STRESS MANAGEMENT

DR. RABEYA BEGUM DR. SUJATHA MENON

WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress refers to the strain from the conflict between our external environment and us, leading to emotional and physical pressure. There is both positive and negative stress, depending on each individuals unique perception of the tension between the two forces. Positive stress is known as eustress, can help an individual to function at optimal effectiveness and efficiency.

WHEN WAS THE TERM STRESS FIRST USED?

The term "stress" was first used by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s to identify physiological responses in laboratory animals. He later broadened and popularized the concept to include the perceptions and responses of humans trying to adapt to the challenges of everyday life.

WHAT IS WORK STRESS?

"The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them at work.

CAUSES OF WORK STRESS

The HSE Management Standard has identified six factors that can lead to work related stress if they are not managed properly. Demands: Employees indicate that they are able to cope with the demands of their jobs.

Control: Employees indicate that they are able to have a say about the way they do their work.

Support: Employees indicate that they receive adequate information and support from their colleagues and superiors.

Relationships: Employees indicate that they are not subjected to unacceptable behaviors, e.g. bullying at work.
Role: Employees indicate that they understand their role and responsibilities. Change: Employees indicate that the organization engages them frequently when undergoing an organizational change.

TYPES OF STRESS
There are 4 main categories of stress, namely eustress, distress, hyper stress and hypo stress. Negative stress can cause many physical and psychological problems, whilst positive stress can be very helpful for us. Eustress: this is a positive form of stress, which prepares your mind and body for the imminent challenges that it has perceived. Distress: this occurs when the mind and body is unable to cope with changes, and usually occurs when there are deviations from the norm. They can be categorized into acute stress and chronic stress.

Hyper Stress: this is another form of negative stress that occurs when the individual is unable to cope with the workload.

Hypo Stress: it occurs when a person has nothing to do with his time and feels constantly bored and unmotivated.

ALBRECHTS STRESS CATEGORIES

Dr Karl Albrecht, a management consultant in California, is a pioneer in the development of stress-reduction training for businesspeople. He defined four common types of stress in his 1979 book, "Stress and the Manager. Time Stress: Common examples of time stress include worrying about deadlines or rushing to avoid being late for a meeting.

Anticipatory Stress: It describes stress that you experience concerning the future or a worry that "something will go wrong."
Situational Stress: You experience situational stress when you're in a scary situation that you have no control over. Encounter stress: This revolves around people. You experience encounter stress when you worry about interacting with a certain person or group of people you may not like them, or you might think that they're unpredictable.

STRESS SYMPTOMS
Physical symptoms might include: tiredness
indigestion and nausea headaches aching muscles palpitations

Mentally you may:

be more indecisive find it hard to concentrate suffer loss of memory

feelings of inadequacy
low self esteem

Emotionally you are likely to:

get irritable or angry be anxious

feel numb
be hypersensitive feel drained and listless

STRESS AMONG TEACHERS

Foot-in-the-Door Disease (Job Instability) Mismatch in Teaching

DEALING WITH STRESS

Tip 1: Recognize warning signs of excessive stress at work
Tip 2: Reduce job stress by taking care of yourself Tip 3: Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing Tip 4: Reduce job stress by improving emotional intelligence Tip 5: Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits

Tip 6: Laughter is the best medicine

Tip 6: Laughter is the best medicine