Transcript African sisters education collaborative ASEC/SLDI

Stress Management
By
Miki Gilbert Ngwaneh
(MA International Development, UoS, UK)
Coordinator, Short Professional Courses
Pan African Institute for Development – West Africa (PAID-WA) Buea
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]
Recap of day 2

Session objectives

You will be able to:
Identify the causes and effects of stress
Recognize the different signs and symptoms of stress
Identify sources of stress and coping strategies
Identify optimal levels of stress
Are you Stressed?
Feel like you are Losing It?
9
Some Statistics
Some statistics

•
44% of mankind feel more stressed than they did 5 years ago
•
1 in 5 people report “Extreme Stress” – Shaking, Heart
Palpitations, Depression
•
56.3% of employees report stress has caused difficulty focusing
on tasks
•
Over 14% report missing days at work or being late due to stress
•
21% report stress has caused them to make errors or miss
deadlines
Some statistics

•
75 -90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related
illness/disease
•
Stress is the basic cause of 60% of all human illness/disease
•
40% of stressed people overeat or eat unhealthy foods
•
44% of stressed people lose sleep every night
•
Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death – heart
disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the
liver and suicide
Stress…

 Researchers define stress as a physical, mental, or
emotional response to events that causes bodily or
mental tension. Simply put, stress is any outside
force or event that has an effect on our body or
mind.
 An adaptive response to a situation that is perceived as
challenging or threatening to the person’s well-being
Stress Facts: Definitions

STRESS:
STRESS
Tension, anxiety, worry,
or fear of the unknown
and things we can’t control
Stress Facts: Definitions

(cont.)
ACUTE STRESS:
ACUTE
STRESS
Pressures and demands
of the recent past and
anticipated near future
Stress Facts: Definitions

(cont.)
EPISODIC STRESS:
EPISODIC
STRESS
Suffering frequent acute
stress
Stress Facts: Definitions

(cont.)
CHRONIC STRESS:
CHRONIC
Long-term, day after day,
year after year
stress
STRESS
Is All Stress Bad?

 Moderate levels of stress may actually improve
performance and efficiency
 Too little stress may result in boredom
 Too much stress may cause an unproductive anxiety
level
Common Stress
Incidents

 Driving in a traffic jam
 Tight deadlines and
a heavy work load
 Unplanned
financial burdens
 Doing something
difficult for the first
time
 A new baby on the way
 Unexpected illness
or death
Types of stress

 Eustress
… is stress that benefits
our health, like physical
exercise or getting a
promotion
 Distress
… is stress that harms our
health and often results from
imbalances between
demands made upon us and
our resources for dealing
with these demands
*Answers present in
everybody’s life
Stressors
School
Work
Family
Relationships
Legal
Finances
Health/illness
Environment
Living Situation
Ride on
Role-Related Stressors
Role conflict
 Inter-role conflict
 Intra-role conflict
 Person-role conflict
Role ambiguity
 Uncertain duties, authority
Workload
 Too much/too little work
Task control
..
 Machine pacing
 Monitoring equipment
 No work schedule control
Gholipour A. 2005. Organizational
Behavior. University of Tehran.
Interpersonal Stressor:
Workplace Violence and Bullying

1- Workplace violence
is a stressor to those who:



Experience violence at work
Observe violence at work
Work in jobs with higher risk of violence
2-Workplace Bullying: Offensive, intimidating, or humiliating behavior
that degrades, ridicules, or insults another person at work.

Workplace bullies tend to be people with higher authority

Workplace bullying is reduced through:



Careful hiring
360-degree feedback
Conflict resolution system
3- Sexual Harassment : Unwelcome conduct -- detrimental effect on work
environment or job performance

Quid pro quo

Hostile work environment


employment or job performance is conditional on unwanted sexual relations
an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment
Work-Nonwork
Stressors

 Time-based conflict
 due to work schedule, commuting, travel
 women still do “second shift” (most housework)
 Strain -based conflict
 work stress affects home, and vice versa
 Role behavior conflict
 incompatible work and nonwork roles
Gholipour A. 2005.
Organizational Behavior.
University of Tehran.

What Causes Us Stress?

While incarcerated prisoners make
twenty decisions a day, those of us
walking the streets make one
hundred & twenty decisions a day.
-Prison Fellowship
Causes

 Job insecurity
 High demand on performance
 Technology
 Personal and family problems
 Job stress
 *women
Signs of Stress
 Physical

 Headache
 Back Pain
 Fatigue
 Aches and Pains
 Mental
 Difficulty Concentrating
 Increased Errors
 Poor Decision Making
Negative Effects of Stress
1. Physical
Weight gain/loss
Unexpected hair loss
Heart palpitations
High blood pressure
2. Emotional
Mood swings
Anxiety
Can lead to depression
• Can also lead to unhealthy coping
strategies (i.e. alcohol, drugs, etc)
Some consequences

 Physiological consequences
 cardiovascular diseases
 ulcers, sexual dysfunction, headaches, cancer
 Behavioral consequences
 work performance, accidents, decisions
 absenteeism -- due to sickness and flight
 workplace aggression
 Psychological Consequences
 moodiness, depression, emotional fatigue
Myths of Stress

 All stress is bad
 Stress will not hurt you
 What stresses you out also stresses me out
 No symptoms, no stress
 Only major symptoms of stress are harmful
How many hats do you
wear?
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Personal
Work Related
Stress and Occupations

Accountant
Hospital manager
Artist
Physician (GP)
Mechanic
Psychologist
Forester
School principal
Sisters’?
Sisters’?
Low-Stress
Occupations
Gholipour A. 2005.
Organizational Behavior.
University of Tehran.
Medium-Stress
Occupations
Police officer
Tel. operator
U.S. and Iran
President
Waiter/waitress
Sisters’?
High-Stress
Occupations
Managing Stress

What is your favorite stress reliever?
Managing Stress
 Stress Relief Strategies
1. Body relaxation exercises
- breathing techniques
- guided imagery
2. Physical exercise
-work out routine
3. Meditation
4. Counseling
-talk therapy
-life coaching
How Can We Manage
Stress?

Live with an Attitude of Gratitude
Be Grateful for what you have.
Time Management

 Get
 Get
 Set
 Set
 Use
organized
structured
short term goals
long term goals
a planner:
 daily schedule and “To Do” list
Relaxation

 Breathing: practice deep breathing
 Progressive muscle relaxation
 Guided Imagery
 Meditation
 Tapes, CDs etc.: Either something
structured (commercial) or soothing music
 Choose and schedule it in
Cognitive (Thoughts)

 Pay attention to what you say to yourself
 Identify negative thinking and irrational
beliefs
 Negative thinking leads to stress and
anxiety
 Teach thought-stopping techniques
 Teach affirmations

One negative thought
leads to another………..
then another………..
then another …..
Pretty soon you have ruined your entire life
Spirituality

 Church, etc
 Help others
 Spend quiet time every day
 Be thankful
 Think positively
 Put your faith to work!
"I am at peace in the midst of chaos or madness.
No person, place or thing has the power to upset me.".
Eating

 Cut down on sugar, caffeine, processed
foods
 Eat nutritiously: all food groups, especially
fresh fruits and veggies
 Eat a little every couple of hours or so
 Eat slowly
Family-Friendly and Work-Life
Initiatives
 Flexible work time
 Job sharing
 Personal leave
 Childcare facilities
.
Gholipour A. 2005. Organizational
Behavior. University of Tehran.
Other Stress Management
Practices
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 Withdrawing from the stressor
 Permanent -- transfer to better fit job
 Temporary -- work breaks, vacations
 Changing stress perceptions
 Self-efficacy, self-leadership
 Controlling stress consequences
 Fitness and lifestyle programs
 Relaxation and meditation
 Employee counseling
 Social support
 Emotional and informational
Gholipour A. 2005.
Organizational Behavior.
University of Tehran.
More Ideas…

Laugh Often
Try a New Thing
Cry
Get Enough Sleep
Exercise & Fresh Air
Build a Support System – Friends, Family
and Co-Workers
 SAY “NO” OCCASSIONALY
Even More Ideas

 Let go of perfectionism
 Learn to be flexible
 Relax your standards
 Focus less on pleasing others and more on
pleasing yourself
 Stay away from negative people
 Surround yourself with upbeat, flexible and
fun people.
Other Helpful tips

 Changing perceptions and expectations
 Break jobs/tasks into manageable parts
 Set reasonable/realistic goals
 Avoid procrastination
 Set boundaries
 Don’t compromise your values/beliefs
 Schedule “me” time
Personal Stress First
Aid Kit

 What would you put in yours?
 I have in mine…
The Key Word Is….
Balance
Name Your Stressor

 Person
 Place
 Thing
 Combination
Ann Landers said…

“People take
advantage of
you only with
your permission”
Benefits of Stress Management

 Physical health gets better
-more energy and stamina
 Emotions stabilized
-positive attitude
-hopeful/happier
 Ability to focus improved
-able to learn and achieve
What other organizations are
doing to reduce stress

•
78% say the most common resource used to address stress is their
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). EAPs help employees
deal with personal problems that may negatively affect work
performance and overall well-being.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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46% offer work-life balance programs
45% offer leadership training on worker stress
45% offer on-site healthy lifestyle programs
43% offer a fitness center
38% offer physical activity programs
35% have stress awareness campaigns
30% offer financial management classes
29% offer personal health/lifestyle management coaching

Source: “Stress in the Workplace,” Buck Consultants Survey, worldatwork.org.
Stress Management:
True or False?

Keeping your body in good shape can
help reduce stress.
It’s less stressful to make a lot of big
changes in your life all at once.
Talking about the things that stress
you just makes you feel more stressed.
People who are well organized are
usually less stressed.

Try to identify the stress factors in your life
Examine your reaction to stress
Learn to react positively to stress
Practice stress management techniques
to minimize stress
Questions?
