Stress ManagementTaming Your Stress
Agenda
Identify major sources of stress
Learn how body reacts to stress
Gain strategies for coping with stress
Workplace Cost
$50-150 billion annually
Absenteeism
Diminished productivity
Employee turnover
Direct medical, legal, insurance fees
60-80% of industrial accidents
Types of stress
Eustress/Positive Distress/Negative
What are your stressors?
Sources of Stress
Physical Stress…
Pain
Heat or cold
Infections
Inflammation
Other Sources of Stress
Psychological Stress…
Intense worry or other psychological
stressor
Psychological environments at work or
home
How stress affects your body
Brain senses stress
Sends message to
glands and
nervous system
Nervous system
transmits messages
to your body
And then…
Adrenalin speeds up heart
Blood pressure rises
Blood clotting time is reduced
Sugar is pumped to fuel muscles
Cholesterol & fats are mobilized
Cortisol is released
The results…
Damage to circulatory system
Digestive tract problems
Damage to lungs, muscles, joints
Hastened process of aging
Our response to stress
External or internal?
Differences in interpretation
1. Lens of previous experience
2. Relative health of person
3. Mental health and positive outlook
4. Feeling of control – or lack of control
Acute Stress
Noise
Isolation
Danger
Imagining a threat
Acute Stress
Crowding
Hunger
Infection
Chronic Stress
On-going highly
pressured work
Loneliness
Long term
relationship
problems
Persistent
financial worries
Signs of stress - Activity
What are your physical and emotional
signs of stress?
1. Warning signals
2. Reactions during stressful encounter
3. After-effects of stressful event
Strategies for Coping
1. Preventing negative stress
2. Dealing with stress “in the moment”
3. Handling feelings after an event
Prevention:
Becoming “Stress Hardy”
Effective work skills
Assertive communication
Cooperative work relationships
More Stress Hardiness
Physical activities
Healthy habits
Hobbies
Quiet pursuits
Expressing
emotions
Humor/creativity
Social relationships
Pets
Positive thinking
Negative Self-Talk
Situation: You are working on a new project
and it isn’t going well.
Negative self-talk:
I am so stupid! Why can’t I get this?
It seems the harder I try, the worse it gets.
I am just no good at this.
I might as well give up.
Positive Reality
Positive reality:
I have finished projects like this before with
good quality results.
I know that I can be persistent and improve
my skill.
I have been successful before, and I will be
this time, too.
During a Stressful Encounter
Breathe! Count to ten
Positive self-talk, “I can handle this.”
Active listening and neutral voice tone:
“So, you are saying that my report was not
what you wanted.”
Ask questions: “How can I make it
better?”
Use Team Approach
Mention common goals: “We both want
the best possible care for clients.”
State commitment to mutually agreeable
solution.
After Stressful Encounter
Change physical location: go for a
mindful walk, do vigorous exercise
Talk to yourself (out loud!) Ask “How
serious is this?”
Give yourself a pep talk!
Rate the Experience
On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your honest
rating of situation?
How important will this be in a year?
A month? Next week?
Write!
Write about what happened
What have you learned?
Acknowledge your progress
A Closer Look at Your Stress
What is your fear?
What is the worst thing that could
happen?
What are your options?
Watch your language!
This is a disaster! – OR – challenge,
opportunity, situation
This will ruin my life! – OR – “This will be
difficult, but I will handle the situation.”
Your Control
What can you control in this situation?
What is outside of your control?
Your Experience
Similar situation in your past?
How did you handle it?
What evidence do you have that you can
cope?
Managing Your Stress – Use
Your Senses!
Vision
Hearing
Taste
Smell
Touch
Kinesthetic
Final Thoughts
Review stress management tips
Commit to add a new habit
Follow through
You can do it!
Thank you!