STRESS MANAGEMENT

Definition of Stress: Stress is the change in human behavior caused by situations & circumstances around us which affect us mentally, physically & emotionally. Stress can have both good and bad effect on our behavior. Stress can be an impetus for positive action for a desired result. At the other extreme, stress can create anger, feeling of inadequacy, lack of faith in others, depression etc. which causes actual physical problems in the form of headaches, stomach upset, sleepless, high blood pressure, cardiac problems, stroke etc. Normally the loss of spouse or close relative, delivery of child, friction in relationships, a job promotion etc causes stress. Stress can also be caused when you are joining or leaving a job, interviews at the time of annual appraisal by your boss, pressure at work, the desire to conform with friends and colleagues, relocation out of town, salary can be either positive or negative.

Stress is Relative: The identical situation may or may not be stressful to different persons. Though two persons may be working in the same organization, under the same boss, with identical designations, one may feel stressed while the other may actual enjoy his job. Stress if therefore relative.  Similarly, there is no one uniform solution to stress. It will differ from person to person depending upon the nature and qualities of that person. Lots of things cause stress at work. Deadlines, competition and friction at work lead to anger, anxiety and sadness but the stress level is never constant but keeps varying.

Stress Management: To cope with stress and may be get rid of it, you first need to understand the cause of stress.

• Neglect stress at your peril. Tackle it, lead on by finding out what causes you stress.
• If you can identify what causes you stress may be you can avoid such a situation the next time. 
• Impersonally analyze the effect of stress upon your physical & mental state. 
• Ask yourself whether you can avoid situations and circumstances which trigger stress? 
• If stress simply cannot be avoided, ask yourself, whether you can limit the period you are exposed to stress? 
• One way to reduce stress is simply to take a break when you are stressed. Stretch your legs. Go for a walk. Take a vacation. 
• Stress Management techniques should effectively put you on top of situations which you previously feared or were anxious about. 
• Understand that it is simply impossible to please everyone in life. So do not doubt yourself at the first sign of disapproved or criticism. 
• You can reduce stress by refusing to treat every matter as urgent or critical. 
• Stress is a good servant but a bad master. Do not allow stress to dominate you. Think of ways in which you can harness stress to get things done. 
• If you are stressed you tend to become emotional. It also works the other way round. If you can control emotions or find a safe outlet (like exercise, for example) you can control stress. 
• When stressed your heart beat start racing in readiness to cope with the threat. Bring it down through deep breathing. 
• Monitor your physical parameters with regular check-ups by our doctor and keep blood pressure under control to ensure that your body doesn’t take a beating. 
• But remember that addiction to medicines as a way to control stress can actually lead to more stress. 
• Natural and common sense ways of controlling stress are best. 
• Exercises which are good for the heart are also good for relieving stress. 
• If you have your weight under control, it is likely that you have stress under control. 
• Give yourself the 8 hours or whatever you require to really feel rested. Sleep like a child and you can deal much better with stress at work.