If you can keep your head2

Workshop on Stressfor members of

AMDIS24 November 2011

Julia StewardChrysalis Leadership Development Ltd

If you can keep your head …

Share what we know about stress Consider how to avoid becoming stressed Consider how to deal with stress when we

encounter it Make a resolution which will help in future

Aims of the workshop

Whitehall II : Stress and Health 1985

Stress

The good newsThe number of cases of stress at work fell slightly in 2010/11 as compared to the previous year (not statistically significant)

However … health, social work, education and public administration were the industries that reported the highest incidence of stress

Figures from the HSE

A state of mind we experience when we feel unable to meet the demands of the moment, often leading to a sense of being out of control when we want to feel in control

Blood flow focuses on what’s essential for survival

Message from brain to adrenal glands: ‘release

adrenalin!’

Increased sugar, higher heart rate, raised blood

pressure

hypothalamus

pituitary gland

increased cortisol

Danger!

away from here

to here

+

Task 1: What causes you stress

• Individually spend up to 5 minutes listing things that cause you stress

• Share with a colleague• Similarities/differences

otherssituation

me

Nothing is stressful to me unless I choose to make it so

12

Injunctions

ought

should

Traits

be perfect: produce reliable accurate work; not okay to get things wrong

be strong: calm under pressure; not okay show feelings

hurry up: motivated by pressure/takes on a lot; keep busy

try hard: energised by new things; may be more motivated by endeavour than success

please people: put others first; may become overloaded for fear of letting others down

Generally, unconscious drivers of behaviour:

Task 2: Traits and drivers of behaviour• Individually spend a few minutes scanning the

document; focus on– positive attributes– trait indicators

• Share with a colleague• Go back to ‘causes of stress’; what are the

connections? What can you change/influence to make a difference?

• What would you need to do/believe to achieve that?

• Share your resolution

• Share with a colleague• Similarities/difference

15

I’m feeling stressed …

• Notice!• Breathe deeply• Find an outlet for the adrenalin

and cortisol• Take time out• Positive self talk• What are you in control of?• What do you need to let go of?

Practise relaxation

AttitudeThe longer I live the more I realise the impact of attitude on life

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill We cannot change our past... We cannot change the inevitable

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude

Charles Swindoll