Stress Less Workshop

University of Southampton Counselling Service

INCREASED PERSONAL AWARENESS

TO MAKE MORE INFORMED CHOICES

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Aims

• To gain more understanding of stress and responses to stress

• To gain increased personal awareness regarding individual symptoms of stress

• To identify techniques for managing stress

• To gain experiential understanding of relaxation techniques

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Stress

Stress is a normal response to challenge or threat. The term "fight or flight" describes a mechanism in the body that enables humans and animals to mobilize a lot of energy rapidly in order to cope with threats to survival.

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Fight or Flight

Some Automatic responses include:

• The autonomic nervous system automatically puts body on alert.

• The adrenal cortex automatically releases stress hormones.

• Heartbeat and breathing automatically become more rapid

• Muscles become more oxygenated

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Freeze

The “freeze” response is triggered eitherbecause the experience feels overwhelmingor because it is an adaptive response to acontinuing threat.

Either way, the body is on the alert and muscles remain frozen in a tensed statepoised for action

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Neurology

The amygdala (the part of the brain that initiates the automatic part of the fight or flight response) can be triggered directly bysensory information from the thalamus which has bypassed the neocortex (the “thinking brain”) as a result of past experience

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Symptoms of High Stress Levels

• Cognitive – thinking errors, negative thinking, catastrophising

• Emotional – fear, anxiety, boredom, frustration

• Physical – headaches, sleeplessness, increased heart rate, nausea

• Behavioural – avoidance, procrastination, over eating, drinking, gaming, over working

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Personal Stress Profile

For later: Identify personal profile of stress symptoms

Physical

Cognitive

Behavioural

Emotional

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Personal Stress BarometerStart with Level 1: Best place possible, relaxed and stimulated

Next, Level 5: Worst place, panic, illness, feeling totally overwhelmed

Next, Level 2: Just one step away from first level, signs just beginning to show

Next, Level 4: Just one step away from hitting the wall, serious warning signs

Next, Level 3: Between 2 and 4, the most important level to bring awareness to as it is particularly at this point where you can take action to move up the scale or spiral downwards

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Destressing Techniques• Cognitive – challenging negative

thoughts, reality checking• Physical – sleep, eating well, relaxation,

exercise, rest• Behavioural – pacing and time

management, using destressing techniques

• Emotional – expressing feelings, using emotional support from others

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s theory consisted of two parts

(1) The classification of human needs, and(2) Consideration of how the classes are related to each other

The classes of needs were summarised by Maslow in a hierarchical structure (see separate handout)                                                                                                                                                     

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Personal Plan

• The Importance of Reflection

• Self awareness: – knowing your stressors – knowing your symptoms– knowing what destressing techniques work for

you

• Setting do-able objectives

• Forgiving yourself, having compassion

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