MD.

RUHUL-AMIN

BBA in AIS

COMILLA UNIVERSITY

Managing Stress and Work Life Balance 1

Introduction

Stress is a fact of everyday life. When people reach out for help, they are often dealing with
circumstances, situations, and stressors in their lives that leave them feeling emotionally and
physically overwhelmed. Many people feel that they have very little resources or skills to deal
with the high levels of stress they are experiencing.

The information in this manual has been compiled to provide information and education about
stress, the effects of stress, and the most popular stress management and relaxation tech- niques
that are being used today. This information could be helpful for people who want to learn how to
react to stress in a more constructive, proactive way. The basic premise of this manual is that the
benefits of stress reduction and relaxation techniques can be best noticed after they have been
practiced regularly over a period of time.

What Is Stress?

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Stress is a person’s adaptive response to a stimulus that places excessive psychological or
physical demands on that person.
The experience of opportunities or threats that people perceive as important and also perceive the
might not be able to handle or deal with effectively.

Key Aspects of Stress:

Several significant aspects of stress are highlighted in this

definition. First, stress can be experienced because of both
opportunities and threats. An opportunity is something that has the potential to benefit a person.
A threat is something that has the potential to harm a person.

A second aspect of stress is that the threat or opportunity experienced is important to a person.
By important, we mean that it has the potential to affect a person’s well-being or the extent to
which someone is happy, healthy, or prosperous. Many of the things people encounter in their
daily lives could be classified as opportunities or threats, but usually only the important ones
result in stress.

A third key aspect of stress is uncertainty: The person who is experiencing an important
opportunity or threat is not sure that he or she can effectively deal with it. When people are
confident that they can effectively handle an opportunity or threat, they usually do not
experience stress. An orthopedic surgeon performing a routine knee operation is not likely to
experience stress.

The last aspect of stress emphasized in our definition is that stress is rooted in perception.
Whether people experience stress depends on how they perceive potential opportunities and
threats and how they perceive their capabilities to deal with them

Managing Stress and Work Life Balance 3

Individual Differences and Stress

Our definition emphasizes that an individual’s experience of stress depends on a number of

factors such as how important a person thinks a given opportunity or threat is and the extent to
which a person thinks he or she can deal effectively with
the opportunity or threat. Above all else, stress is a very
personal experience.
Individual differences also play a significant role in
determining how members of an organization perceive
and think about potential sources of stress, their ability to
deal with stress effectively, and ultimately the extent to
which they experience stress.

Personality:

Several of the personality traits that employees exposed to the same potential source of stress
may differ in the extent to which they actually experience stress. Employees who are high on the
Big
Five personality dimension of neuroticism, or negative affectivity, for example, have a general
tendency to view themselves, their organizations, their jobs, and the people they work with in a
negative manner. These employees are likely to view ambiguous conditions and changes at work
as potential threats and feel ill-equipped to deal with both threats and opportunities. Consistent
with this reasoning, employees high on negative affectivity tend to experience more stress than
those low on negative affectivity.

Ability:

Employees also differ in their abilities, which can affect stress levels. Stress can be experienced
when employees lack the abilities necessary to perform their jobs. Somewhat related to ability is
another factor that affects whether employees feel stressed or not: experience. People are more

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likely to feel stressed when they lack experience at doing something, and they are less likely to
feel stressed as they gain experience. This explains why employees starting new jobs often feel
stressed and nervous—their lack of on-the-job experience breeds uncertainty.

Consequences of Stress

Now discussed below the following Term:

Physiological Consequences:

Were you ever unable to fall asleep or stay asleep at night when you were experiencing
particularly high levels of stress during the day? Such sleep disturbances are just one of the many
potential physiological consequences of stress, as indicated in the opening case. Other potential
physiological consequences range from sweaty palms, feeling flushed, trembling, a pounding
heart, elevated blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomachaches, backaches, and hives
to heart attacks and impaired immune system functioning.

Psychological Consequences:

One of the major psychological consequences of stress is the

experience of stressful feelings and emotions. Stressful
feelings and emotions can range from being in a bad mood,
feeling anxious, worried, and upset to feeling angry, scornful,

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bitter, or hostile. Any or all of these feelings will detract from employees’ well-being.

Another psychological consequence of stress is that people tend to have more negative attitudes
when they experience stress. Highly stressed employees tend to have a more negative outlook on
various aspects of their jobs and organizations and are more likely to have low levels of job
satisfaction and organizational commitment. Stressed employees may feel underappreciated, feel
a lack of control, and feel that their work is interfering with their personal lives.

Behavioral Consequences:

The potential consequence of stress on job performance is perhaps of most interest to managers.
One way to summarize the relationship between stress and performance is in terms of an
inverted. Up to a certain point, increases in stress enhance performance. Beyond that point,
further increases in stress impair performance. Stress up to point A is positive stress because it
propels employees to perform at a high level. Stress beyond point A is negative stress because it
impairs performance.

Sources of Stress:

According to the American Institute of Stress, “Stress in the Workplace,” some of the common
causes of workplace stress include the following:

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1. Long hours and increased demands:

The average workers work forty-six hours per week. Much of this is due to increased technology
and expectations that employees will be available to answer e-mail on weekends and evenings.
As a result of this added work time, employees find less time to engage in leisure and household
activities such as grocery shopping and cleaning.

2. Being treated unfairly:

Workplace issues such as harassment and bullying can cause people to feel stress at work.
Additional issues such as feeling overlooked for promotions can also cause workplace stress. In
extreme cases, perceived workplace unfairness can result in violence. For example, Matthew
Beck shot and killed four supervisors in a Connecticut lottery office because he felt he had been
unfairly overlooked for a promotion. Many organizations offer Employee Assistance Programs
that can offer services, such as counseling, to help deal with workplace stress and other personal
issues.

3. Little or no acknowledgment or reward:

People can feel stress when they do not feel they are being recognized for the work they do. This
kind of work place stress can cause people to become withdrawn, unmotivated, or unfocused on
being productive for the organization. This type of behavior can also materialize at home with
people experiencing this stress being more irritable, cranky, and moody. At work, these feelings
can negatively affect our ability tolerate to our coworkers and manager.

4. Lack of control:

Micromanagement refers to excessive control of work details by a supervisor. For example, a

micro manager might tell an employee specific tasks
should be worked on in a given day and give specific
instructions on how those tasks should be accomplished.
This type of situation can create stress, as the employee
feels he or she has little control of their own work.

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5. Lack of job security:

This creates stress upon the workers who had to leave and for those workers who stay. Those
workers who have been laid off may experience financial hardship, and the workers who haven’t
been laid off may need to perform extra work and can suffer from physiological issues even if
their jobs were not eliminated. This phenomenon is called layoff survivor syndrome .Many of the
stressors caused by layoffs can include increased work load, increased anxiety, and lower
morale.

6. Office politics:

Dealing with difficult coworkers or supervisors and different personalities and communication
styles can create stress at work. Conflicts, disagreements, and misunderstandings are common in
today’s workplace, especially with the use of technology. All of these factors, which we call
office politics, can create stress, which results in lost sleep, productivity, and motivation—
obviously affecting our ability to relate to others.

Strategies to cope with Stress:

Cope with Stress

Indulge in Relaxation Keep a Stress
Avoid Alcohol Get More Sleep Talk to Someone Take Control
Physical Activity Techniques Diary

1. Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, and Nicotine:

Avoid, or at least reduce, your consumption of nicotine and any drinks containing caffeine and
alcohol. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and so will increase your level of stress rather than
reduce it. Alcohol is a depressant when taken in large quantities, but acts as a stimulant in
smaller quantities. Therefore using alcohol as a way to alleviate stress is not ultimately helpful.
Swap caffeinated and alcoholic drinks for water, herbal teas, or diluted natural fruit juices and
aim to keep yourself hydrated as this will enable your body to cope better with stress.

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You should also aim to avoid or reduce your intake of refined sugars - they are contained in
many manufactured foods (even in savory foods such as salad dressings and Bread) and can
cause energy crashes which may lead you to feel tired and irritable. In general, try to eat a
healthy, well-balanced and nutritious diet.

2. Indulge in Physical Activity:

Stressful situations increase the level of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortical in your
body. These are the “fight or flight” hormones that evolution has hard-wired into our brains and
which are designed to protect us from immediate bodily harm when we are under threat.
However, stress in the modern age is rarely remedied by a fight or flight response, and so
physical exercise can be used as a surrogate to metabolize the excessive stress hormones and
restore your body and mind to a calmer, more relaxed state. When you feel stressed and tense, go
for a brisk walk in fresh air. Try to incorporate some physical activity into your daily routine on
a regular basis, either before or after work, or at lunchtime. Regular physical activities will also
improve the quality of your sleep.

3. Get More Sleep:

A lack of sleep is a significant cause of stress.

Unfortunately though, stress also interrupts our sleep
as thoughts keep whirling through our heads,
stopping us from relaxing enough to fall asleep.

Rather than relying on medication, your aim should

be to maximize your relaxation before going to
sleep. Make sure that your bedroom is a tranquil
oasis with no reminders of the things that cause you stress. Avoid caffeine during the evening,
as well as excessive alcohol if you know that this leads to disturbed sleep. Stop doing any
mentally demanding work several hours before going to bed so that you give your brain time to
calm down. Try taking a warm bath or reading a calming, undemanding book for a few minutes
to relax your body, tire your eyes and help you forget about the things that worry you. You

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should also aim to go to bed at roughly the same time each day so that your mind and body get
used to a predictable bedtime routine.

4. Try Relaxation Techniques:

Each day, try to relax with a stress reduction technique. There are many tried and tested ways to
reduce stress story a few and see what works best for you. For example, try self-hypnosis which
is very easy and can be done anywhere, even at your desk or in the car. One very simple
technique is to focus on a word or phrase that has a positive meaning to you. Words such as
"calm" "love" and" peace" work well, or you could think of a self-affirming mantra such as “I
deserve calm in my life” or “Grant me serenity”. Focus on your chosen word or phrase; if you
find your mind has wandered or you become aware of intrusive thoughts entering your mind,
simply disregard them and return your focus to the chosen word or phrase. If you find yourself
becoming tense again later, simply silently repeat your word or phrase. Don’t worry if you find it
difficult to relax at first. Relaxation is a skill that needs to be learned and will improve with
practice.

5. Talk to Someone:

Just talking to someone about how you feel can be helpful. Talking can work by either
distracting you from your stressful thoughts or releasing some of the built-up tension by
discussing it. Stress can cloud your judgment and prevent you from seeing things clearly.
Talking things through with a friend, work colleague, or even a trained professional, can help
you find solutions to your stress and put your problems into perspective.

6. Keep a Stress Diary:

Keeping a stress diary for a few weeks is an effective stress management tool as it will help you
become more aware of the situations which cause you to become stressed. Note down the date,
time and place of each stressful episode, and note what you were doing, who you were with, and
how you felt both physically and emotionally. Give each stressful episode a stress rating (on, say,
a 1-10 scale) and use the diary to understand what triggers your stress and how effective you are
in stressful situations. This will enable you to avoid stressful situations and develop better
coping mechanisms.

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7. Take Control:

Stress can be triggered by a problem that may on the surface seem impossible to solve.

“You Need to be able to manage stress because hard times will come,
and a positive outlook is what get you through’’-Marie Osmond

“There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether to let it
affect you or not”-Valerie Bertinelli

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Jennifer M. George and Gareth R. Jones; Understanding and

managing Organizational Behavior.
 www.mentalhelp.net
 www.k-state.edu/counseling/student/biofedbk/samples5.html
 www.info.med.yale.edu
 www.stress.about.com
 www.stressrelief.com

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