Stress

Management

Shashi Kumari
M.Sc. (N) final year
Management

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 Why Stress Management ?
• Identified as an epidemic by NIOSH (National
Institute for Occupational Safety & Health)

• One of the 10 leading causes of workplace death

(NIOSH)

• US: Cost $300 billion per year absenteeism, reduced

productivity and turnover

• Estimated to cost CANADIAN economy $16

billion/year (maybe up to $33 billion)

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 Why Stress Management ?
MAXIMUM absenteeism on
an average workday is
because of stress related
problems

More heart attacks on

Monday, 9:00 A.M. than at
any other time of the week.

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 Stress in Nurses?

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 Stress in Nurses?
75.8% nurses report that unsafe working conditions
interfere with their ability to deliver quality care. These
were:
• Workload/inadequate staff cover/time pressure
• Relationship with other clinical staff
• Leadership and management style/poor locus of
control/poor group cohesion/lack of adequate supervisory
support
• Coping with emotional needs of patients and their
families/poor patient diagnosis/death and dying
• Indeed, nurses are experiencing stress at higher rates than
most groups.

5
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 Stress ?
“….stress is the nonspecific response of the
body to any demand, whether it is caused
by, or results in pleasant or unpleasant
conditions.”
Hans Selye, MD

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 Stress ?

“…a reaction in your mind and body to an

event in the outside world that alarms or
arouses you.”

EMS Stress: An Emergency Responder’s Handbook for

Living Well

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 Stress ?
“…a sociopsychophysiological phenomenon. It is a
composite of intellectual, behavioral, metabolic,
immune, and other physiological responses to a
stressor (or stressors) of endogenous or exogenous
origins. The stressors may involve thoughts and
feelings or may be a perceived threat or some other
condition such as cold. The response generally
serves a protective, adaptive function.
Lindsay, Carrieri-Kohlman,

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6/9/2019 5:13 AM Stress management 9
 LEVELS OF STRESS

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 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.

Where stress brings out

something better from
an individual

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 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.

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 STAGES OF STRESS
ALARM RESISTENCE EXHAUSTION

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 ALARM STAGE
As you begin to experience a stressful
event or perceive something to be
stressful psychological changes occur in
the body. This experience or perception
disrupts body’s normal balance and
immediately body begins to respond to
the stressor(s) as effectively as possible.

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 EXAMPLES

 Cardiac - increased heart rate

 Respiratory - increased respiration
 Skin - decreased temperature
 Hormonal - increased stimulation of adrenal
genes which produce an adrenal rush.

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 RESISTANCE STAGE

During this stage body tries to cope

or adapt to the stressors by
beginning a process of repairing any
damage the stressor has caused.

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 EXAMPLES
 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.

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 RESISTANCE STAGE - EXAMPLES

Emotional indicators include:

 tearfulness
 fear
 anxiety
 panic
 guilt
 agitation
 depression
 overwhelmed.

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 EXHAUSTION STAGE

During this stage the stressor is not

being managed effectively and the body
and mind are not able to repair the
damage.

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 EXAMPLES

Digestive disorders, withdrawal, headaches,

tension, insomnia, loss of temper.

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 The Good Sources of Stress
Get married
Have children The Bad
Buy a new home Break a leg
Go on vacation Spouse loses
New Job job The Ugly
Promotion Kidlet in Nasty car accident
trouble
Bankruptcy
Lose wallet
Divorce
In-laws coming
Loved one dying
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 Sources of Stress
Organizational
Stressors

Task Demands Physical Demands Role Demands Interpersonal

• Quick decisions •Temperature extremes • Role ambiguity Demands
• Critical decisions •Poorly designed office • Role conflict • Group pressures
• Incomplete informa- • Threats to health • Leadership styles
• Conflicting
tion for decisions
personalities

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 Sources of Stress

Environmental factors
Organizational factors
Individual factors

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 Sources of Stress
Environmental factors
Environmental uncertainty influences stress levels among
employees in an organization.

Changes in the business cycle create economic

uncertainties.

Political uncertainties can be stress inducing.

Technological uncertainty can cause stress because new

innovations can make an employee’s skills and experience
obsolete in a very short period of time.
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 Sources of Stress
Organizational factors
Pressures to avoid errors or complete tasks in a limited
time period, work overload, a demanding and insensitive
boss, and unpleasant coworkers are a few examples.

Task demands are factors related to a person’s job. They

include the design of the individual’s job (autonomy, task
variety, degree of automation), working conditions, and the
physical work layout.

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 Sources of Stress
Organizational factors
Role demands relate to pressures that are a function of the
role an individual plays in an organization.

• Role conflicts create expectations that may be hard to

reconcile or satisfy.

• Role overload is experienced when the employee is

expected to do more than time permits.

• Role ambiguity is created when role expectations are

not clearly understood.
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 Sources of Stress
Organizational factors
Interpersonal demands are pressures created by other
employees.

Organizational structure defines the level of differentiation

in the organization, the degree of rules and regulations, and
where decisions are made. Excessive rules and lack of
participation in decisions might be potential sources of
stress.

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 Sources of Stress
Individual factors:
These are factors in the employee’s personal life. Primarily,
these factors are family issues, personal economic problems,
and inherent personality characteristics.

National surveys consistently show that people hold family

and personal relationships dear.

Economic problems created by individuals overextending

their financial resources.

A significant individual factor influencing stress is a person’s

basic dispositional nature.
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 A MODEL OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

Stressor Outcome
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
oPersonality BEHAVIORAL
oRole overload oSatisfaction
oRole conflict oPerformance
oRole ambiguity oAbsenteeism
oTask characteristics oTurnover
oAccidents
GROUP LEVEL oSubstance abuse
oManagerial behavior
oLack of cohesiveness
oIntragroup conflict COGNITIVE
oStatus incongruence
Stress oPoor decision-making
oSexual harassment oLack of concentration
oWorkplace violence oForgetfulness

ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL
oClimate
oManagement style PHYSIOLOGICAL
oOrganizational design oIncreased B.P.
oOrganizational life cycle MODERATING VARIABLES oHigh cholesterol
oPerception oHeart disease
EXTRA-ORGANIZATIONAL oPast experience oBurnout
oFamily oSocial support
oEconomy
oLack of mobility
oIndividual differences
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oQuality of5:13
life AM Stress management 29
 Career
Pressures
Injury

Effects of stress
Emotional Environmental

Illness Physical

Stress management
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 Sign of Stress

• Physiologic Sign of Stress

• Emotional Signs of Stress

• Cognitive Signs & Symptoms

• Behavioral Signs of Stress

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 Physiologic Sign of Stress

• Long Term Effects

– Increased breakdown of – Decreased immune
protein response
– Increased blood glucose – Increased fluid
– Increased vascular volume
constriction – Increased sodium &
– Decreased inflammatory fluid retention in
response kidneys

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 Emotional Signs of Stress
• Denial • Hopelessness
• Fear • Helplessness
• Depression • Feeling lost
• Grief • Wishing to hide
• Anger • Anxiety
• Worry • Panic
• Uncertainty • Inappropriate
Emotions

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 Cognitive Signs & Symptoms
• Difficulty Making Decisions
• Confusion
• Difficulty Naming Familiar Items
• Poor Concentration
• Blaming Others
• Memory Problems
• Replaying Events Over & Over

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 Behavioral Signs of Stress
• Withdrawal
• Suspiciousness
• Excessive Humor or Silence
• Increased Smoking, Alcohol or Food
• Change in Activity Level
• Angry Outbursts
• Crying Spells

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 Feeling “on edge”
Vague sense of future doom
Fear losing control
Racing thoughts
Detached from self
Decreased ability to learn
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 Stress Management
• Happy Hour - Friday at 6!

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 Managing Stress

Stress management
stress management is the amelioration of stress
and especially chronic stress often for the
purpose of improving everyday functioning.

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 Managing Stress
• High or low levels of stress sustained over long
periods of time, can lead to reduced employee
performance and, thus, require action by
management.

• Effective individual strategies include implementing

time management techniques, increasing physical
exercise, relaxation training, and expanding the social
support network.

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 Managing Stress
Individual approaches:

– Effective individual strategies include

implementing time management techniques,
increasing physical exercise, relaxation training,
and expanding the social support network.

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Managing Stress
Individual approaches:
 Practicing time management principles such as:

• making daily lists of activities to be accomplished.

• prioritizing activities by importance and urgency.
• scheduling activities according to the priorities set.
• knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding
parts of your job during the high part of your cycle when you
are most alert and productive.

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 Managing Stress
Individual approaches:
– Noncompetitive physical exercise has long been
recommended as a way to deal with excessive stress levels.

– Individuals can teach themselves to reduce tension through

relaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis, and
biofeedback.

– Having friends, family, or work colleagues to talk to provides

an outlet for excessive stress.

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 Managing Stress
Organizational approaches
– Strategies that management might want to
consider include:

• improved personnel selection and job placement

• use of realistic goal setting, redesigning of jobs
• training
• increased employee involvement
• improved organizational communication
• establishment of corporate wellness programs.

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 The Key Word Is….

Balance

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 Managing Stress
• Redirect it into your work.

• Exercise.
• Keep a Regular Schedule (Eating, Sleeping,
etc.)
• Eliminate or Reduce the Sources of Stress
– Most things aren’t THAT important.
– Seek help / advice from others.

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 Artifacts for Staying on Track
• 10 Minutes a day for planning.
• Flexible Scheduling
• Automated Schedulers - Netscape Calendar,
Microsoft Schedule, Outlook, Palm Pilot
• Pad of Paper - Running to-do list, place for
unloading.
• A Watch

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 Developing The Habit
• Takes Discipline and Practice to Have Good
Time Management Skills
• Develop Skills Incrementally
– Start by developing a realistic schedule
– Build in reward system for finishing things
• Over time, it’ll become second nature.

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 The Big Picture
• Important to know when you’ve done all that
you can.
• Don’t schedule more than is humanly
possible.
• Don’t stress about things that you can’t
control.
• Keep the long term goals in mind. (The PhD)

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 Modify The Perception And Understanding Of Work
Stress-

 Team building,
 Behavior modifications,
 Career counseling and other employee assistance
programmes,
 Workshop on time management,
 Training in relaxation technique,
 Physical fitness programmes

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• Employee Assistance Programmes

• Fitness Programmes

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 Employee Assistance Programmes

EAPs tend to be based on medical approach to

treatment. It involves the following steps-

Diagnosis

Treatment

Screening

Prevention

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 Fitness programmes

Also called as Health Promotion Programmes.

These programmes –

 Focus on employee’s physical and mental health,

 Preventing or correcting specific health problem,

health hazards, or negative habits

 Life style modification

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 Stress Management Techniques

The 7 best stress management techniques

1. Acknowledge stress is good

2. Avoid stress sneezers
3. Learn from the best
4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
5. Give stressy thoughts the red light
6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
7. Burn the candle at one end
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 Stress is negatively related to performance. In
other words, higher the stress, lower the
performance. Performance will be disrupted
even by relatively low levels of stress.

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 Bibliography:
• http://stress.com
• http://www.ahna.org/Resources/StressManagement/tabid/1
229/Default.aspx
• http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/links/stress.htm
• http://www.isma-usa.org/article0701.htm
• http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Stages-of-Stress&id=2777058
• http://indiamedicine.nic.in/yoga.asp
• http://indiamedicine.nic.in/ayueveda.asp
• http://stressandperformance.nic.in/efeects.asp
• http://india.gov.pvtin/sector/health_stress/office/family

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 Take home message

Stress Management = Good

Management

and

Good Management = Stress

Management

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