STRESS MANAGEMENT Stress is a common problem that affects almost all of us at some point in our lives.

Learning to identify when you are under stress, what is stressing you, and different ways of coping with stress can greatly improve both your mental and physical well being. In everyday life we are subjected to a wide range of pressures. We also have a wide range of resources and strategies for coping with pressure. Sometimes we will cope well and will not feel that the pressure is having any adverse effect upon us. At other times we will have difficulty in dealing with the situation and that is when we may use the term "stress". In reality, any situation that puts us under pressure is technically "stressful". Stress is not necessarily unpleasant or harmful. When we are able to cope satisfactorily with the stress and find it to be positive in its effect, we tend to use other words - such as "stimulation" or "challenge". So we can say that "Stress occurs when the pressures upon us exceed our resources to cope with those pressures." The modern man besides enjoying the comforts of his awesome inventions and leisure which his contemporary surroundings provide him, is also confronted with hazards and other health problems which itself are the outcomes of the growing complexities of modern life. Many such health problems relate to heart diseases, high blood pressure, insomnia, etc. This might also lead to mental disturbances of various types which result in reduced productivity and lower profits for the organization. All this in turn leads to dissatisfaction, both at work and personal which further evokes depression. All these causes together evolve a mental state called stress. Stress is the debilitating effects caused by constant pressure both at work and home. However, stress, or at least temporary stress, is a very necessary part of our lives.

One important function of short-term stress is to channel our resources to deal with challenging or even life threatening situations. Temporary stress, therefore, allows us an extra turn of speed in escaping danger it increases the speed of our reactions when, for example, avoiding a collision while driving; it recharges a mentally or physically exhausted body to cope with greater challenges, and boosts an athlete's performance during an important event. Stress is a demand made upon the adaptive capacities of the mind and body. This helps us understand three important aspects of stress: i. Stress depends on your personal view of the stressor and can be both a positive and a negative factor in your life. ii. It is your reaction to the events in life, rather than the actual events, that determine whether the outcome is positive or negative.

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Your capacities determine the results. Stress is a demand made upon the body's capacities. When your capacities for handling stress are strong and healthy, the outcome is positive. When you lack the ability to handle the demands, the outcome is negative. Stress or arousal can increase performance. Conversely, when stress exceeds ones ability to cope, this overload contributes to diminished performance, inefficiency, and even health problems.

Stress is a part of everyone's life. However, individuals with psychiatric illnesses seem especially vulnerable to the effects of stress. Not only can it lead to the development of a number of chronic illnesses, it can also play a major role in psychiatric relapse and substance abuse in individuals with psychiatric disorders. Stress when manifests itself at a desirable level, induces a person to work and be more productive but when it starts hampering the efficiency of a person to work, becomes a source of mental illness which takes its toll through alcoholism, high employee turnover and poor human relationships. When an individual is unable to meet his own aspirations and the demands of his task environment, stress creeps in. This situation would require an effective remedy so as to bring the individual to his normal state of thought wherein he can think logically and realistically. In recent times, a lot of emphasis is being placed on the study of stress and there are strategies to deal with it effectively, only a positive approach to life is what is required in all

MEANING OF STRESS Stress is an internal process that occurs when a person is faced with a demand that is perceived to exceed the resources available to effectively respond to it, and where failure to effectively deal with the demand has important undesirable consequences. In other words, stress is experienced when there is an awareness of a substantial imbalance between demand and capability, under conditions where failure to meet the demand is perceived to have unwanted consequences. Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. According to a high school psychology textbook, stress is "a particular pattern of disturbing psychological and physiological reactions that occur when an environment event threatens important motives and taxes one's ability to cope." SYMPTOMS OF STRESS There are varied symptoms of stress such as: 1. Fight-or-flight reaction 2. Physical symptoms 3. Behavioural symptoms of long term stress 4. Internal symptoms of long term stress 5. Emotional symptoms 6. Intellectual symptoms 7. Short term performance effects 8. Stress symptoms resulting from long term high anxiety levels 1. Fight-Or-Flight Reaction The fight-or-flight response, also called the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1927. His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. The set of processes that occur in the body when it is

confronted with some form of physical or mental stress. For example, if a person is faced with danger (as from a vicious animal about to attack), the nervous system signals for adrenaline and other hormones to be released into the blood. These hormones prepare the body either to confront the attacking animal or to flee to safety (thus, fight or flight). Changes in the body include increased heart rate, dilated pupils of the eye (to improve vision), and increased supply of blood to the muscles (to prepare the body for action).The fight-or-flight response describes only the physiologic reaction to stress. The stress response frequently involves psychological and behavioral reactions as well. 2. Physical Symptoms Short Term Physical Symptoms These mainly occur as your body adapts to perceived physical threat, and are caused by release of adrenaline. Although you may perceive these as unpleasant and negative, they are signs that your body is ready for the explosive action that assists survival or high performance: Dry Mouth Cool skin Cold hands and feet Increased sweating Rapid Breathing Faster heart beat Tense Muscles Feelings of nausea, or 'Butterflies in stomach' Diarrhea A desire to urinate

Long Term Physical Symptoms These occur where your body has been exposed to adrenaline over a long period. One of the ways adrenaline prepares you for action is by diverting resources to the muscles from the areas of the body which carry out body maintenance. This means that if you are exposed to adrenaline for a sustained period, then your health may start to deteriorate. This may show up in the following ways: Insomnia change in appetite

sexual disorders feelings of intense and long-term tiredness aches and pains frequent colds illnesses such as: asthma back pain digestive problems headaches

3. Behavioral Symptoms of Long Term Stress When you or other people are under pressure, this can show as: Yawning Talking too fast or too loud Fiddling and twitching, nail biting, grinding teeth, drumming fingers, pacing, etc. Bad moods: Defensiveness Irrationality Being irritable Being critical Aggression Overreaction and reacting emotionally Reduced personal effectiveness: Being more forgetful Being unreasonably negative Making less realistic judgments Making more mistakes Being more accident prone Neglect of personal appearance Changing work habits Increased absenteeism

4. Internal Symptoms of Long Term Stress

When you are under stress or have been tired for a long period of time you may find that you are less able to think clearly and rationally about problems. This can lead to the following internal emotional 'upsets': Worry or anxiety Feeling out of control or overwhelmed by events Confusion, and an inability to concentrate or make decisions Mood changes: Restlessness Helplessness Impatience & irritability Hostility Frustration Depression Feeling ill Being more lethargic Changing eating habits Difficulty sleeping Reduced sex drive Drinking more alcohol and smoking more Relying more on medication

5. Emotional symptoms Moody and hypersensitive. Restlessness and anxiety. Depression. Anger and resentment. Easily irritated and on edge. Sense of being overwhelmed. Lack of confidence. Apathy. Feeling irritable Feeling frustrated at having to wait for something Feeling restless Unable to concentrate

Becoming easily confused Having memory problems Thinking about negative things all the time Negative self-talk Having marked mood swings Eating too much Eating when you are not hungry Finding it difficult to concentrate Not having enough energy to get things done Feeling you can't cope Finding it hard to make decisions Having emotional outbursts Generally feeling upset Lack of sense of humor Urge to laugh or cry at inappropriate times.

6. Intellectual symptoms Memory problems. Difficulty making decisions. Inability to concentrate. Confusion. Repetitive or racing thoughts. Poor judgment. Loss of objectivity. Desire to escape or run away.

7. Short Term Performance Effects While adrenaline helps you survive in a 'fight-or-flight' situation, it does have negative effects in situations where this is not the case: It interferes with clear judgment and makes it difficult to take the time to make good decisions. Where you need good physical skills it gets in the way of fine motor control. It can seriously reduce your enjoyment of your work. It damages the positive frame of mind you need for high quality work by:

 narrowing attention, damaging self-confidence, promoting negative thinking, disrupting focus and concentration and making it difficult to cope with distractions It consumes mental energy in distraction, anxiety, frustration and temper. This is energy that should be devoted to the work in hand. 8. Stress Symptoms resulting from long term high anxiety levels Lack of energy - lethargy. Do you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and/or are you always tired? Poor balance or episodes of dizziness. Do you sometimes feel unstable on your feet? Poor concentration - do you sometimes feel you are trying to "think through a fog"? Poor memory and probably getting worse! Poor perceptions - visual and/or auditory distortions. Having trouble reading or do shapes seem to change for you? Does the world seem to get brighter or darker at times without reason? High anxiety levels - panic attacks Large swings in moods - depression is common Cravings for sweet foods - often resulting in feeling better for a while, followed by a headache or depression.

STRESS CYCLE An individual faces various sources of stress. The impact of stress on the individual depends upon his values, expectations, perceptions thinking and his coping patterns. A stressful event can be physical or psychological. He faces challenges in life when it becomes unavoidable. At first, the person looses control, when he is under distress. The person will have negative feelings. For instance, patient after diagnosing uterine cancer will be unable to handle the situation, she will freeze at the spot. She will think negatively like some major defect, infertility, family discord, long hospital stay and even death. Ultimately, she will not be able to care self and cooperate with health professionals and relationships deteriorates with others. The person puts more efforts to get rid of the stress to relieve or cope up the effects of stress. But,it is the stress is overloading again, the cycle goes on and the person has psychological and physiological effects continuously.

Perceptions/ thoughts Values Expectations Event

STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH STRESS Following are the strategies for coping with stress given by Nancy Willihnganz: 1. Physical strategies (what you feel) 2. Perceptual (what you see) 3. Cognitive (what you think) 4. Affective strategies (how you feel) 5. Skill strategies 6. Environmental strategies 1. Physical Strategies (What you feel) Deep Muscle Relaxation - Lower your physical tension by focusing on major muscle groups, and relaxing them. There is an instructional tape available from Counseling Services. Watch your diet - especially caffeine intake (coffee, tea, chocolate, etc., which will raise your stress level.) A well balanced diet will improve your ability to cope.

Fitness level - An exercise program can help you in two ways: If you are in good physical shape you are better able to tolerate anxiety. Physical exertion when you are worried or anxious provides an emotional release of tension for most people, or will help you re-focus your attention. You don't have to engage in strenuous activity necessarily, a good brisk 15 min. walk each day can be very helpful.

Sleep - Maintaining proper rest will help you cope with stress. Lack of sleep over a long period of time can produce its own feelings of tension and depression. When you are run down, worry, stress and anxiety affects you more.

Cycles - Track (make note of) your body cycles to assist you in discovering if there is a pattern to your periods of feeling up or down. We all have low points and high points which often follow regular daily, weekly, monthly or yearly patterns.

2. Perceptual (What you see) Focusing Attention - Learn to pay attention to what is relaxing for you and ignore what is disturbing. For example, on your way to school to write an exam, look at the trees and sky, and not the people biting their fingernails. Selectively ignoring aspects of a situation which raise your anxiety or looking for aspects which are comforting to you is called positive scanning. Neutral Scene - When you find yourself getting uptight - recall a scene from your past when you were very relaxed and content. your neutral scene. Visualize it as completely as you can by focusing on what you are seeing, hearing, feeling and smelling. Be an actor in that scene not the audience. Diversive Tactics - When you begin to feel uptight have some diversions at hand. These could be such things as science fiction or adventure novels, T.V. programs, sports, hobbies, etc. Probably the only criteria here are that your diversive tactics be legal, cheap, and non-fattening.

3. Cognitive (What you think) Stop trying to be perfect - Naturally we want to be all that we can, but often we make ourselves uptight by expecting a standard of ourselves which is not humanly possible. Priorize what you want to do and decide which to really work at and which need only passing attention.

Analyze your "shoulds" - All of us seem to have plenty of "shoulds." e.g. I should always be nice, I should always be polite, etc., which are the product of our upbringing as well as expectations of ourselves and other people. Discover what your "should" are and determine if they are realistic or necessary.

Illogical thinking - Pay attention to the statements you make to yourself to make sure they are reasonably logical. A lot of illogical statements we make to ourselves are the result of collecting poor data, or not checking the situation out fully enough. Don't fall into the trap.

Self-Reward - Increase your self-reward. Be good to yourself by treating yourself to study breaks, special outings, bubble baths, etc. Rehearsal use your neutral scene to help you relax Rehearse yourself being competent, e.g. asking a discussion provoking question in class Rehearse all outcomes to a situation so that in the event that any one occurs you are not taken totally by surprise.

Cognitive Re-appraisal - Learn to think differently about things - think how a friend with a sense of humor would look at it. How would someone you respect evaluate the situation?

4. Affective Strategies (How you feel) Work out an affective curriculum - Remember that it used to be possible to enjoy things. Go back to those old activities and old friends: If the latter isn't possible, develop new friends who are like your old friends. Learn to laugh at yourself and not take yourself or your actions so seriously- Ask yourself - will anyone know the difference a year from now? Release Emotions - Cry, laugh, pillow fight, kick doors, get rid of those pent-up feelings in ways which are not destructive to anyone else.

5. Skill Strategies Build up good skills- If you are deficient, find a way to fill the gap. Self-help literature. "How to Parent; How to form relationships; How to fight fair; How to start a conversation. Courses offered through YMCA, Community Education, Church, Rotary, and Student Services.

Use Learning Principles - Break down long term goals into smaller goal steps. This way, as you reach each step towards the major goal, you can feel like you are accomplishing something. Rewarding yourself for successful completion of each step will keep you directed, interested and satisfied.

Time Management Skills - Learn how to manage time and priorities effectively. Make a realistic plan with lots of breathing spaces, and work your plan. Be in control of what is accomplished and reward yourself when you are successful. Behavioural Rehearsal Practice (what you want to do.) Observe someone who does it well and imitate them--modeling. Role plays the situation - with a friend or in front of the mirror.

Self-contracting Contract can be made with yourself or friend for something what one wants to do. Use a system of rewards for successful completion of the goal or punishment (e.g. withholding going to a movie, studying for two extra hours, not watching the hockey game, etc.) if one fail to achieve ones goal.

Strengthen interpersonal bonds (between people) - Caring supportive relationships between friends and family feel good. Reduce tension resulting from those relationships. Couples weekends, communication workshops, parent effectiveness training, offered by schools and churches and social service agencies, and self-help literature will help you learn new ways of relating.

Strengthen interpersonal bonds (within yourself) - Yoga, meditation, values clarification, assertiveness training, etc.

6. Environmental Strategies Arranging Consequences - Arrange for successful completion of goals by using strategies of selfreward - e.g. going to a move, or self-punishment - physical e.g. elastic band around your waist, or withdrawing a reward - not going to a movie you had planned on. This takes a great deal of willpower, so make your initial consequences easily obtainable and increase the steps as you are successful with each preceding one. If you don't think you have the willpower, ask a friend to help you out by making a contract with him/her. Environmental Support - Request for extra support and assistance from your family and friends to help through anxious or stressful times or situations. Time Out - Take time out or private time from a stressful situation. Short breaks away from anxiety producing studying, etc. will help even out the stress.

Avoidance - If possible avoid situations which make you up uptight or anxious. If crowds make you anxious, avoid fairs, subways, theatre lobbies, etc.