» Managing Stress

Effective Communication to Combat Stress

counselorscorner — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:24:27 +0000

Another way to keep situations from becoming too stressful is effective communication skills.

What is communication? Communication is an exchange between two people. One speaks and the other listens. The goal of good communication is to have the person receiving information receive it accurately or exactly as intended by the giver. Below are ways to communicate effectively:

Verbal Communication (through the spoken or written word)
1. Be direct. People who hint at what they are trying to say are seen as being evasive.
2. Think before you communicate. What do you really want to say?
3. Communicate as soon as you are ready. Don’t let negative emotions or anxiety build up.
4. Be clear, precise and brief. Don’t risk being misunderstood.
5. Be honest. This earns you respect in the long run.
6. Listen. Ask questions to clarify.

Nonverbal Communication
The way you send unspoken messages is the most basic from of communication. Your hand gesture, eye movements, facial expressions, posture, and tone of voice are all types of nonverbal communication.
1. Be aware of what others are communicating to you nonverbally.
2. Don’t contradict your words with your body language.

A Strategy for Communication in Difficult or Stressful Situations
To generate successful communication and avoid blame, use an “I” message:
Avoid starting your statements with “you”.
1. I felt nervous when I came home and the door was unlocked because I want to feel safe when I come home.
2. I felt angry when you took my CD without asking because I want to be able to trust you.
3. I felt angry when you flirted with my boyfriend because I need to be able to trust you.

Here is the format:
I feel ____________when _______________ because I want (or need) ___________.

Control Stress by Setting Goals

counselorscorner — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:16:16 +0000

One way to keep from being over taken by stress is to set goals.

Identify a goal and your purpose!

GOALS WILL HELP YOU SEE YOUR PURPOSE CLEARLY.
What is a goal? A goal is an object of what you aim or strive to attain. We all have special talents. We need to consider our personal strengths and work with them to attain good things.

WHY SET GOALS?
As humans we all are given energy to take care of ourselves. It is easy to become overwhelmed by activities unless you begin to MAKE CONSCIOUS DECISIONS!

You may set short-term goals like:

I will earn passing grades
I will get a part-time job
I will make new friends

You may set long-term goals like:

I will get along with my family
I will do what is necessary for me to become a technician
I will learn to write and spell better

Goals incorporate a few things like:

Priorities
Time management
Set a schedule
Stay flexible

What are some of your short term goals?

What are some of your long term goals?

What to do if you have too much stress or a strong response to stress

counselorscorner — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:56:25 +0000

First is to recognize that stress can be harmful. Persistent stress can often lead to anxiety and unhealthy behaviors like abuse of alcohol or drugs or negative eating behaviors. Anxiety can also be accompanied by physical symptoms, including:

Twitching or trembling
Sweating
Dry mouth
Abdominal pain
Muscle tension
Headaches

If you are experiencing stress or anxiety you can begin seeking help by seeing your health care provider. You can also see your guidance counselor if you prefer to have help navigating the medical field.
DISCLAIMER: Our mission is health education, particularly at the high school level. This is not medical advice. For help with a personal health concern, please consult your qualified health care provider.

Managing Stress

counselorscorner — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:16:10 +0000

This week let’s talk about ways to manage stress.
How can I manage my stress?

Be realistic in your expectations of yourself and others.
Manage your time. Don’t put yourself in crunch time situations to study or get a school project completed.
Develop healthy habits: eat well, get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water, and avoid soda with caffeine.
If you are having a problem, talk it over with a trusted friend or adult.
Take appropriate action.

There are four keys to coping:

Problem solving – the ability to deal directly with, not avoid, the problems you face and make positive changes to resolve them.
Communication – the ability to honestly share thoughts and feelings with others to promote mutual understanding.
Closeness – a comfort level with others and the ability to connect with people in your environment.
Flexibility – an openness and ability to respond to change.

Healthy Coping skills are…

Knowing that we control our lives
If we have conflict or failure, we can change the situation. (There is no such thing as a mistake. If we learn something, it is a LESSON.)
If we can’t get what we want, then we can make a situation the best it can be.
Sometimes we have to ACCEPT that a situation IS the best it can be.
Accepting an unfortunate situation causes us pain because we don’t want to lose something we want.
Pain is temporary; IT PASSES WITH TIME.

What is Stress?

counselorscorner — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:30:58 +0000

The beginning of the school year can be very stressful. For this reason, I would like to address stress in general and the coping skills you will need to help you succeed. If there is something that is making you worry; this is emotional stress. Another form of stress is caused by illness, lack of sleep or good nutrition. Even trying to help friends can cause stress.

What is stress?
It’s the pressure you feel when your body reacts to a threat or a challenge. Your heart beats faster and your palms may get sweaty. You feel tense, nervous, and even fearful.

Let’s expand this definition. To your body, stress is anything that causes a change in your life. It can be a good change or bad change, none the less, to your body it’s all the same.

Why should I learn about stress?
If you experience too much stress over a long period of time, it can leave you burned out or even ill. Stress can:

Interfere with your friendships an daily activities
Make you less productive at school
Create problems at home with your family
Lead to serious health problems in your adult life

What are the causes of stress?

Change of any type (moving, entering high school)
Family problems
Test taking
Trying to “fix” something that is not really your business

Learn About Stress

counselorscorner — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:54:48 +0000

To often people experience too much stress over a long period of time. When this happens and nothing is done about it, your body will begin to feel the affects by leaving you feeling exhausted, burned out, ill or very depressed. You can also begin to have anxiety attacks or even panic attacks.

Stress can interfere with your friendships and daily activities. For students it can make you less productive at school, create problems at home with your family and even lead to serious health problems immediately or later in life.

Talk to your parents or see your school guidance counselor if you have any concerns regarding stress.

Stress

counselorscorner — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:11:45 +0000

As the end of the year approaches you may begin to feel your body react in many ways that may make you feel sad, short-tempered, sick, anxious, and perhaps overwhelmed. Sometimes these feeling are due to stress. Stress is the pressure you feel when your body reacts to a threat, something new or a challenge. For seniors the challenge may be that you are now completing high school and need to begin planning for life after K-12. Try to remember that stress is a part of daily life and affects everyone.

If you are currently exhibiting any of these symptoms or not feeling like yourself, see your School Guidance Counselor who may work with you or refer you to a non school professional.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll write about why you need to be aware of stress, the causes and how to manage it.