STRESS MANAGEMENT
life difficult.
Stress
Emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension; is the
feeling one gets from prolonged, pent-up emotions.
Causes and Effects of Stress Just as there is great variety in
the range of emotions you might experience, there are
many possible manifestations of stress – in your private life
and in your working life. Here are some words that describe
the emotions associated (as cause and effect) with stress.
• Anxiety
• Pressure
• Misery
• Strain
• Desperation
• Tension
• Anger
• Panic
• Dejection
Everyday frustrations cause stress build-up
From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you may
be confronted with a succession of stressful situations.
A series of stressful and frustrating experiences throughout
the day can cause you to lie awake at night in an emotional
turmoil – unable to get needed rest. You face the next day
with less emotional and physical stamina. After another
stressful day and another night without rest, you may have
even less emotional strength and stability. Therefore, stress
build-up, if not resolved, continues day after day.
Problems in our personal life can be devastating
Problems in our personal life can be devastating Surviving
the normal, everyday stress described above can be
difficult. But far more serious and painful circumstances can
create long-term stress. More serious stressful
circumstances may include separation from loved ones,
personal illness, or illness of a loved one, death of someone
you care about, or conflict with a spouse or close friend.
Other major causes of stress are problems with drug and
alcohol abuse, domestic violence, care of children and
elderly relatives, chronic mental illness, injury, physical
handicaps, even moving to a new home, if you’ve lived in
the same place for more than 10 years. The list goes on and
on.
Managing your personal finances can be another stressful
experience. This can be a problem no matter what your
income level, but it is especially difficult if you must support
a family and do not earn enough to live comfortably. Unpaid
bills, unwise use of credit, and budget limitations can make
A common cause of stress is dealing with life’s transitions
This is especially true when a person must cope with too
many transitions all at once. For example, Ellen has just
completed a program in fashion merchandising. She is eager
to get started on her new job. Her mother is ill and requires
care. Her father died a few months ago. Ellen’s new job
requires that she relocate to a town 100 miles from home.
The move, a new career, and a change in family
relationships may cause excessive stress for her. Too many
changes have arrived at the same time.
STRESS RESPONSE
Your stress response is the collection of physiological
changes that occur when you face a perceived threat—
when you face situations where you feel the demands
outweigh your resources to successfully cope. These
situations are known as stressors.
When your stress response is triggered, a series of changes
occur within your body. They include:
 Redirection of blood away from extremities and instead to
major organs
 The release of cortisol and other hormones, which bring
other short- and long-term changes.
 The stress response is intended to give you a burst of
energy so you’re able to fight off attackers or run away from
them effectively.
This helped our ancestors, who faced numerous physical
threats, to stay safe. However, now our threats tend to be
less physical and more associated with our way of life—a
challenge to our status, a demand for performance, etc. In
addition to giving us a set of changes that may not match
our needs as well (it might be more effective for us to have
a burst of mental clarity or wisdom than a burst of physical
strength, for example), the stress response can actually
cause harm if it leads to a state of chronic stress—that is, if
our stress response is triggered, and then our body doesn’t
go back to its normal state via the relaxation response.
KEEP STRESS UNDER CONTROL
There are many effective ways to handle stress. Of course,
you can’t avoid stress—in fact, you wouldn’t want to avoid
all stress, because you’d never grow. However, you can
manage your life so that you survive the emotional down
times without allowing stress to engulf you. Also, you can
work to eliminate controllable stress factors, such as
running late or not getting enough sleep. But when stress is
constant or too great, your wisest option is to find ways to
reduce or control it. You need not, and should not, live your
life in emotional stress and discomfort. Stress can be
successfully managed. Here are some suggestions that may
help.
Understand the Causes of Stress
Understanding why you are under stress is important. This
may seem obvious, but it requires deliberate, conscious
effort to pause and simply ponder your situation. By now,
you are familiar with the stress response, the emotional or
physical symptoms of uncontrolled stress. Now you need to
try to discover the stressors, the factors of which create the
stress in your life.
 Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles
tightening up) and take a few deep breaths.  Do a relaxing
exercise. Swing your hands at your sides and stretch.
 Take a “power nap.” Lie down and totally relax for a few
minutes.
 Find time to do the things you enjoy.
 Leave your study area for a while to take a brisk walk.
 Find a quiet place to read a magazine or novel during
break or at lunch.
 If possible, look at some peaceful images such as forests,
beaches, etc. These images can initiate a relaxation
response.
 Look up.
 Keep something humorous on hand, such as a book of
jokes.

Analyze your Stress Factors and Write Them Down

Write down your response to stress. For example, you may

write down, “I feel tired most of the time. My lower back
seems to ache all through the day and night. I miss
deadlines and run behind schedule.” Analyze stress
responses and consequences, and consider each item, and
ask why. “Why am I feeling tired? Why does my back ache?
Why do I run behind schedule? Carefully consider each
answer, because the answers will reveal stressors, such as
deadlines, anxieties, trying to do so much, managing time or
money poorly, or poor health habits.

Deal with the Stressors

Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The

longer you avoid dealing with the stress factors, the more
the stress will build up. If tension comes because you have
put off an unfinished task, restructure your priorities so you
can get the task that you have been avoiding out of the way
and off your mind.

Learn to Work under Pressure or Unusual Conditions

When you can’t reduce the stressors, you need to manage

your stress response. Almost everyone, at least at some
point, has to meet deadlines, keep several jobs going at
once, resolve problems that come up, and do extra work
when necessary. However, when the pressure mounts, you
can relieve it. Relaxation is key—but most people must train
themselves to relax when the pressure is on.

Some tips to relax when under pressure are the following: