Stress Management

The evolution of the concept of stress from classical understanding to the present day. Systemization of types of stress: positive stress; negative stress; insufficient stress. There will be a look at why a little stress can be healthy, but excessive stress causes problems.

Questions covered:

• How is “stress” scientifically defined and by what is different from the everyday term “worry”?
• In what ways can positive stress improve performance, so why can excessive stress (distress) hurt?

Body-specific responses to the situation caused by excessive negative stress will be analysed. Discussing ways and strategies to cope with stress.

Lesson questions:

• What key components of stress response (both physiological and psychological) can be released in a stressful situation?
• What are the ways and methods of regulating excessive negative stress?

Work environment stress and psychosocial factors at work that cause stress and chronic stress in employees. Analysis of typical workplace stressors. Let’s pay special attention to burnout syndrome (Burnout). The definition and symptoms of burnout syndrome will be looked at in line with the latest international guidelines.

Questions considered:

• What key components of stress response (both physiological and psychological) can be released in a stressful situation?
• What are the ways and methods of regulating excessive negative stress?

Burnout syndrome factors and their preventive measures will be analysed.

Lesson question:

• What preventative measures can we take to prevent burnout syndrome for ourselves and others?

The stress of the academic environment – the main stressors for students and also for teaching staff – will be analysed. Let’s explore the students’ most significant stressors and the consequences of academic stress.

Questions covered:

• What factors in the study process most often cause stress for students, and how do these factors manifest themselves in everyday student life?
• How can prolonged and unmanaged stress affect a student’s health and academic performance?
• What resources can students themselves use to mitigate the negative effects of academic stress?

This lecture focuses on everyday (domestic) sources of stress and how to manage them. Let’s analyze the most common daily stressors. It will be stressed that “small” daily stressors have a cumulative effect. In the lecture, we will discuss strategies for managing stress on a daily basis.

Questions covered:

• What events and situations of everyday life most often cause chronic stress in humans, how do these sources of stress be recognized in time?
• How do global crisis events (such as the pandemic, war, economic crises) echo the daily stress levels of individuals?
• Why aren’t “small” domestic stressors overlooked, and what are their potential accumulative effects on a person’s psychoemotional state?

In this lecture, let’s theoretically look at how people cope with stress and what determines a person’s mental resilience. Let’s get to know the classification of stress management strategies.

Issues discussed:

• What are the main categories of stress management strategies and by what practical means should they be illustrated?
• Which methods of managing stress are considered unhealthy and how can they affect a person’s mental health in the long term?
• What is mental resilience and what factors help a person to be resilient to the negative effects of stress?

In this lecture, let’s look at the various science-based methods used to relieve and manage stress.

Questions:

• What are the main stress-relieving techniques an individual can use on a daily basis and how do they affect a person’s mind and body?
• Why are physical activity and relaxation techniques considered effective stress management techniques and what are the scientifically proven benefits of these techniques?

In the concluding theoretical lecture, let’s look at trends in stress management and new challenges in society. Let’s discuss how the “nature” of stress has changed in the age of 21.gs.digitaliz. Let’s analyse a new phenomenon, “technostress,” and its contributing effects and effects on the body.

Questions:

• What new forms and sources of stress have emerged in today’s digitized and globalized world, and how do they affect human wellbeing?
• Why is stress management not just an individual’s task – what role do employers, educational institutions and public policies play in reducing stress in society?
• How does reducing stress levels and supporting mental health in society relate to sustainable development goals and common societal well-being?

The purpose of the practical class is to help students become aware of their stress levels and identify individual stressors. At the start of the class, students will fill out a survey of stress self-assessment to quantify how much stress they have felt over the past month. Students will then be introduced to the “stress diary” method.

Lesson questions:

• How do you assess your subjective stress levels and what are the signs that stress has become elevated?
• How do I identify my main sources of stress on a daily basis – which events or situations personally put the most strain on me?
• What physical and emotional symptoms in me are caused by stress, and what are my current (perhaps unconscious) strategies for responding to it?

In the focus of this lesson, practically learn relaxation techniques that reduce acute stress response.

Lesson questions:

• How do I properly perform deep breathing and advanced muscle relaxation, and what physiological changes do these methods cause in the body?
• Which of the relaxation techniques I’ve learned I personally find most effective for myself, and at what points in my day-to-day life could I apply it to de-stress?
• Why can practising relaxation exercises regularly increase stress resilience in the long run?

In this practice, students will learn cognitive techniques to reduce stress – recognise negative thoughts that have arisen in stressful situations and modify them more constructively.

Lesson questions:

• How do I properly perform deep breathing and advanced muscle relaxation, and what physiological changes do these methods cause in the body?
• Which of the relaxation techniques I’ve learned I personally find most effective for myself, and at what points in my day-to-day life could I apply it to de-stress?
• Why can practising relaxation exercises regularly increase stress resilience in the long run?

In this practice, students will learn cognitive techniques to reduce stress – recognise negative thoughts that have arisen in stressful situations and modify them more constructively.

Lesson questions:

• What is mindfulness and how can regular use of mindfulness techniques help reduce the subjective sense of stress?
• What were the personal challenges and benefits of trying a short “body scan” exercise?
• How could I practise mindfulness techniques in my day-to-day future (mentioning a specific situation or where to integrate it), and how can this potentially improve my ability to cope with stressful situations?

This lesson focuses on the use of social skills and support in stress regulation.

Lesson questions:

• What social support resources do I have and how could I be more actively involved in managing my stress?
• What are the signs of active, empathic listening, and how can listening like this help reduce a speaker’s stress?
• What techniques can be used to politely but surely refuse someone a claim or suggestion that puts me under excessive strain, how does setting such a boundary help reduce stress in the long term?

This lesson focuses on the role of healthy lifestyles in stress resilience and, in conclusion, the development of an individual stress management plan for each student.

Lesson questions:

• What social support resources do I have and how could I be more actively involved in managing my stress?
• What are the signs of active, empathic listening, and how can listening like this help reduce a speaker’s stress?
• What techniques can be used to politely but surely refuse someone a claim or suggestion that puts me under excessive strain, how does setting such a boundary help reduce stress in the long term?

It will be a follow-up to a previous lesson in which each student will collect all the techniques and information learned in the course to create their own personalized stress management plan. This plan must contain: my main stressors; early signs that I am under stress; my “action strategy” – which methods I will use to reduce acute stress; long-term prevention – what I will do on a regular basis. Students draw up a plan in writing, which is considered a “worksheet,” which the student brings with them in real life. The work must be presented to the lecture theatre.

Lesson question:

• Why is it important to plan your stress relief steps proactively and not wait for stress to spiral out of control?

The evolution of the concept of stress from classical understanding to the present day. Systemization of types of stress: positive stress; negative stress; insufficient stress. There will be a look at why a little stress can be healthy, but excessive stress causes problems.

Questions covered:

• How is “stress” scientifically defined and by what is different from the everyday term “worry”?
• In what ways can positive stress improve performance, so why can excessive stress (distress) hurt?

Body-specific responses to the situation caused by excessive negative stress will be analysed. Discussing ways and strategies to cope with stress.

Lesson questions:

• What key components of stress response (both physiological and psychological) can be released in a stressful situation?
• What are the ways and methods of regulating excessive negative stress?

Work environment stress and psychosocial factors at work that cause stress and chronic stress in employees. Analysis of typical workplace stressors. Let’s pay special attention to burnout syndrome (Burnout). The definition and symptoms of burnout syndrome will be looked at in line with the latest international guidelines.

Questions considered:

• What key components of stress response (both physiological and psychological) can be released in a stressful situation?
• What are the ways and methods of regulating excessive negative stress?

Burnout syndrome factors and their preventive measures will be analysed.

Lesson question:

• What preventative measures can we take to prevent burnout syndrome for ourselves and others?

The stress of the academic environment – the main stressors for students and also for teaching staff – will be analysed. Let’s explore the students’ most significant stressors and the consequences of academic stress.

Questions covered:

• What factors in the study process most often cause stress for students, and how do these factors manifest themselves in everyday student life?
• How can prolonged and unmanaged stress affect a student’s health and academic performance?
• What resources can students themselves use to mitigate the negative effects of academic stress?

This lecture focuses on everyday (domestic) sources of stress and how to manage them. Let’s analyze the most common daily stressors. It will be stressed that “small” daily stressors have a cumulative effect. In the lecture, we will discuss strategies for managing stress on a daily basis.

Questions covered:

• What events and situations of everyday life most often cause chronic stress in humans, how do these sources of stress be recognized in time?
• How do global crisis events (such as the pandemic, war, economic crises) echo the daily stress levels of individuals?
• Why aren’t “small” domestic stressors overlooked, and what are their potential accumulative effects on a person’s psychoemotional state?

In this lecture, let’s theoretically look at how people cope with stress and what determines a person’s mental resilience. Let’s get to know the classification of stress management strategies.

Issues discussed:

• What are the main categories of stress management strategies and by what practical means should they be illustrated?
• Which methods of managing stress are considered unhealthy and how can they affect a person’s mental health in the long term?
• What is mental resilience and what factors help a person to be resilient to the negative effects of stress?

In this lecture, let’s look at the various science-based methods used to relieve and manage stress.

Questions:

• What are the main stress-relieving techniques an individual can use on a daily basis and how do they affect a person’s mind and body?
• Why are physical activity and relaxation techniques considered effective stress management techniques and what are the scientifically proven benefits of these techniques?

In the concluding theoretical lecture, let’s look at trends in stress management and new challenges in society. Let’s discuss how the “nature” of stress has changed in the age of 21.gs.digitaliz. Let’s analyse a new phenomenon, “technostress,” and its contributing effects and effects on the body.

Questions:

• What new forms and sources of stress have emerged in today’s digitized and globalized world, and how do they affect human wellbeing?
• Why is stress management not just an individual’s task – what role do employers, educational institutions and public policies play in reducing stress in society?
• How does reducing stress levels and supporting mental health in society relate to sustainable development goals and common societal well-being?

The purpose of the practical class is to help students become aware of their stress levels and identify individual stressors. At the start of the class, students will fill out a survey of stress self-assessment to quantify how much stress they have felt over the past month. Students will then be introduced to the “stress diary” method.

Lesson questions:

• How do you assess your subjective stress levels and what are the signs that stress has become elevated?
• How do I identify my main sources of stress on a daily basis – which events or situations personally put the most strain on me?
• What physical and emotional symptoms in me are caused by stress, and what are my current (perhaps unconscious) strategies for responding to it?

In the focus of this lesson, practically learn relaxation techniques that reduce acute stress response.

Lesson questions:

• How do I properly perform deep breathing and advanced muscle relaxation, and what physiological changes do these methods cause in the body?
• Which of the relaxation techniques I’ve learned I personally find most effective for myself, and at what points in my day-to-day life could I apply it to de-stress?
• Why can practising relaxation exercises regularly increase stress resilience in the long run?

In this practice, students will learn cognitive techniques to reduce stress – recognise negative thoughts that have arisen in stressful situations and modify them more constructively.

Lesson questions:

• How do I properly perform deep breathing and advanced muscle relaxation, and what physiological changes do these methods cause in the body?
• Which of the relaxation techniques I’ve learned I personally find most effective for myself, and at what points in my day-to-day life could I apply it to de-stress?
• Why can practising relaxation exercises regularly increase stress resilience in the long run?

In this practice, students will learn cognitive techniques to reduce stress – recognise negative thoughts that have arisen in stressful situations and modify them more constructively.

Lesson questions:

• What is mindfulness and how can regular use of mindfulness techniques help reduce the subjective sense of stress?
• What were the personal challenges and benefits of trying a short “body scan” exercise?
• How could I practise mindfulness techniques in my day-to-day future (mentioning a specific situation or where to integrate it), and how can this potentially improve my ability to cope with stressful situations?

This lesson focuses on the use of social skills and support in stress regulation.

Lesson questions:

• What social support resources do I have and how could I be more actively involved in managing my stress?
• What are the signs of active, empathic listening, and how can listening like this help reduce a speaker’s stress?
• What techniques can be used to politely but surely refuse someone a claim or suggestion that puts me under excessive strain, how does setting such a boundary help reduce stress in the long term?

This lesson focuses on the role of healthy lifestyles in stress resilience and, in conclusion, the development of an individual stress management plan for each student.

Lesson questions:

• What social support resources do I have and how could I be more actively involved in managing my stress?
• What are the signs of active, empathic listening, and how can listening like this help reduce a speaker’s stress?
• What techniques can be used to politely but surely refuse someone a claim or suggestion that puts me under excessive strain, how does setting such a boundary help reduce stress in the long term?

It will be a follow-up to a previous lesson in which each student will collect all the techniques and information learned in the course to create their own personalized stress management plan. This plan must contain: my main stressors; early signs that I am under stress; my “action strategy” – which methods I will use to reduce acute stress; long-term prevention – what I will do on a regular basis. Students draw up a plan in writing, which is considered a “worksheet,” which the student brings with them in real life. The work must be presented to the lecture theatre.

Lesson question:

• Why is it important to plan your stress relief steps proactively and not wait for stress to spiral out of control?