A member of Cambridge University Health Partners Coping with stress
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Identifying the components of stress
- Date
- What physical symptoms of the stress response did I have
- Group 1: Could be avoided
- Group 2: Could not be avoided, but the stress could be reduced
Look at this list. Are you surprised by how much stress these events caused? Perhaps you are surprised by how well you coped with such events. What other factors do you think contributed to your overall levels of stress? Make a list of them below: .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... Now think about what’s causing most of the stress in your life at the moment. Is it a single life event, or smaller day-to-day problems? For most of us it’s a combination of larger and smaller issues.
It is worth being exact when you think about major cause of stress in your life. If there is an element of your job that is causing your stress it is important to realise exactly what that is. Rather than saying ‘work’ has become stressful, think about what aspect of work is causing the stress. If the cause of your stress at work is trying to reach a deadline that seems unreasonable, make a note of that. Think of it as: ‘the deadline at work’. Write below what it is exactly what is causing your major life stress at the moment. .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... It is usually fairly easy to identify the big or major sources of stress in our lives. However, the smaller stressors can be harder to see. It can be difficult to understand how the “smaller issues” can combine and build up to affect us. It is important to keep in mind that it may be harder to cope with the smaller stresses in life when there is a major stress at the same time. Because of this it is a good idea to keep a record of these day-to-day problems and how you respond to them.
Making a note of your your day-to-day problems The first stage in dealing with these smaller problems is to identify them clearly. It will then become a little easier to put them in some perspective and see how they combine to make your overall stress level worse. Use the headings shown below to record problems that led to you feeling stressed. It may not always be possible to record every stressful situation at the time it occurs but it is useful to make a note of them later. Have a look at a typical problem (below) to see how keep a record. At the back of this manual you will find a ‘Recording Problems sheet’. You may find it helpful to photocopy this page so that you have some to fill in when they are needed. The more you do, the clearer your picture will be of why your stress has reached such a high level.
A car coming towards me. I had to pull out to overtake a double-parked taxi at the station. I had to brake quickly.
It was my right of way. How did I feel? Angry and a bit scared. What physical symptoms of the stress response did I have? Heart beat quickened. Stress score out of 10 for this hassle:
Section B: Strategies to cope with stress How to cope with daily hassles Now that you have identified what your day-to-day problems try this next exercise to see if it is possible to reduce them. At the end of the day review your problem list, and then sort into three categories: Those problems that could be avoided. 1 Those where although the event could not be avoided, the amount of 2 stress it generated could be reduced. Completely unavoidable problems that you think you will have to live 3 with. If you’re having trouble with this, take a look at some of the suggestions below to see if it helps you. Group 1: Could be avoided Some possible ways you could be able to avoid these problems: By negotiating a better arrangement If your stress is coming from pressure at work, it may be possible to speak to your manager about the level of pressure you are under. They may be in a position to take work off you or create more flexible deadlines for you. By planning your day differently to make better use of your time Being able to give a task the correct amount of time and then moving on to the next thing will help you keep on top of different stresses. The temptation is to stay and dwell on certain parts of your life (such as putting extra time in at work), which could mean other areas suffer (such as spending time with children). Planning may help to prevent this Group 2: Could not be avoided, but the stress could be reduced Some possible ways you can try to reduce your stress levels when dealing with these:
In the final section of this manual are some suggestions and techniques for relaxation. When you have found which one work best for you, try putting it into practise closer to the time of when the stress is caused. Try thinking about whether this is really so important. It is possible that you have blown the problem out of proportion. If every thing else were going well in life, would this be as much of a problem? Will this matter in 3 months time? 7 Yüklə 2,06 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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