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1) INTRODUCTION TO STRESS
A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred
years. Some of the theories behind it are now settled and accepted; others are
still being researched and debated. During this time, there seems to have been
something approaching open warfare between competing theories and
definitions: Views have been passionately held and aggressively defended.
What complicates this is that intuitively we all feel that we know what
stress is, as it is something we have all experienced. A definition should
therefore be obviousexcept that it is not.
Definition:
Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His
view in 1956 was that stress is not necessarily something bad it all depends
on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is
beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental. Selye
believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced irrespective
of whether the situation was positive or negative.
Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and
ideas have moved on. Stress is now viewed as a "bad thing", with a range of
harmful biochemical and long-term effects. These effects have rarely been
observed in positive situations.
The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to
Richard S Lazarus) is that 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. In short, it's what we feel when we think
we've lost control of events.
This is the main definition used by this section of Mind Tools,
although we also recognize that there is an intertwined instinctive stress
response to unexpected events. The stress response inside us is therefore part
instinct and part to do with the way we think.
Accent (music).
Stress (band), an early '80s melodic rock band from San Diego.
Stress (punk band), an early '80s punk rock band from Athens.
Stress (Neo-Psychedelic band), from the late 1980's.
Stress, a song by the French band Justice on their debut album
Other
Stress (game), card game
Stress (linguistics), phonological use of prominence in language
what is Stress?
Stress refers to the strain from the conflict between our external environment
and us, leading to emotional and physical pressure. In our fast paced world, it is
impossible to live without stress, whether you are a student or a working adult.
There is both positive and negative stress, depending on each individuals
unique perception of the tension between the two forces. Not all stress is bad.
For example, positive stress, also known as eustress, can help an individual to
function at optimal effectiveness and efficiency.
Hence, it is evident that some form of positive stress can add more color and
vibrancy to our lives. The presence of a deadline, for example, can push us to
make the most of our time and produce greater efficiency. It is important to keep
this in mind, as stress management refers to using stress to our advantage, and
not on eradicating the presence of stress in our lives.
On the other hand, negative stress can result in mental and physical strain. The
individual will experience symptoms such as tensions, headaches, irritability
and in extreme cases, heart palpitations. Hence, whilst some stress may be seen
as a motivating force, it is important to manage stress levels so that it does not
have an adverse impact on your health and relationships.
Part of managing your stress levels include learning about how stress can affect
you emotionally and physically, as well as how to identify if you are performing
at your optimal stress level (OSL) or if you are experiencing negative stress.
This knowledge will help you to identify when you need to take a break, or
perhaps seek professional help. It is also your first step towards developing
techniques to managing your stress levels.
Modern day stresses can take the form of monetary needs, or emotional
frictions. Competition at work and an increased workload can also cause greater
levels of stress. How do you identify if you are suffering from excessive stress?
Psychological symptoms commonly experienced include insomnia, headaches
and an inability to focus. Physical symptoms take the form of heart palpitations,
breathlessness, excessive sweating and stomachaches.
What causes stress? There are many different causes of stress, and that which
causes stress is also known as a stressor. Common lifestyle stressors include
performance, threat, and bereavement stressors, to name a few. Performance
stressors are triggered when an individual is placed in a situation where he feels
a need to excel. This could be during performance appraisals, lunch with the
boss, or giving a speech. Threat stressors are usually when the current situation
poses a dangerous threat, such as an economic downturn, or from an accident.
Lastly, bereavement stressors occur when there is a sense of loss such as the
death of a loved one, or a prized possession.
Thus, there are various stressors, and even more varied methods and techniques
of dealing with stress and turning it to our advantages. In order to do so, we
must learn to tell when we have crossed the line from positive to negative stress.
Good stress v/s Bad stress:
Stress has often been misunderstood to be negative, with few people
acknowledging the importance and usefulness of positive stress. In our
everyday lives, stress is everywhere and definitely unavoidable; hence our
emphasis should be on differentiating between what is good stress, and what is
bad. This will help us to learn to cope with negative stress, and harness the
power of positive stress to help us achieve more.
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. Heres how we
differentiate between them.
Eustress:
this is a positive form of stress, which prepares your mind and body for the
imminent challenges that it has perceived. Eustress is a natural physical reaction
by your body which increases blood flow to your muscles, resulting in a higher
heart rate. Athletes before a competition or perhaps a manager before a major
presentation would do well with eustress, allowing them to derive the
inspiration and strength that is needed.
Distress
We are familiar with this word, and know that it is a negative form of stress.
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. Acute stress is intense, but does
not last for long. On the other hand, chronic stress persists over a long period of
time. Trigger events for distress can be a change in job scope or routine that the
person is unable to handle or cope with.
Hyper stress
This is another form of negative stress that occurs when the individual is unable
to cope with the workload. Examples include highly stressful jobs, which
require longer working hours than the individual can handle. If you suspect that
you are suffering from hyper stress, you are likely to have sudden emotional
breakdowns over insignificant issues, the proverbial straws that broke the
camels back. It is important for you to recognize that your body needs a break,
or you may end up with severe and chronic physical and psychological
reactions.
Hypo stress
Lastly, hypo stress occurs when a person has nothing to do with his time and
feels constantly bored and unmotivated. This is due to an insufficient amount of
stress; hence some stress is inevitable and helpful to us. Companies should
avoid having workers who experience hypo stress as this will cause productivity
and mindfulness to fall. If the job scope is boring and repetitive, it would be a
good idea to implement some form of job rotation so that there is always
something new to learn.
The types of stress are named as eustress and distress. Distress is the
most commonly-referred to type of stress, having negative implications,
whereas eustress is a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events
in person's life. Both can be equally taxing on the body, and are cumulative in
nature, depending on a person's way of adapting to a change that has caused it.
Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our environment which results in
psychological and physical reactions. Whilst some stress is good for motivation
and increasing efficiency, too much stress can result in negative impacts such as
reduced effectiveness and efficiency. More and more people are feeling isolated
and disrespected at work, and this has led to greater occupational stress. Many
companies have taken to consulting experts and professionals on ways to
increase connectedness and motivation of their employees.
Some companies organize parties and make their employees feel valued at
work. These are measures to motivate employees and help them to feel secure at
their jobs, translating into greater productivity. However, not all companies have
such measures in place, and some have not gotten it quite right. Hence, it is up
to you to make sure that you can cope with stress at your workplace, and use it
to help you work better. Here are 3 simple steps to help you with coping with
stress in the workplace.
Step 1: Raising Awareness
Help yourself to identify when you are facing rising levels of stress, tipping the
scales from positive to negative. This is important, as being able to identify
signs of being stressed can help you to take steps to ensure that your overall
quality of life does not drop. If left unacknowledged, the problem will only
snowball, leading to disastrous consequences to your health and overall
wellbeing.
You can identify if you are feeling stressed by checking if you have any
physical or psychological reactions, such as excessive sweating or heart
palpitations, or the onset of headaches, irritability or the need to escape. If you
experience any of these reactions, identify if you are feeling any overwhelming
negative emotions, and if you are constantly worried.
Recognizing a stressor:
It is important to recognize whether you are under stress or out of it. Many
times, even if we are under the influence of a stressful condition and our body
The first of the action-oriented skills that we look at is Job Analysis. Job
Analysis is a key technique for managing job overload an important source of
stress.
To do an excellent job, you need to fully understand what is expected of you.
While this may seem obvious, in the hurly-burly of a new, fast-moving, highpressure role, it is oftentimes something that is easy to overlook.
By understanding the priorities in your job, and what constitutes success within
it, you can focus on these activities and minimize work on other tasks as much
as possible. This helps you get the greatest return from the work you do, and
keep your workload under control.
Job Analysis is a useful technique for getting a firm grip on what really is
important in your job so that you are able to perform excellently. It helps you to
cut through clutter and distraction to get to the heart of what you need to do.
2. Rational & positive thinking: You are thinking negatively when you fear the future, put yourself down,
criticize yourself for errors, doubt your abilities, or expect failure. Negative
thinking damages confidence, harms performance and paralyzes mental skills.
Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to flit into our consciousness, do their
damage and flit back out again, with their significance having barely been
noticed. Since we barely realize that they were there, we do not challenge them
properly, which means that they can be completely incorrect and wrong.
Thought Awareness is the process by which you observe your thoughts and
become aware of what is going through your head.
One approach to it is to observe your "stream of consciousness" as you think
about the thing you're trying to achieve which is stressful. Do not suppress any
thoughts. Instead, just let them run their course while you watch them, and write
them down on our free worksheet as they occur. Then let them go.
Another more general approach to Thought Awareness comes with logging
stress in your Stress Diary. When you analyze your diary at the end of the
period, you should be able to see the most common and the most damaging
thoughts. Tackle these as a priority using the techniques below.
Here are some typical negative thoughts you might experience when preparing
to give a major presentation:
Problems with issues outside your control: Have you identified the
risks of these things happening, and have you taken steps to reduce the
likelihood of them happening or their impact if they do? What will you
do if they occur? And what do you need others to do for you?
Worry about other people's reactions: If you have prepared well, and
you do the best you can, then you should be satisfied. If you perform as
well as you reasonably can, then fair people are likely to respond well. If
people are not fair, the best thing to do is ignore their comments and rise
above them.