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!