Signature Talk: Stress Redefined
What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as a feeling of emotional or physical tension. Stress is the way your body reacts to a challenge or demand.
Is Stress Bad for You?
See How to Make Stress Your Friend by Kelly McGonigal, Ted Talk. Scientifically it depends on your beliefs.
Common Stress Reactions and How We Respond
Take assessment – What do you notice?
- Behavioral: change in activity levels, eating habits, and/or sleep patterns
- Physical: increased heart rate, blood pressure, headaches
- Emotional: anxiety, sadness, and feeling misunderstood or underappreciated
- Cognitive: memory problems, confusion, difficulty concentrating
- Social: withdrawing, difficulty listening, blaming others.
How to Get Ahead of the Responses
Give yourself the seven types of rest
- Physical: passive (sleep) or active (yoga)
- Mental: pace of your work and schedule
- Sensory: unplugging from technology
- Creative: getting outdoors for enjoyment
- Emotional: freely expressing your feelings
- Social: relationships that revive versus exhaust
- Spiritual: belonging, acceptance, purpose.
Your Next Steps
- How I want to respond to stress:
- Healthy coping mechanisms that I need to begin practicing in order to relieve stress:
- The two types of rest that will get me ahead of my common stress responses are ____________________________ and _____________________________.
- On a weekly basis, I will get these two types of rest by…