2. Contents
■ What is Stress ?
■ What is Stress Management?
■ Types of Stress
■ Level of Stress
■ Causes of Stress Management
■ Need of Stress Management
■ How to manage stress?
■ Advantages of Stress Management
■ Disadvantages of Stress Management
3. What is STRESS?
■ Stress is our mind and body’s response or reaction to a real or
imagined threat, event or change.
■ “Stress is not what happens to us. It is our response to what
happens. And response is something we can choose.”
---Maureen Killoran
4. What is Stress Management?
■ Stress management refers to the wide spectrum
of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at
controlling a person's levels of stress, especially
chronic stress, usually for the purpose of
improving everyday functioning.
■ Stress management is all about taking charge:
of our lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the
way we deal with problems.
■ Stress produces numerous symptoms which
vary according to persons, situations, and
severity. These can include physical health
decline as well as depression
5. Types of Stress
Acute Stress
Acute stress is the most common type of stress. It’s our body's
immediate reaction to a new challenge, event, or demand, and
it triggers our fight-or-flight response. e.g. an argument with a
family member, riding a rollercoaster, automobile accident etc.
Episodic acute stress
When acute stress happens frequently, it’s called episodic
acute stress. People who always seem to be having a crisis tend
to have episodic acute stress. They are often short-tempered,
irritable, and anxious. People who are “worry warts” or
pessimistic or who tend to see the negative side of everything
also tend to have episodic acute stress.
6. Types of Stress (Cont’d)
Chronic Stress
If acute stress isn't resolved and begins to increase or lasts
for long periods of time, it becomes chronic stress. This
stress is constant and doesn’t go away. Chronic stress can be
detrimental to our health, as it can contribute to several
serious diseases or health risks, such as:
--heart disease
--cancer
--lung disease
--accidents
--cirrhosis of the liver
--suicide
7. LEVELS OF STRESS
EUSTRESS:
Eustress or positive stress occurs when your level
of stress is high enough to motivate you to
move into action to get things accomplished.
DISTRESS
Distress or negative stress occurs when your level
of stress is either too high or too low and your
body and/or mind begin to respond negatively
to the stressors.
8. STAGES OF STRESS
ALARM STAGE:
As we begin to experience a stressful event or perceive
something to be stressful psychological changes
occur in our body. This experience or perception
disrupts our body’s normal balance and immediately
our body begins to respond to the stressor(s) as
effectively as possible. e.g.
--Cardiac - increased heart rate
--Respiratory - increased respiration
--Skin - decreased temperature
--Hormonal - increased stimulation of adrenal genes
which produce an adrenal rush.
9. STAGES OF STRESS (Cont’d)
RESISTANCE STAGE
During this stage our body tries to cope or adapt to the
stressors by beginning a process of repairing any
damage the stressor has caused. Our friends, family or
co-workers may notice changes in we before we do. So
it is important to examine their feedback to make sure
we do not reach overload. e.g.
• Behavior indicators include: lack of enthusiasm for
family, school, work or life in general, withdrawal,
change in eating habits, insomnia, hypersomnia, anger,
fatigue.
• Cognitive Indicators include: poor problem solving,
confusion, nightmares, hyper-vigilance.
• Emotional indicators include: tearfulness, fear,
anxiety, panic, guilt, agitation, depression,
overwhelmed.
10. STAGES OF STRESS (Cont’d)
EXHAUSTION STAGE
During this stage the stressor is not being managed effectively and
the body and mind are not able to repair the damage. e.g.
• Digestive disorders
• withdrawal
• headaches
• tension
• insomnia
• loss of temper
11. Causes of Stress Management
General Causes
Stress at Home
Stress at
Workplace
12. General causes of stress
– Fear, intermittent or continuous.
– Threats: physical threats, social threats, financial threat,
other threats.
– Uncertainty.
– Lack of sleep.
– Somebody misunderstands you.
– Setback to your position in society
13. Causes of Stress at Home
– Death of spouse, family, near relative or
friend.
– Injury or illness of any family member.
– Marriage of self or son or daughter or
brother or sister.
– Separation or divorce from partner.
– Pregnancy or birth of a new baby.
– Children's behavior or disobedience.
– Children's educational performance.
– Not sufficient money to raise your standard
of living.
– Loss of money in burglary, pick-pocketed or
share market.
14. Causes of Stress at work
– To meet out the demands of the job.
– Your relationship with colleagues.
– To control staff under you.
– To train your staff and take work from
them.
– Support you receive from your boss,
colleagues and juniors.
– Excessive work pressure.
– To meet out deadlines.
– To give new results.
– To produce new publications if you are in
research area.
– Working overtime and on holidays.
15. Need of stress management
If we’re living with high levels of stress, we’re putting our
entire well-being at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on our emotional
equilibrium, as well as our physical health. It narrows our
ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.
Effective stress management, on the other hand, helps us break
the hold stress has on our life, so we can be happier, healthier,
and more productive.
Today stress management is important in everyone's lives. It's
necessary for long happy lives with less trouble that will come
about.
16. How to manage stress?
There are many ways to deal with stress ranging from the dealing with
the causes of stress to simply burning off its effects.
The following stress management tips can help us do that.
•Tip 1: Identify the sources of stress in our life
•Tip 2: Replace unhealthy coping strategies with healthy ones
•Tip 3: Practice the 4 A's (The four A's - Avoid, Alter, Adapt & Accept)
•Tip 4: Get moving
•Tip 5: Connect to others
•Tip 6: Make time for fun and relaxation
•Tip 7: Manage your time better
•Tip 8: Maintain balance with a healthy lifestyle
20. Advantages of stress management
Business advantages of stress
management:
• Less absenteeism
• Less worker's compensation loss
• Improved job performance
• Less stressful, more efficient workplace
• Improved employee attitude
• Improved employee overall health
21. Advantages of stress management (Cont’d)
Health advantages of stress management:
• Decreased stress-related symptoms
• Improved sleep
• 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
22. References
■ Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist Candidate.
"Stress Management: What can you do?". St. Louis Psychologists
and Counseling Information and Referral. Retrieved February
5, 2013.
■ Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A.,
https://www.helpguide.org “Stress Management” April 2017.
■ McGonagle, Katherine; Ronald Kessler (October 1990). "Chronic
Stress, Acute Stress, Depressive Symptoms". American Journal of
Community Psychology. 18 (5): 681–706.
doi:10.1007/BF00931237.
■ Bowman, Rachel; Beck, Kevin D; Luine, Victoria N (January 2003).
"Chronic Stress Effects on Memory: Sex differences in
performance". Hormones and Behavior. 43 (1): 48–59.
doi:10.1016/S0018-506X(02)00022-3.
23. So enjoy your life as it comes
………..and always be happy