| Stress Management
Techniques
(...Continued
From Stress Management Techniques & Strategies Pt 1)
Stress Management
Stress can be managed if we
understand the reasons that cause stress and the level of
stress. We should also try to estimate if we could bring about
any change in the environment that can subsequently reduce
stress.
1. Become aware of your stressors
and your emotional and physical reactions.
Notice your distress. Don't
ignore it. Don't gloss over your problems.
Determine what events distress
you. What are you telling yourself about meaning of these
events? Determine how your body responds to the stress. Do
you become nervous or physically upset?
2. Recognize what you can
change.
Can you change your stressors
by avoiding or eliminating them completely? Can you reduce
their intensity (manage them over a period of time instead
of on a daily or weekly basis)? Can you shorten your exposure
to stress (take a break, leave the physical premises)?
Can you devote the time and energy necessary to making a change
(goal setting, time management techniques, and delayed gratification
strategies may be helpful here)?
3. Reduce the intensity of
your emotional reactions to stress.
The stress reaction is triggered
by your perception of danger...physical danger and/or emotional
danger. Are you viewing your stressors in exaggerated terms
and/or taking a difficult situation and making it a disaster?
Are you expecting to please everyone?
Are you overreacting and viewing
things as absolutely critical and urgent? Do you feel you
must always prevail in every situation?
Work at adopting more moderate
views; try to see the stress as something you can cope with
rather than something that overpowers you.
Try to temper your excess
emotions. Put the situation in perspective. Do not labor on
the negative aspects and the "what ifs."
4. Learn to moderate your
physical reactions to stress.
Slow, deep breathing will
bring your heart rate and respiration back to normal. Relaxation
techniques can reduce muscle tension. Electronic biofeedback
can help you gain voluntary control over such things as muscle
tension, heartbeat and blood pressure.
Medications, when prescribed by a physician, can help in the
short term in moderating your physical reactions. However,
they alone are not the answer. Learning to moderate these
reactions on your own is a preferable long-term solution.
5. Build your physical reserves.
Exercise for cardiovascular
fitness three to four times a week (moderate, prolonged rhythmic
exercise is best, such as walking, swimming, cycling, or jogging).
Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals. Maintain your ideal weight.
Avoid nicotine, excessive
caffeine, and other stimulants. Mix leisure with work. Take
breaks and get away when you can. Get enough sleep. Be as
consistent with your sleep schedule as possible.
6. Maintain your emotional
reserves.
Develop some mutually supportive
friendships/relationships.
Pursue realistic goals that
are meaningful to you, rather than goals others have for you
that you do not share. Expect some frustrations, failures,
and sorrows. Always be kind and gentle with yourself -- be
a friend to yourself.
Stress Management Techniques
A. Stress Diary - Finding
Your Optimum Stress Levels
How to use tool: Keeping a
stress diary is an effective way of finding out what causes
you stress, the level of stress you prefer, and your effectiveness
under pressure. In this diary keep track of your stress levels
and your feelings, everyday. In particular, note down stressful
events. Record the following information:
* At a regular interval,
for example every hour, record routine stress. Note:
o The time
o The amount of stress that you feel (perhaps on a scale of
1 to 10)
o How happy you feel
o How efficiently you are working
* When stressful events occur, write down:
o What the event was
o When and where did it occur?
o What important factors made the event stressful?
o How stressful was the event?
o How did you handle the event?
o Did you tackle the cause or the symptom?
o Did you deal with the stress correctly?
Analyzing the Diary: After
a few weeks you should be able to analyze this information.
It may be interesting as you carry out the analysis to note
down the outcomes of the jobs you were doing when you were
under stress. This should give you two types of information:
1. You should be able to
understand the level of stress you are happiest with, and
the level of stress at which you work most effectively. You
may find that your performance is good even when you feel
upset by stress.
2. You should know what the main sources of unpleasant stress
in your life are. You should understand what circumstances
make stresses particularly unpleasant, and should be able
to see whether your strategies for handling the stresses are
effective or not.
B. Psyching Up' - Raising
Stress Levels to Improve Performance
How to use tool: Where you
are not feeling motivated towards a task, either because you
are bored by it, or because you are tired, then you may need
to 'psych yourself up'. This will increase your arousal so
that you can perform effectively. You can try the following:
* Focus on the importance
or urgency of the task
* Set yourself a challenge - e.g. to do the job in a particular
time or to do it to a particularly high standard
* Break job down into small parts, do each part between more
enjoyable work, and take satisfaction from the successful
completion of each element.
* Use suggestion: e.g. 'I can feel energy flowing into me'
* Get angry about something!
C. Anticipating Stress - Managing
Stress by Preparing For It
How to use tool: By anticipating
stress you can prepare for it and work out how to control
it when it happens. You can do this in a number of ways:
Rehearsal:
By practicing for a stressful
event such as an interview or a speech several times in advance
you can polish your performance and build confidence.
Planning:
By analyzing the likely causes
of stress, you will be able to plan your responses to likely
forms of stress. These might be actions to alleviate the situation
or may be stress management techniques that you will use.
It is important that you formally plan for this - it is little
use just worrying in an undisciplined way - this will be counterproductive.
Formal planning of responses to stress is a technique used
by top-level athletes to ensure that they respond effectively
to the stresses of competition.
Avoidance:
Where a situation is likely
to be unpleasant, and will not yield any benefit to you, it
may be one you can just avoid. You should be certain in your
own mind, however, that this is the case, and that you are
not running away from problems.
Reducing the Importance of
an Event:
When an event is important
to you, this can make it very stressful. This is particularly
true where you are operating at a high level, where many people
are watching, or where there is the prospect of a large financial
reward, of promotion, or of personal advancement. The presence
of family, friends or important people can also add to pressure.
If stress is a problem under these circumstances, then think
carefully about the event - take every opportunity to reduce
its importance in your eyes:
* If the event seems big,
put it in its place along the path to your goals. Compare
it in your mind with bigger events you might know of or might
have attended.
* If there is a financial reward, remind yourself that there
may be other opportunities for reward later. This will not
be the only chance you have. Focus on the quality of your
performance. Focusing on the rewards will only damage your
concentration and raise stress.
* If members of your family are watching, remind yourself
that they love you anyway. If friends are real friends, they
will continue to like you whether you win or lose.
* If people who are important to your goals are watching then
remind yourself that you may well have other chances to impress
them.
* If you focus on the correct performance of your tasks, then
the importance of the event will dwindle into the background.
Reducing Uncertainty: Uncertainty
can cause high levels of stress. Causes of uncertainty can
be:
* Not having a clear idea
of what the future holds
* Not knowing where your organization will be going
* Not having any career development plans
* Not knowing what will be wanted from you in the future
* Not knowing what your boss or colleagues think of your abilities
* Receiving vague or inconsistent instructions
D. Get a hobby or two, relax
and have fun: Talk with friends or someone you can trust about
your worries/problems.
1. Learn to use your time
wisely:
Evaluate how you are budgeting
your time.
Plan ahead and avoid procrastination.
Make a weekly schedule and
try to follow it.
2. Set realistic goals and
priorities
3. Practice relaxation techniques.
For example, whenever you feel tense, slowly breathe in and
out for several minutes.
E. Other Techniques:
1. Meditation can also be
a good effort to bring down the stress levels.
2. Taking exercise
3. Effective time Management
4. Good Food and nutrition.
Stress Management Techniques
Conclusion
Conclusion: When we discuss Stress and its management, we
should understand that this is not the exhaustive list of
the stress factors and the various techniques. Stress can
be confronted and reduced if and only iff we understand ourselves
better, analyze the behavior and identify the stressors. The
stress management techniques will work if we are honest with
ourselves and adopt the techniques in their fullest spirit.
| Authors Details: Madhup Johri, Assistant
Director, IPM
Meerut |
Here is the best, most effective
and permanent stress management solution. It's not
what you think and it has a positive impact on
many other area's of your life. You can find out in the
Key To Life Manual
More Articles On Stress Management Techniques
(Stress
Management Techniques & Strategies Pt 1)
(Stress
Management Techniques & Strategies Pt 2)
(Stress Management
Techniques - 7 ways To Reduce Stress Immediately)
(Stress Management)
(Breathing
& Stress Relief)
(Successful
Stress Management Techniques) |
