Transcript Stress Management for the Academic Professional

Stress Management for the
Academic Professional
Gerald Gurney, Ph.D.
Carmen Tebbe, Ph.D.
Carla Winters, ATC
How Stress Affects Your Body
• “Fight or flight”
response
• Physiological changes
– Acute vs. Chronic
• Changes to heart
– Deterioration of arteries
Physical Indicators of Mental
Stress
 Facial tautness
 Cold, clammy hands
 Muscle aches, stiffness, or tension  Facial tics: rapid eye blinking, etc.
 Profuse sweating or facial flushing  Tapping feet or drumming
fingers
 Headaches
 Sleep problems
 Dizziness
 Back pain
 Change in appetite
 Palpitations
 Fatigue
 GI symptoms: nausea, etc.
 Skin disorders: rashes, hives, acne
Mental Stress and the Development
of Heart Disease
Heart Rate
(> 50 – 100 bpm)
Blood Pressure
Damage to Arteries
Blood Pressure Chart
BP Category
Systolic (mm Hg)
Normal
Less than 120 and
Less than 80
120 – 139 or
80 – 89
Stage 1
140 – 159
90 - 99
Stage 2
160 + or
100 +
Pre-Hypertension
Diastolic (mm Hg)
High
American Heart Association Guidelines
Risk Factors for Disease
• Those you CAN control
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High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Cigarette smoking
Obesity
Diabetes/Insulin
resistance
– High stress environment
• Those you CAN’T control
– Age
– Gender
– Heredity
Lack of:
Exercise
Proper Nutrition
Sleep
Good Sense
WARNING SIGNS
AHA/ASA
Heart Attack – Chest pain/pressure; pain in one or both arms; pain
in the back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath; cold
sweat; nausea
Women: shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, back & jaw pain
Stroke – Sudden numbness/weakness of the face, arm or leg;
sudden confusion; trouble speaking; sudden trouble seeing;
sudden trouble walking; dizziness; loss of balance; sudden
severe headache with no known cause
TIA & Angina – Your body’s best helpers
The Sooner, The Better!
Quick Actions Save Lives
1.Call 9-1-1. Know if this is different for
campus emergency personnel.
2.Begin CPR.
3.Hook up AED.
4.Aspirin, if conscious.
Be prepared to be insistent. Saving time means saving lives.
“To be prepared is half the victory”
- Miguel De Cervantes
• Being resourceful
• CPR training
• AED (Automatic External Defibrillators)
• Location
• Training
• Purchased at discount
• Blood pressure cuffs
• Medical kit – Aspirin available
• Know your staff/co-workers
Personal Accommodations
Some feel-good tools to help around the office:
• Microwavable hot pack
• Thera Cane
• Scheduling “out” time
• Stretching
• Neck
• Chest
• Hands
In Summary. . .
 Get yearly physicals
 Be honest with your
physician
 Know your risk factors
& control those that
you can
 Create an awareness
of self
 Keep a close eye on
each other
We are no good to others if
we don’t care for ourselves….there is a
point of diminishing return
Stress
• Situation x Personality Characteristics = Perception of
Stress (Lazarus)
• Personality Characteristics (Shank, 1983)
– Perfectionism – high standards for self and others
– Lack of assertive interpersonal skills – difficulty saying
no or expressing negative feelings without feeling
guilty
– Being other-oriented – strong need to be liked and
often sensitive to criticism
• Situation
– Athletics is highly demanding
– Slow periods are non-existent
Fetsch’s (1992) Predicament – Problem Continuum
• Brainstorm your stressors
• Determine how much control you have over
these stressors
– Predicament – no control
– Problem – yes control
• Accept the predicaments
• Examine the problems
– What meaning have you attached to the problem
– Brainstorm ways to reframe the problem
– Determine available resources (personal, emotional,
financial, etc) for problems
Explore REAL Source of Stress
• Are you or coworkers resistant to change?
• Do you need to brush up on
leadership/management skills?
• Compare short-term discomfort with longterm satisfaction
• Do you feel appreciated?
Mindfulness
• Observe thoughts/emotions but allow to pass
without judgment
• Does not change the problem or predicament,
but does prohibit oneself from ruminating and
creating excessive anxiety, which ultimately
creates other stressors
• With practice, you can start accepting negative
emotions/thoughts as natural and inevitable
without allowing it to ruin the present moment
Stress Responses
• Psychologist Connie Lillas
– Foot on the gas – Angry, agitated, and keyed up
– Foot on the brake – Withdrawn, shut down, little
emotion or energy
– Foot on both – Tense, freeze, paralyzed from doing
any action
Know your weaknesses/tendencies when stressed
How to Help Others
• Recognize differences in stress responses in others
• Let people know how much you appreciate them and they will be
willing to do anything for you
• Validate their experience - don’t dismiss their complaints
– feel they can vent without being punished yet don’t create a negative
cycle
• Focus on solutions
• Be clear and realistic with your demands
• Validate others’ perception of stress even when you may not
understand
• Emotional Bank Account
• Attend to key relationships
– Mutual respect and understanding of each other’s perspective can
compensate for differences in goals/agendas
Skills
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Lessen expectations where appropriate
Prioritize your tasks
Set boundaries and don’t overcommit yourself
Control the controllables and be able to have
accurate discernment about what is under your
control
• Decide beforehand when you will leave the office
• Take a daily break from technology – you don’t
have to be accessible ALL the time
In terms of efficiency, it is difficult to maintain
solid focus for much more than 2 hours.
– Given the nature of Athletics, you are constantly
interrupted with students and emails that are
pressing and important, yet also distracting to the
work you may be doing.
• Set the first 2 hours of the day aside for focused
work….no emails, limited interaction with others,
etc.
OR
• Simply taking a break at the hour to answer all emails
may be more productive than immediately responding
and thus having to constantly redirect your attention.
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Symptoms of Stress
Sleep disturbances
Loss of self confidence
Fatigue
Apathy
Irritability
Emotional and motivational imbalance
Appetite disturbances
Anxiety
Sneakier Symptoms
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Loss of typically enjoyable activities
Substance abuse
Diminished interest in social relationships
Feeling less detached to the outcome
Less idealism or passion
Coping with Stress
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Adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition
Problem focused coping
Emotion focused coping
Time management skills
Time-outs and breaks are not luxuries, they are
necessities
• Improve time management skills
• Counseling and/or Journaling
• Use coping skills that reflect your stress response
– If overexcited, use relaxing techniques
– If underexcited, use energizing techniques
• Even small amounts of physical activity can help
Be proactive
• Create rituals that are stress relieving
– Go straight to the gym
– Spend time in your garden after work
– Listen to music on the way to work rather than the
news or your mental to-do list
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Use your senses
Movement – even small amounts will help
Touch
– Petting an animal
– Warm bath
– Hugs
– Massage
Smell
– Candles
– Flowers
– Lotion
– Fresh air
Taste
– Favorite food or beverage (in moderation if unhealthy)
Sound
– Music that is appropriate to your stress response
Sight –
– decorate your office with paint, pictures, and mementoes that make you feel good
– Visualization exercises
Exercise
Benefits: Control of risk factors
Obesity, stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
Positive lifestyle changes (better nutrition, smoking
cessation, sense of control, enhanced self image)
Physiological Benefits
Lungs take in and expel greater volume of air
Heart becomes accustomed to pumping more blood in a
single stroke
Fewer beats per minute
Enables the body to burn more fat as fuel
How Much is Enough?
ACSM Guidelines
Frequency: 3 – 5 days/week
Intensity: Measured in heart rate
220 – age (60% - 90%)
Duration: 20 – 60 minutes