INTRODUCTION

What is Stress management

 Stress:- Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or
thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.

Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. In short bursts, stress can be positive,
such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline.

Management:- Management is the process of planning and organising the resources and
activities of a business to achieve specific goals in the most effective and efficient manner
possible. Efficiency in management refers to the completion of tasks correctly and at minimal
costs.

Stress management:- Stress management is a wide spectrum of techniques

and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person's level of stress, especially chronic stress,
usually for the purpose of and for the motive of improving everyday functioning. Stress
produces numerous physical and mental symptoms which vary according to each individual's
situational factors. These can include a decline in physical health as well as depression. The
process of stress management is named as one of the keys to a happy and successful life in
modern society. Life often delivers numerous demands that can be difficult to handle, but stress
management provides a number of ways to manage anxiety and maintain overall well-being.

There are several models of stress management, each with distinctive explanations of
mechanisms for controlling stress. Much more research is necessary to provide a better
understanding of which mechanisms actually operate and are effective in practice

Symptoms of Stress

Some of the symptoms of stress at workplace areas follows –

 Absenteeism, escaping from work responsibilities, arriving late, leaving early, etc.
 Deterioration in work performance, more of error prone work, memory loss, etc.
 Cribbing, over-reacting, arguing, getting irritated, anxiety, etc.
 Deteriorating health, more of accidents, etc.
 Improper eating habits (over-eating or under-eating), excessive smoking and
drinking, sleeplessness, etc.It is thus very essential to have effective stress
management strategies in an organization so that the detrimental repercussions of
stress on the employees as well as their performance can be reduced and
controlled
Sources/Causes of Stress

The factors leading to stress among individual are called as stressors. Some of the
factors/stressors acting on employees are-

1. Organizational factors- With the growth in organizational stress and complexity,

there is increase in organizational factors also which cause stress among
employees. Some of such factors are-

a. Discrimination in pay/salary structure

b. Strict rules and regulations
c. Ineffective communication
d. Peer pressure
e. Goals conflicts/goals ambiguity
f. More of centralized and formal organization structure
g. Less promotional opportunities
h. Lack of employees participation in decision-making
i. Excessive control over the employees by the managers.

2. Individual factors- There are various expectations which the family members, peer,
superior and subordinates have from the employee. Failure to understand such
expectations or to convey such expectations lead to role ambiguity/role conflict which
in turn causes employee stress. Other individual factors causing stress among
employees are inherent personality traits such as being impatient, aggressive, rigid,
feeling time pressure always, etc. Similarly, the family issues, personal financial
problems, sudden career changes all lead to stress.
Models of stress
The generalized models are:

 The emergency response/fight-or-flight response  by Walter Cannon (1914, 1932)

 General Adaptation Syndrome by Hans Selye (1936)
 Stress Model of Henry and Stephens (1977)
 Transactional (or cognitive) Stress Model / stress model of Lazarus after Lazarus (1974)
 Theory of resource conservation by Stevan Hobfoll (1988, 1998; Hobfoll & Buchwald, 2004)

Transactional model:-

Transactional Model of Stress and Coping of Richard Lazarus

Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman suggested in 1981 that stress can be thought of as resulting
from an "imbalance between demands and resources" or as occurring when "pressure exceeds
one's perceived ability to cope". Stress management was developed and premised on the idea
that stress is not a direct response to a stressor but rather one's resources and ability to cope
mediate the stress response and are amenable to change, thus allowing stress to be
controllable.

Among the many stressors mentioned by employees, these are the most common:

 Conflicts in company
 The way employees are treated by their bosses/supervisors or company
 Lack of job security
 Company policies
 Co-workers who don't do their fair share
 Unclear expectations
 Poor communication
 Not enough control over assignments
 Inadequate pay or benefits
 Urgent deadlines
 Too much work
 Long hours
 Time consumption
 Uncomfortable physical conditions
 Relationship conflicts
 Co-workers making careless mistakes
 Dealing with rude customers
 Lack of co-operation

In order to develop an effective stress management program, it is first necessary to identify the factors
that are central to a person controlling his/her stress and to identify the intervention methods which
effectively target these factors. Lazarus and Folkman’s interpretation of stress focuses on the
transaction between people and their external environment (known as the Transactional Model).
Health realization/innate health model:- The health realization/innate health
model of stress is also founded on the idea that stress does not necessarily follow the presence
of a potential stressor. Instead of focusing on the individual's appraisal of so-called stressors in
relation to his or her own coping skills (as the transactional model does), the health realization
model focuses on the nature of thought, stating that it is ultimately a person's thought
processes that determine the response to potentially stressful external circumstances. In this
model, stress results from appraising oneself and one's circumstances through a mental filter of
insecurity and negativity, whereas a feeling of well-being results from approaching the world
with a "quiet mind".
Historically, stress was our friend. It acted as a protective mechanism that warned us of danger; a

Why is stress helpful?

natural reaction that told us when to run. This response is now referred to as the “fight or flight” response,
or the “stress response.” When your evolutionary ancestors saw a saber-toothed cat and ran from it, stress
saved their life.

Stress has remained part of the evolutionary drive because of its usefulness in survival. When used at the
right time, stress increases our awareness and improves physical performance in short bursts

Why is stress harmful?

Repetitive exposure of the stress response on our body is proven to lead to long-lasting psychological
and physical health issues; these include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety and depression

Stress versus burnout

Stress is inevitable. Burnout isn’t.

Stress is our response, burnout is the accumulation of excessive stressors over time, which results in
unmanageable stress levels.
14 Facts About Stress & Burnout
If you’re not yet convinced about the need to prioritize stress management, these 14 facts
might help:

1. If you’re not yet convinced about the need to prioritize stress management, these some facts
might help: Stress has been referred to as the “silent killer” as it can cause heart disease, high
blood pressure, chest pain, and an irregular heartbeat (Chilnick, 2008).

2. Telogen effluvium is the result of hair loss caused by stress that can happen up to three months
after a stressful event (McEwen, 2003).

3. Stress accounts for 30% of all infertility problems. In women, stress can cause spasms in the
fallopian tubes and uterus. In men, it can reduce sperm count and cause erectile dysfunction
(Bouchez, 2018).

4. Researchers have found that stress worsens acne, more so than the prevalence of oily skin
(Warner, 2002).

5. Stress can cause weight gain too. The stress hormone cortisol has been found to cause both the
accumulation of abdominal fat and the enlargement of fat cells, causing “diseased” fat (Chilnick,
2008).

6. Correlations have been found between stress and the top six causes of death: cancer, lung
ailments, heart disease, liver cirrhosis, accidents, and suicide (“How Does Stress Affect Us?”,
2016).

7. In children, chronic stress has been found to negatively impact their developmental growth due to
a reduction of the growth hormone in the pituitary gland (Van der Kolk, B. et. al., 2007).
 8. The word itself, “stress” stems from the Latin word stringere, meaning “to draw tight” (McEwen,
2003).

9. In the event of chronic stress, dominant hormones are released into our brain. These hormones are
intended for short-term emergencies and in the event where they exist for extended periods they
can shrink, impair and kill braincell(Wallenstein, 2003).

10. Stress can increase the likelihood of developing blood clots since the blood prepares itself for
injuries and becomes “stickier” (Chilnick, 2008).

11. Chronic stress can place pressure on, and cause damage to arteries and organs. This occurs due to
inflation in our bodies caused by cytokines (a result of stress) (McEwen, 2003).

12. Stress is also responsible for altering our blood sugar levels, which can lead to fatigue,
hyperglycemia, mood swings, and metabolic syndrome (“How Does Stress Affect Us?”, 2016).

13. On a positive note, we can reduce our stress levels by laughing. Having a chuckle, lowers the
stress hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline. Laughing also strengthens our
immune system by releasing positive hormones (Wallenstein, 2003).

14. More good news, especially for chocolate lovers—dark chocolate has been found to reduce stress
hormones (Wallenstein, 2003).

7 Tips for Stress Management

Before discussing stress management techniques, there are several factors to consider.

The following 7 tips are adapted from The American Psychological association to support individuals
with a stress management plan:

1. Understand your stress

How do you stress? It can be different for everybody. By understanding what stress looks like for
you, you can be better prepared, and reach for your stress management toolbox when needed.

2. Identify your stress sources

What causes you to be stressed? Be it work, family, change or any of the other
potential thousand triggers.

3. Learn to recognize stress signals

We all process stress differently so it’s important to be aware of your individual stress
symptoms. What are your internal alarm bells? Low tolerance, headaches, stomach
pains or a combination from the above‘Symptoms of stress’ 

4. Recognize your stress strategies

What is your go-to tactic for calming down? These can be behaviors learned over
years and sometimes aren’t the healthy option. For example, some people cope with
stress by self-medicating with alcohol or overeating.

5. Implement healthy stress management strategiesIt’s good to be mindful of any

current unhealthy coping behaviors so you can switch them out for a healthy option. For example,
if overeating is your current go to, you could practice meditation instead, or make a decision to
phone a friend to chat through your situation.
1. Stress has been referred to as the “silent killer” as it can cause heart disease, high blood pressure,
chest pain, and an irregular heartbeat (Chilnick, 2008).

2. Telogen effluvium is the result of hair loss caused by stress that can happen up to three months
after a stressful event (McEwen, 2003)

3. Stress accounts for 30% of all infertility problems. In women, stress can cause spasms in the
fallopian tubes and uterus. In men, it can reduce sperm count and cause erectile dysfunction
(Bouchez, 2018).

4. Researchers have found that stress worsens acne, more so than the prevalence of oily skin
(Warner, 2002).

5. Stress can cause weight gain too. The stress hormone cortisol has been found to cause both the
accumulation of abdominal fat and the enlargement of fat cells, causing “diseased” fat (Chilnick,
2008).

6. Correlations have been found between stress and the top six causes of death: cancer, lung
ailments, heart disease, liver cirrhosis, accidents, and suicide (“How Does Stress Affect Us?”,
2016).

7. In children, chronic stress has been found to negatively impact their developmental growth due to
a reduction of the growth hormone in the pituitary gland (Van der Kolk, B. et. al., 2007).

8. The word itself, “stress” stems from the Latin word stringere, meaning “to draw tight” (McEwen,
2003).

9. In the event of chronic stress, dominant hormones are released into our brain. These hormones
are intended for short-term emergencies and in the event where they exist for extended periods y
can shrink, impair and kill brain cells (Wallenstein, 2003).

10. Stress can increase the likelihood of developing blood clots since the blood prepares itself for
injuries and becomes “stickier” (Chilnick, 2008).

11. Chronic stress can place pressure on, and cause damage to arteries and organs. This occurs due to
inflation in our bodies caused by cytokines (a result of stress) (McEwen, 2003).

12. Stress is also responsible for altering our blood sugar levels, which can lead to fatigue,
hyperglycemia, mood swings, and metabolic syndrome (“How Does Stress Affect Us?”, 2016).

13. On a positive note, we can reduce our stress levels by laughing. Having a chuckle, lowers the
stress hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline. Laughing also strengthens our
immune system by releasing positive hormones (Wallenstein, 2003).

14. More good news, especially for chocolate lovers—dark chocolate has been found to reduce stress
hormones (Wallenstein, 2003).
 6. Make self-care a priority

When we make time for ourselves, we put our well-being before others. This can feel
selfish to start, but it is like the airplane analogy—we must put our own oxygen mask
on before we can assist others. The simplest things that promote well-being, such as
enough sleep, food, downtime, and exercise are often the ones overlooked.
7. Ask for support when needed

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a friend or family member you can talk
to. Speaking with a healthcare professional can also reduce stress, and help us learn
healthier coping strategies.