INTRODUCTION TO STRESS

INTRODUCTION
Stress is a part of day-to-day living of every individual. The college students may
experience stress in meeting the academic demands, people on the job, business men may suffer
stress to reach office in time and to complete the projects on time and even the house hole ladies
may experience stress in managing the home affairs and to look for the maid servant. The
reasons for the stress differ from person to person. The stress people experience should not be
necessarily treated as harmful. An optimum amount of stress can always act as an energizer or
motivator and propel people to apply the efforts and complete the work. But a high level of stress
can be serious threat to the personality trails of the individual and can cause physiological and
social problems.

What is Stress?
Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing
environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative
feelings.

Causes of Stress
Both positive and negative events in ones life can be stressful. However major life changes are
the greatest contributors of stress for most people.

If people have to travel a lot and have to move from place to place, it can cause stress.

Individual can also be under stress if they are about to enter some new environment. They
may be going to new colony. To a new college or they may be joining a new organization.

Some events, which are generally once I a lifetime can also cause stress. The social
institutions of marriage or divorc can cause stress.

Pregnancy can also generate Stress.

They are:
Time pressure
Competition
Financial problems
Noise
Disappointments

STRESS UNDERSTADING
Three potential sources of stress:

Environmental Factors

Organizational Factors

Individual Factors

Environmental Factors:
Economic uncertainty is created when there is a change in the business cycle. That is
when people become anxious about their security. This uncertainty not only affects the stress
level of the organization but also to design of the organisation. By the coming up to the new
innovations in the field of technology
like computers, robotics, automation etc. It has become a threat to many people, which causes
stress. This type of uncertainty is called Technology Uncertainty.

Organizational Factors:
There is no storage of factors within the organization that can cause
stress.
These are categorized into:
Task Demands
Role Demands
Interpersonal demands
Organizational Demands
Organizational Leadership
Organizations Life Stage

Task Demands: Task demands are factors related to a persons job. They include the design of the
individuals job (autonomy, task variety, degree of automation). Working conditions, and the
physical work layout. Working in an overcrowded room or in a visible location where
interruptions are constant can increase anxiety and stress
Interpersonal Demands: Interpersonal demands are pressures created by other employees. Lack
of social support from colleagues and poor interpersonal relationships can cause considerable
stress, especially among employees with a high social need.
Organizational Structure: Organizational Structure defines the level of differentiation in the
organization, the degree of rules and regulations, and where decisions are made.

EFFECTS OF STRESS

The death of a loved one

Divorce

Loss of a job

Increase in financial obligations

Getting married

Moving to a new home

Chronic illness or injury

Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)

Taking care of an elderly or sick family member

Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a loved
one

Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just by
worrying about things. All of these factors can lead to stress:

Fear and uncertainty. When you regularly hear about the threat of terrorist attacks, global
warming, and toxic chemicals on the news, it can cause you to feel stressed, especially
because you feel like you have no control over those events. And even though disasters
are typically very rare events, their vivid coverage in the media may make them seem as
if they are more likely to occur than they really are. Fears can also hit closer to home,
such as being worried that you won't finish a project at work or won't have enough
money to pay your bills this month.

Attitudes and perceptions. How you view the world or a particular situation can
determine whether it causes stress. For example, if your television set is stolen and you
take the attitude, "It's OK, my insurance company will pay for a new one," you'll be far
less stressed than if you think, "My TV is gone and I'll never get it back! What if the
thieves come back to my house to steal again?" Similarly, people who feel like they're
doing a good job at work will be less stressed out by a big upcoming project than those
who worry that they are incompetent.

Unrealistic expectations. No one is perfect. If you expect to do everything right all the
time, you're destined to feel stressed when things don't go as expected.

Change. Any major life change can be stressful -- even a happy event like a wedding or a
job promotion. More unpleasant events, such as a divorce, major financial setback, or
death in the family can be significant sources of stress.

Your stress level will differ based on your personality and how you respond to situations. Some
people let everything roll off their back. To them, work stresses and life stresses are just minor
bumps in the road. Others literally worry themselves sick.
HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS
. One thing at a time.
Youll feel better and less stressed if you just do one thing at a time. No matter if it is at work, in
school or in your private life. This will make it easier to focus and to do a job of higher quality
right away. Instead of having to go back several times and polish and rearrange to get the result
you want.
If you have to multi-task a few things during your day then set off some time for that. Single-task
during most of your day but set off an hour in the afternoon for instance to do all of that multitasking stuff in one big swoop.
2. Write everything down.
If your memory is anything like mine then it might be a bit like a leaky bucket too often. So
write everything down. Your ideas, tasks and stuff you just have to remember.

Then you dont have to worry about forgetting. And you will free up your mind for focusing on
other things than remembering.
3. Keep your daily to-do list very short.
10 years ago I never used a to-do list. I got very little done. Then I started using a too overloaded
to-do list. I got more done but I was stressed and felt overwhelmed a lot of the time. Today I use
a very short daily list of just the 1-3 most important tasks. It works really well.
4. Dont make mountains out of molehills.
One of the best ways to make your day and life easier, lighter and less stressful is to not build
mountains out of molehills. To not create extra drama, overthink or create a problem out of
something that doesnt matter much. Or just out of air.
So how can you handle this bad habit?
Well, when a big problem is starting to build in my mind I first say something like: Hold on
now
This helps me to pause and become more receptive to change my line of thinking. Then I ask
myself:
Will this matter 5 years from now? Or even 5 weeks from now?
Those two steps have helped me to build a lot less mountains in my life.
5. Spend 80% of your time focusing on a solution.
And only 20% of your time on dwelling on your non-molehill issue or problem. Instead of taking
a common path and doing it the other way around. Youll live a much more action-filled life and
feel less pessimistic and powerless if you do.
6. Ask instead of guessing.
Reading minds is very hard. Misunderstandings will be plentiful if you try to do it. So
communicate instead. Youll have a lot less unnecessary conflicts, negativity and waste less of
your and other peoples time.
7. Pack your bag before you go to sleep.

A simple one but one that can save you a lot of stress in the morning. Take 5 minutes before you
go to bed to do this and youll also be less likely to forget something important like your
schoolbook, wallet or phone.
8. Balance fully focused work with complete rest.
I usually work for 45 minutes. Then I take a 15 minute break away from the computer. I eat a
snack, take a short walk or maybe watch half an episode of one of my favorite TV-series. This
helps me to relax and to avoid stress building up during the day.
9. Set clear boundaries for your day.
This is very important, at least for me.
I need to have a good balance between work and rest. So I dont work before 8 in the morning or
after 7 in the evening.
10. Disconnect over the weekend.
It is also really helpful to find a good balance between work and rest from a weekly perspective.
I do that by staying away from work and staying offline except for one email check during
the weekend. I highly recommend trying it out.
If you have a cellphone for work leave it at your job. Or at least put it in silent mode, check it
once every 24 hours and only call back if it is something important. Otherwise, let it wait until
Monday.
These strict limits between hourly, daily and weekly work is a huge help for me to avoid the grey
zone.
When you are in the grey zone then you are basically thinking and worrying about work when
you are at home or you having a day off. Or you think about your private life and challenges
there while you are at work.
Avoid the grey zone. It sucks the life out of you and can leave you so stressed that it becomes
hard to focus or even to get a good nights sleep.
11. Make sure you take time to do what you love to do.
Learn to get the necessary done quicker and dont get lost in have-tos. Prioritize what really
matters to you and carve out time during your weekend or evenings to do what you love doing.

Maybe it is playing soccer with your kids, painting, writing, taking photos or reading. Whatever
you love to do, make sure you set off some time for it regularly in your schedule. Because few
things will relieve stress and energize you like an activity you love doing.
12. Delegate.
You dont have to do everything yourself. You dont have to control or micromanage. If possible
delegate and let someone else get that task or project to done.
13. Eliminate.
Do you even have to do everything that is on your schedule? What things could you stop doing
altogether with no or very small consequences?
What things are your heart maybe not in like it used to be?
Could you say no to one or a few of those things to have more time and energy for what matters
in both your professional and private life?
Reevaluate what you usually do in a day or week and see if there is something you would like to
stop doing.
14. Be 10 minutes early.
This one has transformed my traveling from stressful situations to relaxing pieces of time in my
day.
15. Stay on track by asking yourself questions every day.
One good way to find clarity, to not get behind on work and to actually do what matters each day
is to ask yourself questions regularly.
Questions like: What is the most important thing I can do right now?
And: Is doing this bringing me closer to my goal?
If you like, write one of the questions down on a post-it note and put it where you will see it
every day. It is very easy to forget to ask yourself the question otherwise.
16. Let your lunch be a slow time of relaxing.

Dont wolf down your lunch in 7 minutes flat. That will only ramp up the stress that you bring
with you from the first few hours of work.
Instead, let your lunch be a time of relaxation. Eat slowly and focus on the smell, texture and
taste of the food. Put down the fork and knife down between bites to make that easier.
I have found this to be a wonderful way to relax midday. And to get the best experience out
ofwhat you are eating.
17. Keep a very simple workspace.
Mine is for example a simple and small black desk with my laptop on it. A few flowers. And a
glass of water. This simplicity makes it easier for me to focus on what truly matters in a relaxed
and undistracted way.
18. Build a zone of few distractions for your work hours.
A simple workspace makes it easier to focus. I also find it helpful to keep instant messaging
programs offline and to keep my smart phone in another room and in silent mode. And to use my
browser only when I need to.
By doing so I am less distracted, it is easier to think clearly and I feel less stressed.
19. Get to done with something that stressed or bothers you.
An unfinished task that is tumbling around in the back of your mind can cause quite a bit of
stress and negativity within. So if you know you have one of those then ask yourself:
What is one small I can do today to start getting this task to done?
Then take that first step and put yourself in motion towards finishing.
20. If it does not get done then there is a day tomorrow too.
Sometimes life interferes or you have a bad day. And you dont get done what you had planned
or hoped for.
The best way in my experience to handle this is to simply and kindly tell yourself that there
will be a day tomorrow too and you can do it then.
Beating yourself up or getting angry will only add stress that will suck the energy, selfconfidence and motivation out of you. And life is too short for that.

21. Everything in its place.

When things have their own home where you always put them back then they will be a lot easier
to find and your workspace and home will be in better order. This will greatly reduce the number
of stressful times when you cant find an important report or your car keys as you are heading
out the door.
22. Check your email etc. just once and as late in the workday as possible.
I usually check and process my email, social media accounts and various statistics for my
website during the last hour of my workday.
By doing so I save the stress that it can cause me and the new tasks it can produce until I have
already put in several of my most energetic hours on doing my most important tasks.
23. Limit your daily information intake.
Take a few minutes each month to unsubscribe to newsletters, blogs, podcasts etc. that you dont
get much out of anymore or you rarely even listen to or read.
This makes it easier to focus on what truly matters for you, to spend more of your time on taking
action and to not get stuck in information overload and analysis paralysis.
24. Listen to yourself.
When you are starting to feel drained, more irritable and creativity plummets then dont just keep
on going right into the brick wall. Listen to yourself and your body. Schedule more time to take
care of yourself.
Just spend the evening in bed watching your favorite movies. Or go out for a walk or run in the
woods. No one will reward you for running into that wall or even becoming burned out. Be kind
to yourself and prioritize your health.
25. Be here.
When you spend too much time in your head reliving the past or imagining the future then it is
easy to become worried. Fearful. Stressed out. Choose to spend more of your day and time in the
present moment.
One simple way to reconnect with the now if you get lost in the past or future is to just focus
fully outward for a minute or two. Sit or stand still and take in everything that is happening

around you at this moment. See it. Hear it. Smell it. Feel the sun, the rain or your soft sweater on
your skin.
26. Stop trying to do things perfectly.
Go for good enough instead and when you are there then you are done. And can move on to the
next task or project. Set this more human bar to measure success by not only to finish things but
also raise and then keep your self-esteem at a healthy level.
Because when you measure yourself to a perfect standard then it will pretty much impossible to
keep your self-esteem up and feel good about yourself more than once in a while.
27. Ask for help.
You dont always have to go it alone. You can ask your friend, parents or partner or even
someone you do not know that well for a helping hand. You might not always get it but you may
be surprised at how helpful and kind people can be if you just ask.
And then later on when they ask then you can return the kindness.
28. Talk it out with someone.
This can be a great relief and vent to have when you are in a stressed situation. Let your stress
and the issue that it comes from out into the light and let someone close to you see it too.
Just letting it out can often help you to decrease the stress quite a bit and when you say it out
loud then it also becomes easier to see if you are making a mountain out of a molehill.
The other person can also help you to ground yourself when needed and together the two of you
may be able to figure out what to do about the situation. Or at least how to get started with
improving it.
29. Zoom out.
One thing that helps me as I sometimes fall into victim thinking when I am stressed is to zoom
out on my narrow perspective by asking myself this question:
Is there anyone on the planet having it worse than me right now?
30. Slow down.

If you slow down your body then in my experience your thoughts will once again become clearer
and slower too. So sometimes when I am stressed and am trying to do everything quickly then I
force myself to slow down. I move slower. I eat slower. I talk and walk slower.
It may be uncomfortable for the first minute or so but after a very short while my mind stops
racing and the stress starts to melt away and is replaced with a bit more inner calmness.
31. Tell yourself: Just take care of today.
Focus only on that. Forget about all those tomorrows. And about all your yesterdays. Go small,
narrow your focus greatly and just take care of today. Then you can take care of tomorrow when
it comes.
This one is very helpful when you feel overwhelmed.
32. Just breathe.
Release the stress, calm your mind and body down and reconnect with the present moment again
by fully focusing on your breathing. Breathe with your belly for just 1-2 minutes and focus only
on the air you are breathing in and out.
33. Be smart about the three fundamentals of energy.
What are these three fundamentals? Getting enough sleep, eating healthy and exercising a couple
of times a week.
I know, these things are very obvious. But when you manage these three areas in a good way in
practice then that makes a huge difference for your mood, energy, outlook of life and how well
you can handle stress.
High stress level cause a long list of health issues like depression, heart disease etc. There are
many steps employers can take to reduce stress level of worker as follows:
1- Daily communicate with your employees
2- Allow flexible timing in office
3- Offer rewards and incentives
4- Provide opportunities for career growth
5- Provide innovative work environment

ork stress is recognized world-wide as a major challenge to workers health

and the healthiness of their organisations (seefor example, ILO 1986; 1992).
Workers who are stressed are also more likely to be unhealthy, poorly
motivated, less productive a

W
ork stress is a real challenge for workers and their employing
organisations. As organisations and their working environment
transform, so do the kinds of stress problems that employees
may face. It is important that your workplace is being continuously
monitored for stress problems.
Further, it is not only important to identify stress problems and to deal with
them but to promote healthy work and reduce harmful aspects of work.
Work in itself can be a self-promotin
g activity as long
as it takes place in a
safe, development- and health-promoting environment.

Successful employers and managers

provide leadership in dealing with the
challenge of work stress
The four A's - Avoid, Alter, Adapt & Accept
Avoid unnecessary stress
Its not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs to be addressed, but you may be surprised
by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say no Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or
professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Distinguish
between the shoulds and the musts and, when possible, say no to taking on too much.

Avoid people who stress you out If someone consistently causes stress in your life, limit the
amount of time you spend with that person, or end the relationship.

The four A's - Avoid, Alter, Adapt & Accept

Take control of your environment If the evening news makes you anxious, turn off the TV. If
traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an
unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
Alter the situation
If you cant avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Often, this involves changing the way you
communicate and operate in your daily life.
FEDENA STARETAGY

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you,
be more assertive and communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If youve got
an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have
five minutes to talk. If you dont voice your feelings, resentment will build and the stress will
increase.

Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do
the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, youll have a good chance of finding a
happy middle ground.

Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. But if you plan
ahead and make sure you dont overextend yourself, youll find it easier to stay calm and
focused.

Be more assertive. Dont take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing
your best to anticipate and prevent them. If youve got an exam to study for and your chatty
roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
Adapt to the stressor
Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather
than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your
favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.

Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important
it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over?

The four A's - Avoid, Alter, Adapt & Accept

If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting
yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and
others, and learn to be okay with good enough.
Accept the things you can't change
Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You cant prevent or change stressors such as the death
of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with
stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, its easier
than railing against a situation you cant change.

Dont try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control
particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the
things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.

Develop a stress relief toolbox

Go for a walk

Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea

Spend time in nature

Play with a pet

Call a good friend

Work in your garden

Sweat out tension with a workout

Get a massage

Write in your journal

Curl up with a good book

Take a long bath

Listen to music

Light scented candles

Watch a comedy