MANAGING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS(HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION(EDUC 606) PART 2

1. Common effects of stress
Indeed, stress
symptoms can affect
your body, your
thoughts and feelings,
and your behavior.
Being able to
recognize common
stress symptoms can
help you manage
them. Stress that's left
unchecked can
contribute to many
health problems, such
as high blood
pressure, heart
disease, obesity and
diabetes.
Stress and Heart Disease Research shows that stress can… • have direct effects
on development of coronary heart disease • increase heart rate and heart
contraction force • affect blood flow

3. Symptoms of Stress
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Anxious • Mood swings
• Short temper
• Rundown and tired
• Headaches and body aches
• Tightness in muscles
• Back and neck pain
• Anger
• Depression
• Heart palpitations
• Irregular menstruation cycles
• Loss of sexual function
• Loss of sexual desire

4. Common effects of stress
On your body On your mood On your behavior
Headache Anxiety Overeating or under eating
Muscle tension or
pain
Restlessness Angry outbursts
Chest pain Lack of motivation or
focus
Drug or alcohol misuse
Fatigue Feeling overwhelmed Tobacco use
Change in sex drive Irritability or anger Social withdrawal
Stomach upset Sadness or
depression
Exercising less often
Sleep problems

5. Stress management – is the ability to prevent or cope with stress and maintain
wellness.
 Preventing and coping with stress:
Stress Prevention is the best first line strategy for dealing
with stress. It involves taking action for yourself or others to keep
stress from reaching destructive levels in the first place. In
particular, stressors emerging from personal and non – work
factors must be recognized so that action can be taken to prevent
them from adversely affecting the work experience. It involves
taking actions to prevent the emergence of stress that becomes
destructive.
Strategies use by different organizations to prevent destructive levels of stress:
1. Empowerment and participation – allowing workers to have more say in
decisions affecting them and their work.
2. Job redesign – Creating enriched jobs that make work more interesting and
responsible for individuals and groups.
3. Goal setting – making sure that every worker understands job expectations
and has challenging but achievable, performance goals.
4. Communication – providing everyone with continual information about
performance accomplishments by themselves, their workgroups and
organization as a whole.
5. Selection, placement and training – emphasizing a proper ‘person-job’
match when filing jobs moving people as appropriate to new jobs; and giving
everyone the chance to update and expand their skills continually through
training and development.
Other strategies for reducing stress include:
1. Identify what's causing stress. Monitor your state of mind throughout the
day. If you feel stressed, write down the cause, your thoughts and your mood.
Once you know what's bothering you, develop a plan for addressing it.
2. Build strong relationships. Relationships can be a source of stress. Reach
out to family members or close friends and let them know you're having a
tough time. They may be able to offer practical assistance and support, useful
ideas or just a fresh perspective as you begin to tackle whatever's causing
your stress.
3. Walk away when you're angry. Before you react, take time to regroup by
counting to 10. Then reconsider. Walking or other physical activities can also
help you work off steam. Plus, exercise increases the production of
Image by: Joan Brasher

6. endorphins, your body's natural mood-booster. Commit to a daily walk or
other form of exercise — a small step that can make a big difference in
reducing stress levels.
4. Rest your mind. According to APA's 2012 Stress in America survey, stress
keeps more than 40 percent of adults lying awake at night. To help ensure
you get the recommended seven or eight hours of shut-eye, cut back on
caffeine, remove distractions such as television or computers from your
bedroom and go to bed at the same time each night. Research shows that
activities like yoga and relaxation exercises not only help reduce stress, but
also boost immune functioning.8
5. Get help. If you continue to feel overwhelmed, consult with a psychologist or
other licensed mental health professional who can help you learn how to
manage stress effectively.
From American Psychological Association's
 Six ways in which to manage excessive stress
1. Control the situation – Avoid unrealistic
deadlines. Do your best , but know your limits.
You cannot do everything to everyone.
2. Use time management techniques – Avoid trap
of trying to do too many things at once and then
failing to accomplish much, if anything at all.
3. Pace yourself – Plan your day, Do not try to do
two or more things at the same time. Think before
reacting to negative situations or people.
4. Open up to others – communicate to other specially to those people for whom
you trusted and care for you such as; family and friends.
5. Exercise and relax - Scientists have found that regular exercise can decrease
overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize your mood, improve sleep and even
self-esteem. About five minutes of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate anti-
anxiety effects.
6. Practice the relaxation response – when feeling upright relax for a few minutes
by following these simple steps
a) sit with eyes closed in a quiet location
b) slowly repeat a peaceful word or phrase over and over
c) take complete but comfortable breaths
d) avoid distracting thoughts
Image by: Joan Brasher

7. Other ways to manage stress
1. Get Better Sleep - When you’re stressed, healthy
sleep patterns are often disrupted first. Being awake
and staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. is a common sign
that you’re dealing with too much pressure. But poor
sleep amplifies the symptoms of stress and interferes
with your coping mechanisms and decision-making
skills.
2. Talk It Out - Finding the right friend or family
member and venting to them about the stress you’re
encountering can be very calming, and has been
shown to reduce the signs of anxiety.
3. Use Stress Reduction Techniques -
Learn to release your stress through
proven activities such as meditation,
mindfulness, progressive muscle
relaxation, or massage.
4. Have Fun - Get away from it all. Gledhill
gives us all permission to make time for
what we enjoy. Engage in hobbies.
Socialize with friends and family as long as
these relationships don’t add any tension
to your stress-load. Laughter is the best
medicine and fun activities provide a
source of “eustress,”
5. Optimize Your Nutrition - Stress makes some people ravenously hungry and for
others it can kill their appetite. Both states are not great for our nutrition. Stress
can lead to bad food decisions which can make you feel further run down.
by: Dr. Scott Gledhill (Senior Medical Consultant at Medcan)
Image by: Jenn Savedge