Stress Management Techniques and Ideal Responses To Deal With It

Stress is an adoptive response to a situation that is perceived as challenging or threatening to a person’s well-being. The American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1999 defines stress as : ‘The harmful physical and emotional response that occur when the requirements of the job work, college work do not match the capabilities, resources or the needs of the individual.

In today’s fast paced world, there is virtually no organization free of stress. At many point of time in life or career, people come across some problems either in their work or personal life, when it starts influencing and affecting their performance and increasing the stress levels of the individual. The employees can be stressed, depressed, suffering from too much anxiety arising out of various workplace related issues like constant pressure to meet the deadlines, unrealistic targets or work-load, responsibility and accountability, meeting targets, lack of time to fulfill personal and family commitments or bereaved and disturbed due to some personal problem.

Stressors, the cause of stress, include any environmental conditions that place a physical or emotional demand on a person.

There are three main factors that influence stress are:

Environmental Factors :Just as an environmental uncertainty influence the design of an organization’s structure, it also influences stress levels among employees in that organization. The corona virus disease 2019 ( COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions such as “Social Distancing” can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. However, these actions are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Organizational Factors: There are many factors within the organization that can cause stress. Some of them are as follows:-

Task Demand: They include the design of the individuals job, working conditions and the physical work layout

Role Demands: It relates to pressure placed on a person as the function of the particular role he/she wants to play in the organization. Role conflict create expectation that may be hard to reconcile of satisfy.

Role Demands: It relates to pressure placed on a person as the function of the particular role he/she wants to play in the organization. Role conflict create expectation that may be hard to reconcile of satisfy.

Interpersonal Demand: These are pressure created by other individuals. Lack of social support from colleagues and poor interpersonal relationships can cause considerable stress, especially among individuals with high social need.

Organizational Leadership: It represents the managerial style of the organizations senior executives. They establish unrealistic pressure to perform in the short run.

Individual Factors: It is not just environmental and organizational factors that induces stress in individuals. Experiences and problems that people encounter in the non work hours also create stress in individuals. Primarily these factors are family issues, personal financial problems and inherent personality characteristics.

Stress shows itself in the number of ways. When we fail to release stress by coping with life situations. It builds up until we either explode or collapse. The consequences of stress can cause specific disorders in both mind and body. In addition to raising levels of stress hormones, adrenaline, headache, digestive problems, eating disorder etc.

Some of the common symptoms of stress are as follows:-

Physiological Symptoms:

• Indigestion.

• Increasing blood pressure.

• Muscle tension.

• Frequent headache.

• Nausea.

• Loss of appetite.

• Stomach cramps.

• Increased sweating.

• Loss of appetite.

Psychological Symptoms:

• Anxiety.

• Depression.

• Feeling of guilt.

• Mood swings.

• Unable to feel happy.

• Loss of appetite.

• Low self-esteem.

• Lack of interest in activities.

Behavioral Symptoms:

• Aggressive behavior.

• Carelessness.

• Rapid Speech.

• Self Harming.

• Fast driving.

• Withdrawal.

• Hostility.

Techniques Of Stress Management

Autogenic Training: It is a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist- Johannes Heinrich Schultz in 1932. This technique involves the daily practice of sessions that last around 15 mins, usually in the morning, lunch time and in the evening. During each session the practitioner will repeat a set of visualization that induces a state of relaxation. Each session can be practiced in a position chosen among a set of recommended postures- lying down, sitting meditation, sitting like a rag doll. Autogenic training restores the balance between the activity of the sympathetic (flight & fight) and the parasympathetic (rest & digest) of the autonomic nervous system. This bowel of movements lowers the blood pressure, slows the heart rate and promotes the functions of the immune system.

Cognitive Therapy: Cognitive therapy was developed by American Psychiatrist Aaron T Beck in 1960. Cognitive Therapy seeks to help the individual overcome difficulties by identifying and changing dysfunctional thinking, behavior and emotional responses. This involves helping individuals develop skills for modifying beliefs, identifying distorted thinking, relating to others in different ways and changing behaviors.

Self-Hypnosis: Cognitive therapy was developed by American Psychiatrist Aaron T Beck in 1960. Cognitive Therapy seeks to help the individual overcome difficulties by identifying and changing dysfunctional thinking, behavior and emotional responses. This involves helping individuals develop skills for modifying beliefs, identifying distorted thinking, relating to others in different ways and changing behaviors.

Exercise: Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively in maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength and joint mobility, promoting physiological well being, reducing surgical risks and strengthening the immune system.

Developing a hobby: A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one’s leisure time. In order for us to overcome stress that we are feeling, we need to have a natural outlet of some sort or another.

Meditation: It refers to any family practice in which the practitioner trains his/her mind or self-induces a mode of consciousness in order to realize some benefit. Meditation is the process in which a person attempts to concentrate his mind by focusing on an object or an idea by excluding all the other objects and ideas from the mind.

Deep Breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing or coastal breathing is the act of breathing by contracting one’s diaphragm creating room for the lungs to expand down , rather than laterally through the expansion of the rib cage.

Yoga Nidra: It is a sleep like state that occurs with practitioners meditation. It includes relaxation and guided visualization techniques as well as the psychology of dream, sleep and Yoga.

Spending Time in Nature: Nature can help reduce a person’s stress as well as improve attention. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) asserts that people can concentrate better after spending time in nature, or even looking at scenes of nature.

Listening to relaxing music: Listening to music does wonder to alleviate stress. Everyone has different tastes in music. Music has always been a great healer. Music is significant mood-changer and reliever of stress.

About The Author:

Miss. Priyanka Lakra Soreng
[Assistant Professor, CIM]
Website: Corporate Institute of Management Bhopal

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