MBA 202 – Organizational Behavior and Leadership

Stress Management

Meinrad C. Bautista, Ph.D.

MBA Student
Peter M. Asturias, Ph.D.
Professor

September 9, 2018
1. To understand stress;
1. To be familiar with the 6R’s of stress management;
3. To identify the cycle theories of stress;
4. To differentiate acute stress from chronic stress;
5. To be able to give examples of related scenarios about stress
 Stress – Coping With Everyday Problems

Stress is a natural part of life. The

expressions are familiar to us, “I’m
stressed out,” “I’m under too
much stress,” or, “School is one big
stress.”
Stress is hard to define because it
means different things to different
people, but it is often considered a
negative feeling rather than
positive.
 How do I know if I am suffering from stress?

Every person handles stress differently. A major life decision, such

as choosing a college or considering how to finance tuition, might
be overwhelming for some people. The key is determining your
personal tolerance levels for stressful situations.

Too much stress can cause minor illnesses like insomnia,

backaches, or headaches. It can also contribute to potentially life-
threatening diseases such as high blood pressure or heart disease.
 What can I do about stress?

Stress is a natural part of everyday life and everyone experiences it

at some point. Here are six easy tips help you become a stress
management expert.
 1. Responsibility

• You are in control!

• Establish priorities and take one thing
at a time
• Keep it simple
 2. Reflection

• Know your stress triggers

• Be aware of stress symptoms
• Check your work balance in life
 3. Relaxation

• Do something good for yourself

• Schedule “worry time” during your day
for a few minutes and if it isn’t during
that time, don’t worry about it!
• Schedule time out including unplugging
from your phone and other electronics
 4. Relationships

• Maintain supportive relationships

where you can talk about what is
stressing you
• Manage your relationships and avoid
negative people
• Improve your relationship with yourself
 5. Refuelling

• Eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of

water
• Be aware of foods that exacerbate
stress: caffeine, fats, nicotine, fast food
• Exercise regularly- even just a short
walk for 20 minutes
 6. Recreation

• Laugh and love and enjoy the moment

• Learn how to have fun with your family
• Enjoy your life and treat others the way
you want to be treated
Stress Cycle

Life
101

Effects of
Attitude
Coping

Coping
Skill
 Theories of Stress

• Several theories explain the causes of stress:

• Holmes and Rahe- Life events theory: stress
occurs when the situation requires more
resources than are available
• Kobasa and colleagues- Hardiness theory: one’s
attitude toward the events determines stress, not
the event.
• Social support theory: insufficient social support
for responding to event
Fight or Flight Response
 Acute Stress

Walter Cannon- Harvard Medical School

• First to describe the effects of acute
stress
• Termed this stress reaction as the fight-
or-flight response
• A primitive response that quickly
increases heart rate, respiration, blood
pressure, and serum cholesterol
 Chronic Stress

Hans Selye
• Studied the effects of long-term (chronic)
stress
• Stress is- “The nonspecific response of the
body to any demand made upon it”
• Summarized his findings by proposing a
three-phase process called the general
adaptation syndrome
• alarm reaction
• stage of resistance
• stage of exhaustion
Chronic Stress
What to do about stress?
References:

Baldridge, B. (2016). The Six R’s for Stress Management. Retrieved from
https://www.tamingthehighcostofcollege.com/six-rs-stress-
management/