THE ANSWER TO STRESS – LEARNING HOW TO RELAX AND FIND BALANCE

1. THE ANSWER TO STRESS – LEARNING HOW TO RELAX AND FIND BALANCE Presenter: Jackie Collins Robinson Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Psychology Florida A & M University May 19, 2012

2. Overview Objectives: Participants will - learn about stress and its impact. - assess the level of balance in their lives - learn about strategies to de-stress and improve balance - develop a plan for a more balanced life --------------------------------------------- TOPICAL OUTLINE • Stress and its Relatives/Offspring • The Assessment • The Strategies • The Plan

3. What is Stress? • Stress is what we experience when we meet a stressor. • What are stressors? Anything that challenges us – • Examples? • How we evaluate a situation determines if we will view it as stressful or not.

4. A certain amount of tension in our lives is normal • Different Types of Stress • Eustress = good stress • Distress = bad stress • On a Continuum

5. Effects of Stress on a Continuum

6. The Relatives • Most frequent conditions: • Depression • Anxiety

7. The Offspring • High Blood Pressure • Heart Disease • Stomach problems (irritable bowel, reflux disease) • Headaches (tension headaches, migraines • Poor Immune system leads to many other conditions such cancer, lupus, even the common cold

8. IS STRESS PHYSICAL?YES!FIGHT/FLIGHT REACTION (Can happen over 100 times a day)

9. So Why Should We Bother To Do Something About Stress? • The Relatives • The Offspring • African Americans experience more stress than White Americans according to research • Stress decreases your quality of life and shortens your life span

10. On an everyday basis being “too busy”/stressed causes- • Mistakes • Accidents • forgetfulness • Irritability (more likely to snap at others and be unpleasant) • Focus/concentration problems • Take longer doing things

11. THE ASSESSMENT

12. How Do You Spend Your Time? Think about a typical week for you. Draw lines to indicate how you spend your time. Divide the circle into work, caring for others, household duties, community involvement, mental, physical, spiritual maintenance, etc.

13. Does Your Life Circle Reflect Balance? • Remember that just as your car requires maintenance, you require maintenance as well. • Balance in your life helps you maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit.

14. How Do You Spend Your Time? Maintaining mental health (de-stressing, reading uplifting material, meditating, listening to relaxing music, etc.) Maintaining physical health (eating well, exercising, stretching, etc.) Maintaining spiritual health (attending church, church related meetings, Sunday School, Bible study, etc.

15. THE STRATEGIESFORBALANCE IN YOUR LIFE

16. THINK RITUALS • We have many rituals • Eating • Prayer • Watching TV (special programs) • What is your Calming Rituals?

17. Morning Calming • Stretching and Deep Breathing Before Rising • Meditation and prayer/Attitude of Gratitude • Eye Relaxation

18. Mid-Morning/Midday Calming • Two minute break • Turn off phones; breath and relax for 2 minutes • Avoid computer eye strain with mid-morning walks outside (at least 2-5 minutes) • Take a Nature Break (Good substitute for coffee break/cigarette break)

19. Afternoon Relaxation • Turn on Pandora (www.pandora.com) and type in “relaxing music” – use as background or for a break • Take a mid-afternoon break with your favorite magazine (let your imagination take you away to far away places)

20. 3 minute body focus: while seated close eyes; put both feed flat on floor; pull shoulders toward ears (breath in) and drop shoulders (breath out); do this three times then continue with focused deep breathing • For tension and irritability • Practice mindfulness • Focus on here and now (not out there in the future, what you will do next hour, later in day, etc.)

21. Evening Calming • Meditation/Prayer/Bible Reading Session • Do something fun (walk in the park, window shopping [looking without a “mission”]) • Walk your dog • Give yourself a few minutes of alone time – pull back from the world and interaction

22. Ask someone to rub your shoulders • Get a professional massage • Listen to relaxing CDs, Pandora, etc. • Do deep breathing

23. Healthy Thoughts • Our thoughts affect our mental health • The power of positive self-talk and positive thinking • Research shows that optimists are healthier than pessimist. Optimists: • Don’t get ill as much • Recover quicker from illness

24. Scriptural Support for Optimism • Joel Osteen on positive thinking • “You can speak victory over your life - success into your life or chaos and catastrophe” • “God has already blessed us – so bless your own future by speaking about how you want it to be” • Proverbs 4: 20 – 23 “…words can be health for the whole body” • Proverbs 18:21 “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones”

25. Mental stimulation is healthy • Choose reading material that is engaging (choose from many of the faith-based books) • Read funny and even challenging material • Older Americans will maintain mental functioning (memory, reasoning, etc.) better if they are mentally active; do word search and other mental games

26. Don’t Sign for a Box of Rattlesnakes • Dr. Don Colbert’s book on “Stress Less” • Whether intentional or unintentional, when someone offends you don’t let it linger • Rumination is not good for the soul!

27. Healthy Spirit • Research supports having a rich spiritual life • Less prone to depression/stress • Handle negative events better • Healthier • What to do- • Maintain strong ties to a community of believers • Maintain/Develop spiritual rituals • Read the Bible regularly • Pray/talk with a prayer partner • Focus attention on discipleship (in other words focus on the spiritual development of others and your spiritual life will be enriched)

28. Practice Forgiveness • Matthew 6:14 • “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” • How do you do this? • meditate on forgiveness (read scripture pertaining to forgiveness) • Speak forgiveness • View forgiveness as an act of faith that God will take care of hurt feelings, right the wrong done to you, etc.

29. Healthy BodyEat Well – Sleep Well • Eat balanced meals – • lots of fruits and vegetables • The stress coping nutrient • Foods rich in vitamin “B” (vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains) • Think “B” vitamins for stress relief • Averaging fewer than 6 hours of sleep per night places your health at risk

30. Can physical activity help? • Absolutely!! • Exercise turns down levels of stress hormones • Research shows that physical activity : • Reduces risk of stress related diseases such as heart problems, high blood pressure, etc. • Lowers weight which is also related to poor health • Reduces depression, anxiety • People report “I feel better” (improves psychological well-being)

31. Dr. Toni Yancey (UCLA School of Public Health) recommends 30 minutes of physical activity each day • Good news! 10 minutes 3 X per day is as good as one 30 minute workout (based on some studies) Decide what you can do for 10 minutes: Walk, run, climb stairs, dance, etc. (always make sure your physician is ok with your exercise program)

32. Social Support • The single most important intervention for maintaining mental and physical health

33. THE PLAN

34. MENTAL-PHYSICAL-SPIRITUAL BALANCE IS THE KEY I can improve my mental/physical/spiritual maintenance and counteract daily stress by doing the following: 1. 2. 3. At the end of each week I will do a balance assessment. How did I do? How can I improve?

35. Recommended Resources • Don Colbert, M.D., “Stressless”, publisher, Siloam A Strange Company, 2008, ISBN: 978-1-59979-313-9 • Sheree Crute, “Health & Healing for African Americans”, publisher, Bantem Books, 1998, ISBN: 0-553-57699-2 • Audiotape: Kelly Howell, “Deep Stress Relief” (a relaxation audiotape), ISBN: 1-881451-51-8 • Zeer, D., “Everyday Calm”, 2003, ISBN0-8118-3757-2

36. THANK YOU ! QUESTIONS?