Stress Management

The word ‘stress’ is used to describe the physical and/or emotional response to the demands and pressures that modern living means we come under from time to time.

Stress can be a positive thing, which drives us on and helps us to grow, develop and be stimulated. However, when stress reaches a certain level, it can overcome a person’s ability to cope and can impact on their physical and mental health.

The focus is on the positive things that they can do to make changes in their life which will reduce the impact that ‘bad’ stress places on them.

Topics covered:

• Identifying Stress – Here participants are made aware of the history of stress and its relation to the stressors we are subjected to in the modern environment.
• How Our Body Responds to Stress – An activity which explores the physiological and psychology aspects of stress and how this can result in illness and poor lifestyle choices.
• The Mitchell Method of Relaxation – A chance to practice a scripted, positive method of relaxation.
• Stress Coping Model – A clear model, which highlights the process stress follows and the methods we can use to interrupt this process and so cope better.
• Daily Hassles – Identifying that it is often the daily hassles that result in stress. Highlighting typical daily hassles and reviewing several methods of overcoming or avoiding them.
• Life Events – Exploring major life events, the transitional aspect, how they can be positive and how our perception of the situation can alter our experience.
• Positive Self-Talk – Understanding self-talk and moving away from the negative self-talk cycle and turning it into a positive self-talk cycle.
• Prioritising to Reduce Stress – Identifying and then balancing conflicting demands and learning to appreciate what is important.
• Stability Zones – Establishing what our own stability zones are and how we can best use them to help us reduce stress.
• The Wheel of Strife – A useful tool for making us more aware of the stressors in our life so that we can adopt techniques to overcome them.
• Supporting Networks – Looking at the people who currently provide support and help us reduce stress and working on methods of positively nurturing these relationships.
• All Stressed Out – A Fun way to review the material using ‘negative review’ methods.
• The Benson Method – A final, simple, but effective method of relaxation to leave the participants feeling refreshed after the session.