Day 1 - Stress Management

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This pack is designed to support learners by offering techniques and tips for stress management.

Stress Management

Day 1 - Stress Management

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Introduction to Stress Management

For students reading this, I’m sure academic pressure causes a large part of your daily stress. But feeling stressed is not limited to education; we all experience stress in different ways and have different reactions.

There is one thing we all have in common: most of the time how we respond to stress is primal (an instinct we are born with).

Throughout the booklet we will be focusing on:- Signs of Stress- Causes of Stress- Identifying your Triggers- Tips to Manage

Stress Management is all about navigating the stress in your life in a healthy way. We can’t promise that stressors will go away completely, but this guide will hopefully help you develop ways to manage and minimise stress.

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Without this 3-step process which causes us to feel stress, our ancestors wouldn’t have survived! Because this process was so successful in human survival – the human brain has kept it the same.

This means you will naturally react to a cue before you’ve given it a conscious though.

The Science of Stress

Let’s give you an example:

The film JAWS. The audiences were (and still are) terrified by a shark they hardly see. Why?

1. Sense – Music

2. Feeling – Tension

3. Think – Danger

The music cue triggers a reaction before you’ve thought about the outcome. The unknown is scarier than the shark.

The human brain processes energy and behaviour in a specific way:

SENSE THINKFEELING

Life is a lot like that – what we can’t see or control is much more stressful than what we can. Many of us feel too rushed or exhausted to deal with the stresses in our lives.

Usually we:

- Blame it on someone/something else

- Bury our head in the sand and hope it goes away

- Justify not doing anything because so many have it worse

But WAIT! All of those reactions are unhelpful but understandable and only internalise your energy. This causes us to become unwell and unhappy. Remember: Stress is a primal response – it requires action.

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Activity 1How do you react to stress? Fill in physical and psychological signs of stress!

Signs of Stress We all experience stress in different ways and have different reactions. Some reactions are physical – someone could look at you and know you’re stressed e.g shaking. But, some reactions are psychological – they are internal and personal e.g feeling angry.

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Activity 2

I get stressed when...

I’m under pressure

I face a challenge

things change

I have responsibility

I have no control

Example

Fill in the table with examples

Causes of StressCommon Causes:

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TriggersBy working through the Signs and Causes activities, you’ve identified some of your stress triggers!

Identifying triggers is key to managing your stress. It is really important to recognise how you feel or patterns of behaviour.

Becoming more self-aware helps your overall wellbeing – when things feel out of control, you can always focus on what you can control - YOU.

Triggers of Stress

You choose how to treat yourself,

so be kind!

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Activity 3

I work best..

I work best..

I work best..

Creating control in your environment can help manage your stress. Tick your preference:

Being Self AwareSelf-Awareness:

AM

Alone

When quiet

PM

Together

When around sound

Just knowing what environment you feel comfortable in is a brilliant start!

Your preferences will change so it is really important to listen to yourself each day and decide what is best.

Reflect on what time, space and surrounding will relax you before you begin your day and take time to create your space. This will help reduce triggers as you have took control of your daily focus!

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Managing Stress

Tips to Manage

These days it’s hard not to get overwhelmed! Between juggling workload, responsibilities and other commitments, you can become too stressed out and busy.

There’s no instant fix – sorry! Learning how to manage your stress takes practice, and it’s a little like brushing your teeth: do it more than once a day, and you’ll benefit in the long run – dental care is expensive in adulthood!

Remember: stress is a primal response – it requires action. You control what choices you make so choose to help yourself!

Your physical health and mental health are entwined, you have to love and look after them

You need to set time aside to

unwind or your mental and

physical health can suffer.

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Managing StressTips to Manage

TimeYou’re not going to like this but hear me out, you’re too available. Managing your ‘digital connections’ will for sure help manage your stress.

Yes, I am talking about your phone. Disconnecting your phone/laptop/anything else you can communicate via will (I swear) help you relax. Start with the first 30 minutes of your day phone free. Don’t check your messages, emails, texts, updates, nothing.

Wake up gradually, drink water, eat breakfast, check in with yourself before anyone else.

(More on Time Management in Day 2)

BodyBelieve it or not, physical activity bumps up your brain’s feel-good chemicals. Regular, moderate exercise is proven to improve your mood, self-confidence, relaxation levels and your sleep.

All the good stuff!Being mindful of how you fuel and use your body - regular meals and lots of water will keep you feeling well.

(More on Physical Wellbeing in Day 3!)

MindModern life is so busy, and sometimes we just need to slow down and chill out.

It’s important to consciously take time for downtime to give your mind time off from everything.

(More on Mental Wellbeing in Day 4!)

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Activity 4

Time

What can I do to look after my:

Body

Mind

How can I destress?

Managing StressSelf-Awareness:

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As with all new skills, developing stress management techniques will

take practice – don’t expect to be a pro straight away!

We hope the techniques covered in this resource will help you on the way to becoming a de-

stressing expert, ready for the next steps in your life, whatever they may be.

Remember, this is a skill for life. It will be useful in the short term for your exams and deadlines, but stress management is important in all aspects in life and will be needed in Higher Education, jobs

and your social life.

So, keep practicing and developing this skill to make it one of your strengths!

Evaluation

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