PJEndicott

All courses come complete with a delegate pack specifically designed to accompany the course. Each article in the pack covers 2 - 4 pages, sufficient to get the main points across easily, but short enough for busy people to read quickly and easily. Handouts are comprehensive and allow delegates to sit back and enjoy the course without feeling the need to take notes.

Stress Awareness Test
A quick and easy awareness test to determine current levels of stress and interpret how serious you should take stress management.

Managing My Stress
A two-part activity sheet which is used at the beginning of the course to allow delegates to identify their personal stressors, and again at the end of the course to use their new skills to form solutions to each problem.

Using a Stress Diary
Using a stress diary can help to pinpoint the causes and triggers that being about stress. It also helps to identify the signs and symptoms of stress that are unique to each individual, thus enabling early identification and introduction of stress management techniques before it is too late!

Life Balance Assessment
Courtesy of the Mental Health Foundation, an amusing quiz with a very serious message. In times of stress, our behaviour changes and we may stop enjoying a variety of social events that are a necessary part of maintaining our wellbeing.

Promoting Wellbeing
This is the worksheet that accompanies Dr Sarah Myhill's article 'Stress - Prevent and Treat'. The worksheet forms an activity on the course that allows us to look at five key areas of our life and to plan a short activity on a weekly basis to improve each area, and ultimately our wellbeing.

Looking at Change
This activity sheet enables delegates to look at their life as a whole and to determine their level of satisfaction in each of the eight principle areas determined by them. They are then able to identify options to promote effective life balance and to set goals to achieve a greater degree of satisfaction in each area. This activity sheet is suitable for work, home or for both areas of life and can be used as an effective planning tool on a regular basis.

Understanding Stress and Burnout
Understanding what causes stress and how we can recognise the early signs and symptoms enables us to get a head start in managing our own stress and that of our colleagues, friends and family. This article looks at the origins of stress, the physiological changes that take place affecting our emotions, physical health and behaviour.

Using Relaxation to Manage Stress
Relaxation is a key part of managing stress. This article looks at the history of relaxation for stress management and why it works so effectively. Included are a number of exercises ranging from a whole-body progressive relaxation routine to short simple exercises that can remove tension from neck and shoulders. The short exercises can be performed at home, sitting at one's desk, or even sitting in a traffic jam (when stationery only, please!)

Stress Management Plan
The Health and Safety Executive definition of stress sets out, succinctly, what causes stress but gives us not clues as to how to handle it. This short plan is based on the fact that even at the most hectic an stressful times of our lives we can still, on a very basic level, determine what about our lives feels uncomfortable and how we would really like life to be.

Stress - prevent and treat!
Written for PJEndicott by Dr Sarah Myhill, a British GP who has a special interest in chronic fatigue, allergies and nutrition. When stressed, our bodies have an overwhelming workload to do and this article looks at the key areas to address to promote wellbeing, sleep well and withstand the rigours of working under pressure.

How thoughts contribute to stress
When we are worried, we tend to go back to thought patterns, assumptions and behaviours which are routed in our early years. We can then get stuck in our thoughts and, if these are negative, our thoughts alone can lead to negative emotions and moods, and maladaptive coping strategies such as eating and drinking too much. This article looks at the work of some of the foremost minds in this field and puts forward a clear explanation of how our thoughts can contribute to stress and what we can do to stop this negative and sometimes destructive cycle.

Sleep Well!
Sleep is a vital part of our life but most of us are sleep-deficient - that is we are not getting sufficient time asleep or not reaching the right level of sleep to maintain a health lifestyle. This article looks at why sleep is so important and how to ensure a good night's sleep every night.

When to seek help
Obviously, a short period of stress may not have any long-lasting effects upon us, but knowing when things are going wrong and who to turn to for help is crucial.

What's in our diet?
We all know the basics: eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day, drink plenty of water, don't smoke and drink alcohol in moderation. There are, however, many substances in our diet that are not good for us and many things about our food and drink that we just do not understand. Then, of course, there is a whole new ballgame associated with the hidden colourings and substances put in by manufacturers. How well do we know what's in our diet?

Helpful Things
Knowing where to get help can be a problem. Which web site gives sensible information? Which book is really worth reading? Which CD might help me relax enough to get to sleep? This article provides a list of books, CDs and websites that have been used and found to help.

Pulling it all together
This article forms a two-page overview of the techniques promoted on the course and covered in the articles provided in the delegate pack.

Personal life stressors
Whilst we often regard stress as a work-related issue Drs. Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe surveyed more than 7,000 people and found that different life events carried a different level of risk. Holmes and Rahe also found that when the risk factor for all the life events within the last 12 month period are added together they can indicate the likelihood of personal illness occurring within the next 12 months. This assessment is taken from Holmes and Rahe's research and is an optional addition to the delegate pack for completion outside of the course.