FAMILIES AND SELF IN STRESS
AND CRISIS
AGENDA Warm Up- On Stress Test Sheets Stress and Stress Management Stress Test Activity De-Stress Activity Wrap Up/Reflections/Exit
WARM UP: Describe your most STRESSFUL
experience. Who was involved? How did you feel during this situation
DEFINE-STRESS The body’s response to the events in
your life
Cause physical, emotional, and mental tension
BODY’S REACTION TO STRESS Rise in blood pressure Increased heart rate Clammy hands Stomach ache Anxiety Frustration
If stress in extreme and constant, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, or stomach ulcers
DEFINE: STRESS MANAGEMENT Learning to manage stress can control
the negative impact it may have on your life
You can learn strategies to help you cope with the demands of life
Stress management can be used in various places
STRESS TEST House of Cards Activity
Must contain 5 cardsMust be completed in the time allowed It must remain standing for 10 seconds!
HOW TO GET RID OF STRESS 1) Remove the source of the stress
2) Remove yourself from the situation
3) Change your response to the stress
4) Manage the stress by focusing on one part at a time
DE-STRESSING Time for some YOGA!
REACTIONS/RESPONSES How can this activity be used in your
own family? What are some examples of activities
that you and your family can do to help cope with stressful situations?
TWO WAYS TO CAUSE STRESS Normative stressors
Crises Events
Normative stressorNormal event that requires some response ‘Not that big of a deal’ stressCan be positive or negative
What are some examples
Crises stressorsEvents that create major changes in your
life and behavior
What are some examples?
HOW TO HANDLE STRESS You are in control of you!
A positive mental attitude will help you handle stress in a healthy way.
A negative attitude may lead to increased anger or anxiety.
HOW TO IDENTIFY STRESS3 STEPS Define the feelings you are having
Excited, worried, angry, afraid
Try to identify the event that caused your stressful feelings why do you feel this way
Identify what you can do to manage the stressful situation
HOW TO GET RID OF STRESS 1) Remove the source of the stress
2) Remove yourself from the situation
3) Change your response to the stress
4) Manage the stress by focusing on one part at a time
STRESS AND FAMILY Crisis – extreme event that causes a
change to the family
4 EVENTS THAT CAN CAUSE A CRISIS Devastating events that cause a loss
Stressful event that widely impact members
Sudden important events
Events requiring major adjustments
PILE-UP EFFECT Sometimes many small stressors can
build up to produce a crisis
Example: a bad test grade, fight with friend, argument with parent, and peer pressure can all add up.
All of the stressors combined can lead to a crisis for someone.
FAMILY IN CRISIS A family many times will become
unbalanced in crisis situations
The family is not functioning smoothly and needs to readjust
GRIEVING PROCESS When people experience a loss, they go
through this process
There are 5 steps
5 STAGES OF GRIEVING 1-Denial-"this can't be happening to
me“
2-Anger-"why me?“
3-Bargaining
4-Depression-overwhelming feelings of hopelessness, frustration, bitterness
5-AcceptanceRealization that the person is gone (in
death) that it is not their fault, they didn't leave you on purpose. (even in cases of suicide, often the deceased person, was not in their right frame of mind)