Your Pathway from Stress to Wellness

Presented by Dr. Derek Lee, HBSc, DC, CAFCI, Certified Stress & Wellness Consultant

In association with

betterHEALTH providers

Core materials in this presentation are copyright (2006) to the Canadian Institute of Stress and Dr. Derek Lee

A Step-by-Step Process to Managing Your Stress6 Objectives to Cover

1. What is Stress? How does it work?2. Examine the Impact of Stress on us emotionally &

physically.3. Stress affects us differently from person to person

and that is dictated by our particular Stress Type.4. Different people need different stress management

strategies…a personalized program.5. Vitality Quotient Test to determine your stress type.6. Choose the top 2 proven interventions for reducing

our individual levels of stress.

What is Stress? How does it work?

“Stress” is energy … more precisely, stress is your body’s hormonal system for producing the physical and emotional energy you rely on throughout your day.Every time you need energy – whether it’s lifting a barbell, simply getting out of bed in the morning, or leading a meeting – your stress level will automatically go up.It’s a reflex like closing your eyes when you sneeze…you can’t help it.

5 Stages of Stress

Fatigue & InsomniaRelationships DiminishEmotional DistressChronic Aches & PainsIllness and Disability

These issues become progressively worse in frequency and severity over time.

How do we get a handle on Stress?…it depends on who we are.

1. Figure out who we are. This means determining our “stress type” or stress personality. Our stress type defines how we handle stress and how stress affects us.

2. Once we know who we are, we can scientifically choose the most effective stress intervention skill for our unique stress type.

3. Making small, predictable but profound changes lead to significant gains in stress reduction.

6 Stress Types

The SPEED FREAKConstant foot to the floor on their “stress accelerator”; borderline workaholicEverything must get 110% effort, no matter what its priorityRapid speech; interrupts frequentlyPeriods of fatigue after all-out effortGeneral state of emotional turbulence

Two skills best for Speed Freaks First, clarify the life goals you value most, and then learn autogenic relaxation to control how you invest energy in those goals.

The WORRY WARTHave trouble turning off their thoughtsDrive themselves at high RPM, but rarely put themselves in gear, i.e. worry leads to useless wheel spinningFrequent anxiety, and slow to recover / come down from high stress situationsTension headaches

Two skills best for Worry Warts – The first step is psychological relaxation or reframing, then supported by clarifying values and goals.

The DRIFTERTend to shotgun their energy across many optionsIn perpetual “mid-life crisis”Often feel dissatisfied; that life is not “adding up”; or that something is seriously missing in their livesDoubts existing goals / satisfactions in life

Two skills best for Drifters – First, focus on more self-affirming relationships, then follow up by pinpointing the satisfying experiences you value most in those relationships.

The LONER

Feel lonely, often unfulfilled in relationshipsMay feel uncomfortable with others; often masked with a smileDifficulties in giving / receiving easy, relaxed closeness or intimacyFeel alone in carrying burdens or worries

Two skills best for Loners -- First, clarify what you value and truly enjoy in work or personal life, then cultivate relationships which affirm what you value.

The BASKET CASE

In constant “energy crisis”Energy often fades by mid-dayFrequent aches / pains in low back, muscles or headachesSometimes depressed; feel most activities are too much to do

Two skills best for Basket Cases -- The first foundation skill is high performance nutrition, then supported by essential exercise.

The CLIFF WALKERA walking life insurance company “risk factor chart” [e.g. blood pressure; smoking; alcohol misuse; no exercise; hereditary factors]Tends to be cavalier about risks: “It’ll never happen to me”.Usually a somewhat “worn” appearance, and difficulty sustaining energy

Two skills best for Cliff Walkers -- The first foundation skill is high performance nutrition, then supported by essential exercise.

Measure your Stress & Determine your Stress Type.

What’s my overall stress score? How does that compare to other people?What’s my Stress Type™ ? Am I a Worry Wart … a Speed Freak … a Drifter … a Loner … or a Basket Case?How can I improve my stress level? What two steps will get the best results for my Stress Type? Take the ’Stress Test’.

Since people are quite different in how they become vulnerable to stress build-up, do different people

need different wellness strategies?

The answer is a scientifically solid Yes. There are five basic, proven stress control skills which work better for one stress type over another. Many people who started with the wrong skill actually increased their stress. The right stress control skill depends upon your individual stress type. (Review)

Vital Skills… In descending order of their overall power

1) clarifying your personal values and daily satisfiers(2) being able to relax-at-will, anywhere, any time(3) developing rewarding relationships(4) high performance nutrition(5) essential exercise.

2 Dominant Skills per Stresstype

Two skills best for Worry Warts – The first step is psychological relaxation or reframing, then supported by clarifying values and goals.

Two skills best for Speed Freaks First, clarify the life goals you value most, and then learn relaxation to control how you invest energy in those goals.

Two skills best for Drifters – First, focus on more self-affirming relationships, then follow up by pinpointing the satisfying experiences you value most in those relationships.

Two skills best for Loners -- First, clarify what you value and truly enjoy in work or personal life, then cultivate relationships which affirm what you value.

Two skills best for Basket Cases and Cliff Walkers -- The first foundation skill is high performance nutrition, then supported by essential exercise.

Do any of the much touted stress and wellness techniques actually work?

1. To recap 25 years of research with 132,000 over-stressed Canadians and Americans, here’s what we’ve learned.

2. If you want a stress control program giving you deeply rooted personalized results, with no time wasted on false starts … on what might work for someone else, but not for you, then …

3. Personalize your from-stress-to-wellness strategy to match your dominant Stress Type, focusing on the two skills you most need. They will give you 65+% of your progress.

4. Later, focus on your secondary Stress Type for the other 35%.5. Follow our advice on which of your two skills you should start with first.6. Use “autogenic technology” to reprogram your body mind habits [i.e.

autogenic relaxation + visualization + affirmation methods].

Long-term Results of this Program

31%17%Ability to relax at will increase [EMG]

36%28%Stress recovery time down [EMG/GSR]

46%41%Stress hyper-reactivity down [EMG/GSR]

28%16%T cell increase

31%24%Immunoglobulin A increase

91%49%Below target blood pressure

58%42%Days absent from work decrease

53%22%Doctor’s office visits decrease

At 8 months At 4 months

Program Results at Four and Eight Months Follow-Up

Future workshops on …Stress Management?

Vitality Quotient Questionnaire.Measuring your level of stress.Determining your dominant and secondary stress typesChoosing the top 2 most effective interventions for you.Make minor but profound changes that are proven to last.