4. Introduction
Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that
"demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able
to mobilize." (Richard S Lazarus)
Negative stress- Distress, created with events of crisis and having
negative consequences
Positive stress- Eustress, created with events having pleasing effect
having positive consequences
Stress management comprises of methods/psychotherapies to control the
level of stress of a person
Managing stress is about controlling thoughts, emotions, schedule and
dealing with problems and issues in life
Identifying stress inducing thoughts, feelings, behavior is not easy
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5. Models
Transactional Model
Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman (1984) suggested this model.
Stress results from “an imbalance between demands and resources” or
“when pressure exceeds one‟s perceived ability to cope”.
An effective stress management program should identify the factors
central to a person controlling his/her stress and identifying interventional
methods effectively targeting these factors.
Health realization/Innate Health Model
Stress does not necessarily follow the presence of a potential stressor.
Focuses on the nature of thought process as it determines the response
to potentially stressful external circumstances.
It helps the stressed individual understand the nature of thought while
having insecure thinking, disengage from it and access natural positive
feelings.
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6. Causes
Professional cause-
Peer, Superior and Subordinate pressure
Meeting deadlines and deliverables
Employer‟s expectations
Inability to adapt
Individualistic rather than a team player
Group formations within an organization
Myopic approach
Self-centric
Importing personal issues in the professional front
Negative attitude
Unprofessional behavior
Age
Working environment/culture
Health
Relationships
Personal cause-
Health
Relationships
Many more
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7. Common Symptoms
Restlessness
Irritability
Lack of Concentration
Excess sweating
Inability to control ones temper
Lack of patience
Faster heartbeat
Insomnia
Sudden strain in relationships
Stammering
Violent behavior
Negative attitude
Frequent mood swings
Sudden dip in the performance
Headache
Body ache
Depression
Indulging in blame game
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8. Managing Stress
No “One Size Fits All” solution to manage stress
Experimenting with different techniques and strategy is a must
Change the situation
Avoid the stressor
Alter the stressor
Change your reaction
Adapt to the stressor
Accept the stressor
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9. Simple Stress Management
Strategies
# 1 Learning to say „No‟
# 2 Avoiding people who cause stress
# 3 Taking control of the environment
# 4 Avoiding hot-button topics
# 5 Paring down to do list
# 6 Expressing feelings instead of bottling
# 7 Willing to compromise
# 8 Being assertive
# 9 Managing time better
# 10 Reframing problems
# 11 Looking at the bigger picture
# 12 Adjusting the standards
# 13 Focusing on positive
# 14 Adjusting attitude
# 15 Not trying to control the uncontrollable
# 16 Looking for the upside
# 17 Learning to forgive
# 18 Time for fun and relaxation
# 19 Connecting with others
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10. Simple Stress Management
Strategies
# 20 Pursuing hobbies/interests
# 21 Involving in something which brings happiness
# 22 Keeping the sense of humor
# 23 Exercising regularly
# 24 Eating a healthy diet
# 25 Avoiding sugar, coffee, smoking-temporary high
# 26 Getting enough sleep
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11. Other techniques to manage stress(Not
to be done without a professional’s
supervision)
Autogenic Training
Relaxation technique developed by German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz
Daily practice of 15 minutes session during morning, lunch time and evening
The practitioner will repeat a set of visualizations inducing a state of relaxation in postures like
lying down, sitting meditation
Cognitive therapy
Psychotherapy developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck
Patient overcome difficulties by identifying and changing dysfunctional thinking, behavior and
emotional responses
Treatment is based on the collaboration between patient and therapist testing beliefs
Meditation
Practice that trains/induces the mind a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit or as an end
in itself by building internal energy, love, patience, generosity, compassion and forgiveness.
Yoga Nidra
Conscious awareness of deep sleep state to remove autonomic symptoms of high anxiety like
Headache, Giddiness, Chest Pain, Palpitations, Sweating and Abdominal Pain
Deep breathing
Breathing done by contracting the diaphragm(horizontal muscle between chest and stomach
cavity)
Air enters lungs and the belly expands and is a complementary and alternative treatment
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12. Stress Scale
Developed by Psychiatrists, Holmes and Rahe(1967)
Surveyed more than 5000 patients on a series of 43 life events for last two
years
Each event called as Life Change Unit (LCU) having different weight for
stress
More the events, higher is the score and more likely to become ill
300+ High risk of becoming ill in future
150-299 Moderate to high chance of becoming ill in the future
Less than 150-Low to moderate chance
Moderate and High level patients should avoid crisis which can be
prevented
Stress scale (Click here)
Source- Mindtools
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13. Maintaining a Stress Diary
Helps to understand causes of short term stress
Gives insight to the reaction to stress
Identifying levels of pressure in which one can operate
Analyze different ways and means to manage stress
One should record the following-
Date and Time
Recent stressful event
Subjective assessment on a scale of -10 (most unhappy) and +10 (happiest)
Working effectiveness on a scale of 0(completely ineffective) and 10 (greatest
effectiveness)
Fundamental cause of stress
Symptoms
Handling the event
Stress Diary (Click Here)
Source- Mind tools
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14. Importance of a stress Journal
Helps to identify regular stressors and way of dealing with them.
It should contain-
(a) What caused the stress?
(b) How one felt, physically and emotionally?
(c) How did one act in response?
(d) What was done to make oneself feel better?
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16. Finally, Relax by doing this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG
GHxcrm7FY
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17. References
John Kabat-Zinn, 1990, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face
Stress, Pain, and Illness, Fifteenth edition, Bantam Dell, New York
Dr. Frank Lawlis, 2009, Retraining the Brain: A 45-Day Plan to Conquer Stress and Anxiety, Plume,
Penguin Group, New York
Accessed on 26th January 2013, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
, Help-guide
Accessed on 27th January 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_management, Wiki
Accessed on 27th January 2013, http://www.cls.utk.edu/pdf/ls/Week3_Lesson22.pdf , Paper
Accessed on 30th January 2013,
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_00.htm, Mind-tools
Accessed on 30th January 2013, http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_82.htm, Mind-tools
Accessed on 30th January 2013, http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/worksheets/StressDiary.pdf
Mind-tools
Accessed on 30th January 2013, http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_01.htm
Mind-tools
Accessed on 30th January 2013 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/albrecht-stress.htm
Mind- tools
Accessed on 1st February 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DknakBGQxL0 Video
Accessed on 1st February 2013 Accessed on 1st February 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGGHxcrm7FY Video
Accessed on the 1st of February 2013
http://www.manishankarthetrainer.blogspot.com/2013/02/case-lets-on-stress-management.html Blog
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