
your heart rate goes up,
and your blood vessels
constrict.
 This is why chronic stress
is sometimes attributed to
cardio vascular disease.
 It’s not helpful to be in this
state all the time.
STRESS

4. STRESS SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
• Memory problems
• Inability to concentrate
• Poor judgment
• Seeing only the negative
• Anxious or racing thoughts
• Constant worrying
• Moodiness
• Irritability or short temper
• Agitation, inability to relax
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Sense of loneliness and isolation
• Depression or general unhappiness
• Aches and pains
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea, dizziness
• Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
• Loss of sex drive
• Frequent colds
• Eating more or less
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating or neglecting
responsibilities
• Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to
relax
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting,
pacing)
COGNITIVE LEVEL EMOTIONAL LEVEL
PHYSICAL LEVEL
BEHAVIORAL LEVEL

5. .
 Tracked 30,000 people for 8 years
 Asked, “How much stress have you
experienced in the last year & do you
believe that it is harmful for your health?”
Study #1

6.  People who experienced a lot of stress in the previous
year had a 43% increase risk of dying.
 Only true for the people who felt that stress was
harmful to your health.
 People that experienced a lot of stress but didn’t view
them as harmful were no more likely to die.
 In fact, they had the lowest risk of dying than anyone in
the study including those that had relatively low stress.
Results of Study #1

7. Researchers estimated that over the 8 years they
were tracking deaths, 182,000 Americans died
prematurely not from stress but from believing
that stress is bad for you.
That’s over 20,000 deaths
a year.

8.  If that estimate is
correct, that would
make the belief of
stress #18 in the cause
of deaths in the US.
 Killing more people
than HIV, AIDS,
homicide, lung
inflammation.

9.  Change your mind
about stress and you can
change your body’s
response to stress.
 Get excited about
meeting the challenge.
 That pounding heart is
just preparing you to
take action.
Can changing the way you think about
stress make you healthier?
Science says YES.

10. Study #2
AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
 Participants were taught to re-
think their stress response as
helpful for their performance.
 The pounding heart is
preparing you for action.
 If you’re breathing faster it
means your body is getting
more oxygen to your brain & your cells.

11.  When participants view their response as helpful their
heart was still pounding BUT their blood vessels stayed
relaxed, which is a much healthier cardio vascular
profile.
 It actually looks like what
happens in moments of joy
and courage.
 These participant were less
stressed out, less anxious and
more confident.
Results of Study #2

12.  How you think about stress matters.
 Don’t try to get rid of stress.
 Think of stress as a facilitator for growth and
productivity.
Say to yourself,
“This is my body helping me rise to this challenge.”
 When you view stress in that way your body
believes you and your stress response becomes
healthier.
New Science Revelation

13.  Tracked about 1000 Americans from age 34-93.
 They started the study by asking, “How much
stress have you experienced in the last year and
how much time have you spent helping out
friends, neighbors, people in the community?”
 Then they used public records for the next 5 years
to find out who died.
Study #3

14.  For every major stressful life experience like financial
difficulty or family crisis it increased the risk of dying
by 30%.
 But people who spent time caring for others showed
absolutely no stress related increase in dying.
 Caring creates resilience
to stress.
Results of Study #3

15. Visual – Notice 3 things you see
BREATHING
Auditory – Notice 3 things you hear
Kinesthetic- Notice 3 things you feel

16. Sleep is an essential stress buster.
Your body uses your sleep time to heal and
restore a better biochemical balance.
SLEEP

17. MOVE & EXERCISE
Exercise is the best stress reducer there is…
after deep breathing and getting enough sleep.
Take a brisk 15-minute
morning walk before
eating to help your
metabolism handle
those extra calories

18. Change your physiology and mental states
to get rid of stress. Interrupt your “Strategy”.
PATTERN INTERRUPT
Stand…and Visualize how
you want to look and feel
instead of all the things
you shouldn't be eating,
doing, or drinking.

19. CHUNKING UP
(Looking at the Big Picture)
1) “For what purpose …?”
2) “What is your intention…?”
3) “What is this an example of…?”
1. “What are examples of this?”
2. “What/whom specifically….?”
CHUNKING DOWN
(Creating a Plan)
Planning
for
time

21. “Time is continually
working against me. I
am at time’s mercy.”
“Time is a natural part of
life, I will develop
effective strategies to
manage it.”

22. “The way I use my time is
totally up to me.
Time is a gift.”
“Time is something
that I continually fight
against.”

23. 1) The average person gets 1 interruption every 8 minutes. The
average interruption takes 5 minutes, totaling about 4 hours of the
average workday.
1) Once interrupted, it takes workers 25 minutes to return to the
original task, if they return at all.
1) The cost of interruptions to the US economy is estimated at $588
billion a year.
2) The average American watches 28 hours of television per week.
3)By taking 1 hour per day for independent study, 7 hours per week,
365 hours in a year, one can learn at the rate of a full-time student.
In 3-5 years, the average person can become an expert in the topic
of their choice, by spending only one hour per day.
STATISTICS ON TIME

24. Make the
most of
small
POCKET
S OF
TIME
STRATEGY #1
• Keep a list of things you can do in less than 15 minutes
and have at hand the supplies or information you need
to accomplish at least some of these tasks.
“In 15-minutes of prepared, focused work, you can often get
more done than in one hour of unprepared, unfocused work. “
1) Reply to email
2) Make a phone call
3) Review materials
4) Confirm/cancel appointments
• 15 is about 1% of your average workday.
• Over the course of a week, you may find yourself with
anywhere from 10 to 20 extra 15-minute blocks of time.
“”Work mindfully and enjoy the satisfaction
that comes with getting things done.“

25. • Big A are things that
only you can do.
• Little A are things
other people could
do for you.
STRATEGY #2
Agenda
for your
life
Big “A”
Little “a”

26. Take
some
“Me”
Time
To
Take
Care of
“ME”
STRATEGY #3
• By taking at least an hour a week (if not once a day) to
do something that you absolutely LOVE, you will:
• Minimize stress
• Nurture your soul
• Keep your body in top condition
• Keep your mind clear & give you back your
perspective, flexibility & common sense.
• Make a regular practice to ground,
relax and center yourself daily
through:
• guided imagery
• yoga
• meditation
• relaxation
• deep breathing
• petting the cat
• listening to soothing music.

27. What is the most powerful word in our
Time Management vocabulary?
"I'm currently working on the
[______] report, [ ______] report
and the [______] report. How
would you like me to prioritize
this new project?" .
I’ll get back with
you in an
hour/tomorrow/
next week.
“NO”
"I'm all booked
until [insert date].
I can put this on
my list for then if
you like."
Let me
check my
calendar

28.  Choose to view your stress
response as helpful to create the
biology of courage & joy.
 Choose to connect with others
under stress to create resilience.
 Viewing stress in this way makes
a profound statement that you
can trust yourself to handle life’s
challenges & that you don’t have
to face it alone.
SUMMARY

29. Balance

30. Thank You!
For Taking The Time For Yourself To Understand
Stress Management
www.TheLifeOasis.com
info@thelifeoasis.com