WITHSTANDING PRESSURE

(STRESS MANAGEMENT)

BY: SOFT SKILLS WORLD

What is Stress?

• Stress can be defined as ourmental, physical, emotional, andbehavioral reactions to anyperceived demands or threats

• Is a substantial imbalance

between environmental demand

(i.e., what you perceive is being

demanded of you) and response

capabilities (i.e., what you

perceive your capabilities are for

meeting those demands), when

you perceive success to be

important

What Makes Something Stressful?

• Situations that have strong demands

• Situations that are imminent

• Life transitions

• Timing (e.g., deviation from the “norm”)

• Ambiguity

• Desirability

• Controllability

Not All Stress is Bad…

• Distress

• Eustress

Misconceptions about Stress

• Misconception 1: Stress is high situational demand

(stress = accumulation of daily hassles)

• Misconception 2: Stress is an emotional response

Vulnerability to Stress

Some people are more vulnerable to stress than others. Determine your level of vulnerability to stress by completing the following worksheet: VULNERABILITY TO STRESS

Why Do We "Stress Out"?

• For two major reasons:

– We perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful.

– We don't believe we have the resources to cope.

Stress Warning Signals

• What are your "red flags," or warning signs, that stress is creeping into your life?

Harmful Effects of Stress

• Illness - infections, cancer progression, high blood pressure,

obesity from overeating, heart disease, ulcers

• Fatigue - that may lead to mistakes and injury or death

• Intoxication: Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs etc.

• Moroseness – Relationship breaker

EMOTION-MANAGEMENT

• Cognitive and behavioral techniques designed to decrease emotional distress, even if the source of threat remains unchanged, boosting morale through . . .

– emotional social support,

– relaxation,

– reappraisal and positive thinking,

– wishful thinking,

– self blame and isolation, and

– mental and behavioral withdrawal.

POSITIVE APPRAISAL EMOTIONS

• Self-confidence – a positive belief or expectation of success

• Excitement/readiness – physical activation of the autonomic nervous system that is interpreted as effective physical preparation.

NEGATIVE APPRAISAL EMOTIONS

• Cognitive anxiety – a negative belief or expectation of success or worrying about the negative consequences of failure

• Somatic anxiety – physiological and affective component of anxiety that develops directly from activation of the autonomic nervous system that is interpreted negatively

• somatic anxiety

• excitement

• readiness

• cognitive anxiety

• self-confidence

Physical

Facilitative

Debilitative

Mental

Model of Competitive Emotions

Managing Emotions and Performing

Suggestions for Reducing Stress

• 1. Find a support system

• 2. Change your attitude. Find other ways to think about stressful situations

• 3. Be realistic

• 4. Get organized and take charge

• 5. Take breaks, give yourself "me time”

Symptoms of Stress

• Physical

• Emotional

• Cognitive

• Behavioral

Symptoms of Stress

• Muscle tension

• Headache

• Fatigue

• Sleep problems

• Gastrointestinal problems

• High blood pressure

Physical Emotional Cognitive Behavioral

• Irritability• Arguing• Anxiety• Depression• Lack of enjoyment

• Mood swings• Suicidal

thoughts• Homicidal

thoughts

• Inattention• Distractibility• Forgetfulness• Confusion• Poor concentration

• Social isolation• Work problems• Conflicts with coworkers, friends & loved ones• Unhealthy habits• Aviator: conflicts with peers, disregarding rules and checklists

MIND TRAPS

• Unrealistic expectations

• Taking things personally

• All or nothing thinking

• Exaggeration

• Rigid thinking

PERSONALITY TRAITS

• Perfectionists

• Workaholics

FACTORS INFLUENCING WORK STRESS

• The drive for success

• Changing work patterns

• Working conditions

• Overwork

• Under-work

• Uncertainty

• Conflict

• Responsibility

• Relationships at work

• Change at work

Suggestions for Reducing Stress

• 6. Take good care of yourself

• 7. Learn to say “No“

• 8. Get regular exercise

• 9. Get a hobby, do something different

• 10. Slow down

• 11. Laugh, use humor

Relaxation Exercises

• Many different kinds, but some are:

– Deep Breathing

– Visualization: Visualization is a nice way of giving our minds and bodies a "mini vacation.“

– Muscle Relaxation

Faulty Thinking Causes Stress

• Catastrophizing - anticipating a terrible outcome;

overexagerating the importance of a situation

• “I can’t stand it” - deciding that you cannot handle a

situation, without trying

- alternative: “I can handle this!”

• “Should” statements

e.g. “I should always be happy”

- alternative: “I’m human. I am allowed to

make a mistake or have a bad day.”

Faulty Thinking (cont.)

• “Beating yourself up” about past mistakes that you cannot

change

• Worrying about situations over which you have no control,

or cannot change

e.g., “If only I had 20/20 vision”

• Overgeneralizing - viewing one negative event as predicting

a never-ending pattern of defeat

e.g., “My girlfriend dumped me. I will never date again!”

Faulty Thinking (cont.)

• Emotional reasoning - thinking, “I feel it, so it must be true.”

e.g., “I am anxious today, so something terrible will happen!”

• Personalizing - blaming yourself for something that is not

your fault

• Fairness fallacy - becoming angry when something

disappoints you because you think, “life is supposed to be

fair!”

Anger Management

• You can choose to control how you express your anger

(others won’t respect you if you curse, yell, or use violence -

and you are too important to let situations control you)

• Speak calmly when disagreeing

• If you are about to lose control - count to “10” slowly,

breathe deeply, and walk away if necessary

Anger at Office

Anger Management (cont.)

• Set limits on how long you choose to be angry - then do

something nice for yourself

• When you disagree with someone, stick to the present

issue (and avoid dredging up past hurts)

• Criticize someone’s behavior, not their character

Assertiveness/Better Communication

• Ask for what you desire

• Refuse a “tasker” if you do not really want to do it, or if you

lack the time to do it well

• When you make a request, give a reason

• Be specific with your request (tell the receiver exactly what

you want done)

• Be a good listener - give your full attention, show interest,

and summarize what you heard

Relaxation Techniques

• Slow deep breathing

• Progressive muscle relaxation

• Guided imagery

Slow Deep Breathing

• Inhale slowly through your mouth or nose for 5 seconds,

while allowing your stomach to push out

• Without pausing, exhale slowly for 5 seconds, and tell

yourself to relax

• Perform this techniques for at least 5 minutes whenever you

feel stressed, angry, anxious, overwhelmed, or unable to

sleep

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down

• Practice slow deep breathing for several minutes

• Then, tighten and relax each major muscle group in turn

(you may choose to relax each muscle group twice)

Guided Imagery

• Practice slow deep breathing for several minutes

• Then, practice progressive muscle relaxation

• Finally, imagine yourself in a pleasant, relaxing setting

(example, the beach)

• Use all of your senses to observe your surroundings