Understanding Stress

Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects

Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and
demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has
become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it
can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your
best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode,
your mind and body pay the price.

If you frequently find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed,

it’s time to take action to bring your nervous system back into
balance. You can protect yourself by learning how to recognize
the signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its
harmful effects.

The Body’s Stress Response

When you perceive a threat, your nervous system
responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones,
including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse
the body for emergency action.

Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood

pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become
sharper. These physical changes increase your strength
and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus –
preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.

What is stress?
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel
threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense
danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defenses kick
into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-
or-flight” reaction, or the stress response.
The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When
working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert.
In emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you
extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to
slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress
is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work,
sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-
winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when
you'd rather be watching TV.

But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts
causing major damage to your health, your mood, your
productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.

The type of stress matters

Stress can affect you both instantly (acute stress) and over time
(chronic stress).

Acute (short-term) stress is the body's instant response to

any situation that seems demanding or dangerous. Your stress
level depends on how intense the stress is, how long it lasts, and
how you cope with the situation.

Most of the time, your body recovers quickly from acute stress.
But stress can cause problems if it happens too often or if your
body doesn't have a chance to recover. In people with heart
problems, acute stress can trigger an abnormal heartbeat
(arrhythmia) or even a heart attack.

Chronic (long-term) stress is caused by stressful situations or

events that last over a long period of time. This could include
having a difficult job or dealing with a chronic disease. If you
already have a health problem, stress can make it worse.

Effects of chronic stress

The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological
threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument
with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts
just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If
you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency
stress response may be “on” most of the time. The more your
body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the
harder it is to shut off.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems.

Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can
raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the
risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed
up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain,
leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

How much stress is too much?

Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, it’s
important to know your own limit. But just how much stress is
“too much” differs from person to person. Some people roll with
the punches, while others crumble at the slightest obstacle or
frustration. Some people even seem to thrive on the excitement
and challenge of a high-stress lifestyle.

Your ability to tolerate stress depends on many factors, including

the quality of your relationships, your general outlook on life, your
emotional intelligence, and genetics.

Things that influence your stress

tolerance level
• Your support network – A strong network of supportive
friends and family members is an enormous buffer against
life’s stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated
you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.
 • Your sense of control – If you have confidence in yourself
and your ability to influence events and persevere through
challenges, it’s easier to take stress in stride. People who are
vulnerable to stress tend to feel like things are out of their
control.
• Your attitude and outlook – Stress-hardy people have an
optimistic attitude. They tend to embrace challenges, have a
strong sense of humor, accept that change is a part of life,
and believe in a higher power or purpose.
• Your ability to deal with your emotions. You’re
extremely vulnerable to stress if you don’t know how to calm
and soothe yourself when you’re feeling sad, angry, or
afraid. The ability to bring your emotions into balance helps
you bounce back from adversity.
• Your knowledge and preparation – The more you know
about a stressful situation, including how long it will last and
what to expect, the easier it is to cope. For example, if you
go into surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect
post-op, a painful recovery will be less traumatic than if you
were expecting to bounce back immediately.

Causes of stress
Top Ten Stressful Life Events
1. Spouse’s death

2. Divorce

3. Marriage separation

4. Jail term
 5. Death of a close relative

6. Injury or illness

7. Marriage

8. Fired from job

9. Marriage reconciliation

10. Retirement

The situations and pressures that cause stress are known as

stressors. We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as
an exhausting work schedule or a rocky relationship.

However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you

to adjust can be stressful. This includes positive events such as
getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a
promotion.

What causes stress depends, at least in part, on your perception

of it. Something that's stressful to you may not faze someone
else; they may even enjoy it.

For example, your morning commute may make you anxious and
tense because you worry that traffic will make you late. Others,
however, may find the trip relaxing because they allow more than
enough time and enjoy listening to music while they drive.

Common external causes of stress

Not all stress is caused by external factors. Stress can also be
self-generated:

• Major life changes • Financial problems

 • Work • Being too busy

• Relationship difficulties • Children and family

Common internal causes of stress

Not all stress is caused by external factors. Stress can also be
self-generated:

• Inability to accept • Unrealistic expectations

uncertainty • Perfectionism
• Pessimism
• Lack of assertiveness
• Negative self-talk

Signs and symptoms of stress overload

It’s important to learn how to recognize when your stress levels
are out of control. The most dangerous thing about stress is how
easily it can creep up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feels
familiar – even normal. You don’t notice how much it’s affecting
you, even as it takes a heavy toll.

The signs and symptoms of stress overload can be almost

anything. Stress affects the mind, body, and behavior in many
ways, and everyone experiences stress differently.

Common symptoms of stress include:

• A fast heartbeat.

• A headache.

• A stiff neck and/or tight shoulders.

• Back pain.

• Fast breathing.

• Sweating, and sweaty palms.

 • An upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea.

Over time, stress can affect your:

Immune system. Constant stress can make you more likely to

get sick more often. And if you have a chronic illness such as
AIDS, stress can make your symptoms worse.

• Heart. Stress is linked to high blood pressure, abnormal

heartbeat (arrhythmia), blood clots, and hardening of the
arteries (atherosclerosis). It's also linked to coronary artery
disease, heart attack, and heart failure.
• Muscles. Constant tension from stress can lead to neck,
shoulder, and low back pain. Stress may make rheumatoid
arthritis worse.
• Stomach. If you have stomach problems, such as
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer
disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or ulcerative colitis, stress
can make your symptoms worse.
• Reproductive organs. Stress is linked to low fertility,
erection problems, problems during pregnancy, and painful
menstrual periods.
• Lungs. Stress can make symptoms of asthma and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) worse.
• Skin. Skin problems such as acne and psoriasis are made
worse by stress.

The Positive Effects of Pressure

Sometimes, however, the pressures and demands that may cause
stress can be positive in their effect. One example of this is where
sportsmen and women flood their bodies with fight-or-flight
adrenaline to power an explosive performance. Another example
is where deadlines are used to motivate people who seem bored
or unmotivated. We will discuss this briefly here, but throughout
the rest of this site we see stress as a problem that needs to be
solved.
And the Negative...
In most work situations jobs, our stress responses causes our
performance to suffer. A calm, rational, controlled and sensitive
approach is usually called for in dealing with most difficult
problems at work: Our social inter-relationships are just too
complex not to be damaged by an aggressive approach, while a
passive and withdrawn response to stress means that we can fail
to assert our rights when we should.

Before we look further at how to manage stress and our

performance, it is important to look at the relationship between
pressure and performance in a little more detail, first by looking
at the idea of the “Inverted-U”, and second by looking at "Flow".
This is the ideal state of concentration and focus that brings
excellent performance.

Pressure & Performance – the Inverted U

The relationship between pressure and performance is explained
in one of the oldest and most important ideas in stress
management, the “Inverted-U” relationship between pressure and
performance (see below). The Inverted-U relationship focuses on
people’s performance of a task.

The left hand side of the graph is easy to explain for pragmatic
reasons. When there is very little pressure on us to carry out an
important task, there is little incentive for us to focus energy and
attention on it. This is particularly the case when there may be
other, more urgent, or more interesting, tasks competing for
attention.
As pressure on us increases, we enter the “area of best
performance”. Here, we are able to focus on the task and perform
well – there is enough pressure on us to focus our attention but
not so much that it disrupts our performance.

The right hand side of the graph is more complex to explain.

Negative Thoughts Crowd Our Minds

We are all aware that we have a limited short-term memory: If

you try to memorize a long list of items, you will not be able to
remember more than six or eight items unless you use formal
memory techniques. Similarly, although we have huge processing
power in our brains, we cannot be conscious of more than a few
thoughts at any one time. In fact, in a very real way, we have a
limited “attentional capacity”.

As we become uncomfortably stressed, distractions, difficulties,

anxieties and negative thinking begin to crowd our minds. This is
particularly the case where we look at our definition of stress, i.e.
that it occurs when a person perceives that “demands exceed the
personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.”
These thoughts compete with performance of the task for our
attentional capacity. Concentration suffers, and focus narrows as
our brain becomes overloaded.

As shown in the figure, this is something of a slippery slope: the

more our brain is overloaded, the more our performance can
suffer. The more our performance suffers, the more new
distractions, difficulties, anxieties and negative thoughts crowd
our minds.

Other research has shown that stress reduces people’s ability to

deal with large amounts of information. Both decision-making and
creativity are impaired because people are unable to take
account of all the information available. This inability accounts for
the common observation that highly stressed people will persist in
a course of action even when better alternatives are available. It
also explains why anxious people perform best when they are put
under little additional stress, while calm people may need
additional pressure to produce a good performance.

Notes on the research behind the Inverted-U:

While this is an important and useful idea, people’s evaluations of stress and
performance are by necessity subjective. This has made it difficult to prove
the ‘Inverted-U’ idea formally. Also, for ease of explanation, we show a
smooth curve here. In reality, different people have different shaped and
positioned inverted-Us at different times and in different circumstances. This
is all part of “life’s rich tapestry”.

Entering a State of "Flow"

When you are operating in your “area of best performance”, you
are normally able to concentrate, and focus all of your attention
on the important task at hand. When you do this without
distraction, you often enter what Professor Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi of Chicago University describes as a state of
‘flow’. This involves “being completely involved in an activity for
its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action,
movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one,
like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using
your skills to the utmost".

You perform at your best in this state because you are able to
focus all of your efforts, resources and abilities on the tasks at
hand. While you are sufficiently motivated to resist competing
temptations, you are not so stressed that anxieties and
distractions interfere with clear thought.

This is an intensely creative, efficient and satisfying state of mind.

It is the state of mind in which, for example, the most persuasive
speeches are made, the best software is developed, and the most
impressive athletic or artistic performances are delivered.

Helping Yourself to Get Into Flow

One of the frustrations of management is that managers can feel

that they lose the ‘right’ to these periods of deep concentration
when they must be readily available to others, and be able to deal
with the constantly changing information, decisions and activities
around them. Studies of good managers show that they rarely get
more than a few minutes alone without distraction. This alone can
be frustrating, and can contribute strongly to managerial stress.
In jobs where concentration is a rare commodity, there are
various solutions to creating the periods of flow that sustain good
performance. Solutions include working from home, or setting
aside parts of the day as quiet periods. Another solution might be
to delegate the activities that require the greatest levels of
concentration, allowing the manager to concentrate on problems
as they arise, serving to create a flow of its own.

One of the key aims of this site is to help you manage stress so
that you can enter this state of flow, and deliver truly excellent
performance in your career.

The Following are two types of stress patterns that exist in daily

life:

The Healthy Pattern recognizes that we can help our bodies to

cope with the stress adjustment process by applying a positive

strategy, such as leisure, relaxation, a vacation/trip, exercise and

others. This restores a healthy stress level.

The Crisis Pattern develops when we fail to recognize the signals

that the body sends and therefore we continue to stress ourselves

until eventually we drop and enter a deep negative state (crisis)

and then physical and/or psychological breakdown.

How do you respond to stress?

Psychologist Connie Lillas uses a driving analogy to describe the
three most common ways people respond when they’re
overwhelmed by stress:

• Foot on the gas – An angry or agitated stress response.

You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit
still.
• Foot on the brake – A withdrawn or depressed stress
response. You shut down, space out, and show very little
energy or emotion.
• Foot on both – A tense and frozen stress response. You
“freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything. You look
paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.

The following table lists some of the common warning signs and
symptoms of stress. The more signs and symptoms you notice in
yourself, the closer you may be to stress overload.

Keep in mind that the signs and symptoms of stress can also be
caused by other psychological and medical problems. If you’re
experiencing any of the warning signs of stress, it’s important to
see a doctor for a full evaluation. Your doctor can help you
determine whether or not your symptoms are stress-related.
Stress and Managers
Two men look through the prison bars; one sees the mud and the
other see the stars.

“A paradox of work life is that a situation can be seen by one

person as a devastating threat, but by another as an invigorating
challenge”, says Daniel Goleman. Job related stress among
managers has been described as reaching epidemic. Stressful life
is very common in our modern era, particularly in metropolitan
cities. Stress in the work place has in fact, become a black plague
of the twenty first century.

There is converging evidence that most managers’ reports

feelings job related stress. Recently there has been increasing
recognition of the potential positive out comes associated with
job-related stress. Some managers perceive stress as leading to
positive out comes. It is important to note that not all stress is
bad, stress can result a competitive edge and force, positive
changes. Job related stress associated with both positive and
negative work out comes. Stress associated with two kinds of
stress producing job demands or work circumstances described as
challenges and hindrances.
Stress is found in all aspects of life. Hans Selye, a pioneer in
stress research, has defined, as "stress is the nonspecific
response of the body to any demands made upon it". According to
Oxford Dictionary “Stress is a state of affair involving demand on
physical or mental energy".It is an internal state or reaction to
which we consciously or unconsciously perceive as a threat,
either real or imagined .Stress can produce feelings of frustration,
fear, conflict, pressure, anger, sadness, inadequacy, guilt,
loneliness, or confusion. Individuals feel stressed when they are
fired or lose a loved one (negative stress) as well as when they
are promoted or go on a vacation (positive stress). Individuals
believe they must avoid stress to live longer. Most of the stress in
modern society is distressful but stress may also have positive
effect. Getting a job, getting married, etc. have a stimulating
effect which results in personal growth. Selye suggests that we
might call this Eustress or good stress.

In the workplace, stress can affect performance. Individuals under

too little stress may not make enough effort to perform at their
best levels, while those under too much stress often are unable to
concentrate or perform effectively and efficiently. The relationship
between stress and performance is complex. Employers, however,
have primarily been concerned about the rising costs of
overstressed employees. Everybody suffers from stress.
Relationship demands, physical as well as mental health
problems, pressure at workplaces, traffic snarls, meeting
deadlines, growing-up tensions—which leads stress.

Personal and Situational Factors

Stress is affected by variety of personal and situational factors.
Some people may take criticism of their work as a personal
attack, become upset, and waste or lot of energy defending
themselves. Yet other people may take similar criticism as a
challenge to improve their work, there by experiencing less
stress. A lot depends upon our personal make up. Many
situational factors may contribute to our experience of stress.
Lack of control or a feeling of futility in a stressful situation are
key factors in stress.

Reactions to stress
Mainly there are two kinds of reactions to stress: Physical
Reaction and Psychological Reactions

In Physiological Stress reactions, the general adaptation

syndromes consists of three progressive stages such as alarm
reactions, the stage of resistance and the stage of exhaustion.

The alarm reactions consists of complicated body and

biochemical changes that produce similar symptoms regardless
the type of stressor. The common symptoms are fever, headache,
loss of appetite and generally tired feeling.

In stage of resistance, the human organism develops an

increased resistance to stressor. The alarm stage disappears and
the body resistance rises above its normal level to cope up the
continued stress. But this resistance includes increased secretions
from various glands ,lowered resistance to infections and disease
to adaptation. Stress induced peptic ulcers and high blood
pressure are the common disorders induced by stress.

Chronic stress leads to the stage of exhaustion. Body defences

break down, adaptation energy runs out and the physical
symptoms of the alarm reaction reappear.

Psychological Reactions
It consists of wide variety of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural
response to stress. Most stress evoke anxiety-the vague,
unpleasant feelings that some thing bad is about to happen. The
most familiar psychological reactions to stress is defence
mechanisms which protects oneself from perceived threat. Once
a stressor has been interpreted as threatening, a variety of
cognitive functions may be adversely affected. Stress also
interferes with our judgement, problem solving and decision
making. Stress also evokes a wide range of emotions, ranging
from a sense of exhilaration, in the face of minor, challenging
stressors to more familiar negative emotions of anger, fear,
jealousy and discouragement. People behave under stress
depends partially on the level of stress experienced. Mild stress
energizes us to become more alert, active and resourceful.
Moderate stress tends to have disruptive effect on our lives
especially on complex behaviour. Under moderate stress people
become less sensitive to their surroundings, easily irritated and
more apt to relay on certain coping devices.

Experts tell us that stress, in moderate doses, are necessary in

our life. Stress responses are one of our body's best defense
systems against outer and inner dangers. In a risky situation

Research suggests that stress can actually increase our

performance. Instead of wilting under stress, one can use it as an
impetus to achieve success. Stress can stimulate one's faculties
to delve deep into and discover one's true potential.

If approached positively, stress can help us evolve as a person by

letting go of unwanted thoughts and principle in our life. Very
often, at various crossroads of life, stress may remind you of the
transitory nature of your experiences, and may prod you to look
for the true happiness of life.
Organizational Stress

Organization stress is a state or condition indicated by the degree

of discrepancy between organizational demands and
organizational capacity" (Haas & Drabek 1973). A disaster can act
as a catalyst for organization stress, and subsequent worker
stress. The book written by the above-mentioned people reviews
the literature relating to the sociological concept of organization
stress, outlining the nature of the condition and its theoretical
causes within the disaster setting. Following a discussion of the
concept of organization stress the book discusses organizational
perception of stress, organization coping mechanisms for disaster
impact, and organizational adaptation to disaster-induced stress.

There is a considerable cost to people, in both human and

financial terms, in working in an unhealthy stressful environment.
It is therefore in the interest of all leaders and managers to create
healthy workplaces.
What is commonly referred to as 'organizational stress' may be
said to be caused by a dysfunctional culture. Where members of
an organization share a negative view of that organization, they
are not likely to be motivated to perform well. On the contrary,
they may feel that work is not worthwhile and that there is little
point in pursuing personal or organizational objectives or desires.
The result may be a serious loss of self-esteem and when this
condition prevails this will be experienced as stress.

Some of the consequences of stress have been identified as:

• Reduced productivity

• Lack of creativity

• Job dissatisfaction
 • Increased sick leave

• Premature retirement

• Absenteeism

• Accidents

• Organizational breakdown

There are many ways in which organizational culture will

manifest itself in a dysfunctional way. For example, the unhelpful
and dysfunctional division between 'us' and ‘them’, which may be
perpetuated, by both senior managers and those at other levels
of an organization in a collusive manner. A division, which results
in a lack of proper communication and a sort of 'blaming' culture.

Addressing these matters is difficult work, work that cannot be

adequately dealt with by managers or internal consultants
because they are part of the culture; part of the hierarchy, and
subject to the authority structure of the organization.

However, this is not the total extent of the needs regarding

organizational stress. There is also a need for a Stress
Management Strategy that through various approaches will, in its
entirety, provide for the needs of the organization.

Job Stress
Job stress is a chronic disease caused by conditions in the
workplace that adversely affect an individual's performance
and/or overall well-being of his body and mind. One or more of a
host of physical and mental illnesses manifests job stress. Stress
can adversely affect an employee's performance. In the early
stages job stress can enhance performance in the workplace, thus
the term 'I perform better under pressure'. However, if this
condition is allowed to go unchecked and the body is revved up
further, the performance ultimately declines and the person's
health degenerates.

Symptoms of job stress can be:

• Insomnia

• Loss of mental concentration,

• Anxiety, stress

• Absenteeism

• Depression

• Substance abuse

• Extreme anger and frustration,

• Family conflict

• Physical illnesses such as heart disease, migraine,

headaches, stomach problems, and back problems.

The causative factor of Job stress may be a complex set of

reasons. Some of the most visible causes of workplace stress are:

Job Insecurity
Organized workplaces are going through various changes and
consequent pressures. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers,
downsizing and other changes have become major stressors for
employees, as companies try to live up to the competition to
survive. These reformations have put demand on everyone, from
a CEO to a mere executive.

High Demand for Performance

Unrealistic expectations, especially in the time of corporate
reorganizations, which, sometimes, puts unhealthy and
unreasonable pressures on the employee, can be a tremendous
source of stress and suffering. Increased workload, extremely
long work hours and intense pressure to perform at peak levels all
the time for the same pay, can actually leave employees
physically and emotionally drained. Excessive travel and too
much time away from family also contribute to an employee's
stressors.

Technology
The expansion of technology has resulted high expectations for
productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the
individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance
levels. Workers working with heavy machinery are under constant
stress to remain alert. Both the worker and their family members
live under constant pressure and mental stress. There is also
certain factors which are forcing employees to learn new software
all the times.

Workplace Culture
Adjusting to the workplace culture, whether in a new company or
not, can be intensely stressful. Making one adapt to the new
situation and other aspects of workplace culture such as
communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace
and most importantly working and behavioral patterns of the boss
as well as the co-workers, can be a lesson of life. Maladjustment
to workplace cultures may lead to subtle conflicts with colleagues
or even with superiors. In many cases, office politics or gossips
can be major stress inducers. Lack of motivation also affects his
ability to carry out job responsibilities.

Personal or Family Problems

Employees going through personal or family problems which
leads tensions and anxieties to the workplace.
Job Stress and Women
Apart from the common job stress, women may suffer from
mental and physical harassment at workplaces, Sexual
harassment in workplace has been a major source of worry for
women. A constant source of tension for women in job sectors like
subtle discriminations at workplaces, family pressure and societal
demands add to these stress factors.

The choice is between becoming a slave to the stressful situations

of life or using them to our advantage. Because change is
constant in life, stress is an integral part of it. Since we do not
want to perish under it, we have to adhere to the bottom line for
survival—adapt.

Dealing with stress and its symptoms

While unchecked stress is undeniably damaging, there are many
things you can do to reduce its impact and cope with symptoms.

Learn how to manage stress

You may feel like the stress in your life is out of your control, but
you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is
all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your
emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal
with problems. Stress management involves changing the
stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when
you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and
relaxation.

Strengthen your relationships

A strong support network is your greatest protection against
stress. When you have trusted friends and family members you
know you can count on, life’s pressures don’t seem as
overwhelming. So spend time with the people you love and don’t
let your responsibilities keep you from having a social life. If you
don’t have any close relationships, or your relationships are the
source of your stress, make it a priority to build stronger and
more satisfying connections.

Tips for reaching out and building relationships:

• Help someone else by • Go for a walk with a

volunteering. workout buddy.
• Have lunch or coffee with a • Schedule a weekly dinner
co-worker. date

• Call or email an old friend. • Take a class or join a club.

Learn how to relax

You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can
control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as
yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s
relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of
the stress response. When practiced regularly, these activities
lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in
your feelings of joy and serenity. They also increase your ability to
stay calm and collected under pressure.

Invest in your emotional health

Most people ignore their emotional health until there’s a problem.
But just as it requires time and energy to build or maintain your
physical health, so it is with your emotional well-being. The more
you put in to it, the stronger it will be. People with good emotional
health have an ability to bounce back from stress and adversity.
This ability is called resilience. They remain focused, flexible, and
positive in bad times as well as good. The good news is that there
are many steps you can take to build your resilience and your
overall emotional health.

As an organization as a whole
Organizational Stress Management
Organizational Stress Management aims at preventing and
reducing stress for both the individual employee and the
organization or company. The Training Package offers you
eight detailed sessions for stress management training groups
in your workplace. These include eight relaxation exercises on
audio cassette tapes, together with training in relaxation,
breathing and cognitive-behavioral techniques. We also provide
practical training in the management of many workplace
stressors. The Stress Management sessions provide employees
with the opportunity to tackle major stressors using techniques
from Problem Solving Therapy. We also provide research notes
with each session giving you in-depth background information
on the problems of work-pace stress, together with step-by-
step presentations of related therapies of particular value in
the treatment of stress at work.

• Organizational Stress Auditing (organization)

o Before organizational stress is targeted, we need to

know what is causing it. Workplace stressors should be
identified and employees can guide with options to
manage it.

• Stress Management Training (group or individual)

 o Through a range of easily applied, practical courses
underpinned by widely accepted Stress Management
theory, groups and individuals can increase their
understanding of the causes of stress and through this,
learn techniques for reducing and dealing with stress.

As the Manager

As the boss, one can ensure that subordinates are not put to
undue stress and also that they are helped to get out of stress
situations as quickly as possible. The steps are

• Recognize the stress levels

• Show concern

• Encourage talking

• Listen

• Empathize

• Explain and show how it can be done

 • Reassure

• Provide support

• Discuss and involve them in decisions

• Show respect to the individuals

• Avoid insult, denunciation, abuse, reprimand, particularly in

public

• Avoid manipulation, coercion, blaming

• Avoid pressurizing too much

• Provide social support

All the above, render support and help to reduce anxieties. It is

not suggested that the demands on people should be lowered.
People like challenges. They must be given challenging
assignments. That is the only way to growth. But if there is a
sensing of extreme stress, it should be managed through
reassurance, not by withdrawing the assignment.

Tips to survive stress

• Changing one's position more secure, and be prepared for

changes to avoid stress and survive in the competitive
world.
 • re-energize and re-motivate yourself. Spend quality time
with your family. This can be an excellent source of
emotional and moral support.
• Avoid using alcohol, smoking and other substance abuses
• Develop positive attitudes towards stressful situations in life.
• In case of chronic stress consult a health professional.
• Adapting to demands of stress also means changing your
personality. Improve your line of communication, efficiency
and learn from other's experiences.
• Breathing exercises.
• Say kind ‘no’ to additional commitments or responsibilities
• Avoid trying to achieve too much
• Re-evaluate your goals and prioritize them
• Evaluate the demands placed on you and see how they fit in
with your goals
• Identify your ability to meet these demands.
• Learn stress management skills
• Identify stressors in your life, get the support of your friends,
family and even counseling in reducing stress

• Get adequate sleep and rest.

Ensure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet—
• Try to recognize your spiritual
• Do meditation or yoga
• Proper Time Management
• To be more Organised and sense of control over the task
which need to fulfill.

Coping with Stress

Methods of coping with stress are plenty.

• Music therapy
• Meditation

Alleviating stress by altering our life style includes better stress

tolerance; changing our pace of life, controlling distressful
thoughts, acquisition problem solving skills and seeking social
support. Apart from this identification of negative thoughts
recurring often, invalidating negative thoughts by searching out
life experiences contradicting them, Superimposing negative
thoughts with positive thoughts, identifying one’s own strength
and capacities. Believing that every solution or opportunity is
preceded by crisis. Avoiding brooding over crisis like a stick in the
mud, start developing action plan to deal with crisis.

The management of stress calls for inculcating an attitude of

challenge to transform life’s eventualities to one’s advantage,
with the commitment to attain certain values or goals of life, and
the belief that one has the ability of control in diffusing
threatening stressful events.
References:

Article: Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory

Book: Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

Book: Relationship Help: Building Great Relationships Using Emotional Intelligence

Book: Relaxation Techniques for Stress Relief: Relaxation Exercises to Reduce Stress, Anxiety,
and Depression

Article: Stress and Managers by: Margaret Francis, MSW, M.Phil, PGDCIM