Stress
Some
facts
1. The CBI estimate that over 360 million
working days a year are lost due to stress-related illnesses
2. www.NetDoctor.org
undertook a survey which suggested that 1 in 3 people felt life to be
less than worthwhile, while 1 in 10 thought they would be better off
dead
3. It costs the UK £3 billion a year for
the psychiatric treatment of stress-related illnesses
4. Sleep difficulties are one of the most
common symptoms of stress
5. 70% of the 4,000 annual suicides in
the UK are people suffering from depression and 15% of those experiencing
depression go on to commit suicide
6. 1 in 10 people suffer from Panic Attacks
and Panic Attacks are a common stress-related symptom
Litigation
The Health
& Safety at Work Act 1974 clearly states that employers are responsible
for both the psychological as well as physiological well-being of employees.
Court cases for stress-related illnesses are now more common-place and
individuals have been awarded increasing large sums of money for being
exposed to intolerable levels of stress by organisations.
However, changes in legislation now place the emphasis on the employee to inform the employer of any difficulties they are experiencing and the sums of compensation being awarded are currently being rethought.
What
is Stress?
A simple
way of understanding stress is to think in terms of the demands that
are made of you and the resources you have to cope with those demands.
When the "demands" made of you by your family, your friends and your
employer are balanced by your personal and organisational "resources",
you experience what could be termed pressure. Pressure is motivating
and some people thrive on a considerable amount. However, when your
resources are unable to cope with the demands being made of you, you
become stressed. The more that is asked of you and the less resources
you have to cope the more stressed you are likely to become. Stress
is a biological response with the release of stress hormones into the
blood stream. Our "fight or flight" response is a survival mechanism
and one we should value and use to best advantage. However, it is unlikely
that the things we are stressed out by will be life threatening and
yet our bodies respond as if they are. In the long-term prolonged exposure
to stress hormones is debilitating.
The
Stress Response: a simple guide
The
stress response is the body's natural defence mechanism for dealing with
danger. If activated for short periods of time the stress response will
not cause the individual undue harm. However, if it is activated and sustained
over long periods of time then both psychological and physical damage
is likely to be experienced by the individual.
The most
common physical, emotional and behavioural stress-related symptoms are
listed below It would be best to describe stress as a 'syndrome' with
each person experiencing his or her own individual set of symptoms.
Physical,
emotional and behavioural signs of stress
|
Physical
signs
- palpitations-throbbing
heart
- pain
and tightness in the chest
- indigestion
- breathlessness
- nausea
- muscle
twitches
- tiredness
- vague
aches or pains
- skin
irritation or rashes
- susceptibility
to allergies
- clenched
fists or jaw
- fainting
- frequent
colds, flu or other infections
- recurrence
of previous illnesses
- constipation
or diarrhoea
- rapid
weight gain or loss
- alteration
of the menstrual pattern in women
Emotional
signs
- swings
in mood
- increased
worrying
- feeling
tense
- drained;
no enthusiasm
- feeling
angry
- feeling
guilty
|
- cynical
- feeling
nervous, apprehensive, anxious
- feelings
of helplessness
- loss
of confidence
- lack
of self-esteem
- lack
of concentration
- withdrawal
into day-dreams
Behavioural
signs
- accident
proneness
- poor
work
- increased
smoking
- increased
consumption of alcohol
- increased
dependence on drugs
- overeating
or loss of appetite
- change
in sleep pattern, difficulty in getting to sleep and
waking tired
- loss
of interest in sex
- poor
time management
- impaired
speech
- withdrawal
from supportive relationships
- irritability
- taking
work home more
- too
busy to relax
- not
looking after oneself
|
|
Where
are you on the burnout scale?
|
Stage
1
Loss of energy and enthusiasm Overconscientious and overworked
Feelings of uncertainty
Doubts about coping
|
Warning
signs
Too busy to take holidays
Reluctant to take days off
Bringing work home
Too little time with partner/family
Frustrated with results
Unable to refuse more work |
 |
Stage
2
Short-lived bouts of irritation
Tiredness and anxiety
Feelings of stagnation
Blaming others |
Warning
signs
Complaints about the quality of other people's work
Unable to cope with pressure of work commitments
Working long hours
Unable to manage time efficiently
Too many social or work commitments |
 |
|
Stage
3
General discontent
Increased anger/resentment
Lowering of self-esteem
Growing guilt
Lack of emotional commitment
Apathy
|
Warning
signs
Lack of enjoyment of life
Extreme exhaustion
Reduced commitment to work
Reduced commitment at home |
 |
Stage
4
Withdrawal
Illness
Feelings of failure
Extreme personal distress |
Danger
signs
Increasing absenteeism
Avoiding colleagues
Reluctance to communicate
Increasing isolation
Physical ailments
Alcohol or drug abuse |
 |
Stress
Management and Stress Coaching and Counselling
Learning
how to get the most out of life using the least energy is the aim of
good stress management and stress counselling. Interventions are aimed
at providing individuals with new ways of turning unhealthy stress into
healthy pressure. The aim is not to take the stressful life events away
but rather help the individual become more resilient and able to cope.
There are as many stress management techniques as there are people and
each person requires an individually tailored programme. However, a
few tips are listed below.
1.
learn
about stress
2.
understand what exactly causes you to be stressed
3. accept yourself as a 'fallible' human
being and recognise that everyone has limits and you are no exception
4. make sure you eat little and often and
don't skip breakfast
5. drink 2 litres of water a day
6. increase the amount of exercise you
take - for example, park the car a mile away from the office so you
have to walk two miles a day
7. understand your thinking style and the
pressures you place on yourself
8. take control of your life
9.
engage in some form of relaxation - for example, even a long hot bath
in a candlelit bathroom is a form of relaxation
10. ensure you keep up with friends and
family as social support can be a real tonic
11. make sure you laugh at least once a
day
12. practice breathing exercises as a way
of reducing anxiety
13. don't put off things you are scared
off as this makes the fear worse - just do it
14. make a list of 3 positive things that
have happened to you during the day and think about them before going
to bed
15. undertake a life audit and think about
categories such as family, friends, work, education, fun, health, finances
and the like. Under each category write what you like and what you don't
like or want. Look at the things you like and really savour these aspects.
Then look at what you don't like or what you want and plan ways of changing
what you don't like and getting more of what you do
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