STRESS STRESS Stress has been defined as a

STRESS

STRESS • Stress has been defined as a physical, mental or emotional response to events which cause mental or bodily tension. • The level of stress is measured in terms of the capacity of an individual to handle it • If it exceeds in proportion to a person’s abilities to cope with it, it would cause mental and physical imbalance in the person • While handling a stressful situation, the brain signals the release of stress hormones • These chemical substances in turn trigger a set of responses that provides the body with extra energy: blood sugar levels rise, the heartbeat speeds up and blood pressure increases

STRESS • Definition • “ Stress, or the stress response, is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee a person experiences when faced with any demand”. (J. C. Quick and J. D. Quick) • “Stress refers to a psychological and physiological state that results when certain features of an individual’s environment challenge the person , creating an actual or perceived imbalance between demand capability to adjust that results in a non-specific respnse”.

TYPES OF STRESS • Stress can be of different types based on the suddenness of an event to be dealt with and types of stressors to be handled by an individual • It may manifest itself either physically, emotionally and mentally • PHYSICAL • This happens when body as a whole suffers due to stressful situation • There are several symptoms like headaches, pain in the neck, forehead and shoulder muscles • Long periods of stress can cause other serious symptoms like digestive problems, ulcers, insomnia (sleeplessness), fatigue, high blood pressure, nervousness, excessive sweating, heat ailments, strokes and hair loss

General Adaptation Syndrome

GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME (GAS) • Hans Selye, the world’s foremost authority on stress was the first to describe systematically the changes through which the body passes to deal with a perceived threat. • He describes it as an adaptive response that occurs in three phases A. An Alarm Reaction B. The Stage of Resistance C. The Stage of Exhaustion

STRESS Level of Normal Resistance Alarm Resistance Exhaustion

GAS • The above diagram shows the course of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) and describes the psychological and physical response to stress – that is the way a person tries to adapt to a stressor • The syndrome is called as “general” because the stress response occurs in several areas of the body

GAS • GAS has 3 stages 1. Alarm Stage § This is the beginning stage § A person in this stage wonders how to cope and feels anxiety, even panic § The person breathes faster, blood pressure rises, pupils dilate and muscles tense § At this stage the person is coping ineffectively

GAS 2. Resistance § Assuming the person can summon the resources to cope with the stressor, he or she begins to feel more confident and to think how to response § The person channels his or her energy and uses it to resist the stressor’s negative effects § The person tackles the problem, delegates the challenge or adjusts to change § Resistance to the stressor is high, but the person's resistance to the other stressors may be low because the body’s resources are being used up § Evidence prove that the immune system function tends to decline during the periods of stress

GAS 3. Exhaustion § Many stressors are short term – the person manages to solve the problem or the situation ends on its own § In such cases the GAS ends during resistance stage § But occasionally a stressor persists § In situation where stressors persist, the person may enter the third stage: exhaustion

STRESS • Emotional • These responses are due to stress affecting the mind and include, anxiety, anger, depression, irritability, frustration, over reaction to everyday problems, memory loss and a lack of concentration for any task • Psychological • Long term stress can cause psychological problems in some individuals • Symptoms may include social isolation, phobias, compulsive behavior, eating disorders and night terrors

CLASSIFICATION OF STRESS Stress may be classified into two types: Positive Stress (Eustress) Negative Stress (Distress) POSITIVE STRESS Moderate and manageable levels of stress for a reasonable period of time can be handled by the body through mobilization of resources and is accompanied by positive emotions • This beneficial element in stress has been defined by Selye (1974) as Eustress (EU meaning good) • CHARACTERISTICS OF EUSTRESS • • • – – Motivates, focuses energy Is short term Is perceived as within our coping abilities Feels exciting Eg: Getting promotion, excitement of winning a race etc

NEGATIVE STRESS (DISTRESS) • An overload of stress resulting from a situation of either over arousal or under arousal of long periods of time causes the following: • First an unpleasant feeling, followed by physical damage, fatigue and in extreme cases, even death of an individual • This has been termed as distress by Selye • CHARACTERISTICS OF NEGATIVE STRESS • Cause anxiety or concern • Can be short or long term • Is perceived as outside of our coping abilities • Feels unpleasant • Decreases performance • Can lead to mental and physical problems Examples: The death of spouse, hospitalization, abused or neglected

SOURCES OF STRESS • Stressors are divided into two classes 1. Those lie within the individual (Internal Stimuli) 2. Those that are part of the external environment 1. INTERNAL STIMULI § There are four internal sources of stress. They are: § § Inner conflicts Perceptual influence Thresholds of stress Motivation level

Sources of Stress • Inner conflicts • Non specific fears, anxiety and guilt feelings maintain the body in a state of readiness for emergency action on a continuing basis • Perceptual Influence • Perception is influenced by a number of factors • Because the environment is presumed to be full of danger, evidences of danger are perceived everywhere • Threshold of Stress • Threshold of stress is not independent to the above factors • People who have minimum internal conflicts and perceptual distortion can withstand external conflict and pressure than weaker personalities • People who have high threshold for stress have high levels of resistance to it

SOURCES OF STRESS • Motivational level • People who are ambitious and highly motivated to achieve are more likely to experience stress than those who are content with their career status • Persons whose self expectations exceed their abilities and opportunities are especially stress prone

Environmental Stressors • Environmental and internal conditions that lie beyond an individual’s control are called environmental stressors • Environmental stressors are the following: 1. Task Demand 2. Role Demand 3. Inter-personal Demands 4. Physical Demands

Environmental Stressors 1. Task Demand § Task demands are factors related to a person’s job § They include the design of the individual’s job, working conditions and physical work layout § Changes and lack of control are two of the most stressful demands people face at work § Change leads to uncertainty, lack of predictability and job insecurity § Lack of control is a second major source of stress § The lack of control may be caused by inability to influence timing of tasks and activities, to select tools or methods for accomplishing the work, to make decisions that influence work outcomes etc

Environmental Stressors 2. Role Demands • The social-psychological demands of the work environment is another important environmental factor • Role demands relate to pressures placed on a person as a function of the particular role he or she plays in the organization • Role conflicts create expectations that may be hard to reconcile or satisfy • Role conflict results from inconsistent or incompatible expectations communicated to a person

Environmental Stressors • The role demands create the following role conflicts 1. Inter-role Conflict • This is caused by conflicting expectations related two separate roles such as employee and parent 2. Intra – Role Conflict • This is caused by conflicting expectations related to single role, such as employee 3. Person-Role Conflict • This occurs when a person is expected to behave in ways that violate personal values, beliefs, principles etc

Environmental Stressors • Role Ambiguity • Role ambiguity is created when role expectations are not clearly understood and the employee is not sure what he or she is to do • It is the confusion a person experiences related to the expectations of others

Environmental Stressors 3. Inter-personal Demands • These are the pressures created by other employees • The interpersonal demands for people at work are: a. The Abrasive Person • The person who creates emotional waves that others at work must accommodate b. Sexual Harassment • The harassment of women at workplace c. Leadership Styles • Authoritarian or participative leadership style create stress

Environmental Stressors 4. Physical Demands • Family demands related to marriage, child rearing and parental care etc • Personal demands such as religious and public service organization

Consequences of Stress • Stress is exhibited in three ways. They are 1. Physiological symptoms 2. Psychological symptoms 3. Behavioral symptoms

Stress Management

Managing Stress • For managing stress, two approaches are resorted. They are: 1. Individual Approaches § Implementing time management techniques, increasing physical exercise, relaxation training, and expanding the social support network § Practicing time management principles § § § Making daily list of activities to be accomplished Prioritizing activities by importance and urgency Scheduling activities Knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding part of your job during the high part of your cycle Non competitive physical exercises Use relaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis and biofeedback

Managing Stress 2. Organizational Approaches • Improved personnel selection and job placement (right person-job-fit strategy) • Set realistic goals, redesign the job to align the individual with goals • Training stress management techniques • Increased employee involvement • Increased organizational communication • Establish corporate wellness program

A suggested framework for stress management • FIND OPTIMAL LEVEL OF STRESS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL • There is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people. It varies from individual to individual • Various factors such as age, mental strength, upbringing and cultural factors influence our abilities to handle stress

Suggested framework for stress management ORGANIZATIONAL STRESSERS 1. Task Demands 2. Role Demands 3. Physical Demands 4. Interpersonal Demands STRESS RESPONSES 1. Individual Responses 2. Organizational Responses Primary Prevention Stressor Directed HEALTH RISK FACTORS Secondary Prevention Response Directed ASYMPTOMATIC FACTORS Tertiary Prevention Symptom Directed SYMPTOMATIC FACTORS DISTRESS INDIVIDUAL 1. Behavioral Problems 2. Psychological Problems ORGANIZATIONAL 1. Direct Costs 2. Indirect Costs

Preventive Stress Management • Primary Prevention • This is intended to reduce, modify or eliminate the demand or stressor causing stress • True organizational stress prevention is largely primary in nature, because it changes and shapes the demands the organization place on people • Secondary Prevention • This is intended to alter or modify the individual’s response to a demand or stressor • Tertiary Prevention • This is intended to heal the individual of symptoms of distress and strain • Tertiary prevention is therapeutic, aimed at arresting distress and healing the individual

How can one manage stress better? • There are two choices in this regard – either change the source of stress and/or change our reaction to it. The following are the paths to do this: 1. Become aware of the stressors and the emotional and physical reactions • Notice what causes stress ( don’t ignore it) • List out the events that causes stress and explain the meaning that you attach with these causes • Determine how body responds to stress

How can one manage stress better? 2. Recognize what can be changed? • Find out whether it is possible to change the stressors by avoiding or eliminating them • Is it possible to reduce its intensity? • Is it possible to shorten the exposure of the individual to stress? • Can one devote the time and energy necessary to make a change?

How can one manage stress better? 3. Reduce the intensity of the emotional reactions to stress? § The stress reaction is triggered by our perception of danger: physical as well as emotional danger § Are we viewing the stressors in exaggerated terms and/or taking a difficult situation and making it a disaster? § Are we trying to please everyone? § Are we overreacting and viewing things as absolutely critical and urgent? § Work at adopting more moderate views

How can one manage stress better? 4. Learning to moderate our physical reactions to stress • Slow, deep breathing will bring our heart rate and respiration back to normal • Relaxation techniques can reduce muscle tension • Electronic bio-feedback can help you gain voluntary control over such things as muscle tension, heart rate, and blood pressure • But the most effective solution is learning to moderate our physical reactions to stress

How can one manage stress better? 5. Build our physical nerves • Moderate, prolonged rhythmic exercise is best such as walking, swimming, cycling or jogging) • Eating well balanced and nutritious meals • Avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine and other stimulants • Mixing leisure with work and taking breaks from routine work • Getting adequate sleep

How can one manage stress better? 6. Maintaining our emotional reserves • Develop some mutually supportive friendship and stable relationship help in sharing emotions and reduce stress • Pursue realistic goals • Proactive in expecting frustrations, failures and sorrows as part of life