My Advice for Eliminating Stress

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

We all have stress of some kind or the other. In modern times, it’s not just the adults, even small children fall prey to stress for various reasons. Stress cannot be wished away with a magic wand, nor can it be treated by downing umpteen stress relief medicines. It is we, who have to make up our mind to identify the areas of our stress and learn to tackle one by one with honest approach and judicious planning. Some of the stress relief steps mentioned here should help you in eliminating reasonable amount of stress, if not fully.

• Do not think you are the only one that is suffering from stress. There are millions of others who are in worse situations.

• Make time for everything in a planned way. Do not wait till the last-minute and throw a fit.

• Stop blaming others for your blunders but learn to own up mistakes.

• Learn to say sorry and banish your “good for nothing” ego.

• Spend time with little children and indulge them.

• Spare time for music and dance, attend local theater shows with your spouse or loved ones.

• Learn to say no to work on weekends. It’s not easy, but not difficult either.

• Do not accept absurd targets and accept your limitations.

• Get up on the right side of your bed every morning and look at something pleasant and soothing. Do not get up with a start but take your time to sit up.

• Make time for your meals, eat sensibly and learn to enjoy your food.

• Remember you are not indispensable at work; hence it’s not the length of time but quality of work that will count.

• Make holidaying with your family a compulsory one.

• Meditate and work out daily to keep stress at bay. During workouts, do what suits your system and not just what others are doing.

• Learn to say thanks – with a hug or a shake hand as the situation warrants – where needed.

Simple Techniques for Managing Stress

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Today’s world is chock-full of stress. Whether it be the intense pressure of deadlines or the draining tension of sitting in traffic, just going through one’s daily life makes it painfully apparent how important stress management techniques can be. Reading the news makes this even more clear, as it’s not uncommon to see a new headline about the link between stress and disease every few months. Indeed, stress has been linked to heart disease and cancer, the two biggest killers in the world.

Stress Management Techniques

It’s easy to find advice on stress management; the difficulty is sorting out the legitimate methods of stress management from the old wives’ tales and quackery. When you do that, you find that some of the best stress management techniques are the oldest and best-known.

1. Counting to Ten

You’ve heard the platitude many times that counting to ten can help to calm you down when you’re upset. But scientific research has proven this to be true. When you become especially upset (e.g. angry, overly emotional), stopping and counting to ten has a legitimate calming effect on your mind and body. Sometimes this 10-second break can allow you your feelings to reside instead of reaching the tipping point and leading to an emotional landslide.

2. Exercise

Exercise is a healthy way to release pent up energy and frustration. There is a reason human beings have always engaged in and surrounded themselves with sport and recreational activities: they make us feel better. Not to mention that exercising naturally makes your body more resilient to the negative consequences of prolonged stress (like heart disease).

3. Breathing

Learning some quality breathing techniques can dramatically change your ability to deal with stress. Breathing from the belly, instead of the chest, has a natural calming effect. It can take your body from stress-mode to relaxed in only a matter of minutes, and is one reason meditation has such a calming effect on the body.

Stress can be a very harmful thing if left unchecked. Its effect can be exacerbated in today’s high-pressure world. Follow some of these stress management tips to help yourself to a more relaxed–and healthier–life!

written by: marcdingman@gmail.com

What is Burnout?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. Research indicates general practitioners have the highest proportion of burnout cases; according to a recent Dutch study in Psychological Reports, no less than 40% of these experienced high levels of burnout. Burnout is not a recognized disorder in the DSM although it is recognized in the ICD-10 as “Problems related to life-management difficulty”.

The most well-studied measurement of burnout in the literature is the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Maslach and her colleague Jackson first identified the construct “burnout” in the 1970s, and developed a measure that weighs the effects of emotional exhaustion and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. This indicator has become the standard tool for measuring burnout in research on the syndrome. The Maslach Burnout Inventory uses a three dimensional description of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy.

Some researchers and practitioners have argued for an “exhaustion only” model that sees that symptom as the hallmark of burnout. Maslach and her colleague, Michael Leiter, defined the antithesis of burnout as engagement. Engagement is characterized by energy, involvement and efficacy, the opposites of exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy. Many theories of burnout contain negative outcomes related to burnout, including job function (performance, output, etc.), health related outcomes (increases in stress hormones, coronary heart disease, circulatory issues) and mental health problems (depression, etc.).

The term burnout in psychology was coined by Herbert Freudenberger in his 1974 Staff Burnout, presumably based on the 1960 novel A Burnt-Out Case by Graham Greene, which describes a protagonist suffering from burnout.

Organizational burnout

Tracy’s study of workers aboard cruise ships describes burnout as “a general wearing out or alienation from the pressures of work” (Tracy, 2000 p. 6) “Understanding burnout to be personal and private is problematic when it functions to disregard the ways burnout is largely an organizational issue caused by long hours, little down time, and continual peer, customer, and superior surveillance”.

How the stress is processed determines how much stress is felt and how close the person is to burnout. One individual can experience few stressors, but be unable to process the stress well and thus experience burnout. Another person, however, can experience a significant amount of stressors, but process each well, and avoid burnout. How close a person is to a state of burnout can be determined through various tests.

Phases

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North have theorized that the burnout process can be divided into 12 phases, which are not necessarily followed sequentially, nor necessarily in any sense be relevant or exist other than as an abstract construct.

Prevention

While individuals can cope with the symptoms of burnout, the only way to truly prevent burnout is through a combination of organizational change and education for the individual. Organizations address these issues through their own management development, but often they engage external consultants to assist them in establishing new policies and practices supporting a healthier worklife.

Maslach and Leiter postulated that burnout occurs when there is a disconnect between the organization and the individual with regard to what they called the six areas of work life: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. Resolving these discrepancies requires integrated action on the part of both the individual and the organization.

A better connection on workload means assuring adequate resources to meet demands as well as work/life balances that encourage employees to revitalize their energy. A better connection on values means clear organizational values to which employees can feel committed. A better connection on community means supportive leadership and relationships with colleagues rather than discord.

One approach for addressing these discrepancies focuses specifically on the fairness area. In one study employees met weekly to discuss and attempt to resolve perceived inequities in their job. This study revealed decreases in the exhaustion component over time but did not affect cynicism or inefficacy indicating that a broader approach is required.

Coping strategies

There are a variety of ways that both individuals and organizations can deal with burnout. In general, resting proves to be very effective. This may include a temporary reduction of working hours, slowly rebuilding the endurance of the individual. In his book, Managing stress: Emotion and power at work (1995), Newton argues that many of the remedies related to burnout are motivated not from an employee’s perspective, but from the organization’s perspective.

Despite that, if there are benefits to coping strategies, then it would follow that both organizations and individuals should attempt to adopt some burnout coping strategies. Below are some of the more common strategies for dealing with burnout.

Organizational aspects

Stemming from Mayo’s Hawthorne Studies, Employee Assistance Programs were designed to assist employees in dealing with the primary causes of stress. Some programs included counseling and psychological services for employees. There are organizations that still utilize EAPs today, but the popularity has diminished substantially because of the advent of stress management training (SMT).Stress Management Training (SMT) is employed by many organizations today as a way to get employees to either work through stress or to manage their stress levels; to maintain stress levels below that which might lead to higher instances of burnout.Research has been conducted that links certain interventions, such as narrative writing or topic-specific training to reductions in physiological and psychological stress.

Individual aspects

On an individual basis, employees can cope with the problems related to burnout and stress by focusing on the causes of their stress. Various therapies, such as Neurofeedback therapy, claim to assist in cases of burnout. This type of coping has successfully been linked to reductions in individual stress.Appraisal-based coping strategies deal with individual interpretations of what is and is not a stress inducing activity. There have been mixed findings related to the effectiveness of appraisal-based coping strategies.

Social support

Social support has been seen as one of the largest predictors toward a reduction in burnout and stress for workers. Creating an organizationally-supportive environment as well as ensuring that employees have supportive work environments do mediate the negative aspects of burnout and stress.

Source: wikipedia

Stress and the Three Dynamic Forces of the Ayurvedic Tradition

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

There are three dynamic forces and their related personality types in the
Ayurvedic tradition in India. Each type may influence your physical and emotional wellbeing. Personality traits associated with the three forces may lead to different approaches to situations and different experiences to stress. The three forces are: the Vata, Pitta and Kapha types.

The Vata (air and upper regions of space) is connected to breathing and movement. It is said to govern feelings and emotions, including fear, anxiety, and pain. The following are characteristic of Vata type people: mental alertness and creativity; easily aroused and easily satiated; talkative, thin; tend to have cold hands and feet; excitable; moody; like uncertainty; variable appetite; excitable; racing thoughts; generally have dry skin, dry hair with low perspiration. They generally respond to stress with fear, worry, and anxiety. Their health problems often include: hypertension, headaches, sore throats, ear aches, irregular heart rhythms, lower back pain, constipation, nervous stomach, and arthritis.

The Pitta (fire and water) regulates digestion, metabolism, body temperature, and skin coloration. It also is connected to intelligence and understanding and arouses anger, hate, and jealousy. Pitta body types are generally strong and well-built; orderly and focused; competitive; have good appetites; are leaders; good public speakers; and like to spend money. They also may be prone towards temper tantrums, anger and irritation/impatience. Typical physical problems associated with Pitta are acne, skin cancer, ulcers, heartburn, stomach acid, insomnia, anemia, and vision problems.

The Kapha (water and earth) provides the material for our physical
structure. Kapha provides the lubrication for joints; moisture for our skin; and helps heal wounds. It also supports memory retention, provides energy to the heart and lungs and is vital to the immune system. Kapha is said to be present in the throat, chest, head, sinuses, nose, mouth, stomach and plasma. Kapha is related to attachment, greed, and envy. It can be expressed through calmness, forgiveness, and love.

What is your primary, secondary, and tertiary type and how
may they influence your reactions to stress? An imbalance in your Vata, Pitta, and Kapha often results in the following: fatigue, nervousness, agitation, feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. In addition, aches and pains, nail biting, heart palpitations, constipation, sore throat, dryness, and insomnia are other signs of an imbalance.

Three Things That Can Help or Hurt Your Stress Level

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

Of all of the different things that we need to handle regularly, stress is one that can really cause us a lot of problems. As a matter of fact, stress is not only difficult for us to handle mentally, it can actually cause physical problems and can even cost you your life. That is why it is important to make sure that you are managing and reducing your stress levels whenever possible. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to identify the sources or causes of stress in your life. Here are three of them.

Improper Time Management – This is probably the cause for almost all of the stress that we experience. All of us are going to be under some kind of pressure when it comes to the duties that we have at work and the responsibilities that we have at home. If we are unable to manage this stress properly, the disruptive feelings are likely to strengthen, which are likely to stop us from accomplishing the things that need to get done. If you begin learning about proper time management, you will likely be able to deal with stress more naturally and successfully.

Dehydration and Lack of Sleep – It is not always the things that can be easily identified in your life that could be causing stress. As a matter of fact, simple things such as dehydration and lack of sleep can lead to higher stress levels, which will rapidly exacerbate the problem. Make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water every day and get the proper amount of sleep whenever possible. You will find youself accomplishing more will less stress.

Work and No Play – If there is one thing that all of us need, it’s an occasional break from the things that we are doing in life. If it seems that we are busy all the time, then this is your signal to begin taking time for yourself and to relax. Take time for recreation or simply get up and move around a little bit. Just taking ten minutes every couple of hours in order to sit quietly and meditate on something pleasant, will lead to a reduction in your stress levels. If you can get away for a few days or perhaps even take the weekend off, your stress will reduce even further.

Take a little time to consider stressors in your life and take action when you can,.it will do wonders for your outlook on the present and on the future. Also, don’t be too hard on yourself if it takes you a while to begin effectively reducing stress levels. Remember that the concept of stress is a relatively new discovery (endocrinologist, Hans Selye, working in the 1950′s has been credited with first studying stress) and like everything else, in time our knowledge and techniques for reducing stress will improve.

Change Your Thinking to Remove Stress

Posted on October 11, 2011 by

Stress is something that all of us often deal with but unfortunately, there are times when it becomes so strong that it can be difficult to handle. Some of us may even experience anxiety and sleep problems, which are very common occurrences in today’s world.

Surprisingly, stress, in and of itself, is not necessarily a bad thing. As a matter of fact, we need stress in order to deal with situations that come up in our lives that need a bit more attention than the usual, run of the mill items. Stressfull feelings can be the way of our bodies communicate with our brains forcing us to focus our attention and motivate us to take action!

The difficulty occurs whenever stress becomes so difficult to handle or comes up so often that it seems to just stack upon itself. There comes a time when we will be unable to handle this situation and eventually, we are going to need to learn how to cope with the stress or else it is going to get the better of us. One way that you can do this is by changing your thinking. I know that sounds rather simplistic, but it is one of the most effective ways for you to be able to handle the stress that you are under.

If you are already to the breaking point as far as your stress is concerned, it is going to take a little bit of time in order for you to put this particular method to use. The good news is, you will experience almost immediate results that you will be able to pinpoint rather quickly.

The technique is simple; begin to change the way that you think about stress and begin looking at your situation in life through rose colored glasses. It is not necessary for you to get rid of your stress altogether, that would be counterproductive. What is necessary for you to do, however, is to realize that not everything needs to be on your shoulders and quite honestly, there are some things that cannot change. In addition, if you are honest with yourself the life you’re leading in many ways is not all that bad. At least it could be worse!

If you set aside the things that cannot change and stop fretting over them, that will leave you with the items that can be altered or improved. By handling them one at a time, considering that the others are going to wait until you get to them, you will be able to eventually get through the list and to deal with the stress more successfully. If you are able to master this one step, you can use it for the rest of your life to successfully handle stress.

Time Management for a Stress-Free Life

Posted on October 11, 2011 by

All of us face daily pressure in out lives. If we are having a difficult time at work, we may find that this pressure carries over into the rest of our lives and this stress seems to never go away. This is not unusual in 21 century life as more and more people are succumbing to problems that are related to stress, such as anxiety, sleep problems, and physical issues. There are many stress management techniques but an important one in helping you to overcome stress is to better manage your time. This may seem difficult at first but it is doable with practice.

Are you a multitasker? Many of us would call ourselves one but that does not necessarily mean that we are able to do more than one thing at a time. Our jobs may demand that we take care of several task at one time but the majority of us will not be able to do so effectively. As a matter of fact, if you are handling a particular task and then are interrupted in order to take care of another, it can take you up to 20 minutes to get back to your prior mindset and focus before the interruption. That is why it is important for you to manage your time, not as a multitasker but as a well-focused single tasker.

There is one thing that all of us have in common, no matter what it is that we do in life. We all have 24 hours in a day and we need to get all of our work done during those 24 hours. The easiest way for you to be able to do this and to avoid a lot of the stress is to break your day up into manageable time periods. For example, instead of trying to work the entire day in order to get a big project done, break up your time into one or two hour time periods and remain focused on that single project during that time. This is just one time management technique but it can really help you to get a lot more done, will reduce the amount of stress that you are feeling in your life.