Stress Management
These are the Stress Management Implications
Posted on March 20, 2012 |
Stress management implications are vital to study and when you manage stress, you imply that the stress is not helpful to you. There are people who consider stress helpful to some degree but, stress is to be discouraged to avoid all the bad effects it brings to the body. When thinking of stress management and implications, it is absolutely crucial to have every information that is necessary and to understand how exactly stress works in our bodies. We have found ourselves telling others that we do not need stress from them and this statement is a clear suggestion that stress can be caused by external factors as well as internal factors. Sometimes we might bring stress to ourselves or attract stress and we therefore need to know all the major causes so that we can make informed decisions.Stress is a condition which left untreated can cause bigger problems to our lives. Stress is a feeling of inadequacy and emptiness and the feeling is usually brought about by a specific cause or stressor no matter what it might be. Our negative reaction to a stressor is what stress is therefore, we can actually choose to keep a positive attitude and avoid bad stress altogether. There are people who go through stressors and yet they have a willingness to fight back but they and being stressed. When decide that you will not let something bother you, mean it from the bottom of your heart so that you can sincerely deal with the problem. You do not have to escape because life is full of challenges and the sooner you get to dealing with the issues the better it will be for you.When stress becomes overwhelming, you need to seek professional help which is very much available. You do not have to wait for the stress to take over and depending on your individual evaluation go and see somebody. They will provide tips to stress management. Some of the tips that will help you manage the condition include keeping of a stress diary where you put in writing your feelings. This is very therapeutic and it relieves a load from your mind and you can get to have a fresh mind. Another thing that is recommended to everyone is a self burn out test which will help you determine what your stress levels are and you can do all you can to keep yourself healthy without severe stress.At a job situation, job analysis and performance planning will go a long way to ensure that a worker is able to work in a conducive environment which will in turn make them more productive. Other ways in which you can manage your stress include rational and positive thinking. If you engage in positivity, you will be sure that stress will no longer bother you. This is because stress in the first place comes due to negativity and feelings of defeat therefore, if you are able to master the art of staying positive, you will also attract the same to yourself. Things like laughter will come easily to you and your life will be better. Laughter is the age old medicine that always does the job.
7 Steps to Stress Management
Posted on March 6, 2012 |
The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of stress management is certainly no exception.
There is a saying, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. Think of it as a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat,making you lose your sense of self and worse your sanity. Even thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.
And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.Yes as one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out the door. You can’t blame them for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. Experts say that stress is all in the mind, well, what’s bugging you anyway?
So there are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. I’ll divide it into a seven-day course for you and I promise it’s not going to be too taxing on the body, as well on the mind.
1. Admit that stress is good Let stress be your friend! Based on the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I’ve yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.
2. Stay away from stress sneezers Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too! Protect yourself by seeing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you’ve got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.
3.Be taught by the best When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? In case you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Be sure you get the whole stress management story from informed sources. What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced? Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.
4. Learn socially acceptable heavy breathing This is something I’ve learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7,then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down,your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.
5. Red light stressy thoughts. It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. “If this happens, then that might happen and then we’re all up the creek!” Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly. Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong- how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?
6. Familiarize yourself with your trigger points and hot spots Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down! Make your own list of trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee? Kwowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?
7. Burn the candle only at one end Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it’s often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don’t burn the candle at both ends! So we know having stress can be a total drag, but that should not stop us from finding inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and bask under the summer sun. Don’t limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about stress management. The more you know,the easuer it will be to focus on what’s important.
What do You Need to Know About Stress Management
Posted on March 3, 2012 |
Realizing the need of stress management, many experts have been continuously conducting studies in order to give people who suffer from it as many options as possible. As defined, stress management is means of managing stress using various techniques that are key in equipping people with coping mechanisms that can be effective when they undergo different types and levels of stress.
Experts say that over the years, there have been so many stress management techniques that have been developed in order to help people deal with psychological stress, physical stress, and even emotional stress. But, these stress management techniques is not tailored for all types of people. Many of these will work on other people while some of it may not be very effective or helpful to other. So, for stress management to be effective, an individual must utilize a specific technique or strategy and see if he or she can cope with various stressful circumstances.
Managing stress effectively
Stress is one thing that many people cannot live without. In fact, there are those people who use stress to fuel their drive to do something or accomplish tasks in time. Although stress can be beneficial to some people, this is not always the case for everyone because too much unmanaged stress can be detrimental to physical and psychological well being.
As defined, stress refers to an individual’s “physiological response to an internal or external stimulus that triggers the fight-or-flight response.” Meaning, it is something that is innate for people and normal once it is managed properly.
To date, there are various models of stress management that are being recommended to people who want to effectively manage their stress levels. The most common stress management models include the transactional model and the health realization or innate health model.
The transactional model says that stress that is not a direct response to a certain stressor but from other sources can be controllable. Here, the stress that a person goes through may be reduced by changing the stressors’ perceptions, thus, providing people with different strategies and techniques for them to cope up and gain back their confidence in completing tasks at hand.
Another stress management model is the health realization or innate health model which says that being stressed doesn’t always need a stressor to be felt. This model aims to help individuals that are being stressed to better understand the nature of a person’s thinking specifically in giving them the realization that to know when they are feeling stress so they will know how to overcome it and eventually reduce their stress levels.
To effectively manage stress, there are some techniques that can be used to manage it. Majority of which can help people who get stress to cope with it or even control it during crucial instances. Experts say that most of these techniques can vary depending on the theories that are being taken into consideration.
The techniques to manage stress include meditation, cognitive therapy for anxiety or clinical depression, nootropic, autogenic training, exercise, deep breathing, conflict resolution, various relaxation techniques, which include either fractional and progressive relaxation or using stress balls.
You can also use natural medication, alternative treatments that are validated by the clinic, effective time management, and through listening to certain types of music that are relaxing which include new age music and classical music.
Stress Management Among Students In Universities
Posted on February 28, 2012 |
At what age do students have the greatest stress? Young parents might say preschoolers have the greatest stress. They are leaving their parents for the first time, and have many reasons to be afraid. Older parents say middle school students have the most stress, having just entered adolescence. Still others will cite secondary school as the time of greatest stress. Most agree, however, that the stresses of university life are very great.
Stress management among students in universities is a hit-or-miss matter. Some universities schedule optional stress management classes, but students often lack the time to attend. If they have the time, they lack interest. Stress Management Keys
Specific keys will open the door to better stress management among students in universities. Some of those keys are being used, but others are lost or neglected. Without them, stress management is limited for the students. We will not attempt to list here every key, or to put them in any given order. Rather, we would like to suggest stress management keys that may be lost in the rubble of today’s society.
1. Clear definitions: Effective stress management among students requires clear definitions of words such as “stressor,” “stress,” “eustress,” and “distress.”
Students who do not understand clearly what stress is cannot be expected to succeed at stress management. They may be trying to manage stressors, thinking they are managing stress. The outcome may very well be increased stress rather than stress management.
Stress management among students in universities can begin only after they understand that the extra demands made upon them are stressors, not stress. They then must understand that their response to those demands constitutes stress. Finally, if they are to get a grasp on practical stress management, they will need to know that there are two kinds of stress. One, eustress, is beneficial. The other, distress, is detrimental.
Students who understand these concepts, and embrace them, have unlocked the first door leading to stress management.
2. Action Plan: With a firm understanding of the definitions, students are ready to formulate a stress management action plan. They are ready for the proverbial locking of the barn door to prevent the horse’s escape.
Armed with the knowledge that stress is the response to stressors, students can learn to control that response. They can determine to take specific, proactive steps to prepare for stressors. They can, in a sense, ambush the stressors as a step of stress management.
3. Stressor Identification: An important part of the stress management ambush is to learn to identify the enemy. A focused tertiary student will see stressors and know them for what they are. Every university student has stressors. All of us have unusual demands made on us. The key to stress management is to identify those demands as stressors.
In universities and colleges, stressors take the form of unaccustomed activities. Sharing a room with a stranger makes demands on a student. A new form of study is demanding. Financial resources and potentially new dating standards can be stressors.
Whether students are in Italy or Iowa, they are free of the constraints of home, and that freedom is a stressor. Freedom makes unusual demands on one who has not had it in fullness.
All of these and about 2000 more are stressors that a student must identify in order to engage in stress management.
4. Turning Distress into Eustress: Another key that helps unlock the doors to stress management is that of turning distress into eustress. Students often act as victims of their stressors. They believe they can do nothing but suffer. Stress management requires that they learn to turn a potentially negative response to stressors into a positive response.
Eustress, the beneficial stress, is what carries an excited, happy couple through the whirlwind of preparation for a large wedding. From the moment of the proposal, the couple may be surrounded by stressors. Extra demands, unusual demands are being made on them. Yet they are not depressed. The demands do not weigh heavily on them. They embrace them, and respond with smiles. They accept the challenge of getting everything done well and on time because they choose to accept it that way.
The same type of response can be enlisted on other occasions that call for stress management. Much of what students view as negative stress can be turned around, energizing them to excel.
Is this a false, rosy-tinted view of stress management? Not at all. Does this negate principles such as deep breathing, exercise, healthy diet, and regular sleep? No. As we said, this is not an attempt to provide every key to stress management. It is an effort to look at keys that are being neglected.
Stress management among students in universities can be stripped of many programs, drugs, and therapies if these keys are used well.
Five Techniques for Stress Management
Posted on February 3, 2012 |
Shabbar Suterwala: Guide on How to Mange Stress
Stress Management is more than anger management and relaxation. It is self management. There are many different ways to manage stress. I have compiled the various stress management techniques that are simple and most effective to follow and practice. Please feel free to use as many as you can, keeping an open mind, so you can have a collection of techniques that are the most effective for you.
If you want to bring down your level of stress level in a matter of minutes, these techniques will help you. Use them as needed to feel better quickly; practice them regularly over time and gain even greater benefits.
Ø Deep Breathing from the Abdomen
Ø Meditation
Ø Having a dose of Laughter
Ø Progressive Muscular Relaxation
Ø Listening to light music
Ø Practicing Yoga
Ø Aerobic Exercises
Ø Creative Visualization
When we’re stressed, we don’t always take care of our bodies, which can lead to even more stress. Here are some important ways to take care of yourself and keep stress levels lower.
Ø Eat Healthy low fats – high protein meals
Ø Have six to eight hours of regular sleep
Ø Exercise regularly
Ø Develop a Hobby
Ø Have healthy Sex Life
Attitude plays a great role in managing stress. Much of your experience of stress has a lot to do with your attitude and the way you perceive your life’s events. Here are some resources to help you maintain a stress-relieving attitude.
Ø Let go your Ego
Ø Have a Optimistic approach to life
Ø Do not react under pressure
Ø Stop Worrying and Start Living
Ø Accept that everything cannot be perfect
Ø Find an opportunity in every problem
Ø Say good things to your self – affirmations
Ø Have a health sense of humour
Having ambiance and pleasant environment make stress management very easy. Your physical and emotional surroundings can impact your stress levels in subtle but significant ways. Here are several ways you can change your atmosphere and less your stress.
Ø Clutter free home, office and working desk
Ø Green and Clean surrounding
Ø Light instrumental music
ØMotivational Posters
Busy People add a lot of stress to their already stressed life. People who may have more stressors in their lives is because they have more activity in their lives, and less time to devote to stress management. If you’re a busy person, these resources can help you to manage stress efficiently in a short amount of time, and eliminate some of what’s causing you stress in the first place.
Ø Time Management Tips
Ø Communication Skills
Ø Listening Skills
Ø Managing Priorities
Ø Enhancing Team Work
Ø Enhancing People Skill
Article written by
Shabbar Suterwala
Corporate Soft Skills Trainer, NLP Practitioner, Psychological Counsellor