Lesson 14 - Stress Management
Stress Management
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NOTES:
Remember: Stress is just your body's reaction to the state in which you are. There are two types of stresses ... EUSTRESS and DISTRESS. Eustress is the positive stress and distress is the negative stress. (Read attached article.)
Characteristics of eustress: motivates, energizes, short-term, within our coping abilities, brings excitement, and improves performance
Characteristics of distress: causes anxiety or concern, can be short- or long-term, outside our coping abilities, feels unpleasant, decreases performance, and can lead to mental and physical problems
Quotes:
- "A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well." - Unknown
- "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford
- "Don't believe every worried thought you have. Worried thoughts are notoriously inaccurate." - Renee Jain
- "Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagined." - A.A. Milne
Questions for Discussion and/or Journaling:
- What does stress mean to you?
- What comes to mind when you think of stress?
- How does stress make you feel? How do you know when you're stressed?
- What kinds of things stress you out? What do you do to relieve your stress?
- Consider the positive side of stress and recall three occasions when the stress you were under actually helped you. Think of a situation when stress has given you more: energy / concentration / creativity / positive attitude / enthusiasm / motivation / determination.
- What are some things we can do to take care of ourselves when stress has gotten us down?
- What are some ways to calm ourselves down after our stress response (fight-flight-freeze) has been activated?
- What things can we do to cope with stressors that can't be prevented or avoided (like writing an exam, going to the dentist, getting sick, etc)?
- Think of times / places / situations where using problem-solving might reduce your stress.
- Think of some ways to make stress work in your favor.