Hormones 2016

Stress management
at work, at school and in your relationships (mayoclinic, 2014c) Rather
than letting your stress take over your life, try some methods of stressmanagement
that you can apply to prevent and deal with stress before it
jeopardises your health.
Reframing Stressful Thoughts
Be aware that stress begins with our perceptions
Your body has a very efficient reaction to dangerous events that pumps up
your "fight-or-flight" response, allowing you to jump out of the way of an
oncoming car and save your life (harvard, 2011). This reaction causes your
heart to pound, your pulse to quicken, and your muscles to tense. But you
may also unconsciously perceive that this reaction is necessary for non lifethreatening
situations, such as traffic jams, looming deadlines, or family
issues (harvard, 2011). You must learn ways to counter your body’s stress
response so that you can "put the brakes" on and allow your body to relax
(harvard, 2011).
Identify types of thinking that lead to stress
You may be experiencing unproductive, negative thoughts that lead to
worrying, which can trigger the release of stress hormones (harvard, 2011).
This is a response that is appropriate if, say, you run into a stressful situation
like a bear in your path, but may not be appropriate when traffic is making
you late to work. Identify common stressful thoughts by noticing if they fall
into these categories (helpguide, 2016a) -
"Should" or "Must" statements - You have a strict list of things you
"should," "must," or "should not" do, and feel stressed out or anxious
when you do not follow these rules (helpguide, 2016a).
Catastrophizing - You expect the worst-case scenario or blow things out
of proportion. Even small problems are "horrible" or a "disaster" (cci
health, 2008).
All-or-nothing thinking - You see things only in black or white, as good
or bad. Instead of acknowledging the complexities (or "gray areas")
of being human, things are either wrong or right and there is no in
between (cci health, 2008).
"What if"ing - You find yourself having an internal conversation about
things you fear, such as "What if my child is hurt?" "What if I fail?"
"What if I’m late?" and so on (cci health, 2015b).
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Version 2016.3576– – Document LATEXed – 1st May 2016
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