How to Manage Stress

INTRODUCTION

(Gaining interest and attention) Good Evening everyone, please look to the people around you. 30% of them will die prematurely. You’ll be shocked to learn that it’s because of the world’s number one silent killer, which is stress.

(Stating the importance of the topic) All of these predictions are based on statistics of stress related illnesses. Hopefully by the end of this speech, you will escape the predictions by merely listening and making some changes to your lifestyle.

(Establishing common ground and rapport) Like you, I have had sleepless nights and butterflies just thinking about having to come up front and speak today.

(Establishing credibility) To help overcome my stress, I researched the topic as much as I could and practiced some of stress-busting techniques.

(Stating the topic and thesis) Today, I would like to speak to you about Managing Stress.  First, I’ll speak about what stress is and the common warning signs of stress. Second, I’ll  talk about how stress affects your health.  Finally, I’ll talk about what you can do to manage it.

Transition:  Let’s now begin with the first point which is the definition and the common warning signs of stress.

BODY

1. What is stress and what are the common warning signs of stress?

1. Oxford Dictionary defines stress as “state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances”.

1. According to Dr James McCubbin of Clemson University South Carolina, stress has nothing to do with the number of hours you work but everything to do with how you feel during those hours.
2. Nevertheless, a report recently published by the NIOSH states that

1. 40% of workers felt that their job was very or extremely stressful;
2. 25% viewed their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives;
3. 14% of them had felt like punching a coworker in the past year, but didn’t.

1. There are four common signs of stress – physical, mental, emotional and behavioral.

1. Physical signs include grinding teeth, headaches, indigestion, muscle tension, and difficulty sleeping,
2. Mental signs include constant worry, indecisive, inability to concentrate, loss sense of humor and poor memory.
3. Emotional signs include anger, anxiety, and depression, frequent mood swings, irritability and nervousness
4. Behavioral signs could be bossiness, compulsive eating, increased use of alcohol or drugs and withdrawal from relationships or social situations.

Transition:  Now let’s move on to my second point of how stress affects your body.

1. Stress can have adverse effect on your body and health.

1. Medical conditions are often connected to other disorders or illnesses. These conditions may be a cause or a symptom of stress or be a disease for which you may be at increased risk.

1. As shown in the diagram, stress can affect your brain and nerves, skin, muscles and joints, heart, stomach, pancreas, intestines, reproductive system and immune systems.
2. Hence chronic stress may result or increase your risk in getting hypertension, heart attack, stroke, depression, chronic fatigue, migraine, diabetes, obesity, and impaired immune system.

Transition:  Now, let’s move on to my last point, what you can do to lessen your stress.

1. There's no quick-fix cure for stress, and no single method will work for everyone. However, there are simple things you can do to manage stress. Let’s look at the three tips that might help which are relaxation techniques and exercise, prioritizing and asking for help.

1. Number One – Relaxation Techniques.

1. Dr  J. Winner, author of Take the Stress Out of Your Life suggests that we build a specific time each day to relax and breathe deeply.
2. Alternatively, explore stress coping programs, like meditation, yoga or tai chi to help boost mood and reduce stress.

1. Number Two – Reframe the situation. When you are stressed, you may be burdened about the past or your future expectation.  Stop.  

1. Bring yourself back to the present time.  Focus on what you are doing.
2. Rather than swearing and swinging your arms in anger, breathe deeply and set priorities.
3. Decide on what needs to get done, what can wait.

1. Number Three - Avoid dwelling on problems and ask for help. Talk to someone.

1. Talk to your partner, your best friend, or your own support group
2. If you cannot, then seek help from a psychologist whenever you are overwhelmed, feel you cannot cope, have suicidal thoughts, or are using alcohol or drugs to cope.

Transition:  Now, let’s move on to the conclusion.

CONCLUSION

Signal Ending:  To recap, you now know three things about stress. One, stress is something that causes tension or strain and can be shown through physical, mental, emotional or behavioral signs. Two, stress affects your physical, mental and emotional health and can be a cause or a symptom or increase your risks of more serious medical conditions like heart attack, cancer, stroke and severe depression. Lastly, you need to learn how to manage your stress, be it by taking a deep breath and relaxing, prioritizing your tasks and asking for help. Remember, your many worries of today won’t matter much when you are 60 or 70 years old.   (Closure and coming back full circle)  What would matter then would be your health and how you exit this world.