Stress & Pressure

Practical guide to relaxation

There is no end of great material on this website.  We love it.  Dig in and see what you think.

And ….. relax …..

Scottsdale Recovery Center

Arizona-based drug rehab support.  In their own words:

“In essence, we are a full-scope addiction treatment solution that takes it to the next level, that level being a life-building component that addresses the many elements within each individual that comprise their self-worth. For us it is much more than simply getting you clean off drugs or alcohol for 60 or 90 days and then sending you on your way. For us it is about one’s long-term success, and not just in recovery but in life as well.”

Stress management – some fun ideas

Stress management and building resilience doesn’t have to be deadly serious.  There’s room for a bit of fun too.  Here are a few gift ideas!

Understanding the change curve

This web page has some useful narrative around the change curve and what to do at each stage.

Sleep support and advice from BUPA

Sleep-deprived workers are costing the UK economy £40bn a year and face a higher risk of death . There’s a growing body of research that indicates that poor sleep leads to a variety of harmful negative organisational outcomes, including increased work-related injuries and unethical behavior including cyberloafing!  If you are a manager, you could find this link useful …

Ways to lower the stress hormone, cortizol

Are you experiencing weight gain, high blood pressure, or mood swings? If so, your cortisol levels may be high. But what are the ways to lower cortisol, why does it impact the body so negatively, and how can you get back to living the happy healthy life that better suits you?  This website is a great place to start building up your understanding.

Cortisol and insulin resistance

Cortisol is one of the hormones released by the adrenal glands in response to any type of psychological, environmental or physical trigger (i.e. infection). Many people associate cortisol with the “fight or flight” mechanism. Cortisol is also part of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) –axis that impacts sex hormones and thyroid function. Research has demonstrated that it isn’t necessarily the stress that is significant but rather how it is “perceived” that is important. When cortisol is released in response to a stressor, all non-essential bodily functions are temporarily put on hold in order to deal with the situation. The body needs to have as much energy as possible available, in the form of blood glucose, so it signals insulin to restrict glucose uptake to the cells. Cortisol also triggers glucagon to release stored glucose from the liver. Some of the ways cortisol release impacts the body in response to a stressor includes:

• Signals glucagon (which stores glucose in the liver) to release additional glucose into bloodstream
• Suppresses insulin
• Suppresses immune function
• Suppresses reproductive function
• Weakens gastrointestinal tract
• Constricts blood vessels

Once the threat has resolved, insulin rebalances blood glucose levels and glucose is welcomed back into the cells. At this point, the body is ready to rest and store energy for next time. This evolutionary adaptive response has ensured the survival of humans over time. The problem, however, lies in the repetitive and constant activation of the cycle. Ultimately the signalling process becomes impaired and cells become resistant to insulin, which has far-reaching consequences.

Introducing Cortisol

You may not have heard of cortisol? Cortisol is often called the primary “stress hormone” because it’s one of the main hormones we release when we’re under any sort of pressure and our evolutionary-based “fight or flight response” kicks into gear.  Cortisol levels naturally fluctuate during the day but when the problems start is with levels that stay elevated.  This is going to have impacts on your body – from weight gain to disturbed sleep.

VIA Character Strengths

The VIA Institute on Character is a non-profit organization, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, dedicated to bringing the science of character strengths to the world through supporting research, creating and validating surveys of character, and developing practical tools for individuals and practitioners.  We use their free tools in our stress management and resilience training courses to help people connect with their meaning and purpose.  Lots of free resources on this website.

NHS Mood Zone

Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or just the normal emotional ups and downs of life, the NHS Choices Moodzone is here to help.

It offers practical advice, interactive tools, videos and audio guides to help you feel mentally and emotionally better.

Here’s A Powerful Strategy For Calming Your Anxious Mind

If meditating is simply not your thing, positive psychologist Michelle Gielan suggests another powerful method to calm an anxious mind: fact-checking.

Why less adds up to more at work

In this well-written Psychologies article Oliver Burkeman argues that taking a step back at work might actually help you achieve more.

Workaholism – a 21st-century addiction

Psychologist Mark Griffiths examines workaholism and what it has in common with other behavioural addictions.

The 7 Drivers of Old Habits of Thinking

When it comes to negative experiences, we have habitual ways of responding to what triggers us. But we can learn to step out of and stay out of negative thought cycles – this article tells you how.

The Process Communication Model

The Process Communication Model^® (PCM) is an innovative tool which enables you to understand, motivate, and communicate effectively with others. People who use the Process Communication Model benefit from a whole range of practical tools specifically designed for successful everyday management of communication.  This is the work of Dr. Taibi Kahler, who has done a great deal to help us understand what happens to personality under pressure.

Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Link to a website from the centre for clinical interventions, which lists several types of unhelpful thinking styles common to individuals experiencing low mood, anxiety, stress and other difficulties.

Ten Thinking Errors That Can Hold You Back

Very good article using the thought errors classifications first proposed by Burns (1999) to look at how they may influence people’s work lives. Brief and accessible

Introducing Thinking Errors (Cognitive Distortions)

Good website from Harley therapy about the various forms of cognitive distortions people can have and how these can lead to stuck relationships.

Understanding Your Core Beliefs

Web page from the Harley Street Therapy website explaining core beliefs (CBT approach)

Identifying the Beliefs that Hold You Back

A list of the 18 maladaptive schemas (from Schema therapy)

A Perfectionism Scale

Link to a perfectionism questionnaire on the BBC website, originally taken from Frost’s Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. It self-scores and provides feedback on which dimensions you scored highest

Never Good Enough? The Trap of Perfectionism

Another article about perfectionism, including information about how to break free from it. It contains a brief questionnaire.

More about Perfectionism

Website page written by a psychologist about perfectionism and its possible impacts on people.

Perfectionism in Practice

Website from the centre for clinical interventions. This link is to a page containing several useful handouts about perfectionism, with strategies and tasks to help overcome it in a self-help fashion.

Improving self-esteem by understanding rules for living

From the centre for clinical interventions in Australia. It’s a brief hand-out about rules for living and is nice and balanced, talking about flexible and adaptive rules for living. Quite accessible but also quite clinically focused. Nonetheless, it has some good tips and exercises

Using ABC to overcome pessimistic thinking

Good information about the ABC technique. It applies the information to a workplace example, which is quite handy.

Soul Biographies

Nic describes his work as “Short, Black & White Human Portraits in Film. Extremely close up. And extremely revealing of our common human experience.”  Take 5 minutes and watch one ….