Stress managementPresented by: -

Arti Yadav 55

Aakriti Sharma 68

Akanksha Rachel Saini 66

Tejo Bhavani Prasad 28

Ashutosh Pandey 14

Mahesh Pillai 67

What exactly is Stress???

O Stress is what you feel when you have to handle more than you are used to

O stress ('stres) - Bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium -(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

O Psychologist Richard S. Lazarus best described stress as “a condition or feeling that a person experiences when they perceive that the demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.”

Types of Stress

Challenge Stressors

• Stress associated with workload, pressure to complete tasks, and time urgency

Hindrance Stressors

• Stress that keeps you from reaching your goals, such as red tape

• Cause greater harm than challenge stressors

SYMPTOMS

Physical Emotional Behavioral

Headaches Anxiety Loss of Appetite

Back Pain Worry Overeating

Indigestion Fatigue Smoking

Allergies Low Energy Excessive Drinking

Cold or Flu Depression Drugs

Neck Pain Fearfulness Accident Prone

Stomach Upset Insomnia Avoidance

Skin Problems Forgetfulness Ceaseless striving

Loss of Enthusiasm

cynicism

What is not StressO Anxiety.. Nervous Tension…bad/damaging

O Stress is not simply anxiety.

O Stress is not simply nervous tension.

O Stress is not necessarily something damaging, bad or to be

avoided.

How does stress affect you?

Stress can affect in following three ways :

O Physiological

O Behavioural

O Psychological

Physiological Hormone release triggers your fight or flight response. These hormones help you to either fight harder or run faster. They increase heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating. Stress has been tied to heart disease. Because of the increase in heart rate and blood pressure, prolonged stress increases the tension that is put on the arteries. It also affects your immune system which is why cold and flu illness usually show up during exams.

Behavioural

OIt may cause you to be jumpy, excitable, or even irritable. The effects of stress may cause some people to drink or smoke heavily, neglect exercise or proper nutrition, or overuse either the television or the computer.

Psychological

The response to stress may decrease your ability to work or interact effectively with other people, and be less able to make good decisions. Stress has also been known to play a part in anxiety and depression.

The potential sources of stress can be listed as follows:

O Extra-organizationalO Organizational O Group O Individual

Sources of Stress

O Extra-OrganizationalO Societal/technological changeO The familyO RelocationO Economic and financial conditionsO Race, class and genderO Local conditions

O OrganizationalO Administrative policies and strategies.O Organizational structure and design.O Organizational processes.O Working conditions.

O Group StressorsO Lack of group cohesiveness.O Lack of social support.O Inter-personal and inter-group conflict.

O Individual StressorsO PersonalityO Life and career changesO Life trauma

A Model of Stress

Method for identifying the causes of stress

Consequenses of Stress

O Stressors are additive: high levels of stress can lead to the following symptoms

O 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 creates positive or negative feelings.

O Physiological Blood pressure, headaches, strokeO Psychological Dissatisfaction, tension, anxiety, irritability,

boredom, and procrastination Greatest when roles are unclear in the

presence of conflicting demandsO Behavioral Changes in job behaviors, increased smoking

or drinking, different eating habits, rapid speech, fidgeting, sleep disorders

Types of Stress management

Acute StressAcute stress is usually for short time and may be due to work pressure, meeting deadlines pressure or minor accident, over exertion, increased physical activity, searching something but you misplaced it, or similar things. Symptoms of this type of tension are headaches, back pain, stomach problems, rapid heartbeat, muscle aches or body pain.

Chronic StressThis type of stress is the most serious of all the 3 stress types. Chronic stress is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks, months, or even years. This stress is due to poverty, broken or stressed families and marriages, chronic illness and successive failures in life. People suffering from this type of stress get used to it and may even not realize that they are under chronic stress. It is very harmful to their health

Need of Stress Management

O Whenever our body feels something not favorable, then it tries to defend itself. If this situation continues for a long time, then our body is working overtime.

O There are several causes of stress. For example, you are under stress when you are worried about something, worried about your children, worried about the illness of your father, worried about your job security, or worried about your loans or similar things.

Causes of Stress at Home

O Death of spouse, family, near relative or friend.O Injury or illness of any family member.O Marriage of self or son or daughter or brother or

sister.O Separation or divorce from partner.O Pregnancy or birth of a new baby.O Children's behavior or disobedience.O Children's educational performance.O Not sufficient money to raise your standard of

living.O Loss of money in burglary, pick-pocketed or

share market.

Causes of Stress at work

O To meet out the demands of the job.O Your relationship with colleagues.O To control staff under you.O To train your staff and take work from

them.O Support you receive from your boss,

colleagues and juniors.O Excessive work pressure.O To meet out deadlines.O To give new results.O To produce new publications if you are in

research area.O Working overtime and on holidays.

Other causes of stress

O Fear, intermittent or continuous.O Threats: physical threats, social threats,

financial threat, other threats.O Uncertainty.O Lack of sleep.O Somebody misunderstands you.O Setback to your position in society

Stress Management Strategies

O Learn how to say “NO!” – know your limits and do not compromise them. Taking on more than you can handle is not a good choice. It is ok if you don’t do every single activity that your club, fraternity, sorority or your friends are doing.

O Attitude – it is human nature to want to freak out. Your mind is a powerful tool; use it in your favor. Thinking rationally can take you a long way.

 

O Laugh – Do something that you enjoy, take on a hobby, hang out with friends, and learn to balance your life. If you are feeling upset, express your feelings. Don’t keep them to yourself because that will only add to your stress.

O Avoid alcohol and cigarettes – this is just a quick fix. Once the chemical leave your body, you are back to feeling stressed and you are probably worse off than when you started.

O Healthy eating – get the proper nutrition. Eat at least one hot-home cooked meal a day.

O Exercise – physical activities can help you in not only burning off calories, but burning off stress. Exercise helps release tension. Exercise for 30 minutes a day for at least 3 times per week

O Relaxing your mind and body – take deep breaths. Visualize success. Set some “alone time” where you do something you enjoy. Practice “mindfulness”, focusing your attention on the present moment.  

O Sleep – at least 7 hours of sleep are needed in order for your brain and body to function at optimum level. Avoid taking naps for more than 1 hour.  

O Healthy relationships – talk and hang out with friends. Find some you relate to and with whom you can share your problems with.

O Time management – get a planner, create a schedule, or even a to-do list. Map out what your quarter will look like. Once you have done that, do a schedule for each week. Then create a schedule for each day. Be specific. Mark down your class meeting times, study time for a specific subject, mealtimes, fun activities, and sleep.

O Organization – learn how to organize your notes, keep track of your assignments and note important due dates or date of exams. Establish your priorities for the day.  

O Budget – create a budget for your monthly expenses. Distribute your money according to the bills you need to pay for the quarter (i.e. rent, tuition, groceries, personal items, house bills, gasoline, etc.). Determine about how much money you will be able to spend “for fun.”

Not All Stress Is Bad Some level of stress can

increase productivity Too little or too much stress will

reduce performance This model is not empirically

supported

The Human Function Curve

Three Approaches to cope with stress

O DYSFUNCTIONAL COPING

O DEFENSIVE COPING

O DIRECT COPING

Dysfunctional Coping

O Individuals might become alcoholic, overweight, chain-smokers, or drug addicts.

O They also run the risk of becoming accident prone.

O Individuals exhibit coronary disease-prone behavior patterns.

Defensive CopingO It involves mental or physical

escape from the stressful situation.O Some common and important

defense mechanisms are O REPRESSION, O REGRESSION, O RATIONALIZATION, (cognitive

reframing of ones perception… all good sons will obey mom)

O DIRECT AGGRESSION, O DISPLACEMENT.

Direct CopingO It involves self awareness in order to

avoid the harmful and far reaching consequences of stress.

O The process involves introspection, identification of problem, determination of a solution by considering available alternatives and choosing an action accordingly.

Advantages of stress management

O Business advantages of stress management:

Less absenteeism due to stress-related disorders

Less worker's compensation loss due to stress-related illness or accidents

Improved job performance Less stressful, more efficient workplace Improved employee attitude Improved employee overall health

Advantages cont’d

O Health advantages of stress management:

Decreased stress-related symptoms

Improved slee

Decreased anxiety

Decreased use of medications

reduced pain, increased ability to manage pain

Increased ability to relax physiologically

Increased sense of control and improved self-esteem

Advantages cont’d

O Consumer advantages of stress management:

No side-effects Non-pharmacological Non-surgical Cost-effective

Disadvantages of stress management

Stress can be a motivator. For example, if you’re stressed out because you have a big assignment due, this may motivate you to work on it and complete it. The stress can help you to put in your very best effort. If you're afraid of losing your job, stress may encourage you to raise your own standards and make improvements you most likely would not have made without the threat of unemployment.

Stress is a disadvantage because it can potentially raise your heart rate and weaken your immune system. Also, it can be a factor in poor decision making because under stress we may not think logically or consider the consequences of the choices we make.

While we all experience stress frequently in our daily lives, not everyone handles it in positive ways. The key for us all is to learn what strategies and behaviors help us to cope with stress in a positive manner.