© 2007 Arizona State University ASU 101 Live Well @ ASU Stress Management Presenter Name, Ph.D....

© 2007 Arizona State University

ASU 101Live Well @ ASU

Stress Management

www.asu.edu/asu101

Presenter Name, Ph.D.Presenter Title Arizona State University

Last updated 08-21-07


Stress Management Module

▪ The purpose is to promote ASU students’ well-being and academic success.

▪ Through this module you will be able to: Describe what stress is. Recognize your own stress symptoms/responses. Identify some new ways to prevent overload and manage stress.

▪ This module is designed as an introduction - going through this brief presentation will not, by itself, prevent overload or manage stress for you.

▪ For the concepts in this course to be effective, you need to… Assess the role of stress for YOU in your life. Commit to addressing stress in your life. Practice the techniques presented in this module.


What is stress?

▪ Stress is a natural and manageable part of life.

▪ It is the way in which we react physically, mentally, and/or emotionally to various conditions, changes and demands of life.

▪ The stress we experience is rooted in the “fight or flight” response, during which our bodies undergo physical changes that prepare us to respond to an exciting or dangerous situation.

▪ Once the situation has passed or is under control, our stress response subsides, allowing us to relax.

▪ However, the constant demands of academic or personal life can prevent us from becoming fully relaxed, and can lead to stress overload.


Types of stress

▪ Stress can result from positive or negative situations.▪ Hans Selye discovered that the same arousal response

(stress response) can be evoked by either type of situation

▪ Distress – stress resulting from unpleasant events or conditions (from the Latin dis, meaning bad; such as displeasure)

▪E.g. Failing a test in a class

▪ Eustress – situations resulting from pleasant events or conditions (from the Latin eu, meaning good; such as euphoria)

▪E.g. Planning and preparing to go home for a holiday


• It is important to pay attention to how our bodies respond when presented with stressful situations

• When we are stressed, our bodies respond in specific ways.

▪ It is the physical response that your body has when it encounters stressors. A broader understanding of the stress response includes physical, cognitive (thinking), emotional (feeling), and behavioral (acting) responses to stress.

Stress response


Immediate physical response to stress: “Fight or Flight”

▪ The “immediate response” to a stressor is called the “fight or flight” response, your body gets ready to fight or flee a danger, or gets ready for action.


Immediate physical response to stress: “Fight or Flight”

▪ What do you notice going on in your body when something startles you?

▪ This is your stress response…


As depicted in the triangle: thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interrelated.

Thinking

Feeling Behaving

Thoughts, Feelings, Behaviors


Immediate emotional and/or psychological responses to stress

▪ What do you notice going on emotionally when you experience stress?

▪ How does this affect your thoughts?

▪ This is your stress response…


Feelings of Stress to Distress at ASUNCHA-American College Health Assessment (2006) (n=1206)

94.2% 91.1%

73.6%

57.5%

39.8%

17.1% 15.1%9.1%

1.1%

29.1% 30.0%

10.8% 8.7% 6.6%1.4% 0.1%0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Feelingoverw helmedby all they had

to do

Feelingexhausted(not fromphysicalactivity)

Feeling verysad

Feeling thingsw ere

hopeless

Feeling sodepressed itw as diff icultto function

Diagnosedw ith

depression

Depressionaffectedacademic

performance

Seriouslyconsideredattempting

suicide

Attemptedsuicide

Symptoms of Stress to Distress

Per

cen

tag

e o

f A

SU

stu

den

ts a

ffec

ted

1+ times in the past school year 11+ times in the past school year

Stress-----------------------------Distress


Feelings of Depression at ASUNCHA-American College Health Assessment (2006) (n=1206)

94.2% 91.1%

73.6%

57.5%

39.8%

17.1% 15.1%9.1%

1.1%

29.1% 30.0%

10.8% 8.7% 6.6%1.4% 0.1%0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Feelingoverw helmedby all they had

to do

Feelingexhausted(not fromphysicalactivity)

Feeling verysad

Feeling thingsw ere

hopeless

Feeling sodepressed itw as diff icultto function

Diagnosedw ith

depression

Depressionaffectedacademic

performance

Seriouslyconsideredattempting

suicide

Attemptedsuicide

Symptoms of Stress to Distress

Per

cen

tag

e o

f A

SU

stu

den

ts a

ffec

ted

1+ times in the past school year 11+ times in the past school year

Stress---------------------------------Distress


Relaxation response• Basically when your body is relaxed, it reverses the effects of the stress

response.

• Sleep is one of the body’s main relaxation mechanisms to bring the body back into homeostasis.

• Quality of sleep has an influence on the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social well-being of a person.

• Most adults require 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

• 27.6% of ASU students reported that they got enough sleep so that they felt rested when they woke up in the morning on 5-7 days of the last week.

• 40.5% woke up feeling rested on only 2 or fewer days of the last week; meaning that the rest of the week they did not feel rested

• 61.4% of ASU students reported experiencing sleep difficulties during the last school year

– Of these, 40.2% reported sleep difficulties impeded their academic performance


Stress Over Time

▪ Stress that is continuous or builds up over time and is not managed effectively can have serious consequences to your health and overall quality of life.


Potential physical responses to chronic stress▪ Chronic pain in neck and/or lower back▪ Change in appetite▪ Change in sleep pattern (e.g. insomnia or too much sleep)▪ Lowered immune system (e.g. frequent colds, flu)▪ Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)▪ Aches and pains

▪ Tension or migraine headaches

▪ Increased risk for certain diseases/conditions▪ Asthma▪ Hypertension▪ Ulcers▪ Coronary heart disease▪ Rheumatoid arthritis


Potential psychological and/or emotional responses to chronic stress

▪ Difficulty focusing and concentrating ▪ Mood changes▪ Anxiety▪ Panic attacks▪ Depression▪ Suicidal thoughts


How does stress affect you in college?

▪ 80.8% of ASU students reported experiencing stress within the last school year.

▪ Not all students reported that stress affected their academic performance negatively.

• But, stress related behaviors and conditions, such as sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression are cited by ASU students as factors that most impede academic performance.


How does stress affect you in college?▪ ASU survey results are consistent with National data where

32% of American college students reported that within the last school year stress was their top academic impediment

▪ ASU students ranked stress as one of the top health issues affecting academic performance (2006; 2004; 2002; 2000)

▪ 31.7% of ASU students reported that stress affected their academic performance▪ An increase from 27.2% in 2000

▪ 35.3% of ASU students reported that being overcommitted affected their academic performance▪ 34.8% of ASU students reported that being over

committed had a high effect on their stress levels


What Stresses College Students?Stressors▪ The things that make us stressed.▪ Stressors are the demands from the internal or external

environment that have the potential to produce stress.▪ Factors or events, real or imagined, that elicit a state

of stress

▪ Generally divided into 2 classes:

1. Discrete, major, stressful life events

2. Ongoing, everyday chronic stressors


Sources of Stress Among College Students▪ Many sources of stress for students fall under the headings:

▪ School▪ E.g. test anxiety, choosing a major, grades

▪ Time▪ E.g. not having enough time

▪ Money▪ E.g. jobs, paying tuition, rent, food

▪ Relationships ▪ E.g. roommates, significant others

▪ Additional sources may also include:▪ Leaving home

▪ E.g. homesickness▪ Balancing different roles

▪ E.g. work, home, friends, school


Activity – “Stressful Event Checklist”

What are your stressors?


How can stress be good for us?

Stress can be looked at on a continuum, from very low stress to very high stress. As with many things, the extremes are the unhealthy experiences.

Low stress High stress

Bored Burned out

Tired Irritable

Uninterested Overwhelmed

“Down” Exhausted


How can stress be good for us?

▪ Yerkes-Dodson Law – “Too little or too much stress is not helpful, but a moderate level of stress encourages peak performance.”

Too much stimulation (overload – high stress)

Moderate Stimulation (just right - balanced)

Too little stimulation (boredom – low stress)

Yerkes Dodson Law

Stress Level

Per

form

ance

Low High

High

Low


Activity – “Identify Your Stress Cues”

Stress affects many areas of our health and well being. We have already discussed the effects of stress on the body. Stress also impacts the mind and spirit.

The following activity is designed to help you identify your stress cues. How do you know you are under stress? Are you managing stress well, or can you identify areas you would like to improve?

How do you respond to stress?

What are your cues to action?


Stress management techniques

• These stress symptoms can cue you in to the fact that you are stressed or handling stress well.

• Knowing how you react to stress can help you find the appropriate stress management technique more quickly.


Now that you understand stress and its causes better, we want to provide you specific ways to apply this understanding.


Mindfulness

Becoming more “mindful” of how you think is important so that you can help your thinking to be more positive.

Staying “mindful” or “in the moment” helps to lessen your worries.

Most of what people worry about never happens.

GOAL: TO WORRY LESS AND STAY IN THE PRESENT MOMENT.


“Belief at the beginning of anything is the one thing that will ensure success.” William James

“What the mind can see and believe, it can achieve!”


Dreams & Goals

Do you dream about your life after you graduate?

What do you need to do to accomplish your goals?

For you to succeed, you have to first picture in your mind what you would like to be or do and keep that picture in mind as you work toward your goals.

What do I want to be?


Goals & plans to achieve your dreams

Before you start on a cross-country trip, you need to plan and map out the route that you would take to get from Arizona to New York City.

In the same way, you need to plan for how you will reach your dreams and goals.


Activity – “Steps to Creating A Goal”

1. Write down a dream for yourself that you would like to accomplish in the next one or two years.

2. Write down weekly goals and tasks that would help you to achieve that dream.

“Inch by inch, it’s a cinch. Yard by yard it’s hard!”


Developing habits to help you reach your goals


Habit

An action done routinely without thought. Habits take time to develop and time to break. The earlier they are made, the more likely you’ll

keep them as you grow older. It is easier not to start a bad habit, than to stop it

once it is started.


Your choices become your habits

• What choices could you make to contribute to, or reduce your stress?

• What habits are these choices helping you develop?

• How will that likely affect your stress levels over time?


Barriers to developing productive habits

Misperceptions about peer behavior Poor time management The media Poor self-esteem Unmanaged stress and anxiety Lack of information Unhealthy food that is readily available


Steps to Change an Unproductive Habit (or any positive change you want to make)

1. Recognize that change is needed. 2. Learn about how to accomplish the desired

change.3. Make a decision and commit to the change

process. 4. Recognize that change is difficult.5. Set your goal and write it down.6. Believe that you can do it because anything is

possible when you believe!7. Take action with small incremental steps.8. Keep your eyes on the goal.


Problem Solving

The Four Step Process of problem solving:

1. Identify the problem.

2. Determine the cause(s).

3. Decide on the best solutions with their pros and cons.

4. Select the best solution.


Top 10 Thinking Errors

1. All or nothing thinking

2. Overgeneralization

3. Mental filter or “negative colored glasses”

4. Discounting the positives

5. Jumping to conclusions

6. Magnification or minimization

7. Emotional reasoning

8. “Should” statements

9. Labeling

10. Personalization and blame


Activity – “Correcting Negative Thought Processes”

• Use this exercise the next time you are engaging in negative self talk.


Managing stress

▪ Prioritize, take charge, be flexible Develop your skills Manage your time Use healthy coping strategies Regulate your emotions Implement a relaxation practice


Managing stress – Prioritize, take charge, be flexible

Prioritize Take charge Be flexible

School Major Program of study Change major

Money How to finance school?

Work, get roommate,

financial aid

Take fewer hours per semester,

work more, borrow

Time management

School, work, & family

Schedule around school, studies

Leave a buffer between

scheduled events

Relationships What do you value in a

relationship?

Set boundaries based on your

values

Be open to changing your

mind…


Managing stress – Develop your skills

▪ Communication skills

▪ Reading and writing skills – seek assistance as needed at the writing center

▪ Study skills – find a study partner or group

▪ Organization skills

▪ Test taking strategies


Managing stress – Manage your time

▪ Use a day planner and write out your schedule of classes, activities, work.

▪ Prioritize responsibilities.

▪ Make lists of things to do – use sticky notes.

▪ Find a convenient job you enjoy doing (student employment on campus).

▪ Don’t over commit yourself.


Managing stress – Use healthy coping strategies

▪ When you deal with stressors in ways that will help you to decrease stress without harming yourself or other people.


Managing stress – Regulate your emotions

Regulating emotions is a positive way to gain control over stress and emotions, such as anger or anxiety.

Emotions, such as anger, anxiety, joy, fear, and jealousy are not bad.

Emotions are normal.

It’s important to recognize and get in touch with these emotions when you feel them. It’s the BEHAVIORS that follow the emotions that can have positive or negative consequences.


Managing stress – Implement a relaxation practice

Abdominal breathing Progressive muscle relaxation Mental imagery Yoga Meditation Biofeedback Cognitive self-talk



Relaxation Techniques

Abdominal breathing Breath in; Think “I am calm.” Breath out: Think “I’m blowing stress out.”

Progressive muscle relaxation Isolate each part of the body, tighten and slowly

relax Stay “mindful”; Stay “in the moment”


Mental Imagery

Mental imagery is a healthy way to cope that involves imagining that you are in one of your most favorite places or doing one of your favorite things.



Activity - Mental Imagery

Close your eyes and picture the following:

Imagine that you are on a beach; the sunshine is glowing on your face, your body feels nice and warm; the sound of the ocean waves is soothing; and you can feel the cool, grainy sand under your feet.


Activity - Mental Imagery

Close your eyes and picture the following:

Imagine that you are in the park sitting under a tree during the fall season. The breeze is cool across your face; you are listening to one of your favorite songs, and you can hear the birds singing.


Activity – Mental Imagery

How did you feel? Were your thinking about anything else while

you were doing the imagery exercise? When your mind is on something pleasant

such as these types of images, there is no room for worry or stress to come into your mind.

Imagery takes practice like the other skills, but by practicing this skill on a regular basis, you will learn the skill of relaxing.


Managing stress - SummaryPreventing or managing stress will vary from

individual to individual – need to find what works for you!

Steps1. Identify your stress responses2. Identify your stressors3. Find the methods that are effective for you to

manage your stress Prioritize, take charge, be flexible, develop your

skills, manage your time, use healthy coping strategies, regulate your emotions, implement a relaxation practice

4. Practice those methods


Helping a Friend who is STRESSED!!!!

Pay attention, be mindful about your friends’ behaviors

Are they becoming overwhelmed by stress? Are they showing symptoms of stress overload?

What can you do?

Initiate a compassionate conversation…


Campus resources available for support Tempe Campus

▪ Advocacy ▪ Student Advocacy and Assistance Office

▪ www.asu.edu/vp/advocacy/

▪ Counseling ▪ Counseling and Consultation

▪ www.asu.edu/counseling ▪ Counselor Training Center

▪ www.coe.asu.edu/ctc ▪ Clinical Psychology Center

▪ www.asu.edu/clas/psych/cpc

▪ Judicial ▪ Student Judicial Affairs

▪ www.asu.edu/studentlife/judicial


▪ Medical▪ Campus Health Service

▪ www.asu.edu/health

▪ Police▪ ASU Police

▪ www.asu.edu/dps ▪ ASU Police Crime Prevention Office

▪ www.asu.edu/dps/police/prevent.htm

▪ Recreation ▪ Campus Recreation

▪ www.asu.edu/src

▪ Wellness & Health Promotion▪ Wellness and Health Promotion Department

▪ ww.asu.edu/wellness▪ www.asu.edu/wellness/livingwell.html

Campus resources available for support Tempe Campus


Campus resources available for support West Campus

▪ Advocacy & Judicial Affairs▪ Student Advocacy and Judicial Affairs Office

▪ http://www.west.asu.edu/advocacy/

▪ Medical & Counseling▪ Student Health Services & Counseling Center

▪ http://www.west.asu/sa/studenthealth

▪ Student Life ▪ Office of Student Life

▪ http://www.west.asu.edu/studentlife/

▪ Recreation ▪ Diablo Performance & Recreation Center

▪ http://www.west.asu.edu/fitness/index.cfm


Campus resources available for support Polytechnic Campus

Counseling Student Counseling Services

http://www.poly.asu.edu/students/counseling Medical

Student Health Center http://www.poly.asu.edu/students/health/

Recreation Campus Recreation

http://www.poly.asu.edu/reccenter/index.htm


Campus resources available for support Downtown Campus

Advocacy Student Advocacy

http://www.asu.edu/downtownphoenix/student-campus-development/StudentAdvocacy.htm

Medical & Counseling ASU Health Center at the Downtown Phoenix campus

http://www.nursing.asu.edu/anc/asuhc

Recreation Downtown Phoenix Campus Recreation Center at the YMCA

http://www.asu.edu/downtownphoenix/downtown-student-life/student-recreation.html


References

American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment: Reference Group Executive Summary Spring 2006. Baltimore: American College health Association; 2006. (n=94,806)

American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment at Arizona State University, Spring 2006. (n=1206)

American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment at Arizona State University, Trend Report. Spring, 2004 (n=738); Spring, 2002 (n=1070); Spring, 2000 (n=1149).

Hahn, D.B., Payne, W.A. & Mauer, E.B. (2005). Focus on health (7th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Romas, J.A. & Sharma, M. (2000). Practical stress management: A comprehensive workbook for managing and change and promoting health (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.


References

Beck, A. (2005). The current state of cognitive therapy: A 40 year retrospective. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 953-959.

Reinecke, M. (2005). Vulnerability to depression among adolescents: Implications for cognitive-behavioral treatment. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 12, 166-176.

Reinecke, M., Ryan, N., & Dubois, D. (1998). Cognitive-behavioral therapy of depression and depressive symptoms during adolescence: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 26-34.

Robinson, M., & Alloy, L. (2003). Negative cognitive styles and stress-reactive rumination interact to predict depression: A prospective study. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27(3), 275-291.

© 2007 Arizona State University ASU 101 Live Well @ ASU Stress Management Presenter Name, Ph.D....

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