Stress Management

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4. Managing stress effectively means using it to your advantage. Like an athlete putting forward his best in a crucial race. But allowing it to control your life is a sure path to disaster. Negative stress affects the body and mind damaging health and impairing the ability to perform. “ Stress can kill. It is the attitude which takes you first to the winning post” Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

7. Hierarchy Diagram Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

8. Stress is a stimulus (spur/goad) which cause a response. Stress is defence mechanism that any living being ;plant, animal or human being adopts to tackle new or threatening situations. While in ancient times this threat might have come from hunger or attack by wild animals , in modern days the threat is more delicate It takes the form of having to answer 3 telephone calls at a time , deals with 20 files in half an hour or having to complete processing some urgent proposals. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

9. Not only you feel stressed out by the time you try to complete all your work at the office ,when you reach home ,there is pandemonium because the washing machine has conked out, your wife is unwell or your daughter coming with demands Stress is “Anything that causes ANXIETY,ANGER,FEAR AND WORRY Stress is something that which has an impact on the body or the mind. This impact is usually negative. STRESS IS LIFELONG COMPANION . Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

10. In short-Stress is 1. Natural Response 2. Impacts with body and mind 3.Brings out the best in some people 4.Has adverse effect on most 5.Can harm health “ SO CONTROL STRESS BEFORE IT CONTROLS YOU” Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

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14. Type A Personalities are characterized by the following qualities 1.Achiever 2.Aggressive 3.Competitive 4.Impatient 5.Fast Talking 6.Poor Listeners 7.Lacking Empathy Type A People are more prone to Stress among the Three Groups Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

15. Type B Personalities – are the opposites of Type A people. Let’s look at some of their traits . They are:- 1.Unhurried 2.Relaxed 3.Patient 4.Empathetic 4.Non-Competitive 5.Not Aggressive Type B people rarely fall victim to stress but at the same time they are in danger of being called lazy Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

16. Type AB Which Combines the best of these two type , is perhaps the best cocktail. These are people who are truly balanced .Combined type A and B qualities in moderate measures and can cope with any situations positive or negative with equanimity Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

17. Of all the Three Personalities , Type A is more prone to stress Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

18. Environment 1.Home 2.Family 3.Work 4.Colleague 5.Education 6.Training 7.Life Style 8.Attitude 9.General Health Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

19. The Home where we spend most of our life is the most important environmental factor in our life. If home is peaceful secure and stress free ,we are better equipped to face challenges elsewhere Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

20. Family : Within the family the contribution of each member to a stress free atmosphere is important. Children model themselves on adults. So it is important for grownups not to yield to stress by shouting or screaming. The executive in particular has to realize that in the home , he or she is just another member of the family with the same privilege as the rest. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

21. Work The work place is typically stress prone. This is because a sense of achievement (in varying degrees) is important for all employees, whatever role they are performing. The roads to achievement is invariably littered with stresses What is important is to learn to manage the natural stresses that arise in the work place and thus ensure better productivity Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

22. colleagues You can choose your family and friends , but not your colleagues. But it is your colleagues who will play a large part in your success or failure.! Be prepared to accept colleagues for what they are and derive strength from them and not stress . Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

23. Knowledge Feeling under skilled affects your productivity and adds to stress Do not hesitate to acquire the knowledge from whatever source it is available Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

24. Training Inability to keep up with the constantly changing paradigms(business models) aggravates Stress. Obtain proper training and you will feel on par with your colleagues and thus more secure and stress free. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

25. Keep going, it would be good for you to recognize your role in life. Life Style can become a big source of stress if it does not match your income. your life style should suite yourself , not your neighbour , your colleagues or even your relatives. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

26. Attitude A positive energetic approach to work from Day 1 will keep off stress General Health If you are ill you will feel even simpler task difficult and your stress level will shoot up. Good fitness level will see you bouncing in and out of the office with ease. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

27. Quiz 1.The primary causes of stress : personality type and the surrounding environment. 2.Empathy is a characteristics of Type B personality 3.The ideal personality type is Type AB 4.Good Health contributes to low stress 5.Aggression is a characteristics of Type A Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

28. Symptoms of stress Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

29. It is important to recognize these symptoms. Each individual has to spend some time to figure out whether the symptoms are due to some physical problems (for example backache caused by bad posture ) or as a result of stress . Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

31. Managing Stress Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

32. 1.Be committed to whatever you are doing 2.Time management is crucial. you will be stressed out if you are ten minutes late to work everyday. 3.Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can finish today. 4.Don’t lose control especially when confronting change 5.Believe in yourself. 6.But in situations where you know you are right and superior or majority opinion is different ,let go. 7.Think positive .Be honest with self assessment 8.Don’t expect reward every time for good work done. 9.Don’t indulge in nostalgia about past good times and current bad times. The golden age of the past is a myth 10.Take break 11.Keep fit 12.Practice relaxation techniques Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

34. Relaxation Techniques Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

35. Mind is stronger than matter. Ancient healing systems in fact trace many diseases to the mind. They are called psychosomatic disorders. Problems caused by stress would definitely fall under this category. But think of it this way . If it is all in your mind then you will have the ability to control what’s happening to you. Let us look at two stress management techniques VISUALIZATION & MEDITATION 23. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

36. VISUALIZATION This technique involves allowing your imagination to soar free and focus on positive scenarios. For instance , if you have a stress induced backache , slowly visualize your back. The muscle, the spinal chord, The ligaments everything. Then target your brain on each part and visualize as healthy, without pain. Slowly you will find your muscle relaxing and tension slipping away. Imagine yourself in an open field lying on the grass with a patch of sun flowers a short distance away. The sky is blue the birds are singing and the trees are green. There is a shimmering lake to your side, while in the distance you can see a mountain ranges .Get up slowly and start climbing the hills. Breathe in the fresh air, exercise your unused muscles. Before you realize it you have reached the top of the hill That made me feel really wonderful ! Top of the world and in command of everything Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

37. Meditation Meditation is different from visualisation.It involves more concentrated effort Select a place where you will not be disturbed. Sit in the cross legged posture on a mat .Keep your hands at your sides. Focus your eyes on any object. Breath in deeply in and out. As you will be taking in more oxygen than usual you will start feeling a little sleepy. Do not worry about that but resist the temptation to close your eyes.. After 10 minutes remove your focus from the picture and instead thinking of any random word.. Repeat the word in your mind for as long as you can for up to 5 minutes . You feel relaxed . A word of caution Don’t do meditation on a full stomach .Before food is ideal Or one hour after food. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com

38. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com Relaxation for Senses Sight Looking to the cool grey waters of an indoor aquarium sparkling with gold and silver myriad fish. Or indulging in lively activities with children. Touch There can be no more immediate release of tension from the body than a good massage Taste Watch what you eat and drink. Avoid caffeine before bedtime. Moderation is the key word. Breakfast like King, Lunch like a Prince and Dine like a Beggar Hearing Music sets the mood for any occasion and soothing music soothes the mind. For management of stress the choice of music is all too important. Olfactory Aromatherapy which uses different fragrances therapeutically has now become an accepted method of treating both physical and mental disorder.

39. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com Relaxation for the Body . These are exercises which help the mind and body to relax. Make sleep come easier at Night. Ease tension during Day. Close your left hand into a tight fist. Open as slowly as you can. Repeat. Do the same exercise with your right hand . Repeat. Make fist again and bring your left arm stiffening it. Let it fall back as slowly as possible. Repeat . Do the same exercise with your right hand and arm. Spread out the fingers of your left hand as wide as possible. Bring them back together as slowly as possible . Repeat. Do the same exercise with the right hand. Crinkle your forehead into a frown as much as you can .Release slowly. Repeat

40. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com Grit your teeth as hard as you can . Release slowly . Repeat. The neck is one part of the body which always become stiff and painful when you are under stress. These exercise will relieve that discomfort. They can be done sitting or lying. Turn your head slowly to the right. Bring it back as slowly as you can . Do the same turning your head to the right. Repeat. Bring your head down and press your chin onto your chest as much as you can.Relese slowly. Press your head backwards as much as you can.Relese slowly. Repeat. Twist your tongue into a rolled up position .Release slowly. Repeat

41. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com Press the shoulders back into the mattress as much as you can .Release slowly and come back to natural position. Repeat. Take in stomach as much as you can Release slowly . Repeat. Put off stomach as much as you can Release slowly . Repeat Bring spine up from the mat as much as you can.Relese slowly. Repeat . The next exercises involves the shoulders , stomach and spine. They can be done by lying down. Do not use a pillow Take a deep breath and hold it for seconds .Release slowly. Stand up. Bend your foot from ankle inward as much as you can.Relese. Repeat Bend your foot from ankle onwards as much as you can .Release. Repeat. Press balls of feet on the ground/mat.Release.Repeat

42. Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com Lie down. Tighten your fists. Crinkle your forehead. Press your shoulders back. Take in your stomach. Press your spine down and press the ball of your feet on the mat. When the whole body is tense, release slowly. YOU FEEL TOTALLY RELAXED NOW Then do the last exercise in the following order The exercise we just practised use:- The Principle of building tension The release of tension To achieve relaxation

43. Quiz 1.Relaxation technique should target the mind, the body and the senses –True 2.Technique like visualization and meditation do help to manage stress-True 3.The right type of music is important if you are listening to music for stress relaxation –True 4.Relaxation exercises make you feel wide awake-No 5.When you are doing a hand exercise you should close your fist and release it as slow as possible. True Prepared By P A Thomas pabrahamthomas@gmail.com