Tools for Managing Stress and Anxiety - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Tools for Managing Stress and Anxiety

Creating Positive Outcomes with Education & Practice

Tiana Shivers, LPCSlide2

Bridging the Gap:Awareness and education are important in order to improve upon brain health and conditionOur brain is our biggest tool that we need to learn how to use and teach how deal with stressorsIt is important to engage the brain to create healthy brain fitness, to help it grow and sustain abilities to deal with stress and anxiety

Brain training improves efficiency, helps individuals ignore distractions (increase focus) and quickly process information for active problem-solving (instead of creating stress)Slide3

Negative Thought PatternsNeed to use the brain to help shape thoughts and break negative thought patterns These negative patterns continue to reinforce the anxious brain and stress responsesWithout addressing these, we cannot effectively manage stress and anxietyAverage of 60,000 thoughts/daySlide4

Stress EffectsBody’s way of protection against a perceived threat or fear  Fight or Flight Response (Sympathetic Nervous System)Heart rate becomes more rapid, muscles tense up, breathing moves into

shallow, chest

breathing and the blood flows away

from

internal organs and

towards

muscles of the

limbs

Individuals experience stressors

in

everyday life. When they don’t

have a means of coping with

this stress, their bodies

and nervous systems develop

a habit of continued stress responses.Slide5

Stress EffectsWhen the body becomes over-stressed and the sympathetic nervous system stays in a constant (habitual) state

of fight or flight, there can be negative effects both emotionally and physically

.

Habits make brain connections stronger

Negative effects on mood: anxiety, restlessness, lack of focus, lack of motivation, irritability, agitation, anger, sadness, depression

Negative behavioral responses: extreme changes in eating, anger outbursts, conflict with others, substance abuse, social withdrawal, poor impulse control Slide6

RelaxationRelaxation: state of being free from tension and anxietyGoal  moderate the functions of the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated under stress

Vagus

Nerve

activates the

p

arasympathetic

nervous

system, the

“

rest

and

relaxation” response

Responsible for bringing the body back to state of balance and equilibriumNormal blood pressureDecrease in oxygen consumptionDecrease in respiratory rate and heart rateLessen muscle tensionSlide7

Relaxation & The BrainRelaxation can lead to:

Alleviating stress and anxiety

Helping with focusing attention

Enhanced confidence

Providing a sense of control

Relaxation is most effective when integrated into daily

structure

Being proactive is important to create healthy habits for the brain

Attitude and power of positivity

Successes and commitment to progress

Motivation for putting in the work

Helps avoid things negatively impacting life (taking hardships in strides)Slide8

Power of BreathingBy controlling our breathing we can control our nervous systems response to stress.

Controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system

(relax, rest, renew) and

creates a state of calm in the mind and body.

Calming

our breath creates a calming nervous system, altering the basic activity of your cells with your mind

Calm nervous system = calm mindSlide9

Controlled Breathing EffectsLowered blood pressureLowered heartrateReduced levels of stress hormones in the body

Balanced levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide

Increased physical energy

Increased immune system functioning

Increase feeling of calmSlide10

Breathing Control TechniquesDiaphragmatic Breathing- includes the downward expansion of the chest cavity that causes the belly to expand

Try to feel the ribs expand and move as air is inhaled

Try to concentrate on the ribs recoiling when exhaling

If an individual’s chest or shoulders rise more than their belly, then their air is constricted and will continue to contribute to stressors and anxiety Slide11

Breathing Control TechniquesRatio Breathing – a deep-breathing technique with a focus on the number of inhalations compared to exhalations Individual counts the number of seconds when breathing

4-7 Breathing (inhaling for 4 seconds, exhaling for 7 seconds)

4-7-8 Breathing (inhale, hold, exhale)

The longer exhalations activates the parasympathetic nervous system to initiate relaxation

Distracts from automatic negative thoughtsSlide12

MindfulnessMindfulness – “a mental state resulting from voluntarily focusing one’s attention on one’s present experience in its sensorial, mental, cognitive, and emotional aspects, in a non-judgmental way” (

Cottraux

, 2007)

Focus on the HERE and NOW

Use of breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind to help reduce stress

Encourages individuals to engage in

non-judgmental awareness of their internal experience

occurring in the moment, with attention to sensations, cognitions, and emotions, and any environmental stimuli

Attempts to get away from the focus of the past or future (letting go of anxiety, worry, and regret or pain)Slide13

Mindfulness (cont.)Basketball coach, Phil Jackson, won 10 NBA championships with mindfulness being an essential part of his coaching. Used “One Breath, One Mind”

Focused on putting “spirit” back into things by using mindfulness (even in the repetitious)

Taking a breath and taking a moment to collect yourself; learning to sit and regroup Slide14

Positive of MindfulnessStudies have shown that 8 weeks of consistent use of Mindfulness has resulted in:More positive thought patterns (overall)Lessening the size of the amygdala Lessening frequency of stress and anxiety

Ability to be more self aware

Ability to problem-solveSlide15

Mindfulness ActivityMindful Eating ActivityFocusing attention with open mind, and sense of curiosityTake-Away  Applying these principles to other areas of lifeSlide16

Sensory Grounding5, 4, 3, 2, 1 

5

things you can

see

4

things you can

feel

3

things you can

hear

2

things you can

smell1 good thing about yourself

5

Finger Senses



Trace

your hand on a piece of paper.

Label

each finger as one of the five senses and identify something special representing each of the senses (that is unique to you).

Try

and memorize these, so they can be recited to help ground in the future when the drawing isn’t in front of youSlide17

Cognitive AwarenessOrienting to Place & Time:Where

am I?

What

is today?

What

is the date?

What

is the month?

What

is the year?

How

old am I?

What season is it?Brain Games: Name all the red things you see around the room.Count the number of ceiling tiles there are in the hallway.

Going through the alphabet, what can you name that begins with A, B, C…Slide18

Guided Imagery & SoundsGuided Imagery includes scripts to read or listen to, requiring focus and taking to place of peace and sensation

Songs:

Weightless

by Marconi Union



can reduce anxiety by 65%

Anything that is not fast-paced with any heavy drumming or sharp instrumentals

Preferably songs without wordsSlide19

Progressive Muscle RelaxationTense specific muscle groups (arms, hands, neck and shoulders)Hold for 5 secondsRelease the muscle group and note how you feelWork head-to-toe to better understand all muscles affected by anxietySlide20

Talk and FidgetWhen an individual needs to talk it out and is unable to take a walk around, due to being too worked up/aggressive, provide options of fidgets to use (preferably malleable)

Ideas: playdough, deck of cards, putty, stress ball, bean bag/bean animal, water/oil, plastic slinky, items that buckle, zip, Velcro, button, snap, click, fidget spinner, Rubik’s cube, ice, coloring (pencils), puzzle, Sudoku, word finds, heating/cooling pad, lotion, scented

markers

This can be something done together or just something that the individual can focus some energy on by themselves Slide21

Talk BackGive the individual the power to talk back to the stress in their brains to help empower them to dealHave the individual talk back “You’re not in charge of me, stress brain. I can handle this!”Talk back to negative thoughts “That’s not true. I AM smart.” to interrupt automatic negative thought cycles

Characterization: create a character that represents anxiety to help visualize and externalize the anxiety/stress Slide22

Write It OutWrite worries on a piece of paper, read them to an adult, and tear them up and throw them away (externalizing by writing it out and reading it out loud)Have the individual write

something that is positive – a sort of “Gratitude Journal” – to help reduce the anxious thoughts residing in the brain, and stopping the production of new anxious thoughts

After writing a few entries, just going back and reading them can help

an individual refocus

on a positive outlook

Write an Affirmation Journal – have the

individual note

good things that have happened that day, or something they have done wellSlide23

Get MovingGo OutsideNature can calm an anxious brainChanging

atmosphere itself has a calming effect – getting away from where the stressor occurred.

Ask

the individual to

observe the environment/surroundings to help them focus on something tangible. What color is the sky? How many different flowers can you find?

Incorporate Walking and Movement

Endorphins help calm the anxious brain – they are released with exercise

Blood gets pumping and helps alleviate the anxious energy that has been built up and makes you feel badSlide24

How You Can Help with Anxiety: SupportValidate emotionsAcknowledge that the change is scary and that the fear/anxiety is understandable. When you are validating someone’s

emotions, you are letting them know that you can empathize with them and what they are going through.

Try reflective listening

Help the

individual

articulate emotions, feelings, thoughts that have been unsaid/hidden

Communicate the understanding of where the

person

is at

Make sure the

individual

has your full

attentionSlide25

How You Can Help with Anxiety: SupportProblem solve by sharing your experience and coping strategies; demonstrate as needed

Develop

a plan of different routes to deal with anxiety

before it is needed

Give different scenarios that might spark some anxiety and work through them

them (role-play)

This gives them the tool of problem-solving and helps with mastery of the situation

Make a list of effective skills or options to use and give a copy to those who might need it to help

them when anxiety

climbs

Keep lines of communication open – reiterate

to the individual they

can come back to you when needed, and you can also help communicate needs to others, if that would be helpfulSlide26

Ultimate Goal Bridge the gap to help with understanding of how things work and whyThe BEST way to help with lessening anxiety and stress is to help with the education behind the applicationBuild confidence, self-esteem and successes in utilizing coping skills and initiating the relaxation response

Fulfill a sense of mastery in dealing with stress and anxiety

Create a healthy brain fitness that can calm and not stay in habitual cycles of stress