stress & anxiety · new harbinger publications • anxiety is our body’s reaction to...

Building Resiliency

Stress & Anxiety

Stress Response

-Adaptive Responses(fight or flight,freeze)

-Alarm, resistance, repair

-Increase in blood pressure, heart rate

Can stress be your friend?https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

Community wellbeing is our sole focus.

Community wellbeing is our sole focus.

How does STRESS get

your attention?

“Your body will present its bill.” ~ Alice Miller

Stress Awareness

Community wellbeing is our sole focus.

Stress & Your Body

•Where do you feel it?

•Where do you hold it?

Where does it hurt?

Anxiety & Stress: The Difference

• Anxiety focuses on worries or fears about things that could threaten us, as well as anxiety about the anxiety itself.

• Stress and anxiety are often used

interchangeably.

• Stress focuses on mainly external

pressures on us that we’re

finding hard to cope with.

• Symptoms of stress typically

disappear after the stressful

situation is over.

Understanding Worry

It involves two components:

Thinking about negative things that could happen and their consequences

Problem-solving or mental attempts to deal with these anticipated negative outcomes

Robichaud, M., & Dougas, M. (2016). The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Workbook. NEW HARBINGER PUBLICATIONS

The Characteristics of Worry

1. Typically starts as “what if questions”

2. Worries are thoughts about the future

3. Worries are always negative

Robichaud, M., & Dougas, M. (2016). The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Workbook. NEW HARBINGER PUBLICATIONS

When Is Worry a problem

We all tend to worry more during times of stress and major life changes.

Worry can be considered problematic when:oPresent most every dayo Is excessive given the situationoDifficult to controlo Interferes with a person’s daily life

or leads to significant distressoReduction in quality of life

Robichaud, M., & Dougas, M. (2016). The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Workbook. NEW HARBINGER PUBLICATIONS

• Anxiety is our body’s reaction to perceived danger or important events. It alerts us

to danger and helps our body prepare to deal with it.

• Anxiety is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the

absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a nearly identical set of symptoms as stress.

• Anxiety disorders differ from short-term feelings of anxiety in their severity and in

how long they last. The anxiety typically persists for months and negatively affects

mood and functioning.

Anxiety – What is it?

What is Anxiety?

• One of the most distressing emotions that people feel.

• Affects 12% of Canadians, however we know only about 1/3 ppl seek help

• At times it is a response to a specific situation however often you cannot specify what you are anxious about

• Affects your whole being: physiological (racing heart), behavioural (unable to speak) and psychological (thinking you’re not going to make it through this)

Anxiety Can Be good

• Warning you to modulate or cease a behavior that is dangerous or counterproductive;

• Activating your attention to or focus on a task, thereby heightening cognitive acuity, and,

• Warning you to re-evaluate the wisdom inherent in following one particular path relative to alternative ones.

Community wellbeing is our sole focus.

How can we

manage stress

& anxiety

during

COVID-19

It’s normal to feel some stress and anxiety.

Try not to avoid, ignore or suppress anxious thoughts. Instead, be aware of your anxiety and accept that you’re feeling anxious in this situation. Try to keep things in perspective; notice and challenge your thoughts that may be extreme or unhelpful.

Building Resilience During Tough TimesWe should remember that this is absolutely the time to lean on each other. Even if

we can’t be close physically, we need to stay close emotionally.

Self-care is critically important at this time, as worries can be made worse if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. Lean on social supports, try to get enough sleep, eat healthy, exercise and engage in enjoyable activities.

Do the things you would typically do to support your health, and be sure to use caution and follow health and safety guidelines while doing them.

Community wellbeing is our sole focus.

PERCEPTIONS&

PERSPECTIVE

Tips to manage stress & anxiety

Invest in your Family, Friends & Community

What Can You Do?

• Warm meal

• Kind words

• Listen

• Honest and open

• Discuss finances & plan

• Share authentically

• Reach out

• Laugh

• Find connections

• Helping others helps you

Community wellbeing is our sole focus.

Maintaining your social connectedness is crucial

Face Time and Connectivity.. Utilize video tools such as Microsoft

Teams, Skype, Facetime, Google Hangouts, Facebook and WhatsApp

to connect visually.

Resources. Map out your important resources, ranging from daily

necessities to emergency management.

Humans need to feel and be connected.

Taking Care of Your Body

• Sleep well– How much sleep do you really get each night?

– Getting enough sleep will result in improved physical and mental health

• Eat well– You may think your stress is psychological, but you could also be

feeling physical stress if you're not fueling your body appropriately

• Exercise– Regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease

overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep,

and improve self-esteem.

Cut back on the

amount of time you

spend on social

media & the news

A sense of humor

can be an

amazing line of

defense when it

comes to coping

with stress.

Call the feelings out for

what they are, and

seek support to help

you understand and

process them.

Don’t Stress

about Stressing

Out

Focus on what you

Value instead of What

you Fear

Don’t Expect Stability

Some Strategies to Worry Less

• Consider if your worrying is useful

• Analyze your worries

• Embracing uncertainty

• Being present

• Seek assistance

A major trigger for worry is uncertainty. If being uncertain about something makes you feel anxious, it can help to become more comfortable with the experience of “not knowing.”

(Pema Chodron Buddhist nun talks about groundlessness in her book When things fall apart)

Source: http://youth.anxietybc.com/faq/tolerating-uncertaintyhttp://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/factsheet/how-to-tolerate-uncertainty

Use Mindfulness

Mindfulness means

maintaining a moment-by-

moment awareness of our

thoughts, feelings, bodily

sensations, and surrounding

environment.

Take a moment to notice your breath as it is in this moment.

©FSEAP. All rights reserved.

519-973-4435*

Call or walk in Mon-Fri 8:30 – 4:30

744 Ouellette Ave: TSC Crisis & MentalWellness

Crisis Support (HDGH) on site

8 am to 8 pm 7 days/week

After 8 pm WRH Emergency Dept. 1030Ouellette Ave.

* Phone 1st answered by crisis worker

HOW TO GET HELP

www.bouncebackontario.ca

Bigwhitewall.ca

Community Resources

• CMHA-WECB/TSC: 519-973-4435 for consult

• Community Crisis Centre: 519-973-4435

• COAST: 519-973-4409

• MHRU: 519-723-4600 (Essex COAST)

• Distress Centre: 519-256-5000 (12 pm – 12 am)

• Transitional Stability Centre (TSC) M-F 8 to 8

Thank you for your time

Social Media: @CMHAWECB

Visit us online www.WindsorEssex.cmha.ca

References

2018 Mental Health Commission of Canada

2018 CMHA National

https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/resources/library

www.Bigwhitewall.ca

www.Bouncebackontario.ca

National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/index.shtml

Canadian Center on Substance Abuse: http://www.ccsa.ca/Pages/default.aspx

https://psychcentral.com/disorders/anxiety/psychotherapy-for-anxiety-disorders/

Copyright © 1995-2019 Psych Central

References

Editorial, 2005. Compassion Fatigue: An expert interview with Charles R. Figley, MS, PhD downloaded Nov. 3, 2012 from www.medscape.com/viewarticle/513615_print

Minnesota School of Social Work

Mathieu, Francoise, M.Ed., CCC n.d. www.compassionfatigue.ca

www.tendacademy.com

Portnoy, D., 2011. Burnout and compassion fatigue Watch for the Signs. Health Progress downloaded from www.chausa.org