4. Work Load
1. Always too much work; never
able to relax
2. High Pressure periods;
deadlines, test come all at once
3. One or two difficult courses take
all my time; no time left for
anything else
4. Efforts often seem for nothing –
Don’t get satisfying
results
5. 5. Seems like I have a lot more work
than roommate, friends
6. I have to work harder than
roommate and friends to get the
same results
7. My job takes up too much time; I
can’t afford to cut back
8. My stress is complicated by
commitments I can’t get out of
6. If you said yes to many
work stressors…
…you might consider one of the
following:
Consult with a counselor about
time management and/or priority
setting
Seek out a tutor or other study
skills help
Talk to the career center about
work style
7. People
1. Tension with family, friends or
romantic partner
2. Incompatibility with
roommate’s habits, schedule,
lifestyle
3. Change in relationship; love
lost/gained new romantic partner
4. Death of a close friend or family
member
8. 5. Parents divorce, separation or
conflicts. Adjustment to parents
new partner.
6. Interpersonal conflict; trouble
expressing needs or standing up
for rights
7. Reluctant to ask for help
8. Trouble saying no
9. If you said yes to many
people stressors…
…you might consider one of the
following:
Talk to a friend, RA or counselor
about the problem
Go to a program on assertiveness
training and/or conflict
Take an interpersonal
communication class
10. Mind
1. Worry about what people think?
2. More time spent thinking about
what can go wrong than what
can go right
3. More time spent thinking about
what DID go wrong than where
you can go from here
4. No time to think, always having
to do
11. 5. Motivation problems, difficulty
getting started
6. Tendency to get too worked up
when under pressure or in a crisis
7. Tendency to get down, dwell on
how bad things are
8. Often feel guilty
12. If you said yes to many
mind stressors…
…you are experiencing a lot of
internally generated stress.
Information or counseling on self
talk, irrational beliefs and
reinterpretation might be a good
place to start.
13. Body
1. Insufficient sleep
2. Frequent colds, sickness
3. Negative effects from caffeine,
nicotine, alcohol, etc.
4. Uncomfortable chair, poor
posture, excessive time hunched
over book or computer.
15. If you said yes to many
body stressors…
…then try the following:
- Exercise regularly
- Choose healthy foods
- Change your environment
(lighting, space, etc.)
- Reduce or eliminate caffeine,
nicotine and alcohol intake
- Get enough sleep
17. Become Aware of Your
Stressors and Emotional
and Physical Reactions
- Notice when you are stressed,
don’t ignore it
- Find out what stresses you out
and what they might be telling
you
- Learn how it affects your body
(sweats, stomach ache, etc)
18. Recognize what you can
change
Can you change your stressors by
avoiding or eliminating them?
Can you reduce their intensity
(manage them over time instead
of immediately)
Can you shorten your exposure to
stress (take a break, leave)
Can you devote the
time necessary to make
a change?
19. Reduce the intensity of
your emotional reactions
Are you expecting to please
everyone?
Are you overreacting and
viewing things as absolutely
critical and urgent?
Work at adopting moderate views,
see stress as something you can
cope with, not something that
overpowers you
Do not labor on the negative and/or
the “what ifs”
20. Learn to moderate your
physical reactions to stress
Slow, deep breathing will bring
your heart rate and respiration
back to normal
Relaxation techniques can reduce
muscle tension.
Medications, when prescribed by
a physician can help in the short
term.
21. Build your physical
reserves.
Exercise for cardiovascular
fitness 3 – 4 times a week
Eat well-balanced, nutritious
meals
Maintain your ideal weight
Avoid nicotine, excessive
caffeine and other stimulants
Mix leisure with work. Take
breaks and get away.
Get enough sleep. Be consistent
with your sleep schedule.
22. Maintain your
emotional reserves
Develop mutually supportive
friendships/relationships.
Pursue realistic goals which are
meaningful to you, rather than
goals other have for you that you
do not share.
Expect some frustrations, failures
and sorrows.
Always be kind and gentle with
yourself – be a friend to yourself.
23. Eliminating Stress From
Your Environment
A poorly organized living space
can be a major source of stress.
If your environment is well
organized and pleasant, then it
can help to reduce stress and
increase productivity.
Some people under stress need a
calm environment, others may
enjoy the raised levels of arousal
associated with the 'buzz' of a
busy space.
24. To improve air quality:
Ban smoking
Open windows
Use an ioniser
Have plants in the
room.
25. Bad lighting can cause eye strain and
increase fatigue, as can light that is
too bright, or light that shines directly
into your eyes. Fluorescent lighting
can also be tiring. What you may not
appreciate is that the quality of light
may also be important.
Try experimenting with working by a
window or using full spectrum bulbs
in your desk lamp. You will probably
find that this improves the quality of
your working environment.
26. Decoration and
Tidiness
A chaotic and cluttered living
or work space adds to stress.
Don’t be dogmatic, but keep
the area you are working in
free of clutter.
Have calming and happy
decorations.
27. Large amounts of background noise
during the day can cause
irritability, tension and headaches
in addition to loss of concentration.
Solutions:
use of quiet rooms when
concentration is needed
Use earplugs
Try a pleasantly assertive approach.
Ask that music is turned down or that
the person use headphones
28. It is important for people to feel that
they have sufficient personal
space at work and at home.
Where no personal space is
available, then you can establish
some feeling of ownership by bringing
personal objects such as small plants
or photographs of loved-ones.
Block off a space using furniture,
sheet or divider when you
need some space.
29. The essence of meditation is to
quiet your thoughts by focusing
completely on just one thing.
Unlike hypnosis, which is more of
a passive experience, meditation
is an active process which seeks
to exclude outside thoughts by
concentrating all mental faculties
on the subject of meditation.
Keep your body relaxed. It should
be in a position that you can
comfortably sustain for a period of
time (20 - 30 minutes is ideal).
30. Focus your
attention on your
breathing.
Concentrate on
breaths in and
out. Count your
breaths using the
numbers 0 to 9.
Visualize images
of the numbers
changing with
each breath.
Alternatively,
visualize health
and relaxation
flowing into your
body when you
inhale, and
31. Focusing on an object
Completely focus attention on
examination of an object.
Look at it in immense detail for the
entire meditation. Examine the
shape, color differences, texture,
temperature and movement of the
object.
Objects often used are flowers, or
flowing designs. However you can
use other objects equally effectively
(e.g. alarm clocks, desk lamps, or
even coffee mugs!)
32. Some people like to focus on
sounds. The classic example
is the Sanskrit word 'Om',
meaning 'perfection'.
33. Create a mental image of a
pleasant and relaxing place in
your mind. Involve all your
senses in the imagery: see
the place, hear the sounds,
smell the aromas, feel the
temperature and the
movement of the wind. Enjoy
the location in your mind.