Day 2- Stress Management

              The next session at Piper Place focused on a topic that almost all consumers encounter when coping with and managing their psychiatric disorders. Stress is common to many mentally stable people, so I couldn’t imagine what challenges the seriously mentally ill community must face. That exact point began the stress management course—“Everyone has stress, and you’re not alone.” We then educated the consumers about the physiological aspects of stress, informing them that stress is not always negative. Exercise and puzzle games are some good examples of stress. The group mentioned that bad examples of stress in their lives include job loss, financial woes, and coping with the reactions of other people and family.

                In order to keep the consumers thinking and engaged, we ask lots of questions. This dialogue also allows us to see what the group already knows as well as correct any misconceptions they may have. The participants were very aware of the physical signs of stress such as increased heart rate, perspiration, aches, and pains. A harder concept to grasp was the difference between external and internal stress. An illness or relationship difficulty classify as external stressors while personal beliefs and guilt are causes of internal stress. Coping mechanisms ended the day’s class with great examples from us as well as the consumers. Talking and breathing techniques were top choices for stress management, and some people even preferred to go to a secluded place for a good scream. The group was surprised to find out we had a great activity planned to help relieve their tension and anxiety—DIY stress balls! We assisted the consumers with stuffing Play-Doh into balloons. This simple hands-on experiment was a hit! (not to mention, messy) The activity was an excellent ending to a discussion that for this group, was quite straining.