STRESS CONTROL TECHNIQUES

1. STRESS CONTROL TECHNIQUES

2. WHAT IS STRESS? • STRESS is a condition of strain on one’s emotions, thought process and physical condition. • It is a pressure people feel in life. • People under stress are easily provoked to anger and are unable to relax. • They may also be uncooperative. • Stress is the gift of the modern civilised and fast moving world; where human needs increase day by day. • Even young ones are not spared of stress. • Temporary stress my lead to short range physical disorders such as upset stomach, loss of sleep, and prolonged stress may lead to insomnia and degenerative diseases of the heart, blood vessels, kidney etc, because of the chemical changes it produces in the body.

3. Causes • There may be a single or variety of ways, which produce stress. • These causes are called ‘stressors’. • Some of them may be real and some may be imaginary, though felt as real.  

4. Some of the ‘stressors’ are: • Under utilisation of abilities, • Ambiguity of the job and its goals, •  More responsibility and less authority, •  Exorbitant workload, insufficient time, •  Conflicts and clash, • Information explosion; too much to learn/know,

5. Pressure from groups to fall in line, • Poor quality of supervision, • Subordinates not caring, • Differences with others, • Calamities in life, • Strained relations with family,

6. Unachievable ambitions, •   Conflict between work and family, •   Becoming oneself not useful, •   Neurosis condition, •   Fear of the unknown. •   Pressure from groups to fall in line,

7. Good mental health- How? RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS • Able to give and take love. • Relationship satisfying and lasting. • Trust others, and think that others will also trust. • Respect differences of opinion. • Don’t push others; or allow yourself to be pushed. • Feel oneself part of the group. • Take responsibility to others.

8. DEALING WITH PROBLEMS • Do something about the problems. • Accept their responsibilities. • Change the situations if possible OR adjust to the situations. • Plan ahead but do not fear future. • Welcome new ideas. • Make use of creative abilities. • Set realistic goals • Able to think and make decisions. • Get satisfaction of doing the best.

9. Stress and aging • Age of a person can be classified into two categories-‘chronological age’ and ‘biological age’. • “Chronological age” goes with the time and cannot be reversed. “Biological age” is the state of physiological processes and systems, independent of chronological age or number of years. • A recently completed clinical trial now confirms that a person’s biological age can be reversed. • The way a person handles physical, emotional and biochemical stress has a direct effect on the ‘biological age’. This increases in the incidence of auto immune disorders such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are found in people because of stress related damage to the immune system. Even memory loss has been attributed to stress related brain degeneration.

10. Tips to overcome stress 1 Prevent stress: Often stress can be prevented if we do not put undue pressure on ourselves. (This must not be misunderstood as pressure of work). Whenever we let anger to take our control, we are adding stress. 2 Set goals: We can set our own realistic goals to have better control of our life. We can re-examine our goals from time to time to weed out "stress creating" goals. If the work related goals are not clear better get clarification from known persons or infer the goal by rational thinking.

11. 3 List priorities: Stress results very often because of bad planning. We can make a list of tasks on priority basis. Setting priorities is also essential when there are many demands for goods and comforts for life. 4 Relax whenever possible:   Relaxation should not be misunderstood as escaping from work. Even in work it is possible to relax if there is satisfying relationship with the work and with the people around.

12. 5 Develop a hobby: Apart from taking part in recreational activities, a genuine interest in one or two hobbies will go a long way in making life happier and stress free. Without a hobby, life is not fulfilling. 6 Regular exercises:   Regular exercise is an excellent way to reduce stress. Many Organizations provide physical fitness programmes for their employees, which relieve tension.

13. 7 Work culture Closely connected with the ‘fitness’ is to develop a good work culture both in work place and at home, which relieves much of the stress in life. 8Nutrition •   Understanding nutritious value of the food and taking such food also helps to reduce stress, especially in ‘biological aging’.

14. 9 Meditation and Yoga: Meditation and Yoga increases the inner strength. Some people get better by spiritual guidance. Listening to good music is another way to reduce stress. 10Positive thinking: Having a positive attitude will help us assert ourselves and feel more in control. We waste energy if we constantly criticise ourselves. We will be surprised how much more we can accomplish if we develop the right approach.

15. 11Sense of humour: Laughter can be one of the best medicines for stress. Being able to laugh at self and the world can break tension and give relief. Laughter is the best medicine. 12Share the feelings:   Sharing the problems and worry with our own family and friends or even with a psychiatrist with open mind, helps in reducing stress. A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved.

16. 13Make changes: Most people have no idea how much stress they can create for themselves by resisting to change. When it is time to change old habits and move forward, it is in own interest to change ourselves for the better. 14Assertiveness when needed:   Some of us who are sensitive, who are unable to say “NO” when we have to say no, are prone to stress and strain more easily. Such people may have to practice assertiveness whenever needed.

17. 15Get satisfaction from day to day pleasures • Always thinking of future, unabashed hunt to get rich, worrying always about future and thinking about past, leaves us miserable for the present. • If we cannot be happy “here and now’’, we can be sure that we can never be happy. • A person with good mental health is able to enjoy simple pleasures of everyday life. • “None but the guilty can be long and completely miserable”.

18. Is STRESS all bad? • It is wrong to conclude that Stress is all- bad. • Certain amount of stress is needed for the achievement of our goals. • Think of strings of musical instruments like Violin or Veena. • If the strings are too loose, the artiste cannot produce good music. • However, if the tension is too high the strings reach a breaking point. • On the other hand, if there is optimum stress, pleasing music is produced. A proper control of stress in life also yields such results.

19. THANK YOU