Pull the Plug on Stress

Dr Jagdish R. Vankar

Asst Prof in Psychiatry,

Pramukhswami Medical College,

Karamsad

Harvard Business Review • July 2003

Learning Objectives About Stress Causes Symptoms What can you do about it? Seeking Help

Stress

Stress is the spice of life……

Would you enjoy a life without

No runs, no hits and no errors?

Stress

Stress: Non-specific reaction of the body to any change in ones environment

The change can occur in internal or external environment

The reaction has physical and psychological components

Stressor: An external event which brings about stressful response

Videos stress.wmv stress2.wmv

Amygdala conditioning

Amygdala hijack

Amygdala hijack Every time you feel

threatened, the automatic fight-or-flight response set offs, causes release of cortisol – the stress hormone

Over the years, your body has adapted to living in a perpetual state of stress

What do you think are the causes?

Some causes of stress Academic Stressors Interpersonal & Intra-personal Stressors Social Stressors

Symptoms of being stressed out Physical Symptoms

Changes in sleep or eating patterns Muscular tension Tiredness Colds High blood pressure Indigestion Fatigue

Symptoms of being stressed out Emotional Symptoms

Lack of interest in studies Depression Anger Fear or anxiety Feeling overwhelmed Mood swings

Cognitive Symptoms Forgetfulness Unwanted or repetitive thoughts Difficulty concentrating

90/10 Principle It will change your life (at least the way you react to

situations).

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

Our Reactions Depend Upon

Our Attitudes

Perception

Negative self talk

Locus of control

Past experience

Lets Measure Our Locus of Control

Scoring the test Score your answers to each of the questions

according to this key strongly disagree = -3 disagree somewhat = -2 slightly disagree = -1 slightly agree = +1 agree somewhat = +2 strongly agree = +3

Scoring Sheet

Attitude Questions Individual Score

Internal Locus of Control

1, 4, 5, 9, 18, 19, 21, and

23Add 24

Powerful Others

3, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20,

and 22Add 24

Chance2, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16,

and 24Add 24

What can you do about it?

Big rocks of life Freeze frame technique

Big rocks of life Keep Priorities Straight - A Jar of Life-1.mp4

What are the big rocks in your life?

Exercise Recollect in your mind

some image, event or memory when you were very happy

With these two things in mind… imagine you are getting irritated with something your friend said … now press your “emotional pause button” … close your eyes…

Freeze frame technique To stop the physiological chain reaction, you need to

find a way to manage your stress from moment to moment and day by day using a technique called the “Freeze frame technique’

When a scene becomes stressful, the technique allows you to freeze that perceptual frame and isolate it in time so you can observe it from a more detached and objective viewpoint—similar to pausing the VCR for a moment.

Harvard Business Review • July 2003

Freeze frame technique – 5 steps Recognize and disengage.

Take a time-out so that you can temporarily disengage from your thoughts and feelings—especially stressful ones.

Breathe through your heart. Shift your focus to the area around your heart. Now

feel your breath coming in through that area and out your solar plexus.

Invoke a positive feeling. Make a sincere effort to activate a positive feeling.

Harvard Business Review • July 2003

Freeze frame technique – 5 steps Ask yourself, “Is there a better alternative?”

Ask yourself what would be an efficient, effective attitude or action that would de-stress your system.

Note the change in perspective. Quietly sense any change in perception or feeling

and sustain it as long as you can.

Harvard Business Review • July 2003

Seeking Help Confide and talk with your friend or family Mentors, Teachers Dept of Psychiatry

Thank You For Participating

Questions??