Session 1
Stress Management
What is stress?
This stress can be defined as our emotional comma, mental comma, physical and social reaction to any perceived demands or threats. These demands or threats are called stressors. The stressors are the reason for stress.
For example,
- You are too close to the exams but feel unprepared.
- You are experiencing a loss of someone close in the family.
- You are worried about what people would think of you if you don’t dress well or cannot speak confidently.
Stress management
Managing stress is about making a plan to be able to cope effectively with daily pressures. The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between life, work, relationships, relaxation and fun. By doing this you are able to deal with daily stress triggers and meet these challenges head- on.
Always keep in mind the ABC of stress management
A stands for adversity or a stressful event.
B stands for beliefs or the way you respond to the event.
C stands for consequences or actions and outcomes of the event.
Management techniques
Here are a few simple stress management techniques:
Time management: Proper time management is one of the most effective stress relieving techniques.
Physical exercise and fresh air: A healthy lifestyle is essential for students. Stress is generally lower in people who maintain a healthy routine. Doing yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises help in proper blood circulation and relaxes the body. Even taking a walk or playing in the park will help you get a lot of fresh oxygen which will help you become more active.
Healthy diet: Having a healthy diet will also help you reduce stress eating a balanced diet such as dal roti vegetables and fruits will give you the strength to do your daily work efficiently.
Positivity: Focusing on negative aspects of life will add more distress. Instead, learn to Look at the good things and stay positive.
For example, instead of feeling upset over scoring less in a test, try to maintain a positive attitude and look at ways to improve the next time.
Sleep: We should get a good night sleep four at least seven hours so that your brain and body gets recharged to function better the next day.
Holidays with family and friends: Going to a relative’s place such as your grandparent’s house or a new place during your summer vacations can help you break from the normal routine and come back fresh.
Ability to work independently
If you can become a calm and relaxed person. You will have the ability to work independently, which means
- Becoming self –aware, self- monitoring and self -correcting.
- Knowing what you need to do.
- Taking the initiative rather than being told what to do.
- Recognizing your mistakes and not blaming others.
- Having the ability and the will to learn continuously.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.
- Emotional awareness: The ability to identify and name one’s own emotions.
- Harnessing emotions: Ability to harness and apply emotions to tasks like thinking and problem solving.
- Managing emotions: Ability to regulate one’s own emotions when necessary and help others to do the same.
Some steps to manage emotional intelligence are as given below:
Understand your emotions: Reserve your behaviour and not the things you need to work on. You can then work on the things you need to improve.
Rationalize: Don’t take decisions abruptly. Be rational in your thinking.
Practice: Do meditation and yoga to keep yourself calm.
Session 2
Self – awareness- The strength and weakness analysis
Techniques for identifying your strengths and weaknesses
Finding strengths or abilities:
- Think of anything that you are always successful at.
- Think about what others like in you.
- Take out time and think about what you do well.
Finding weaknesses:
- Point out the areas where you struggle and the things you find difficult to do.
- Look at the feedback others usually give you.
- Be open to feedback and accept your weaknesses without feeling low about it.Take it as an area of improvement.
Difference between interests and abilities
Interests:
- Things that you like to do in your free time that make you happy.And acquired or natural capacity.
- Things you are curious about or would do Even if no one asked you to do it.
- Things you want to learn or would like to do in the future.
Ability:
- An acquired natural capacity.
- Enable you to perform a particular job or task with considerable proficiency.