Unit 4

Stress management
Introduction to stress management
Types of stress
Advantages & Disadvantages (Stress Management)
Types of stressors
Case Study

Text Books:
- LM Prasad- Principles and practices of Management, sultan Chand
& sons
- Leadership and management skills, v sudha, Maria Pavitra,
Professional books publisher
Combating Stress
Dr.Santosh Kumar
 Stress
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension
 Signs of Stress
When you're under stress, you may feel:
 Worried
 Angry
 Irritable
 Depressed
 Unable to focus
 Stress also affects your body.

Physical signs of stress include:

 Headaches
 Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
 Upset stomach
 Weight gain or loss
 Tense muscles
 Causes of Stress
Common causes of short-term stress:
 Needing to do a lot in a short amount of time
 Having a lot of small problems in the same day, like getting stuck
in traffic jam or running late
 Getting ready for a work or school presentation
 Having an argument

Common causes of long-term stress:

 Having problems at work or at home
 Having money problems
 Having a long-term illness
 Taking care of someone with an illness
 Dealing with the death of a loved one
 Stress Management
The stress management meaning is to reduce the
negative impacts caused by stress and to improve a
person's physical and mental well-being.
Stress management may include self-care, managing
one's response to stress, and making changes to one's
life when in a stressful situation.
Stress Management Skills
 Stress Management
Stress management offers a range of ways to help you
better deal with stress and difficulty, also called
adversity, in your life. Managing stress can help you
lead a more balanced, healthier life.
Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional
response to a difficult event. It's a common part of
everyone's life. When used positively, stress can lead to
growth, action and change. But negative, long-term
stress can lessen your quality of life.
 Stress Management
Stress management approaches include:
Learning skills such as problem-solving, focusing on
important tasks first and managing your time.
Improving your ability to cope with difficult events that
happen in life. For example, you may learn how to improve
your emotional awareness and reactions. You also may learn
how to increase your sense of control. And you may find
greater meaning and purpose in life and have more gratitude
and optimism.
Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing,
yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise and prayer.
Improving your personal relationships.
Advantages of Managing Stress
Over time, long-term stress can lead to health problems.
Advantages/Managing stress can help you:
Sleep better
Control your weight
Have less muscle tension
Be in a better mood
Get along better with family and friends
Disadvantages of feeling Stress
As a result,
the person becomes overworked and stress-related
tension builds.
 Distress can lead to physical symptoms
including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood
pressure, chest pain and
 problems sleeping
. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or
worsen certain symptoms or diseases.
 Stressors
Everyone experiences stress, but it can be overwhelming to
know how to manage it. When major life stressors come up,
it’s important to have strategies to cope and relax.
 Psychologically speaking, a stressor can be events or
environments that individuals might consider demanding,
challenging, and/or threatening individual safety.
The top four most stressful life events include:
Death of a loved one
Divorce
Major illness or injury
Job loss
 Types of Stressors
1. Physiological stressors
These stressors can come from pregnancy, injuries, or other
physical health problems. Sometimes they come unexpectedly,
like if we’re involved in a car accident or stem from other health
issues that we’ve been facing.
2. Lifestyle stressors
The choices we make dictate our lifestyles. Some mean that we
don’t get enough sleep or manage our time correctly.
Our work-life balance also plays a key role in our lifestyle choices
and our stressors.
A lifestyle stressor might be that our demanding job forces us to
order lots of takeouts, which might not properly fuel our bodies.
 Types of Stressors
. Major life event stressors
Life changes can be a huge source of stress while we adjust. These
could be positive sources of stress, like starting college, having a
child, or getting married.
They can also be things that negatively change our lives, like losing
a loved one or losing your job. Even major events like
elections can cause stress.
4. Organizational stressors
Organizational means anything from our schools, workplaces, or
even clubs. Our stressors can stem from the people we work with
at these organizations or the rules we have to follow. They can also
be from pressure, like working for a good grade or meeting a tight
deadline at work.
 Types of Stressors
 5. Financial stressors
 Financial stress is a significant source of stress for people of all ages. One
survey found that
50% of respondents were stressed by simply talking about their finances.
Other financial stressors can come from taxes, thinking about unpaid
bills, and unexpected expenses.
 6. Social stressors
 Our social health is crucial for dealing with stressors. Many studies have
found that
having solid support is important for our physical and mental health
. But a lack of social support or unhealthy social relationships can cause
us stress and damage our mental health.
 These stressors can stem from conflict with people close to us or
loneliness.
 Types of Stressors
7. Environmental stressors
Stressors that come from our environment are out of
our control. We can encounter environmental
stressors like excessive noise or traffic or things like
natural disasters or war.
Sometimes we can manage them ourselves, like
dealing with loud noises, but other times we don’t
have control over things like hurricanes or tornados
around us.
Combating Stress
 Combating Stress
According one survey, at least 82% of Indians are suffering from stress because
of work, health or finances

Though the exact reason for the suicide is not known, work-related stress is
suspected to the reason for the suicide

A 22-year-old M.Tech student ended his life inside the hostel of the Indian
Institutes of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) allegedly over the stress of not
getting a job.

India serves as the highest source of death by suicides globally, with 139,500
people dying from suicide just in 2019
 Types of Stress
Physical stress
This can include trauma (injury, infection, surgery), intense
physical labor/over-exertion, environmental pollution
(pesticides, herbicides, toxins, heavy metals, inadequate
light, radiation, noise, electromagnetic fields), illness (viral,
bacterial, or fungal agents), fatigue, inadequate oxygen
supply, hypoglycemia I (low blood sugar), hormonal and/or
biochemical imbalances, dietary stress (nutritional
deficiencies, food allergies and sensitivities, unhealthy
eating habits), dehydration, substance abuse, dental
challenges, and musculoskeletal
misalignments/imbalances.
 Types of Stress
Psychological stress
This may include emotional stress (resentments, fears,
frustration, sadness, anger, grief/bereavement),
cognitive stress (information overload, accelerated
sense of time, worry, guilt, shame, jealousy, resistance,
attachments, self-criticism, self-loathing, unworkable
perfectionism, anxiety, panic attacks, not feeling like
yourself, not feeling like things are real, and a sense of
being out of control/not being in control), and
perceptual stress (beliefs, roles, stories, attitudes,
world view).
 Types of Stress
Psychosocial stress
This may include relationship/marriage difficulties
(partner, siblings, children, family, employer, co-workers,
employer), lack of social support, lack of resources for
adequate survival, loss of
employment/investments/savings, loss of loved ones,
bankruptcy, home foreclosure, and isolation.
Psycho-spiritual stress
A crisis of values, meaning, and purpose; joyless striving
(instead of productive, satisfying, meaningful and fulfilling
work; and a misalignment within one’s core spiritual beliefs.
 Types of Stress
 Overall, improperly or ineffectively managed stress usually takes a
toll on the body.
 When stress-related feelings, moods, emotions are pushed into the
body
- the soma, this is usually termed psychosomatic or psychogenic
illness, including headaches, heart palpitations,
physical/cognitive/emotional pain and suffering
 constricted breathing, clammy palms, fatigue, nausea, anxiety,
allergies, asthma, autoimmune syndromes related to acute stress
due to an ineffective functioning of the immune system,
 hypertension (high blood pressure), and gastrointestinal
disturbances such as diarrhea, upset stomach, duodenal ulcers and
esophageal reflux syndrome.
 Combating Stress
More students ended their lives in 2020 than 2019,
according to data compiled by the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB).
Student suicides have risen 27% over five years, NCRB
data shows.
 In 2021, over 1,600 suicides had “failure in
examination” as reason.
 Stress & Pressure
Stress refers to the situation of too many demands and
not enough resources – time, money, energy – to meet
them.
Pressure is a situation in which you perceive that
something at stake is dependent on the outcome of
your performance.
 Stress & Pressure
The more positive thoughts you have the less negative
ones you have time for.
Coaches all over the world tell their players
regularly to relax; don't try and bowl too fast or hit
the ball too hard.
The reason is that trying too hard make you tense up
and instead of hitting or bowling better, you get worse.
 Stress & Pressure
Pressure to do well at school has been shown
to increase stress and anxiety in students, leading
to poorer physical, social and emotional health.
Students can feel pressure from their parents, school,
teachers, society or themselves to achieve higher
grades and academic success.
Kapil’s Talk on Pressure
 Effects of Stress
There are a variety of unwanted effects that a young
person can develop from academic pressure. Academic
pressure can cause an adolescent to experience
emotional and/ or physical symptoms of stress.
Immense academic pressure can cause a young person
to struggle with any of the following examples,
provided by Stanford University:
 Effects of Stress
Obsession with grades
Anxiety
Extreme competitiveness
Changes in appetite
Working constantly
Stimulant abuse (e.g., caffeine, prescription medications,
etc.)
Sleep difficulties
Inability to relax
Social isolation
Loss of interest in previously enjoyed pastimes
 Stress
Academic pressure does not always lead to better
grades and improved test scores.

Research has found that excessive levels of academic

stress can result in an “increased prevalence of
psychological and physical problems like depression,
anxiety, nervousness, and stress-related disorders,”
which in turn can adversely affect academic results.
Managing Stress
Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress

 Feeling emotional and nervous or having trouble sleeping and eating can all be
normal reactions to stress. Here are some healthy ways you can deal with stress:

 Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including those
on social media.

 It’s good to be informed but hearing about the traumatic event constantly can be
upsetting. Consider limiting news to just a couple of times a day and disconnecting
from phone, TV and computer screens for a while.

 Take care of yourself. Eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and give yourself a
break if you feel stressed out.
Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
Take care of your body.
Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate.
Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
Exercise regularly.
Get plenty of sleep.
Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco, and substance use.
Continue with routine preventive measures (such as
vaccinations, cancer screenings, etc.) as recommended by
your healthcare provider.
Get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible;
get a booster shot if you are age 18 or older.
Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
 Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
 Talk to others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and
how you are feeling. Share your problems and how you are feeling
and coping with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.
 Connect with your community- or faith-based organizations.
 Avoid drugs and alcohol. These may seem to help, but they can
create additional problems and increase the stress you are already
feeling.
 Recognize when you need more help. If problems continue or you
are thinking about suicide, talk to a psychologist, social worker, or
professional counselor.
 TAKE CARE

THANK YOU