Unit 7 School/Work/Life Balance II: Stress/Wellness Management

1. Academic Strategies CS 119 Petra Jones Hill Unit 7 School/Work/Life Balance II: Stress/Wellness Management

2. During our seminar we will discuss the importance of managing your time and dealing with stress.

3. Define Time Management?

4. Time Management means ■ Knowing how much time you have. ■ Knowing how much time it takes to complete different tasks. ■ Knowing how to manipulate circumstances to fit your obligations into the time you have.

5. Prioritize!!! Important Prioritize!! Unimportant

6. PROCRASTINATION • What does it mean to procrastinate? • What are some effects of procrastination? • Why should you avoid procrastination?

7. Procrastination causes you unnecessary stress. Avoid it at all cost!!!!

8. How can you avoid procrastination???

9. Steps to Avoid Procrastination • Plan ahead. • Be aware of how you are actually spending your time. • Recognize of how long things take to complete in real time. • Do not put obligations off until the last minute.

10. Define Stress

11. Stress is our body’s reaction to pressure or other demands that are placed on us.

12. Give Some example of bad stress- Distress.

13. What can you do to relieve stress? • Meditation • Hot bath • Physical exercise • Take a nap • My Favorite…..running  • Others?

14. Case Study Pawan (38) is a student works as an administrator and lives with his daughter, Aneela (8), in Southampton. This is his typical day: 6.30am: Get up, prepare two packed lunches and start getting 8.00am: Drive Aneela to school then continue to work, a distance of about 10 miles, worrying about Aneela left in an almost deserted playground. 9.00am: Work starts, but I am often late. 5.00pm: Collect Aneela at 5.30. She does activities three days, and on the other two I leave work at 3.00pm. 6.30pm: Cook dinner and help Aneela with her homework. 8.00pm: Aneela puts herself to bed while I catch up on bills and paperwork, housework and course work. When things get really bad, two or three times a year, I get a horrible racing heartbeat and shoulder pains as I get very tense in my neck and back. I then start to feel permanently anxious. My biggest stress is feeling that I cannot devote enough time to Aneela, mainly because of work. I used to see friends on a regular basis but now I rarely bother as its another hassle and expense getting a childminder for the evening. Sometimes it is hard to make ends meet. Its difficult having to be reliant on friends, asking favours all the time makes me very tense. http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/psychology/02.TU.01/?section=11

15. Can you relate to Pawan’s situation? What are some things that is causing Pawan stress? What suggestions can you offer him to help manage his stressors?

16. Stress is a complex concept. It involves an interaction between the demands of the environment and how an individual perceives their ability to cope with these. A person experiences stress when the perceived demands of the environment are greater than their perceived ability to cope with these. Undoubtedly stress is a modern day health risk. Our bodies are well adapted and have evolved to deal with short term physical threats but we are not well equipped to deal with the long term psychological stressors of modern life. There are many sources of stress in our lives but one well-researched source is the workplace. Most occupations involve some stress such as work overload, role conflict or job insecurity but research consistently indicates that social work, teaching and working in the police force or prison service are four of the most stressful careers. Our understanding of stressors and the stress response has lead to a greater awareness of the dangers of stress and the development of both psychological and physical methods of managing stress. http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/psychology/02.TU.01/?section=12

17. What is the relationship between time management and stress management?

18. What techniques do you use to effectively manage your time and reduce your stress?

19. Do NOT procrastinate Prioritize Ask family members to help with tasks- household chores, watching the kids Keep a daily planner for all activities including study time Don’t be a perfectionist Learn to say NO to tasks that are not priorities Make time for yourself Eat a balanced diet Get enough sleep Do something physical every day Stretch- It works for cats and dogs! Reward your successes no matter how small

20. Discuss what it means to be proactive. How can students be proactive in college? How can being proactive in college alleviate stress? What personal management strategies can you use to alleviate stress and build your mind, body and spirit?

21. LIVE WELL TEST http://wellness.uwsp.edu/other/livewell/

22. Depression Facts Approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder. Nearly twice as many women (12.0 percent) as men (6.6 percent) are affected by a depressive disorder each year. These figures translate to 12.4 million women and 6.4 million men in the U.S. Women between the ages of 25-44 are most often affected by depression . With a major cause of depression in women being the inability to express or handle Anger.

23. Depression affects all people regardless of age, geographic location, demographic or social position. Depressive disorders are appearing earlier in life with the average age of onset 50 years ago being 29 whereas recent statistics indicate it at just 14.5yrs in today's society. Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse. A recent study sponsored by the World Health Organization and the World Bank found unipolar major depression to be the leading cause of disability in the United States.  Source: http://www.depressionperception.com/depression/depression_facts_and_statistics.asp#depressive

24. Relaxation Technique 2-Minute Relaxation- Switch your thoughts to yourself and your breathing. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly. Mentally scan your body. Notice areas that feel tense or cramped. Quickly loosen up these areas. Take another breath through your belly, and hold for a mental count of two, then release all the air from the body in a long low deep sigh, and relax. Let your breathing return to normal again. Very gently tighten all of your muscles, and as you release the tension, allow your eyes to close comfortably and naturally as you begin to feel physically calm. Repeat as often as you feel the need. Source: http://www.health-concern.com/Free_Training/relax2.htm

25. Due this week • Seminar • Assignment: Stress and Wellness Management Plan Template can be found under ‘Doc Sharing’

26. QUESTIONS

27. Have a great week!