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Stress Management

Stress Management. Balancing Mind and Body to Reduce Your Stress . Nelson Binggeli, PhD Georgia Tech Counseling Center. Welcome!. v2.0. Overview of today’s workshop. An understanding of how stress is a “mind-body phenomenon”

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Stress Management

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  1. Stress Management Balancing Mind and Body to Reduce Your Stress Nelson Binggeli, PhD Georgia Tech Counseling Center Welcome! v2.0

  2. Overview of today’s workshop • An understanding of how stress is a “mind-body phenomenon” • An introduction to “mind-body” techniques that are helpful in dealing with stress. • Application to: • Improving concentration while studying & on exams • An alternative to avoidance strategies -- • Also: Info about the Counseling Center

  3. How can you tell if you are stressed? • What are the physical symptoms you experience? • What are the emotional and mental symptoms? • What effect does it have on your behavior? • Physical symptoms • ↑ heart rate • ↑ breathing rate • ↑ muscle tension • Temperature changes • - sweating • - cold hands & feet • upset digestion • headaches Mental / emotional anxiety irritability restlessness ↓ concentration Behavioral avoidance social withdrawal conflict sleeping problems

  4. Stress is a mind-body phenomenon • What is the purpose of these physical symptoms? • The stress response, or “fight or flight” • Mind: We perceive a threat or danger. • Body: Preparing us to cope with the danger. • Sympathetic nervous system: Adrenaline • Hormonal system: Cortisol

  5. The stress response: What is it good for? • It’s great if we actually have to fight or flee a physical danger. • What are the most common stressors we experience? • Social, emotional, and chronic stressors • ↑ heart rate; ↑ breathing rate; ↑ muscle tension • restlessness; ↓ concentration; irritability; avoidance; ↓ sleep

  6. The effects of the stress response • Short-term effects • ↑ heart rate; ↑ breathing rate; ↑ muscle tension • Not harmful if infrequent and body has time to recover • Repeated, unnecessary activation • Adrenaline & muscle tension → exhaustion, irritability, ↓ sleep • Slowed digestion → gastrointestinal disturbances • Blood flow changes → colder hands and feet • Long-term chronic activation • Depression and anxiety disorders • Suppressed immune system • Increased incidence of heart disease

  7. What is stress management? • Anything that either … • prevents the unnecessary activation of the stress response • or, slows it down and turns it off • A wide variety of life management skills • communication and conflict resolution • time management • balancing work & play • sleep, diet, exercise • The importance of our thoughts and interpretations • overestimating the probability of danger • exaggerating the severity of consequences • underestimating our own abilities; unrealistic expectations

  8. Mind-body approaches to stress management • Skills that use the mind-body connection to directly counteract the stress response: • elicit the “relaxation response,” turn stress response off • over time, decrease one’s physical reactivity to stress • Diaphragmatic breathing • Meditation, yoga, tai chi • Progressive muscle relaxation • Application to: • Improving concentration while studying & on exams • An alternative to avoidance strategies • As with learning any skill, proficiency requires practice.

  9. Diaphragmatic breathing with a simple meditation • Relaxed breathing vs stressed breathing • chest breathing: often shallow, rapid, irregular; associated with hyperventilation and anxiety • abdominal breathing: deep, slow, and even; elicits relaxation • Meditation • uncritically attempting to focus your attention on one thing at a time. • may involve repeating a word or a phrase, gazing at a fixed object such as a candle flame, or simply attending to the rising and falling of the breath. • let go of thoughts about the past or the future, and simply focus on being in the here and now.

  10. Breathing and meditation instructions • Step 1. Relax the body – scan for tension, let it go • Step 2. Fully exhale. On next inhalation, allow lungs to expand gradually and take the air all the way down to the bottom of your lungs. Belly expands. • Step 3. As you exhale, think of the air as oozing and escaping, rather than being suddenly blown out. • Step 4. Breathing rate: ~10 breaths per minute (~ 3 seconds on inhalation & exhalation). Breathing is smooth & relaxed. • Step 5. Meditation - count every time you breathe in, and say the word “relax” on each exhale. Focus only on your breathing and the words. Let go of other thoughts.

  11. Progressive muscle relaxation • Systematically tensing and releasing different muscle groups • Learning to distinguish between sensations of tension and deep relaxation. • Increases body awareness and reduces muscle tension. • It is virtually impossible to have a tense mind in a relaxed body. • Each muscle group is tensed for 5-7 seconds and relaxed for 20-30 seconds. • Repeat at least once for each group

  12. PMR, slide 1: Hands and forearms • Clench your right fist, tighter and tighter. Keep it clenched for 5-7 seconds, and notice the tension in your fist, hand and forearm. • Now relax for 20-30 seconds. Feel the looseness in your right hand, and notice the contrast with the tension. • Allow the muscles to continue to relax • Give yourself silent verbal instructions: “Let go.” • Repeating each exercise

  13. PMR, slide 2: Hands, forearms, biceps, upper torso • Suggestions: • Breathe in when tensing, and breath out when relaxing • When releasing tension, do it all at once • Curl both of your fists, tightening your forearms, and bend your elbows and tense your biceps (this is like a “body builder” pose). • Tense the muscles hard as you can for 5-7 seconds, and observe the feeling of tautness. • Now relax, and let the relaxation develop for 20-30 seconds and feel the difference. • Silent verbal instructions: “Let go.” Mental imagery.

  14. PMR, slide 3: Forehead and scalp • (For abbreviated procedure, do B and skip A) • (A) Wrinkle your forehead by raising your eyebrows. Hold for 5-7 seconds. • Relax and imagine your entire forehead and scalp becoming smooth and at rest (for 20-30 seconds). • (B) Frown, and notice the strain spreading throughout your forehead (5-7 seconds). • Let go, and allow your brow to become smooth again (20-30 seconds).

  15. PMR, slide 4: Eyes and face / Jaws • (For abbreviated procedure, skip this slide). • Eyes and face: Close your eyes, squint them tighter, and wrinkle up the muscles of your face (5-7 seconds). • Relax, leave your eyes closed, and let the tension drain from your face (20-30 seconds). • Jaws: Clench your jaw, and bite hard, noticing the tension (5-7 seconds). • Relax your jaw, and slightly part your lips. Notice that your forehead, scalp, eyes, jaw, tongue, and lips are all relaxed (20-30 seconds).

  16. PMR, slide 5: Neck • Take care in tensing your neck. • Press your head back as far as it will comfortably go and observe the tension in your neck. • Roll it to the right and feel the changing locus of the stress, roll it to the left. • Straighten your head and bring it forward, press your chin against your chest. Feel the tension in the back of your throat, the back of your neck. • Relax, allowing your head to return to a comfortable position. Let the relaxation deepen (20-30 seconds).

  17. PMR, slide 6: Shoulders • Shrug your shoulders. Keep the tension as you hunch your head down between your shoulders (5-7 seconds). • Relax, and drop your shoulders and feel the relaxation spreading through your neck, throat, and shoulders (20-30 seconds).

  18. PMR, slide 7: Breathing • Give your entire body a chance to relax. Feel the comfort and heaviness. • Now, breathe in and fill your lungs completely. Hold your breath (for 5-7 seconds), and notice the tension. • Exhale, and let your chest become loose, let the air hiss out. • Continue relaxing, letting the breath come freely and gently (20-30 seconds). • Repeat this several times, noticing the tension draining from your body as you exhale.

  19. PMR, slide 8: Stomach • Tighten your stomach and hold (5-7 seconds). Note the tension. • Relax (20-30 seconds). • Now place your hand on your stomach, pushing your hand up as you inhale. Hold the breath (5-7 seconds). • Relax and exhale (20-30 seconds). Feel the contrast of relaxation as the air rushes out.

  20. PMR, slide 9: Lower back / Thighs • (For abbreviated procedure, skip lower back, and do thighs) • Lower back: Now arch your back without straining. Keep the rest of your body as relaxed as possible. Focus on the tension in your lower back (5-7 seconds). • Now relax, deeper and deeper (20-30 seconds). • Thighs: Tighten your thighs. Flex your thighs by pressing your heels down as hard as you can (5-7 seconds). • Relax and feel the difference (20-30 seconds).

  21. PMR, slide 10: Calves / Shins • Calves: Make your calves tense by pointing your feet and toes downward. Study the tension (5-7 seconds). • Relax (20-30 seconds). • Shins: Create tension in your shins by pointing your toes upward towards your face (5-7 seconds). • Relax (20-30 seconds).

  22. PMR, slide 11: Full body relaxation and awareness • Feel the heaviness throughout your lower body as the relaxation deepens. • Relax your feet, ankles, calves, shins, knees, thighs, and buttocks. • Now let the relaxation spread to your stomach, lower back, and chest. Let go more and more. • Experience the relaxation deepening in your shoulders, arms, and hands. Deeper and deeper. • Notice the feeling of looseness and relaxation in your neck, jaws, and all your facial muscles.

  23. Where to go from here • Continued practice • Additional resources • The relaxation & stress reduction workbook • Feeling good handbook • Mind over mood • Counseling Center programs • Stress Management workshop series • Stress Management group, and Feeling Better • Campus Recreation Center programs

  24. Georgia Tech Counseling Centerwww.counseling.gatech.edu • ●Located on the 2nd floor of the Student Services Building (The Flag Building) • ● Free and confidential individual consultation and counseling for enrolled GT students for a range of concerns including: stress, academic concerns, depression, anxiety, relationships, identity, adjusting to Tech, adjusting to the US, career, and family issues. • ● Group counseling • ● Couples counseling • ● Workshops and consultation for student organizations Phone: (404) 894-2575 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

  25. About the counseling center & counseling • The services we offer • When to consider using our services • When you’re struggling with a problem that is significantly affecting your functioning, and are having difficulties dealing with it. • Attitudes about help seeking: • Maladaptive: Only for people who are crazy or weak; shameful • Adaptive: An opportunity for personal growth; a normal thing to do • Referring a friend

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