1. Stress Management

2. Introduction
Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. In fact, the human body is designed
to experience stress and react to it. When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your
body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress.
Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert,
motivated and ready to avoid danger. For example, if you have an important test coming up, a
stress response might help your body work harder and stay awake longer. But stress becomes a
problem when stressors continue without relief or periods of relaxation.
Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological
strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or action.

3. Defining Stress
Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological
strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or action.

4. What happens to the body during stress?
The body’s autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate, breathing, vision changes and
more. Its built-in stress response, the “fight-or-flight response,” helps the body face stressful
situations.
When a person has long-term (chronic) stress, continued activation of the stress response causes
wear and tear on the body. Physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms develop.

5. •Physical symptoms of stress include:
•Aches and pains.
•Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
•Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
•Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
•High blood pressure.
•Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
•Stomach or digestive problems.
•Weak immune system.

6. How is stress diagnosed?
Stress is subjective — not measurable with tests. Only the person experiencing it can determine whether is it
present and how severe it feels. A healthcare provider may use questionnaires to understand your stress and how
it affects your life.
If you have chronic stress, your healthcare provider can evaluate symptoms that result from stress. For example,
high blood pressure can be diagnosed and treated.

7. INDICATORS OF STRESS
Emotional
Physical
Cognitive
Behavioral
Academic
Psychological

8. EMOTIONAL indicators of stress
Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody
Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control
Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind
Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed
Avoiding others

9. PHYSICAL indicators of stress
Marked changes in physical appearance
Excessive fatigue or sleep disturbance
Disoriented
Garbled, tangential, disconnected, or slurred speech
Behavior is out of context or bizarre
Delusions and paranoia
Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
Insomnia
Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ear,
cold or sweaty hands and feet

10. COGNITIVE indicators of stress
Constant worrying
Racing thoughts
Forgetfulness and disorganization
Inability to focus
Poor judgment
Being pessimistic

11. BEHAVIORAL indicators of stress
Drastic and unusual changes in appetite
Procrastinating and avoiding responsibilities
Increased use of alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes
Exhibiting more nervous behaviors, such as nail biting,
fidgeting, and pacing
sleep problems

12. ACADEMIC indicators of stress
Sudden decline in quality of work and grades
Consistence absenteeism
Disorganized performance
Multiple requests for extensions
Overly demanding of faculty’s or staff’s time and attention
Bizarre content in writings or presentations
You find yourself providing more personal than academic support

13. PSYCHOLOGICAL indicators of stress
Self-disclosure of personal distress
Unusual/disproportionate emotional response to events
Excessive tearfulness or panic reactions
Irritability or unusual apathy
Verbal abuse
Concern from peers
Feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or unfocused.
Anger/irritability or restlessness

14. STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
 Identify Stressors
 Create Boundaries
 Learn to Say “No”
 Manage Your Time

15. The Mind-Bus Technique

16. Imagine yourself as the driver of a bus and your
thoughts as just passengers riding along with you.
 Become mindful of your thinking
 Try to distance yourself from your thoughts
 Visualize how your bus looks and yourself as the driver
 Take each one of your negative thoughts and imagine them as passengers
 Visualize yourself taking control over your mind-bus
 Then visualize yourself stopping the mind-bus and letting the negative passengers get off
at their stops, one at a time
 Keep doing the exercise until all the negative passengers have left
 Defuse Negative Thoughts
 Imagine passengers getting on the bus who represent “positive thoughts”
[Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)]

17. Cognitive-Behavioral Coping Strategies
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
 Self-Monitoring
 Decision-Making Pros and Cons
 Cognitive Restructuring
 Diaphragmatic Breathing
 Progressive Muscle Relaxation
 Autogenic Training

18. WAYS TO MANAGE
STRESS
STRESS IS A PART OF BEING HUMAN,
AND IT CAN HELP MOTIVATE YOU TO
GET THINGS DONE. EVEN HIGH
STRESS FROM SERIOUS ILLNESS, JOB
LOSS, A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, OR A
PAINFUL LIFE EVENT CAN BE A
NATURAL PART OF LIFE. YOU MAY
FEEL DOWN OR ANXIOUS, AND
THAT’S NORMAL TOO FOR A WHILE.
THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN LEARN
TO MANAGE STRESS BEFORE IT GETS
TO BE TOO MUCH.

19. Exercise:
To start with, physical activity can help improve your sleep.And better
sleep means better stress management. People who exercise also tend to
feel less anxious and more positive about themselves. When your body
feels good, your mind often follows. Running , Swimming, Dancing
,Cycling ,Aerobics

20. Sleep
A common side effect of stress is that you may struggle to fall asleep. If
this happens three times a week for at least 3 months, you may have
insomnia, an inability to fall and stay asleep. Lack of sleep can also add
to your stress level and cause a cycle of stress and sleeplessness..
Diet
The benefits of eating health foods extend beyond your waistline to your
mental health. A healthy diet can lessen the effects of stress, build up
your immune system, level your mood, and lower your blood pressure.
Lots of added sugar and fat can have the opposite effect. And junk food
can seem even more appealing when you’re under a lot of stress.

21. Meditation.
It has been around for over 5,000 years for a reason.
Meditation works well for many people and has many
benefits. It can lower stress, anxiety, and chronic pain as well
as improve sleep, energy levels, and mood.
Connect with people.
Spend time with a friend or family member who will listen to
you. It is a natural way to calm you and lower your stress.
When you connect with people in person, your body releases
a hormone that stops your fight-or-flight response. You relax.

22. Inner voice.
Nothing affects your stress levels like the voice inside your head. The
good news is you are in control. You can exchange negative thoughts for
positive ones. There are more benefits to positive self-talk than reducing
stress

23. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing has many parallels with meditation. In
essence, it is a breathing exercise for stress relief. Any deep-
breathing exercise for stress involves breathing down into the
abdomen or stomach rather than the chest. By engaging the
diaphragm in the breathing process, the autonomic nervous
system, which regulates the involuntary functions of the body,
becomes activated. As a result, individuals may feel more
relaxed than if they breathed regularly.

24. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation involves targeting
a specific muscle group and intentionally
tensing and relaxing that group intermittently.
This procedure can lead to feelings of relaxation
and manage stress as it decreases anxiety,
relieves tension and improves sleep quality.

25. Autogenic Training
Autogenic training is a form of training whereby people
learn to use their minds to relax their bodies. For
instance, an individual can perform a set of mental
exercises that last approximately 15–20 minutes. Each
exercise lasts for about three minutes, with pauses in-
between. An example of a set of autogenic training
exercises includes the following:
Sit in a quiet place with closed eyes. Repeat the following
phrases four times each before moving onto the next
phrase. Pause after each phrase. Phrases can be thought
or spoken aloud and may include statements such as:
My right arm is heavy
My left arm is heavy
Both of my arms are heavy

26. CONCLUSION
Managing stress can help reduce the stress and make you feel more healthier . We
have to remember that we can not change the view of others but prepare
ourselves to prove our point . No one is prefect so do not underestimate yourself .
Always try to practice out for different relaxation techniques . Always think
positively and keep a positive attitude.