Transcript Document

Stress
Participating in discussions
What is stress?
It is a mental or physical tension that
can result from different causes
People are stressed when they find
themselves in danger or in an unfamiliar
environment.
It is a condition which has both physical
and emotional effects.
As a positive thing stress can...
Force us to take action
Awaken you when you need to react
It can open our eyes for new perspectives
If in small amounts, it can improve our
working performance
Make us better competitors
As a negative influence stress can...
Increase our anger, depression, distrust
Cause headaches, upset stomach,
cause insomnia, high blood pressure...
Ruin our good working performances
In extreme cases it can cause serious
illness and even death (stroke)
We can learn how to manage stress and
how to use it to help us:
Positive stress adds excitement to life but
too much can even kill us
We need to find optimal amount of
stress in life (the amount is not equal for
all people)
What is distressing to one may be a
positive stimulus to another, so we need
to find out for ourselves
We must become aware of our
stressors:
Notice your stress, don’t ignore it
Determine what events distress you
See how your body reacts to stress
In what way do you become upset?
See what you can change:
Can you change your stressors by
avoiding them?
Can you reduce their intensity?
Can you shorten your exposure to stress?
Learn to control your physical reactions to
stress:
Slow, deep breathing will help
Relaxation techniques can reduce
muscle tension
Some medications can help, but only in
the short term
Build your physical reserves:
Do some exercises (fitness) three to four
times a week.
Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals.
Mantain your ideal weight.
Avoid nicotine, too much caffeine and
other stimulants.
Mix leisure with work. Take breaks and get
away when you can.
Maintain your emotional reserves:
Develop some friendships and
relationships
Have goals which are meaningful to you.
Always expect some frustrations, failures
and sorrows
Always be kind and gentle to yourself-be a
friend to yourself
Stress at work:
Can be caused by work overload
Sometimes tough jobs can be stressful
Some people can cause stress (if your
boss undermines you or makes
unreasonable demands)
Working environment: commuting can be
frustrating just as badly organised work
spaces
In the business world we often hear of rat
race:
It is an intense competitive struggle
where many people compete for the same
goal
It is also a terrible routine which leaves
no time for relaxation
Very often it is an endless pursuit which
gives false hopes of achieving something
Rat race is also called treadmill
Workaholics are the most stressed
people:
They are people with a compulsive need
to work
Workaholics are addicted to work without
knowing it
Sometimes this addiction can be
pleasurable to the victim or it may be a
burden and a trouble
Deadline is a very frequent stress cause:
It is a point in time at which some task
must be completed
It is a time limit (due date) which must be
respected at work
It is the last possible time in which to
complete a task
The deadline is often externally imposed
Some solutions to stress at work are:
Flexitime (a variable work schedule which
permits you to arrange your working hours
as you like)
Downshifting (working in less stressful
ways, choosing a simple life away from
the western consumerist lifestyle)
Job satisfaction (how content you are
with your job, your attitude towards your
job)
People like work that is rewarding and
gives them satisfaction:
For this reason some amount of
pressure might be necessary
Many employees want the work that
stretches them, that is difficult because
that is stimulating and challenging
But when the pressure builds up, it’s easy
to feel overwhelmed by work and this can
cause stress
Today a whole stress industry has grown
up:
 There are stress counsellors and stress
therapists to give you advice how to avoid
stress
 Other experts say that stress levels today are
lower than they used to be (they point out the
difficult working conditions and long hours of our
grandparents)
 Perhaps the materialism of the modern times
gives you the illusion that we sould have
control over our lives
An expert talks about stress:
The major causes of stress at work today
are job insecurity (many people feel they
couls easily lose their job), long working
hours (negative work-life balance)
The typical family is a working family, with
both members working which causes
problems
40 or 50 years ago none of these
problems existed
Advice on how to cope with stress:
First, find the cause of stress (it might be
long working hours or not enough freedom
in organising your own work)
Each problem needs different solution
The situation changes depending on
whether the person is a man or a woman
Women are more flexible and men tend to
become angry when stressed
An unusual story: Banker swaps rat race
for bus lane
 A bank manager has given up his 30 000 pound
a year job with NatWest to realise his childhood
ambition of becoming a bus driver.
 Despite the 11 000 pound salary and anti-social
hours, John Burgin, 48, has never been happier.
 “Banking was a career but in the end it became
just a job. Once I knew I was leaving, I use to go
outside at lunchtime and watch as the buses
drove up and down. The time had come.”
 His passion was awakened as a boy growing up
in Sheffield, where he collected bus maps and
timetables.
 But he went on to spend nearly 30 years working
his way up through NatWest.
 “The levels of stress are totally different. At the
bank, things were very political: I worked hard all
day and then took work home, and it never really
finished. There is stress in driving a bus around
Bristol, but it’s a different kind and I don’t take it
home.
Participating in discussions
Some useful language and
examples
Making suggestions: Giving opinions:
 We could offer staff a
wider choice of food.
 Why don’t we change the
menus?
 How about offering
healthier meals?
 What about having a nosmoking policy?
 I think we should send
out a questionnaire.
 I think that we should ask
the staff.
 I feel that we have to
consider the cost.
 I’m
sure/convinced/positive
that people would like it.
Agreeing:
Disagreeing:
 Yes, that’s right.
 I think I agree with
you.
 Exactly.
 Good/excellent idea.
 Yes, but what about
the cost?
 I’m not sure I agree.
 I really don’t agree.
An example of discussion:
I think we should do a lot more to improve
our staff’s health and fitness. What do you
think, Monica?
I agree. For one thing we could offer them
a free medical checkup every year.
Right. That’s a good idea. A lot of firms do
that. And how about having a no-smoking
policy in the staff restaurant? What do you
think about that, Tanya?
 Mm, I don’t think I like the idea very much. A lot
of our staff smoke-they’d be against it, I’m sure
of that. I think we should improve the food. A lot
of the dishes aren’t healthy.
 True. We could change the menus and offer
healthier meals. I like the idea.
 What about setting up a counselling service,
Vincent? Some staff are under a lot of stress.
 I don’t know, Monica. It would be very expensive
to set up a service like that.
 I’ve got another suggestion. We could talk to the
manager of our local sports centre and arrange
a company membership. What do you think,
Tanya?
 Mm, I don’t know. It sounds interesting but it
could be very expensive.
 What’s your opinion Monica?
 I think you’re right Tanya. It would cost a lot and
I’m not sure how many staff would actually use
the centre.
I can’t agree with you there. It’s got a very
good pool and sauna.
Yes, it’s worth checking out, I suppose. A
lot of staff might enjoy having a swim at
lunchtime or after work.
Maybe, but there are so many other things
we could do.
Eating and drinking
Multi word verbs
Put the following into a logical order:
Look at the menu
Ask for the bill/check
Book a table/ make a reservation
Leave a tip
Have the main course
Have a dessert
Order a starter
Have an aperitif
Write the foods below under the correct
headings:
Lamb, broccoli, eggs, banana, beef,
peas, crab, beans, melon, pasta, lemon,
tomato, lobster, fish, potato, cheese,
onion, veal, chicken, prawns, apple,
mussels, orange, rice
FRUIT:
MEAT:
VEGETABLE:
SEAFOOD:
OTHER FOODS:
Match the options to describe some
drinks:
 Black/white
 Still/sparkling
 Red/white
 Single/double
 Bottled/draught
 With milk/lemon
 Beer
 Wine
 Water
 Tea
 Coffee
 whisky
Multi word verbs (phrasal verbs):
 They are combinations of VERB +
particles (at, away, down, in, on, up)
 There are different types:
1. Without an object (Something has come
up.)
2. With an object-separable (Could you
turn on the coffee machine? Could you
turn the coffee machine on?)
3. Many phrasal verbs are informal (How
did you find out?)
4. Many phrasal verbs are idiomatic; their
meaning is difficult to interpret:
away (creating distance)
I’m going away next week.
on (continuing)
Carry on the good work.
over (considering)
I need time to think it over.
up (completing)
Some urgent matters need clearing up.
Drink up. We’ ve got to go.
Match these sentence halves:
 Last week, I had to look
 First, I showed them
around
 I certainly look forward
 I hope I can take
 One of them did not turn
 The food was deliciuos,
and we all got
 Then, I took them out
 They said I should
 come over and see them
in Coimbra
 the Old Town
 after five clients from
Portugal
 on really well
 to a very good restaurant
 to seeing them all again
 up their invitation next
summer
 up, unfortunately