Stressfulness to MindfulnessUniversity of St. ThomasUAWE March 13, 2014

Jolynn Gardner, Ph.D., CHES

How would you finish this sentence in one word?

Stress is ___________ .

Assumptions About Stress

Stress is a part of life.

Stress, when overwhelming or unrelenting, can literally make us sick or cause us harm.

But, stress can be good (really!).

Optimal Level of Stress

Assumptions About Stress

We create some of (a lot of?) our own stress.

We can control our perceptions of and reactions to stress.

Resiliency to stress can be learned and cultivated.

How Vulnerable Are You to the Effects of Stress?

Consider the following questions:

Do you get at least 7 – 8 hours of sleep each night?

Do you exercise or engage in physical activity at least 3 days per week?

Do you eat at least one “healthy and balanced” meal per day?

How Vulnerable Are You to the Effects of Stress?Consider the following questions:

Do you have at least one family member or friend on whom you can rely?

Do you have meaningful conversations with family and friends?

Do you convey your feelings openly and calmly when you are frustrated, angry, or worried?

How Vulnerable Are You to the Effects of Stress?

Consider the following questions:

Do you have an income that allows you to meet your basic needs?

Do you feel you can organize your time efficiently?

Do you feel you are in “good” health, even if you have a chronic health condition?

How Vulnerable Are You to the Effects of Stress?

Consider the following questions:

Do you derive strength from your spiritual beliefs?

Do you take quiet time for yourself each day?

Do you do something fun at least once per week?

How Vulnerable Are you to the Effects of Stress?Review your answers to the preceding

questions.

Any “NO” responses may indicate increased vulnerability to stress.

Are there things you would like to change?

The Process of StressStressor Perception Strain Enduring

Outcomes

COPING

Process Model of Stress (Heaney & vanRyn, 1991)

The Process of StressSTRESSOR: objective conditions in the physical or social

environment.

PERCEPTION: what you think and feel about a stressor.

STRAIN: the response to stress.

ENDURING OUTCOMES: health conditions, diseases, and behaviors which become more likely due to stress.

COPING: anything you might do to reduce, eliminate, or mitigate stress.

The Process of Stress: STRAINWhen you perceive stress:

heart rate increasesblood pressure increasesmuscles tenseglucose, fatty acid, and protein concentrations in

the blood increaseperipheral blood vessels constrictbreathing rate increasesimmune response temporarily increases, then

declines

STRAIN / Stress Response

The Process of Stress: ENDURING OUTCOMESThe following have all been linked to

STRESS:

Cardiovascular Disease

Immunosuppression

Obesity (and accumulation of abdominal fat)

Muscle tension / Bracing-- (Thoits,

2010)

The Process of Stress: ENDURING OUTCOMESStress may be a factor in exacerbating health conditions,

including:

Headaches

Grinding of teeth (bruxism)

Irritable bowel disease

Allergies & autoimmune disorders

Depression & anxiety

Memory impairment

(Thoits, 2010)

The Process of Stress: ENDURING OUTCOMESHarmful behaviors (alcohol abuse, drug

abuse, eating disorders, personal injury, gambling, etc.)

Interpersonal conflict & violence

Organizational effects (lower job satisfaction, reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, etc.)

Societal effects (lower empathy, less tolerance, higher health care costs, etc.)

The Process of StressA situation can be stressful or not -- it all depends

on your perception of the event

A response to stress can be effective or not -- it depends on your resources and coping strategies

Coping may well be the most important element in successful stress management.

New coping strategies & styles can be learned.

It’s probably wise to cultivate a variety of coping strategies and resources.

The Rationale for Change

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve

always gotten.

Coping: How and When?Can occur at any point in the stress

process.

Target: stressor, perception, or response

Each person and situation is unique.

The Power of Perception

"Stress resides neither in the situation nor in the person, it depends on a transaction between the two."

Richard Lazarus, Ph.D. – stress researcher and psychologist

Cognitive CopingHow you think and feel about a stressor

Our thoughts can help us cope, or ….

Our thoughts can actually create more stress.

Effective Cognitive Coping: rational, realistic, optimistic thinking

Assumptions About Cognitive Coping“…there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. “ -- Hamlet, Act II, Scene II

1. Your interpretations of stressors, not the stressors themselves, cause stress.

2. You can control your interpretation of stressors.

3. Sometimes, it is rational and realistic to interpret stressors as threatening or challenging.

4. Often, though, circumstances are unnecessarily and unrealistically interpreted as threatening.

Perception Research

Believing that something is awful or stressful can often make it so.

However, believing that you have the capacity to address the stressor often results in more positive personal outcomes, even when the challenge is significant.

--McGonigal, 2013

Self-talkIf we talked to our friends the way we talk to ourselves, we’d have no friends.

Positive self-talk: helps us cope

Negative self-talk: makes situation worse than it actually is

How do you talk to yourself???

Positive Self-Talk: Re-Examining BeliefsMuch of our negative self-talk is grounded in

irrational beliefs.Examples:Unworthiness, perfectionism, shame, worry,

pessimism

Recognize irrational beliefs.

Change irrational beliefs so that they are more realistic (note: it’s OK to ask for help with this!)

Physical CopingSometimes, changing our thinking isn’t

possible or just doesn’t help!

Physical Coping: activities and practices that focus on relaxing the body (and eventually the mind, too).

Just Breathe!Diaphragmatic / deep breathing.

One of the easiest and most effective coping strategies.

Slows breathing and heart rate, calms mind, eases muscle tension.

Other Coping TechniquesMusic

Humor

Prayer

Hobbies

Massage

Talking with friends / family

Movies / TV

Volunteering

Exercise / Physical Activity

Pilates

Yoga

Meditation

Visualization

Relaxation Exercises

Journaling

Crying

What about stress prevention?

Is it possible??

YES! Life will never be completely free of stress, but it can be significantly less stressful.

Mindfulness: Stress PreventionLiving in the present; enjoying the journey

State of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present

Attending wholly to all situations and striving to be completely engaged

Focus on what-is, rather than what-if

Who we are is more important than what we do

Results in more contemplative choices

Research on Mindfulness and StressMindfulness practices:Help us focus on prioritiesReduce perceptions of stressRelieve anxietyEnhance feelings of forgivenessImprove self-compassion

(Oman, 2008; Deckro, et al, 2002; Carmody, 2008; Caldwell, 2010)

The Full CircleMindfulness to Contentment

Mindfulness: focusing attention on life as it isYields greater awareness of self, surroundings,

othersTranslates to more tolerance of and compassion for

self and othersLeads to increased concern for others and

commitment to the common goodIncreases desire to serve and to cultivate social

supportYou come to believe in others and yourself, which

leads to resiliency

The Full Circle

Mindfulness =

Altruism =

Resiliency =

Contentment

The Antidote For StressNEWS FLASH:

You were never meant to live a stressed-out, freaked-out, or burnt-out life.

Be in the present

Learn from the past

Reach out to others

Help create the future

Realize your purpose

Stressfulness to Mindfulness

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

-- Mother Teresa

“Right now, this very moment, is where life is truly lived.”

-- Richard Carlson, 2006

The Formula for Less Stress and Greater ResiliencyMindfulness Gratitude

Forgiveness Optimism

Tolerance Compassion

Service Faith

Hope Spirituality

Mix well; enjoy daily; thrive & live joyfully.

Recommended ReadingThe Gifts of Imperfection by Brene’ Brown.

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin Seligman.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: And it’s all Small Stuff by Richard Carlson.

Resources Greenberg, J. (2008). Comprehensive Stress Management, 10th ed.

McGraw-Hill Publishers. New York, NY. p. 28-29.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine NCCAM; nccam.nih.gov

Micozzi, M. (2006). National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Fundamentals of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (3rd ed.)

Skinner, E., Edge, K., Altman, J, & Sherwood, H. (2003). Searching for the structure of coping: A review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2). 216-269.

Carlson, R. (2006) You Can Be Happy No Matter What. New World Library. Novato, CA.

Johnson, S. (2010) The Present. Broadway Books, New York, NY.

Resources Chang, L. (2010). Common causes of depression. WebMD. www.webmd.com.

Retrieved June 8, 2011.

Ejaz, F., Noelker, L., Menne, H. Bagaka, j. The Impact of Stress and Support on Direct Care Workers' Job Satisfaction The Gerontologist (2008) 48(suppl 1): 60-70 doi:10.1093/geront/48.Supplement_1.60

McGonigal, K. (2013). How to make stress your friend. TED Global 2013. Edinburgh, Scotland. Retrieved Nov. 7, 2013 from http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html

Heaney, C.A. and van Ryn, M. (1990) Broadening the scope of worksite stress programs: A guiding framework. American Journal of Health Promotion, 4, 413-20.

Lust, K., Ehlinger, E., Golden, D. (Nov., 2010) 2010 College Student Health Survey Report. Boynton Health Service, University of Minnesota.

Schafer, W. (1995). Stress Management for Wellness. Harcourt-Brace Publishing. Orlando, FL.

Stress. It is deadly. (2005). www.holisticonline.com Retrieved June 8, 2011.

Resources Brown, K. & Ryan, R. The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in

psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 84(4), Apr 2003, 822-848.

Oman, D. "Meditation lowers stress and supports forgiveness among college students: A randomized controlled trial." Journal of American College Health 56.5 (2008):569.

Gloria R. Deckro , Keli M. Ballinger , Michael Hoyt , Marilyn Wilcher , Jeffery Dusek , Patricia Myers , Beth Greenberg , David S. Rosenthal , Herbert Benson. The Evaluation of a Mind/Body Intervention to Reduce Psychological Distress and Perceived Stress in College Students. Journal of American College

Carmody, J. "Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program." Journal of behavioral medicine 31.1 (2008):23.

Caldwell, K. "Developing mindfulness in college students through movement-based courses: Effects on self-regulatory self-efficacy, mood, stress, and sleep quality." Journal of American College Health 58.5 (2010):433.

Neely, M E. (2009). Self-kindness when facing stress: The role of self-compassion, goal regulation, and support in college students well-being. Motivation and emotion, 33(1), 88.

Resources Mouchacca, J., Abbot, G., & Ball, K. (2013). Associations between

psychological stress, eating, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and body weight among women: a longitudinal study. BMC Public Health. 13, 828.

Franz, M., Giraki, M., Ommerborn, M., Raab, W., Schafer, R., Schneider,C., Singh,P. (2010). Correlation between stress, stress-coping and current sleep bruxism. Head and Face Medicine, 6, 2+.

Eisenberg, D., Gollust, S.E., Golberstein, E., & Hefner, J.L. (2007). Prevalence and Correlates of Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality among University Students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 534-542.

Khokhar, N. & Niazi, A. (2013). A long-term profile of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. 23. 388+.

Thoits, P. (2010). Stress and health: Major findings and policy implicaitons. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 51(S), S41-S53.