What Is Stress?

Stress

is a feeling that's
created when we react to
particular events.

What is stress?
It's

the body's way of rising to a

challenge and preparing to meet
a tough situation with focus,
strength, stamina, and
heightened alertness.

The stress response

also

helps you rise to meet

challenges.

The stress response

Stress

is what keeps you on your

toes during a presentation at work,
sharpens your concentration when
youre attempting the game-winning
free throw, or drives you to study for
an exam when you'd rather be
watching TV

How does our body react?

Our

Bodys Reaction to Stress

(General Adaptation Syndrome
(GAS)
When a person experiences stress,
the brain responds by initiating 1400
different responses including the
dumping of a variety of chemicals to
our blood stream.

 This

gives a momentary
boost to do whatever
needs to be done to
survive.
If left unchecked,
however, it can lead to
illness.

3 Stages of General
Adaptation Syndrome
Alarm Reaction
the body releases adrenaline and
a variety of other psychological
mechanisms to combat the
stress and to stay in control.

This is called fight or flight

response.

The

muscles tense,
the heart beats faster,
the breathing and perspiration
increases, the eyes dilate, the
stomach may clench.

Resistance or Adaptation
Stage
If

the cause for the stress is not

removed, GAS goes to its second
stage called resistance or
adaptation.

 This

is the bodys
response to long term
protection. It secretes
further hormones that
increase blood sugar
levels to sustain
energy and raise blood
pressure.

 The

adrenal cortex
(outer covering)
produces hormones
called corticosteroids for
this resistance reaction.

Overuse by the body's defense

mechanism in this phase
eventually leads to disease,
become prone to fatigue,
concentration lapses, irritability
and lethargy as the effort to
sustain arousal slides into
negative stress.

Exhaustion
In

this stage, the body has run

out of its reserve of body energy
and immunity.

 The

body experiences "adrenal

exhaustion". The blood sugar
levels decrease as the adrenals
become depleted, leading to
decreased stress tolerance,
progressive mental and physical
exhaustion, illness and collapse.

Signs of Stress in The

Workplace

Stress Arousal Stage

Persistent irritability
Anxiety
Bruxism
Insomnia
Occasional forgetfulness
Inability to concentrate

Stress - Resistance Stage

Absenteeism

or tardiness for

work
Tired and fatigued for no reason
Procrastination and indecision

 Social

withdrawal with
cynicism
Resentful, indifferent,
defiant
Increased use of coffee,
alcohol, tobacco, etc.

Severe Exhaustion Stage

Chronic

sadness or
depression
Chronic mental and physical
fatigue

 Chronic

stress related illnesses

(headache, stomach ache, bowel
problems, etc.)
Isolation, withdrawal, self-destructive
thoughts

Do all of these signs or symptoms

happen all at once and what level of
help should be sought?
No, not normally. The signs and
symptoms from stress tend to
progress through several phases or
stages.

Phase 1 - Warning
Early warning signs are often more
emotional than physical and may
take a year or more before they are
noticeable.

Signs/Symptoms

feelings of
vague anxiety
depression
boredom
apathy
emotional
fatigue

Action
talking about
feelings
taking a
vacation
making a
change from
regular
activities
taking time for
yourself

Phase 2 - Mild Symptoms

Warning signs have progressed and

intensified. Over a period of 6 to 18
months, physical signs may also be
evident.

Signs/Symptoms
sleep

disturbances
more frequent
headaches/colds
muscle aches

Action
more

aggressive
lifestyle
changes
may be
needed.

 intensified

physical and
emotional fatigue
withdrawal from
contact with
others
irritability
intensified
depression

short-term

counseling

Phase 3 - Entrenched
Cumulative Stress
This phase occurs when the above
phases continue to be ignored.
Stress starts to create a deeper
impact on career, family life and
personal well-being.

Signs/Symptoms

Increased

use of
alcohol, smoking,
non-prescription
drugs
depression
physical and
emotional fatigue
loss of sex drive
ulcers
marital discord

Action

The help of
medical and
psychological
professionals is
highly
recommended.

Signs/Symptoms
crying

spells
intense anxiety
rigid thinking
withdrawal
restlessness
sleeplessness

Action
The help of medical
and psychological
professionals is
highly
recommended.

Phase 4 - Severe/ Debilitating

Cumulative Stress Reaction
This phase is often considered "selfdestructive" and tends to occur after
5 to10 years of continued stress.

Signs/Symptoms
careers end prematurely
asthma
heart conditions
severe depression
lowered self-esteem/self-confidence
inability to perform one's job
inability to manage personal life
withdrawal
uncontrolled anger, grief, rage

 suicidal

or homicidal thinking
muscle tremors
extreme chronic fatigue
over-reaction to minor events
agitation
frequent accidents
carelessness, forgetfulness
paranoia

Action
Significant intervention from
professionals.

Long Term Implications of

Stress

 Allergies
Anxiety

and depression
Digestive disorders
Fatigue
Headaches and migraine
Heart disease

 High

blood pressure
Impotence and premature
ejaculation in men
Insomnia
Irritable bladder
Irritable bowel syndrome
Menstrual problems in
women

 Mouth

and peptic ulcers

Muscular aches and
pains
Palpitations
Panic attacks
Eczema
Ulcerative colitis

Categories of Job Stressors

Factors unique to the job
workload (overload and underload)
pace / variety / meaningfulness of
work
autonomy (e.g., the ability to make
your own decisions about our own
job or about specific tasks)

 shiftwork

/ hours of work
physical environment
(noise, air quality, etc)
isolation at the workplace
(emotional or working
alone)

Role in the organization

role

conflict (conflicting job

demands, multiple
supervisors/managers)
role ambiguity (lack of clarity about
responsibilities, expectations, etc)
level of responsibility

Career development
under/over-promotion
job

security (fear of redundancy

either from economy, or a lack of
tasks or work to do)
career development opportunities
overall job satisfaction

Interpersonal Relationships at
work

supervisors
coworkers

subordinates
threat

of violence, harassment, etc

(threats to personal safety)

Organizational structure/climate
participation

(or non-participation) in
decision-making
management style
communication patterns

General tips for dealing with

stress at the workplace

Laughing

is one of the easiest and

best ways to reduce stress. Share a
joke with a co-worker, watch a funny
movie at home with some friends,
read the comics, and try to see the
humour in the situation.

 Learn

to relax, take several

deep breaths throughout
the day, or have regular
stretch breaks. Stretching is
simple enough to do
anywhere and only takes a
few seconds.

 Take

charge of your situation by

taking 10 minutes at the beginning
of each day to priorize and organize
your day. Be honest with your
colleagues, but be constructive and
make practical suggestions. Be
realistic about what you can change.
(From: Canadian Mental Health
Association, "Sources of Workplace
Stress" Richmond, British Columbia)

Ten general tips for mental

health
Build

Confidence: Identify your

abilities and weaknesses together,
accept them build on them and do
the best with what you have

 Eat

right, keep fit : A balanced diet,

exercise and rest can help you to
reduce stress and enjoy life.

 Make

time for family and

friends:
These relationships need to
be nurtured; if taken for
granted they will not be
there to share life's joys and
sorrows.

 Give

and accept support:

Friends and family
relationships thrive when
they are "put to the test"

Does money matters?

Create

a meaningful budget :
Financial problems cause stress.
Over-spending on our "wants"
instead of our "needs" is often the
culprit.

 Volunteer:

Being involved in
community gives a sense of
purpose and satisfaction
that paid work cannot.

Words of wisdom
"Being

in control of your life and

having realistic expectations
about your day-to-day challenges
are the keys to stress
management, which is perhaps
the most important ingredient to
living a happy,
healthy and rewarding life."
-Marilu Henner

THE END