Chandana J.

Hewawasam
Project Scientist
Coordinating Secretariat of Science, Technology & Innovation
Sri Lanka
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 WHAT IS STRESS ?

Stress is the body’s response to any physical

or emotional changes in life.

This response includes the release of a hormone, adrenaline, in the

body. Adrenaline causes an increase in heart rate, breathing and in
blood sugar levels. It also diverts the blood flow from your
digestive system to your muscles (e.g. Leg muscles)

21.03.2014 @ COSTI
How stress affects us differently ?
1.Tension, anxiety
(nervousness), worry, or fear of
the unknown and things we can’t
control.

Can you imagine such a situation…?

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How stress affects us differently
con…?
2.Natural, physical
and emotional
reaction to a
challenge.
Can you imagine such
a situation in your
life…?
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 How stress affects us differently con…

3.Positive when kept in balance

Can you imagine such a

situation in your life

…?
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Common Courses of
Stress

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 Common Courses of Stress
1.Causes of Stress at Home
Death of spouse, family, near relative or friend.
Injury or illness of any family member.
Marriage of self or son or daughter or brother or sister.
Separation or divorce from partner.
Pregnancy or birth of a new baby.
Children's behavior or disobedience.
Children's educational performance.
Not sufficient money to raise your
standard of living.
Loss of money in burglary, pick-
pocketed or share market.
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 Common Courses of Stress Con….
2.Causes of Stress at work
To meet out the demands of the job.
Your relationship with colleagues.
To control staff under you.
To train your staff and take work
from them.
Support you receive from your boss, colleagues and juniors.
Excessive work pressure.
To meet out deadlines.
To give new results.
To produce new publications if you are in research area.
Working overtime and on holidays. 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
 Common Courses of Stress Con….

3.Negative Self- Talk

Pessimistic thinking
Self criticism
Over analyzing

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Common Courses of Stress Con….
4.Mind Traps
Unrealistic expectations
Taking things
personally All or
nothing thinking
Exaggeration
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Rigid thinking
 Common Courses of Stress Con….

5.Some Other causes of stress

• Somebody misunderstands you.

• Setback to your position in society

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All stressors are not equal…..

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All stressors are not equal…..con
There is no single level of
stress that is optimal for all
people. Some are more
sensitive owing to experiences
in childhood, the influence of
teachers, parents and religion
etc.
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Different Signs of Stress
Physical Signs of Stress Emotional
Signs of Stress Mental Signs of
Stress Behavioral Signs of Stress

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 Acute

Chronic Challengers

Type of Stresses
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Type of Stresses

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Challengers

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Acute (Short Term) Stress
Prepare you for Flight or
Flight

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Acute (Short Term) Stress….Con

Acute stress is usually for short time and

may be due to work pressure, meeting
deadlines pressure or minor accident, over
exertion, increased physical activity,
searching something but you misplaced it,
or similar things.
Symptoms of this type of tension are
headaches, back pain, stomach problems,
rapid heartbeat, muscle aches or body pain
etc.
Worst Case Scenario

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 Chronic Stress ….Con
This type of stress is the most serious of
all the stress types. Chronic stress is a
prolonged stress that exists for weeks,
months, or even years. This stress is due to
poverty, broken or stressed families and
marriages, chronic illness and successive
failures in life. People suffering from this
type of stress get used to it and may even
not realize that they are under chronic
stress. It is very harmful to their health

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 Chronic Stress .Con
In chronic stress situations, sufferers
enter the exhaustion phase:
emotional, physical and mental
resources suffer heavily, the body
experiences ‘ adrenal exhaustion’
leading to decreased stress
tolerance, progressive mental and
physical exhaustion, illness and
collapse.

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When People get
stressed, ???????????

Pathways create
between stress
and disease
Pathways between stress and disease
Appetite changes - too much or too little
Eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia
Increased intake of alcohol & other drugs
Increased smoking
Restlessness
Fidgeting
Nail biting
Hypochon
dria
Deteriorat
Stress Related Illnesses
Stress is not the same as ill-health, but has
been related to such illnesses as;

Cardiovascular disease
Immune system
disease Asthma
Diabetes
Stress Related Illnesses…Con

Digestive disorders
Ulcers
Skin complaints - psoriasis
Headaches and migraines
Pre-menstrual syndrome
Depression
 What we can do to manage stress….?
We can change our likelihood (chance) to
be exposed to a stressor or

-We can change what we think about the

stressor or

-We can change the way we think about

our coping resources.
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 Problem focused coping mechanism
&
Emotion focused
coping mechanism
The best copper is the individual
who know when to use what type
of copping.
-Jason Satterfield

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Be Assertive
Assertiveness is about self confidence which
means having a positive attitude towards
yourself and others.

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Be Assertive..
Con
Assertiveness helps to manage stressful
situations, and will , in time, help to reduce
their frequency.
Lack of assertiveness often shows low self -
esteem and low self - confidence. The key to
assertiveness is verbal and non - verbal
communication. Extending our range of
communication skills will improve our
assertiveness.

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Being Assertive

Being assertive involves standing up

for your personal rights and expressing
your thoughts, feelings and beliefs
directly, honestly and spontaneously in
ways that don’t infringe the rights of
others.

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Assertive People
Respect themselves and others
Take responsibility for actions and
choices
Ask openly for what they want
Disappointed if ‘want’ denied
Self - confidence remains intact
Not reliant on the approval of
others 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
Assertive
Skills
Establish good eye contact / don’t stare
Stand or sit comfortably - don’t fidget
Talk in a firm, steady voice
Use body language
‘I think’ / ‘I feel’
‘What do you think?’ ‘How do you feel ?’
Concise and to the point
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Benefits
Higher self-esteem
Less self-
conscious Less
anxious
Manage stress
more successfully
Appreciate yourself and others more
easily 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
Get
Organised
Poor organisation is one of the most
common causes of stress. Structured
approaches offer security against ‘out
of the blue’ problems. Prioritising
objectives, duties and activities makes
them manageable and achievable.
Don’t overload your mind.
Organisation will help avoid personal
and professional chaos. 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
 Time Management
Make a list
What MUST be done
What SHOULD be
done What would you
LIKE to do Cut out time
wasting
Learn to drop unimportant
activities Say no or delegate 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
Time Management

Plan your day

Set achievable goals
Don’t waste time making excuses
for not doing something

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Ventilatio
n‘A problem shared is a problem halved’
Develop a support network through
friends or colleagues to talk with. It’s not
always events that are stressful but how
we perceive them.

Writing a diary or notes may help

release feelings but do not re-read what
has been written.
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Humour
Good stress - reducer
Applies at home and work
Relieves muscular
tension Improves
breathing
Pumps endorphins into the
painkillers
bloodstream - the body’s natural 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
Diversion and Distraction
Take time out
Get away from things that bother
you
Doesn’t solve the problem
Reduce stress level
Calm down
Think logically 21.03.2014 @ COSTI
Interdependency of thoughts,
feelings and behaviors
(Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT)

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Now the time for Relaxation
………..

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Now the time for Relaxation ………..

4hr (((( Sound healing )))) Meditative Music = Drug For the Ears, peace for
mind_body_spirit.mp4

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 Thank
You &
Have A
Good
Week End
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