Session Timeframe: 75 mins.
- Opening/Turn & Talk (5 mins)
- Background on Stress (8 mins)
- Stress Resiliency/Management; Pressure Demo (20 mins)
- Window of Tolerance & Reflection (10 mins)
- Pomodoro (5 mins)
- Self-Care in Tech Discussions (17 mins)
- Reflection & Accountabilibuddies (10 mins)
- Closing (2 mins)
As adults, we have all been in stressful situations before. Most of us have not done an immersive program in a basement with no windows before. We know that this type of enviornment can push you to your stress limits. Even if you have managed stress well in the past, it is important to reflect on what has been working and what you might need to improve while you are here.
When did you last feel stressed?
What happens to you when you are stressed?
Webster Definition:
A constraining force or influence: such as a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part…
A physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation…
What happens when we stress ourselves? What kinds of metaphors are these:
- Our balloon has popped
- Tire popped
- Glass overflowed
These are not generally positive metaphors. 1 in 5 people annually experience a mental health crisis (49 million adults, 15 million children) NAMI; CDC. It’s okay to have limits.
- Eustress: moderate or normal psychological stress interpreted as being beneficial for the experiencer
- Distress: extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain
- Acute Stress: in response to a terrifying or traumatic event, or witnessing a traumatic event that induces a strong emotional response within the individual
- Eposodic Acute Stress: the stress which affects those who suffer from acute stress more frequently. People that tend suffer from this always seem to be in a rush. They take too much on and tend not to be able to organize themselves to deal with demands and pressures.
- Chronic Stress: response to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period of time in which an individual perceives they have little or no control. It involves an endocrine system response in which corticosteroids are released.
- Traumatic Stress: reactive anxiety and depression
Albrecht's Four Types Time Stress Anticipatory Stress Situational Stress Encounter stress
Stress starts in our lower spine and moves up our spinal cord:
- Hind Brain/Survival Brain: Flight, fight, or freeze instincts live here. For someone who develops PTSD, the reaction stems from a feeling that the initial stimulus is still present.
- Mid Brain/Emotional Brain: Where you are able to process emotion and can engage in your senses. If a negative emotion comes up, we might still revert to our survival brain.
- Frontal Cortex: This is our thinking brain, where we're able to plan and organize a response to stimuli. However, when we feel less safe, our blood can recede back to the hind brain.
If we don't manage our stress, we can't move into the mid brain or frontal cortext.
What happens to your body when you get stressed out?
Physiology
Skin Conductivity
Heart Rate
Blood Pressure
Cortisol levels
These inventories can help you understand your stress over time:
Using the hand-outs, get a sense of how the window of tolerance operates for you.
Food & Nutrition
Hydration
Substances
Sleep
Exercise
Social Connections
Spirituality & Religion
Hygiene
Hobbies & Recreation
Mental & Emotional States
HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired
Reference the hand-out
Play
Nature
Mindfulness
Relationships
Protective Factors
Nature Exposure
Positive Relationships
Centering Practices
Time for Rest and Recovery
What is in your locus of control?
Quick Tips:
Recognize stress for what it is.
Listen to your body.
Breathe.
Implement resiliency mindsets.
Demo: What options do we have when we're under pressure?
- What freedom/strength can you draw from?
- Connect to hypo vs. hyper-arousal. What will this look like depending on the state you might be in at a given time? When do you feel stuck? If I brace against this force, am I able to move?
Your brain influences your body on a constant feedback loop, and in return, your body is able to influence your brain too.
- Fill out your window of tolerance worksheet for the past week
- How did you feel when you came into this community? How do you feel at the end of week 1?
- What steps will you need to take to monitor your window of tolerance?
- Do you have specific categories you need to focus on while at Turing?
- Optional: Try out the pressure exercise
What do we think stress/mental health looks like in the tech industry? How can we change that narrative?
- Norms
- Values
Suggestions:
- Body Scan
- Have a limit on how long you will problem solve a bug or issue.
- Fresh eyes in the morning
- Sleep is designed for helping you process
- You can only do as much as you can do
We'll break into groups now to come up with some potential action steps to help in 1 of the following areas during Turing to create a self-care kit:
- Mental Self Care
- Physical Self Care
- Practical Self Care
- Spiritual/Mindful Self Care
- Emotional Self Care
For large cohorts:
- Break out into groups of 4
- One person takes notes
- Discuss all buckets
Let's create our own self-care kits now. Take a gallery walk around the room to see what's been listed and answer the following questions to create your own self-care kits:
- What are your stressors or triggers?
- What works for you?
- What can you create at Turing?
Whole Group Share Out:
- What are some takeaways from the gallery walk?
- As a community, what can you be mindful of in regards to self-care that you can help each other with?
For larger cohorts: (5 mins)
- Go right to whole group debrief
- Then into reflection
- What ways can you improve your self care?
- What is ONE thing you will commit to doing/improving next week in regards to your self care?
- How will you help your buddy? How can they help you?
Turn & Talk with your accountabilibuddy to share your thoughts.
Being intentional in taking care of your wellness is practicing mindfulness
Impact of Dr.’s who practice mindfulness
Tech companies
Sustainability of Work
Worker Retention
Job Satisfaction
Creativity
Stress Resilience
“Neural Self-Hacking”
“Search Inside Yourself” training
For Follow Up:
- Check out all the Mental Health Resources here
- Check in with your accountabilibuddies
Please have students complete the Gear Up survey. These reflections will take the place of Gear Up Reflections in their portfolio. https://goo.gl/forms/q8b3WbojxsmQoodi1