Stress

Management
What doesnt KILL you will only
make you STRONGER.

Program Outline
I.

Understanding Stress

II.

Effects of Stress

III. Sources of Stress

IV. Stress Management
Techniques

UNDERSTANDING

STRESS

What is Stress?
Importance, significance,
or emphasis placed on
something
An applied force or system
of forces that tends to
strain or deform a body

A stimulus to change from

the external or internal
environment

What is Stress?
Dr. Hans Selye Father of Stress
Theory
"the nonspecific response of the
body to any demand made upon it."
stress is not necessarily something
bad it all depends on how you
take it.

What is Stress?
Dr. Richard S. Lazarus
Stress is a condition or feeling
experienced when a person perceives that
demands exceed the personal and social
resources the individual is able to
mobilize.
Eustress enhances function
Distress detrimental to function

Stress:
A matter of judgment
In becoming stressed, people must
therefore make two main judgments:
They must feel threatened by the
situation, and
They must doubt that their
capabilities and resources are
sufficient to meet the threat.

Stress and Your Performance

Positive effects of pressure

Sportsmen and women flood their

bodies with fight-or-flight adrenaline
to power an explosive performance.
Deadlines are used to motivate people
who seem bored or unmotivated

and the Negative

When you feel out of control or when

performance suffers

Pressure and PerformanceThe Inverted U

Stress Reaction Mechanisms

Fight-or-Flight Response

Basic survival instinct

Outpouring of adrenaline
Very short term
Provides the strength and energy to
either fight or run away from danger

Stress Reaction Mechanisms

Fight-or-Flight Response

increase in heart rate and blood pressure (to

get more blood to the muscles, brain and
heart),
faster breathing (to take in more oxygen),
tensing of muscles (preparation for action),
increased mental alertness and sensitivity of
sense organs (to assess the situation and act
quickly),

Stress Reaction Mechanisms

Fight-or-Flight Response

increased blood flow to the brain, heart and

muscles (the organs that are most important in
dealing with danger)
less blood to the skin, digestive tract, kidneys
and liver (where it is least needed in times of
crisis).
increase in blood sugar, fats and cholesterol
(for extra energy)
rise in platelets and blood clotting factors (to
prevent hemorrhage in case of injury)

EFFECTS OF
STRESS

Common Symptoms
of Stress
Physical: fatigue, headache, insomnia,
muscle aches/stiffness (especially
neck, shoulders and low back), heart
palpitations, chest pains, abdominal
cramps, nausea, trembling, cold
extremities, flushing or sweating and
frequent colds.

Common Symptoms
of Stress
Mental: decrease
in concentration
and memory,
indecisiveness,
mind racing or
going blank,
confusion, loss of
sense of humor.

Common Symptoms
of Stress
Emotional: anxiety,
nervousness,
depression, anger,
frustration, worry,
fear, irritability,
impatience, short
temper.

Common Symptoms
of Stress
Behavioral: pacing, fidgeting, nervous
habits (nail-biting, foot-tapping),
increased eating, smoking, drinking,
crying, yelling, swearing, blaming and
even throwing things or hitting.

Physiological Response
to Stress
Adrenaline (Epinephrine) and other hormones are
released to intensify body functions
Increases breathing, heart rate and blood
pressure
Rapid production of ENERGY
Other hormones shut down functions unnecessary
during the emergency
Growth, reproduction and the immune system
all go on hold

Effects of Stress on
the Body
Immune System
Lower resistance to infection and diseases
Free radical-damage to DNA
Cardiovascular System
Impaired heart function; hypertension
Central Nervous System
Anxiety, depression, fatigue
Physical Properties
Accelerated aging process

Short Term
Performance Effects
Interferes with clear judgment and makes it
difficult to take the time to make good decisions.
Can seriously reduce your enjoyment of your work
Gets in the way of fine motor control.
Causes difficult situations to be seen as a threat,
not a challenge.
Damages the positive frame of mind you need for
high quality work
Consumes mental energy in distraction, anxiety,
frustration and temper. This is energy that should be
devoted to the work in hand.

Long Term
Performance Effects
Worry or anxiety

Confusion & inability to concentrate or make decisions

Feeling ill
Feeling out of control or overwhelmed by events
Mood changes (Depression, Frustration, Hostility,
Helplessness, Impatience & Irritability, Restlessness)
Being more lethargic
Difficulty sleeping
Drinking more alcohol and smoking more
Changing eating habits
Reduced sex drive
Relying more on medication

Effects of Stress
Gone Out of Control
Fatigue and Exhaustion
Depression
Burn Out
Breakdown

TAKE
STRESS
SERIOUSLY!

ACTIVITY
Lets take
the
Stress
Symptoms
Checklist

Nabuburn-out ka ba?
Yes or No?
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Have you recently found it more difficult to concentrate on the

main tasks you were doing because you felt distracted by anger
or worry?
Have you recently lost sleep because of worry?
Have you recently felt you lacked energy?
Have you recently found yourself being snappy and irritable
when dealing with others?
Have you recently felt that you were really having difficulty in
dealing with some of your work?
Have you recently felt depressed?
Have you recently felt you wanted to quit?
Have you recently felt insecure about life or your self-worth?

SOURCES OF
STRESS

Sources of Stress

Survival Stress

Internally generated
stress & Anxiety

Environmental and Job

Stress

Fatigue and Overwork

Survival Stress
When you are in a physically or
emotionally threatening situation your
body adapts to help it react more
effectively to meet the threat. This is
controlled mainly by release of
adrenaline.

Internally Generated
Stress
Personality
Deadline High
Perfectionism
Excessive SelfEffacement
Anxiety

Environment & Job Stress

Environmental stress. Your environment may be a
source of unpleasant or distracting stimuli.

Crowding and invasion of

personal space

Insufficient working and

living space

Noise

Dirty or untidy conditions

Pollution

A badly organized or run

down environment

Environment & Job Stress

Chemical & Nutritional Stress. The food you eat
may contribute to the stress you experience.
Caffeine
Alcohol
Bursts of sugar from
sweets or chocolate
Too much salt

Nicotine

Environment & Job Stress

Lifestyle & Job Stresses

Too much or too little

work

Having to perform beyond

your experience
or perceived abilities

Time pressures and deadlines

Career development stress

Stress from your organization

or your clients

Personal and family stress

Fatigue & Overwork

A particularly unpleasant
source of stress comes from
'Hurry Sickness.

Its a vicious circle of stress,

which causes you to hurry
jobs and do them badly.

Under-performance causes feelings of frustration

and failure.

If not managed, it can lead to long term fatigue,

failure and one of the forms of physical or mental illhealth.

STRESS
MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES

STRESS MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES
The strategies for stress management revolve around
these basic principles:
1.

Know yourself and the power within you your attitude

2. Establish Winning Relationships

3. Organize your Living and Working Environment air
condition, lighting, furniture

4. Reduce Stress-Promoting Foods

5. Exercise to Reduce Anxiety

STRESS MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES

Reduce or discontinue caffeine

Regular exercise
Relaxation/Meditation
Sleep
Time-outs and Leisure
HUMOR

Quick and Easy Stress

Busters
Take a Walk
Exercise can be a great stress reliever in
itself, as it helps you blow off steam and
releases endorphins. Taking a walk when
stressed provides the bonus of getting you
out of the stressful situation and providing
some perspective so you can return in a
new frame of mind.

Exercise to Reduce Anxiety

Exercise has a number of other positive benefits:

It improves blood flow to your brain, bringing the needed

sugar and oxygen when you think intensely.

When you think hard, the neurons of your brain function more
intensely. As they do this they build up toxic waste products
that cause foggy thinking in the short term, and can damage
the brain in the long term. By exercising you speed the flow of
blood through your brain, moving these waste products faster.

It can cause release of chemicals called endorphins into your

blood stream. These give you a feeling of happiness and wellbeing.

Quick and Easy Stress

Busters
Take a Breath
If you're not in a position to leave, you can
feel better right away by practicing
breathing exercises. Getting more oxygen
into your body and releasing physical
tension are two ways that breathing
exercises can benefit you, and you can do
them anytime or anywhere, even if your
demanding situation isn't letting up.

Quick and Easy Stress

Busters
Take a Mental Break
If you can steal away a few minutes
of peace, visualizations and guided
imagery are a wonderful way to
restore peace of mind. They're easy
to do, and can relax you physically as
well as mentally.

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
Great technique for reducing overall
body tension
Tensing and relaxing all the muscle
groups in your body
Difficulty: EASY
Time Required: 5 minutes

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
What you need:
A comfortable, quiet place
Some privacy
A little free time

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
1.

After finding a quiet place and several

free minutes to practice progressive
muscle relaxation, sit or lie down and
make yourself comfortable.

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
2. Begin by tensing all the muscles in
your face. Make a tight grimace,
close your eyes as tightly as
possible, clench your teeth, even
move your ears up if you can. Hold
this for the count of eight as you
inhale.

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
3. Now exhale and relax completely.
Let your face go completely lax, as
though you were sleeping. Feel the
tension seep from your facial
muscles, and enjoy the feeling.

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
4. Next, completely tense your neck
and shoulders, again inhaling and
counting to eight. Then exhale and
relax.

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
5. Continue down your body, repeating the
procedure with the following muscle
groups:

chest
abdomen
entire right arm
right forearm and hand (making a fist)
right hand
entire left arm

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)

left forearm and hand (again, making a fist)

left hand
buttocks
entire right leg
lower right leg and foot
right foot
entire left leg
lower left leg and foot
left foot

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)
6. For the shortened version, which
includes just four main muscle
groups:

face
neck, shoulders and arms
abdomen and chest
buttocks, legs and feet

Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)

Quickly focusing on each group one

after the other, with practice you
can relax your body like liquid
relaxation poured on your head and
it flowed down and completely
covered you. You can use
progressive muscle relaxation to
quickly de-stress any time.

My Personal Stress
Management Program
I will
I will
I will

STOP

START

CONTINUE

Adopting the right attitude

can convert a negative stress
into a positive one.
- Hans Selye

Every stress leaves an

indelible scar.
After a stressful
situation, a person
pays for its survival
by becoming a little

older.

- Hans Selye

Gracias!