Managing Stress Worksheet

Changing our Thoughts

Tension Producing Statements:

1. It probably won’t work
2. I should not feel this way
3. If you really cared you would…
4. I am not as smart and attractive as she is
5. He makes me so mad
6. I can’t understand it
7. I’m getting nervous
8. I’ll disappoint them and let them down
9. I’m not good enough
10. I’ve never been any good at this.
11. I’ll never do this right
12. You can’t make any money doing that
13. Everything depends on this
14. If I don’t reach that goal, it will be terrible
15. If others disagree with me, I must be wrong
16. He ought to know what I’m feeling
17. It must be my fault
18. I will never get it done in time
19. If I don’t get good grades, my future is ruined
20. I’m not BYU material
21. I’m so stupid
22. I should be more like…
23. He/She would never go out with me
24. I hate it when…

Tension Reducing Statements:

1. It is not worth getting upset over
2. I’m not going to let my emotions get involved in that
3. I can choose to not get angry
4. I can handle it
5. It’s okay to make mistakes
6. Regardless of how I do, I can learn from it
7. I hope it happens but I am not going to expect it to
8. It is okay to be me and to feel the way I do
9. I’ll compare myself with myself rather than with others
10. Worry won’t help solve the problem
11. I can do what I can do and that is all
12. I am a fallible human being
13. I’ll survive
14. I’ll do what I can under the circumstances
15. I can’t do anything about it right now
16. Five years from now, who will care?
17. Let’s put this problem into an eternal perspective
18. I could have done better but at least I tried
19. No one can be love by everyone
20. Other people are going to be different from me
21. What is the worst thing that can happen?
22. Getting upset will just make it worse
23. One thing at a time
24. I will cheer for, rather than compete with others
25. That’s their problem, not mine
26. It is not requisite that I run fast than I have strength

Stress and Performance

Breathing Exercises

BREATHING EXERCISES

Use one of these techniques for 1-2 minutes each time you do the breathing exercise.


1. Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out repeat a calming word or phrase to yourself such as “quiet,” “still,” “relax,” “peace,” “I am calm,” “I am thankful,” “I feel relaxed,” “I can do this,” or some other tension-reducing phrase. (Erickson, K.)



2. Focus on being with each in-breath for its full duration and with each out-breath for its full duration, as if you were riding the waves of your own breathing. (Kabat-Zinn, J.)



3. Breathe in deeply through your nose while saying in your mind “let”—pause—then breathe out slowly through your mouth while saying in your mind “go.” As you breathe out, purse your lips as though you were blowing through a straw so your exhalation will be longer than your inhalation. Feel your body letting go of tightness and tension as you breathe out. (Coetzee, S.)



4. Fold your arms across your abdomen. Feel your abdomen rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale. Each time you exhale, feel tension leaving your body and feel yourself sink a little deeper into a pool of relaxation. (Maughan, M.)



5. Imagine that you are holding a baby. Now with your shoulders relaxed, inhale gently so that your abdomen widens. Then as you exhale, purse your lips and very gently and softly blow over the baby’s hair. Allow your abdomen to narrow when exhaling. Blow so softly that the baby’s hair barely moves. At the same time, imagine that you can allow your breath to flow down and through your legs. Continue imagining that you are gently blowing on the baby’s hair while feeling your breath flowing down your legs. Keep blowing very softly and continuously. (Peper, E.)



6. Breathe in deeply through your nose. Breathe out slowly through your mouth pursing your lips as though you were blowing through a straw. Make your out-breath two to three times as long as your in-breath.

Breathing for Relaxation

Music Composed by Kevin Macleod

Suggestions for Sleeping Problems

1. Do not deliberately try to sleep. Listen to your body and let it be in charge of that process.
2. Begin to slow down and reduce your physical and mental activity about ½ hour before your usual bedtime. Do things which are restful or even monotonous.
3. Relax your body before your usual bedtime like soaking in a hot tub or massaging sore muscles.
4. Use a sleep inducing technique when in bed.
5. If you go to bed and do not fall asleep in 10-15 minutes, get up and do something restful which requires minimal mental and physical energy. Go back to bed when your body gets sleepy. Repeat this procedure until you fall asleep.
6. Be sure to get up around your regular time each morning, even on weekends.
7. Get up in the morning once you wake up. Avoid lying in bed in the half-awake state.
8. Look forward to something to get up for each morning.
9. Do not nap during the day. When you get tired or sleepy use a 15-20 minute relaxation exercise to refresh yourself.
10. Do not use your bed for activities like reading, eating, studying, or resting. Lie on your bed only when you are ready to sleep.
11. Do not panic if your usual sleep pattern is interrupted. Trust your body to handle the situation.
12. Do not discuss disturbing topics late in the evening.
13. Do not go to bed angry.
14. Plan the next day the evening before and put what you will need in the morning in one place.
15. Keep a pencil and paper by your bed to write down ideas you want to remember.
16. Increase your physical activity/exercise during the day.
17. Avoid late night munchies.
18. Reduce the caffeine in your diet.
19. Beware of clichés about sleep like, “your body will function best with at least eight hours of sleep each night.”

* Many of these suggestions are similar to ideas in How to Relax – A Holistic Approach to Stress Management by John D. Curtis and Richard A. Detert.

Fight or Flight Diagram

Coping With Test Anxiety

TEST ANXIETY WORKSHEET

1. Reduce anxiety by thoroughly preparing for the test.

2. Study habits

Use process of subsumption to relate info to important concepts.

Begin studying even if you only have a few minutes.

Reserve times of high energy and alertness for hard subjects – avoid errand running.

Study in an environment which elicits study behavior.

Deal with distracting ideas by writing them down to review them later.

Follow study time with reinforcement (ex. Study fifty minutes, break ten minutes).

Use more spaced than massed (cram sessions) study time.

3. Test preparation – teach the material instead of rereading it.

4. Establish contact with teacher to reduce “opponent” feeling.

5. Pre-experience in your mind taking test in a positive manner (mental rehearsal).

6. Get restful night’s sleep before test.

7. Relax before the test.

8. Keep test in perspective with more important things in life.

9. Go to testing room a few minutes early to avoid “rushed feeling”

10. Taking the test

Relax by using Maultsby breathing technique for three to four minutes.

Scan test.

Jot down memorized details.

Answer questions you know first.

Come back to difficult questions.

Give yourself positive messages.

Close eyes and relax for a moment if tension builds.

Answer “long-shot” items as test time nears end.

11. React in a positive way to test performance after the test.