Transcript Finding Your Optimal Level of Stimulation

Chapter 9
Reduce: Finding Your
Optimal Level of
Stimulation
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McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Stimulation, Demand, and
Stress
 Reduce: the second level of defense
against stress in the Five Rs of Coping
 Strategies designed to help you find
your optimal level of stimulation by
cutting back on the overall volume of
potential and actual stressors in your life
(finding homeo______).
 Rules
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All forms of stimulation use energy and
force our bodies to adapt
What stresses some people does not
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affect others
Managing Your Limited
Resources
We all have about 30,000 days to
live.
Think of your time and energy as
limited resources.
Selye (1956): Since we all have
limited energy available to adapt to
life’s changes, we need to conserve
it as much as possible
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Finding Your Optimal
Level of Stimulation
Each person needs a certain number
of demands to be stimulated enough
to reach her/his potential but not too
many to become stressed
The inverted U-shaped curve of
demand (stimulation) and
performance level (Arousal theory)
Understanding your optimal level of
stress requires trial and error
(Yerkes-Dodson).
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Figure 9.11
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Categories of Stressors
3 categories of stressors
Stressors that are foreseeable
and can be controlled
Stressors that are foreseeable
and cannot be controlled
Stressors that are neither
foreseeable nor controllable
Which is most damaging?
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The Three As of Coping
Abolish the stressor—
completely eliminate stressors
Avoid the stressor—minimize
your exposure to stressors
Alter the stressor—change the
way you are exposed to stressors
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Managing Our Scale of
Living
Our society equates money and
material things with the good life
The Voluntary Simplicity Network
rejects this notion and offers guiding
principles
Downscaling can reduce stress
 The more things you own, the more things that own you. –
David Talbot
Begin by reviewing your values and
goals (Rethinking the Big Picture)9-8
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 Only boys who save their pennies
Make my rainy day
You know that we are living in a
material world
And I am a material girl
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 She said I’m sorry baby I’m leaving you tonight
I found someone new he’s waitin’ in the car outside
Ah honey how could you do it
We swore each other everlasting love
She said well yeah I know but when
We did–there was one thing we weren’t
Really thinking of and that’s money–
 If you got the money, honey
I’ve got The Time
We’ll go honky-tonkin’
And we’re gonna have a time
Bring along your Cadillac
Leave my old wreck behind
If you got the money, honey
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I’ve got the time
Managing Limited Financial
Resources
Our purpose in life is shaped by
our values and daily life criteria
Since the American economy is
consumption-based, it is easy to
get pushed off our planned
course and end up owing more
than we can afford
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Budgeting Your Limited
Resources: How Much
Money Do You Really Need?
 People often underestimate the amount of
money they spend and how much they
really need
 First step in managing: Take an inventory
of how much you spend
 Next, categorize expenses (rent, food,
etc.)
 Finally, construct and follow a budget
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Managing Your Limited
Time
Time management is a threepart process
Set clear goals
Assess your use of time
Prioritize your use of time
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Goal Setting and Time
Management
Setting goals for our lives
provides structure and purpose
serves as a basis for planning the
use of time
Building free time into one’s
schedule is just as important as
building in time to study and work
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Managing Time Resources
by Limiting Procrastination
Procrastination: one of the biggest
wasters of time
Major reasons for procrastination
Fear of failure
Laziness or apathy
The need for instant gratification
Strategies for breaking the
procrastination habit are given in the
text
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Top 10 Reasons I
Procrastinate.
 1.
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Reducing Stress by
Communicating More
Effectively
Communication: the process by
which information is exchanged
through a common system of
symbols, signs, or behaviors
Communication occurs at two
levels
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
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Building
Communication Skills
Communication involves
three specific sets of skills
Initiating skills
Listening skills
Responding skills
Differences between Men and
Women?
9-17
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Asserting Yourself
(v. non-assertive
v. aggressive)
How to say no
Not always easy but essential
to reduce stress
Stress Buster Tips give
suggestions for how to say no
Look them in the eye
Repeat yourself
Don’t get caught up on explanations.
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Hold your ground.
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