Part 1 - Your First Aid Kit For
Stress

• Stress: What is it?
• What is Your Stress Index?
• Understanding Stress
• The Stress Response
• Coping with Stress
• Stages of Stress
• Effects on Health
• Easy Ways to Take Pressure
  Off Yourself
• Physical Skills
• Mental Skills Have Some
  Fun!!
• Preventing Stress
• 18 Tips for Dealing with
  Stressand Tension

Part 2 - Resources to Help You
Cope With Stress

• Recreation & Leisure
• Coping by Learning
• Counselling and Support
• Evaluating Educational and
  Helping Services
• Internet Resources - Stress Links

Part 3 - Stress Stoppers

• Stress Stretch
• Smart Goals
• Comedy Break
• Walking Breaks

Physical Skills

These are things you can do for and with your body. This includes making sure that you take good care of your body as well as using physical techniques to help get rid of stress. Physical relaxation techniques are useful in preventing stress and lowering your physical signs of stress. Aim to set aside 20 minutes in your day to relax.

A. Breathing Exercises

You can calm yourself by consciously controlling your breathing. Try one of these exercises:

Exhalation breathing

This slows your breathing to help calm you down.

1. Lie on your back with your arms at your sides.
2. As you begin to breathe in, raise your arms towards the ceiling (elbows bent). Move your arms all the way up and over your head to the floor as you inhale.
3. Reverse the order: breathe out (exhale) slowly and smoothly as you return your arms to your sides. * After you have done this several times slowly inhale and exhale without moving your arms. You can do this exercise for ten minutes or longer -- it's up to you.

Deep Breathing

Breathing can be done anytime, anywhere. Deep breathing provides extra oxygen to the blood and causes the body to release endorphins, which are naturally occurring hormones that re-energize and promote relaxation.

1. Slowly inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen before allowing air to fill your lungs.
2. Reverse the process as you exhale. Do this exercise for three to five minutes whenever you feel tense.

B. Progressive Relaxation

This is a technique to help relax tense muscles.

1. Sit or lie down on your back in a comfortable, quiet room. Close your eyes.
2. Make tight fists, hold for five seconds, then relax your hands. Do this three times. Pay attention to the different sensations of tension and relaxation.
3. Repeat step 2 with all of your muscle groups: arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, hips, thighs, lower legs and feet. * At first, it may take about 20 minutes. With practice, you'll be able to do this in about five minutes.

C. Stretching Exercises

If done correctly, stretching can promote relaxation and reduce stress. Never bounce when you stretch - you could injure your muscles. Do these exercises for five or ten minutes.

Stretch 1: Decide what muscles to stretch.

1. As you stretch, think about one area being stretched; imagine the tension leaving as you gently take these areas to their comfortable limit.
2. Exhale into the stretch; inhale on the release. Breathe deeply and slowly - do not hold your breath.
3. Close your eyes for better awareness of your body's responses.

Stretch 2: Here's a stretch to relieve stiff muscles.

1. Sit up straight and inhale.
2. Exhale as you let your head move down to your chest. You'll feel a gentle stretch on the back of your neck and your shoulders.
3. Roll your right ear toward your right shoulder while inhaling. Drop your chin to your chest again while exhaling. Repeat to the left.
4. Drop your arms to your sides and push both shoulders forward. Slowly raise them towards your ears and circle them back and downward to the starting point. After two or three rotations, change directions.

D. Walking

Going for a walk can clear your mind, reduce tension and increase energy. Walking can help by providing a needed escape and it may increase the brain's production of endorphins (naturally occurring chemicals that relax and re-energize you).

E. How to Sleep Better

Can't sleep? Well, get up. Don't even try to sleep. All that tossing and turning and watching the clock is not for you. It will only succeed in making you more tense. Get out of bed and into a comfortable chair. Read a book, watch television or play solitaire. Stay up as late as you like. Enjoy yourself. Before you know it, you will be dozing. If you don't actually fall asleep, at least you will be relaxed. The point is to reduce your anxiety about not sleeping and therefore make it easier to do so.

Other Tips:

• resist the urge to nap during the day, no matter how tired you are
• don't exercise in the evening when you should be winding down
• avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or cola ) past 2 p.m.
• try drinking a mug of hot milk before bed