COPING

SKILLS : L I F E S K I L L S
FOR STRESS & TIME
MANAGEMENT
GROUP 4
MARIYA
ANSON
ABHITHA
SRADHA
 STRESS
o STRESS
Any type of change that causes physical, emotional or
psychological strain. It is a negative emotional experience
accompanied by predictable biochemical , physiological, cognitive
and behavioural changes that are directed either towards altering
the stressful event or accommodating to its effect.
o EUSTRESS
Stress that results from positive experiences
o DISTRESS
Stress that results from negative experiences
o STRESSORS
Events or situations in our environment that causes stress.
Stressors can be as simply as background noise in our
environment or as complex as a social situation such as going on a
date.
4 Causes of stress vary from person to person . Common causes
maybe death of a family member , or long illness of family member,
Change of job etc.

SRESS RESPONSE
 Muscle tension
 Increase in heart rate
 Sweating
 Rapid and shallow breathing
 Increase in blood pressure
 Cold or clammy hands and feet
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
5

EMOTIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL BEHAVIORAL PHYSICAL

 Anxiety  Decrease in  Mood swings  Fatigue
 Fear concentration  Blaming  Headaches
 Loss of sense of  Nervous  Back aches
 Nervousness humor habits  Muscle tension
 Tiredness  Low self esteem  Change in  Heart palpitations
 Anger  Confusion appetite  High blood
 Forgetfulness  Aggressive or pressure
 Frustration
 Unwanted or subdued  Indigestion
 Irritability repetitive behaviour  Ulcers
 Impatience thoughts  Increase in  Difficulty sleeping
 Unhappiness  Lack of alcohol  Low immunity to
 Crying motivation consumption cold
 Smoking
 Worry  Loss of libido
 depression
 COPING IS EXPENDING CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO SOLVE
PERSONAL AND INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS,AND SEEKING TO
MASTER ,MINIMIZE OR TOLERATE STRESS OR CONFLICT. THE
TERM COPING GENERALLY REFERS TO ADAPTIVE
(CONSTRUCTIVE)COPING STRATEGIES
PSYCHOLOGICAL COPING MECHANISMS ARE TERMED COPING
STRATEGIES OR COPING SKILLS

COPING SKILLS ARE WAYS IN WHICH WE LEARN TO DEAL WITH

VARIOUS STRESSORS
 TYPES OF COPING
o APPRAISAL FOCUSED COPING: Directed towards challenging ones
own assumptions , adaptive cognitive.

o PROBLEM FOCUSED COPING: Directed towards eliminating or reducing

a stress , adaptive behavioural.

o EMOTION FOCUSED COPING: Directed towards changing ones own

emotional reaction.
 COPING WITH STRESS
UNHEALTHY WAYS OF COPING WITH STRESS- Strategies that temporarily reduce stress but they
cause more damage in the long run
 Smoking
 Consuming too much alcohol
 Overeating or undereating
 Zoning out for hours infront of the T.V or computer
 Withdrawing from friends family and activities
 Acting out behaviour(including physical aggression )
 Excessive worrying
 Using pills or drugs to relax
 Sleeping too much
 Procrastinating
 Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
 Taking out your stress on others(lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)
 Quitting jobs , relationships, etc
Dealing with Stressful Situations : The Four A’ s

Change the situation

 Avoid the stressor
 Alter the stressor

Change your reaction

 Adapt to the stressor
 Accept the stressor
 STRESS MANAGEMENT
 Avoid unnecessary stressS TallRstress
: Not AT can E RGY
be avoided, and its not healthy to avoid a situation that
needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that
you can eliminate.
• Learn how to say NO
• Avoid people who stress you to out
• Take control of your environment
• Avoid hot button topics
• Pare down your to do list
 Alter the situation : If you cant avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to
change things so the problem doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the
way you communicate and operate in your daily life.
• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up.
• Be willing to compromise
• Be more assertive
• Manage your time better
 Adapt to the stressor : if you cant change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful
situations and regain you sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.
• Reframe problems
• Look at the big picture
• Adjust your standards
• Focus on the positive
• Adjusting your attitude
 Accept the things you cant change : Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You cant prevent or
change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or national recession. In such
cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult,
but in the long run, its easier than railing against a situation you cant change.
• Don’t try to control the uncontrollable
• Look for the upside
• Share your feelings
• Learn to forgive
 Make time for fun and relaxation: beyond a take charge approach and a positive
attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. Don’t get so caught
up in hustle and bustle of life that you forgot to take care of your own needs.
• Set aside relaxation time
• Connect with others
• Do something you enjoy everyday
• Keep your sense of humour

 Adopt a healthy lifestyle : you can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical
health.
• Exercise regularly
• Eat a healthy diet
• Reduce caffeine & sugar
• Avoid alcohol , cigarettes & drugs
• Get enough sleep
R E L A X AT I O N
TECHNIQUES
 DEEP BREATHING
Sit with your legs uncrossed, good posture, and place your hands on your
thighs. Close your eyes. Inhale deeply through your nose into your abdomen for a
long count of five seconds (your chest should move only a little). Hold for a long
count of two seconds, then breathe out slowly through your mouth for a long count
of five. Repeat for 10 to 15 cycles. Stop briefly if you feel light-headed

 PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION

Loosen any tight clothing, sit or lie comfortably, and close your eyes. Tense
different muscles of your body as much as you can for at least a count of 10 (never
so tight or long that it hurts!). Then, slowly release the tension and allow the muscle
to relax. Let that feeling of relaxation flow through your body. Start at your feet and
move up.
 CREATIVE VISUALISATION
This is a technique where you imagine a scene, place or situation you regard
as safe, restful, and happy. Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe gently through
your nose, eyes closed. Picture in your mind the place you like –a forest, the beach,
a field. Try and smell the aromas, taste the air, hear the sounds. Feel your body
relax. Continue for at least 10 minutes

 MEDITATION
Sit comfortably in a quiet spot. Close your eyes if you like. Breathe in
through your nose. As you exhale, say the word ‘One’ silently to yourself. You might
like to focus on the sound you make exhaling (like the Sanskrit word ‘Om’). Or, if
your eyes are open, focus on an object, exploring its colors and textures. Spend
atleast 10 minutes meditating, but stay focused
 MANDALA CIRCLES
This is a drawing technique to calm the mind. Bring a pencil/s and paper to a
quiet place. Draw a large circle. Now, be prepared to keep drawing for at least 10
minutes. Start filling the circle with whatever you like –spirals, patterns, running-
writing –but don’t let the pencil leave the paper unless you are changing colors.

 YOGA
Yoga comes from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘to unite’; it is a series of mental
and physical exercises. While yoga has strong connections with religions like
Buddhism and Sufism, its exercises are a great way to improve health, and can be
done by anyone of any age and fitness. We recommend you start at classes
conducted by a registered instructor.
 CREATIVE VISUALISATION
This is a technique where you imagine a scene, place or situation you regard
as safe, restful, and happy. Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe gently through
your nose, eyes closed. Picture in your mind the place you like –a forest, the beach,
a field. Try and smell the aromas, taste the air, hear the sounds. Feel your body
relax. Continue for at least 10 minutes

 MEDITATION
Sit comfortably in a quiet spot. Close your eyes if you like. Breathe in
through your nose. As you exhale, say the word ‘One’ silently to yourself. You might
like to focus on the sound you make exhaling (like the Sanskrit word ‘Om’). Or, if
your eyes are open, focus on an object, exploring its colors and textures. Spend
atLeast 10 minutes meditating, but stay focused
TIME
MANAGEMEN
T
 Time management is the act or process of planning and
exercising conscious control over the amount of time
spend on specific activities, especially to increase
effectiveness, efficiency or productivity

It is the process of structuring our lives so that we maximize

our time and energy on what is important to us; and
minimize the time we spend on activities we do not value.
Time management is an important tool that can help you
succeed in school, work, and other personal endeavors
TIME
MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES
KNOW HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME
Keeping a time log is a helpful way to determine how you are
using your time. Start by recording what you are doing for 15-minute
intervals for a week or two. Evaluate the results. Ask if you did
everything that was needed; determine which tasks require the most
time; determine the time of day when you are most productive; and
analyse where most of your time is devoted - job, family, personal,
recreation, etc. Identifying your most time consuming tasks and
determining whether you are investing your time in the most important
activities can help you to determine a course of action. In addition,
having a good sense of the amount of time required for routine tasks
can help you be more realistic in planning and estimating how much
time is available for other activities.
SET PRIORITIES
Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between
what is important and what is urgent ( Mac Kenzie , 1990).Experts
agree that the most important tasks usually aren’t the most urgent
tasks. However, we tend to let the urgent dominate our lives .
Focusing on these important activities allows you to gain greater
control over your time and possibly reduce the number of
important tasks that do become urgent. Having a prioritized “to do”
list allows you to say “no” to activities that may be interesting or
provide a sense of achievement but do not fit your basic priorities
USE A PLANNING TOOL
Time management experts recommend using a personal
planning tool to improve your productivity. Examples of personal
planning tools include electronic planners, pocket diaries,
calendars, computer programs, wall charts, index cards and
notebooks. Writing down your tasks, schedules, and memory
joggers can free your mind to focus on your priorities. Auditory
learners may prefer to dictate their thoughts instead. The key is to
find one planning tool that works for you and use that tool
consistently
Get organized
Most people find that disorganization results in poor time
management. Professional organizers recommend that you first get
rid of the clutter

SAY NO TO NON-ESSENTIAL TASKS

Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on
additional work
Schedule your time appropriately
Even the busiest people find time for what they want to do
and feel is important. Scheduling is not just recording what you
have to do (e.g., meetings and appointments), it is also making a
time commitment to the things you want to do. Good scheduling
requires that you know yourself. Using your time log, you should
have determined those times during the day when you are most
productive and alert. Plan your most challenging tasks for when you
have the most energy. Block out time for your high priority activities
first and protect that time from interruptions.
LIMIT DISTRACTIONS
Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time,
close your door and turn off your phone, pager and email

GET PLENTY OF SLEEP, EAT A HEALTHY DIET AND

EXERCISE REGULARLY
A healthy lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration,
which will help. improve your efficiency so that you can complete
your work in less time.
Take a break when needed
Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized.
When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick
stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation to rest and re-
energize

Break large, time- consuming task into smaller task

Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.
Practice the 10-minute rule
Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get
started, you may find you can finish it.

delegate
Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on
to someone else.
BENEFITS OF
TIME
MANAGEMEN
T
1.Increased productivity and ability to meet deadlines -Knowing how to
make the most of your time means you can get more done in the time you
have. As busy students with only limited time to study in-between other
commitments, having strong time management skills will increase your
ability to use time effectively, so that you can achieve your goals and meet
set deadlines.

2. Reduced stress Without strong time management skills, you’re more

likely to feel like you’re constantly behind, have to rush from one task to
another, have no time to relax, or just don’t have the time to produce your
best work. Feeling this way can affect your mental and physical health, and
feeling stressed at can carry over into other areas of your life. Taking the
time to learn how to manage your time effectively will assist to reduce the
pressure on you and, in turn, decrease the likelihood of you feeling the
negative impact of stress on your mind and body.
3. Knowing when to stop- Being an effective time manager helps you to allocate
the right amount of time to your tasks, meaning you not only know when you
should start studying, but how much time to spend on which tasks and when you
can STOP. Many students get stressed out and feel guilty because they feel like
they should ‘always be studying’ or that they’re always behind. Proper time
management helps you to keep on top of your studies so that you can enjoy
study free time without that gnawing sense of guilt.

4. Career success – Uni responsibilities won’t be the end of having to juggle

various deadlines, competing assignments and tasks, and trying to fit as much
as possible into each day. Being able to manage your time effectively isn’t only
important at university, but is a skill that will increase your employability as a
career professional
THANK YOU