Stress Management for Busy Professionals: Techniques you can use

Stress Management for Busy
Professionals:
Techniques you can use
Lynne I. Wagner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Medical Social Sciences
Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine
Outline of Presentation
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Definition of stress
Ways stress can affect you
Identifying triggers
Stress management strategies
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Identifying and altering stress-exacerbating cognitions
Stress hardiness
Active coping strategies
Time management
Relaxation techniques
WHAT IS STRESS?
• Stress is your mind and body’s response or
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reaction to a real or imagined threat,
event or change.
The threat, event or change are commonly
called stressors
• Internal: thoughts, beliefs, attitudes
• External: loss, tragedy, change, job demands
NEGATIVE STRESS
Distress or negative stress occurs when
your level of stress is either too high or
too low and your body and/or mind begin
to respond negatively to the stressors.
Perception of Stress: LOW
DEMANDS
RESOURCES
Perception of Stress: HIGH
RESOURCES
DEMANDS
STAGES OF STRESS
1. Alarm Stage
2. Resistance Stage
3. Exhaustion Stage
STAGES OF STRESS:
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion
Cardiac: Increased
heart rate
Respiratory:
decreased
temperature
Hormonal: increased
stimulation of adrenal
glands
Fatigue
Muscle tension
Sleep difficulties
Anxiety
Tearfulness
Agitation
Feeling overwhelmed
Depression
Digestive disorders
Hypertension
Bruxism
Weight gain or loss
Hair loss
Endocrine disorders
Is All Stress Bad?
• Moderate levels of stress may actually
improve performance and efficiency
• Too little stress may result in boredom
• Too much stress may cause an
unproductive anxiety level
EUSTRESS
Eustress or positive stress occurs when
your level of stress is high enough to
motivate you to move into action to get
things accomplished.
Optimal Level of Stress
Yerkes-Dodson law of arousal and performance
Identifying Stressors
Situations, activities, and
relationships that cause ‘trauma’ to
one’s physical, emotional, or
psychological self
Stressors
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School
Work
Family
Relationships
Legal
Finances
Health/illness
Environment
Living Situation
Work-Related Stressors: NURAP
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Deadline-driven work environment
Time pressures, last minute time demands
Stress level consistently high and chronic
Conflicts in reporting structure, competing
demands
Unpredictable and inconsistent work flow
Job security
Level of responsibility
Long hours
Lack of control over work quality of colleagues
Burnout
Physical
- Weight gain/loss
- Unexpected hair loss
- Heart palpitations
- High blood pressure
- Headaches
- GI problems
- Sleep difficulties
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Bruxism
Emotional
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mental exhaustion
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Apathy
- Anhedonia
- Hopelessness
- Helplessness
- Low self-esteem
Identifying Triggers: When
there’s smoke, there’s fire
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Identify signs of stress
Trace your steps to
identify source
Use emotions as clues
Anxiety = Threat
Anger = Injustice
Sadness = Loss
Learn your strengths
and vulnerabilities
Identifying and
understanding triggers
is half the battle
STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
"You can't always influence
what others may say or do to
you but you can influence how
you react and respond to it."
Author Unknown (seemingly smart)
Technique: Cognitive Reframing
STRESSOR
Deadline
COGNITION
OUTCOME
I’ll never finish in time
Anxious
Overwhelmed
Frustrated
Helpless
X
I’ll lose my job
No one else can help
I’ll get it done, I always
do
Deadline
Can anyone help?
I will deal with
consequences IF I
miss the deadline
X
Inspired
Challenged
Hopeful
Productive
Resourceful
Technique: Cognitive Reframing
STRESSOR
Last minute
request
COGNITION
They always come to me
at the last minute
X
No one respects my job
This was intentional
Maybe they don’t realize
how it affects me
Last minute
request
Maybe it was out of their
control
I can rise to this
challenge
OUTCOME
Angry
Anxious
Overwhelmed
Frustrated
Helpless
X
Empathic
Problem-focused
Hopeful
Productive
Stress Hardy Personality
• Research has identified a subgroup of people who
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are more resistant to stress and better able to
cope than others
Psychologists have identified personality traits that
are stress protective
– Commitment
– Control
– Challenge
Executives with these traits had 50% decreased
risk of stress-related health problems
– Susan Kobasa, Ph.D.
Active Coping Model
STRESSOR:
WORK DEADLINE
Uncontrollable
• Deadline
• Colleague’s behavior
• Nature of the work
Emotion-focused
strategies
Examples:
• Cultivate compassion
• Express negative
emotions
• Seek support
• Search for meaning
Controllable
• Manage cognitions
• Break down project into smaller
tasks
• Develop realistic timeline and
goals for accomplishing tasks
• Prioritize competing demands
• Enlist help of others
• Bolster resources by engaging
in health-promoting activities
Problem-solving
strategies
Stronger, Faster, Smarter
Exercise does more than build muscles
and help prevent heart disease. New
science shows that it also boosts
brainpower—and may offer hope in the
battle against Alzheimer's.
Newsweek
March 26, 2007 issue
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17662246/site/newsweek/
Photo illustration by Fredrik Broden for Newsweek
By Mary Carmichael
Exercise Is a State of Mind
Researchers are learning more about
how physical activity affects our
moods. Is sweat the hot new
antidepressant?
Newsweek
March 26, 2007 issuehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17662247/site/newsweek/
Donald Miralle / Getty Images for Newsweek
Physical Therapy: Research suggests that exercise can
affect the moods and even relieve depression
By Michael Craig Miller, M.D.
Avoid Maladaptive or Passive
Coping Strategies
• Maladapative coping strategies provide
temporary relief from stressor however do not
solve the source of stress
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Excessive alcohol consumption
Nicotine use
Use of illicit drugs
Overuse of prescription medication
Over-eating
• Passive coping strategies
– Excessive sleeping
– Social withdrawal
– Too much time playing Guitar Hero
Boost Resources:
Time Management
RESOURCES
DEMANDS
Time Management
• Use realistic thinking strategies to address
concerns about what could happen if you
do not complete everything on time
• Let go of unnecessary tasks and limit
number of tasks you attempt to complete
at one time
• Use Daily Activity Form to assess activities
completed, planned and desired
Managing Your Anxiety and Worry, Craske & Barlow, 2006
Time Management
1. Delegating responsibility
2. Saying “no”
3. Stick to an agenda
4. Avoid perfectionism
Managing Your Anxiety and Worry, Craske & Barlow, 2006
Everyone has Good and Bad
Times
• Find your creative/thinking time and
most productive times. Schedule most
demanding tasks during this time.
• Find your dead time. Schedule
meetings, phone calls, and mundane
stuff during it.
Professor Randy Pausch
Interruptions
• 6-9 minutes, 4-5 minute recovery – five
interruptions shoots an hour
• You must reduce frequency and length of
interruptions (turn phone calls into email)
• Blurting: save-ups
• E-mail noise on new mail is an
interruption -> TURN IT OFF!!
Professor Randy Pausch
Cutting Things Short
• “I’m in the middle of something now…”
• Start with “I only have 5 minutes” – you
can always extend this
• Stand up, stroll to the door, complement,
thank, shake hands
• Clock-watching; on wall behind them
Professor Randy Pausch
Time Journals
• It’s amazing what you learn!
• Monitor yourself in 15 minute
increments for between 3 days and
two weeks.
• Update every ½ hour: not at end of
day
Professor Randy Pausch
Other Helpful tips
• Changing perceptions and expectations
• Break jobs/tasks into manageable parts
• Set reasonable/realistic goals
• Avoid procrastination
• Set boundaries
• Don’t compromise your values/beliefs
• Schedule “me” time
TIME MANAGEMENT
Avoid the fallacy that you will
have more time in the future
than you have now:
Make Self-Care a Priority!
Diaphragmatic Breathing and
Relaxation Practice
• Diaphragmatic breathing
– Triggers the parasympathetic branch of the
autonomic nervous system
– Practice daily for 5 minutes
– Employ breathing technique in response to
stress
• Relaxation exercises
– Guided imagery
– Progressive muscle relaxation
Relax
• Our brain fires electrical waves at 14 or more
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cycles a second.
These are beta waves and are great for getting
tasks done, but not for learning new things.
Taking a few minutes to relax deeply slows your
brain waves down.
These slower waves are alpha waves.
They occur at between 7 and 14 cycles a second
Studies show alpha waves improve learning.
----”OnCourse” by Skip Downing
Strategies for Mind and Body
Relaxation
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Guided imagery
• Progressive muscle relaxation
I’M IN CONTROL - DISTRESS RELIEF STRATEGIES
Feeling good about yourself can be an effective buffer against stress. Eliminate unnecessary worries.
Most worries are either passed on to us by another or conjured up in our imagination.
GET PHYSICAL
1. Relax neck and shoulders
2. Take a stretch
3. Get a massage
4. Exercise
GET MENTAL
5. Count to 10
6. Control your thoughts
7. Fantasize
8. Congratulate yourself
9. Ignore the problem if appropriate, after evaluation
10. Perform self maintenance
11. Talk to a counselor
GET SPIRITUAL
12. Meditate
13. Pray
14. Remember your purpose
USE YOUR BODY AND MIND TOGETHER
15. Take a break
16. Try progressive relaxation
17. Try yoga
18. Try aroma therapy
19. Laugh
DEVELOP NEW SKILLS
20. Prioritize daily tasks
21. Learn something
22. Practice a hobby
Importance of Engaging in
Pleasant Events
• Adult Pleasant Events Schedule
Seven Habits
From “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the
Character Ethic” by Stephen R. Covey, Simon and Schuster,
1989
SHARPEN THE SAW
This is the habit of self-renewal, which has four
elements. The first is mental, which includes
reading, visualizing, planning and writing. The
second is spiritual, which means value
clarification and commitment, study and
meditation. Third is social/emotional, which
stress management includes service, empathy,
synergy and intrinsic security. Finally, the
physical includes exercise, nutrition and stress
management.
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RESOURCES
• Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook
(Davis, McKay, & Eshelman)
• Mastery of Your Anxiety and Worry, Mastery
of Your Anxiety and Panic (Craske & Barlow)
• Little Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On
(Reinecke)
• Mind over Mood (Greenberg & Padesky)
• www.healthjourneys.com
• http://stresscourse.tripod.com
• www.clevelandclinic.org/health/
RESOURCES
• Employee Assistance Program
– Perspectives, 800-456-6327
• Group-based Stress Management
programs
• National Association of Cognitive
Behavioral Therapists
– www.nacbt.org
Stress Management for Busy
Professionals:
Techniques you can use
Lynne I. Wagner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Medical Social Sciences
Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine