Stress - How do you respond to it?

The deadline is fast approaching... you can't reach the contacts you need to speak to.... your head is pounding and the caffeine from your last cup of coffee has started to wear off......... Lets take a closer look at the causes of stress and explore how you can make it work positively for your organisation to help reduce the millions of lost working days each year caused by unmanaged stress.

QUESTIONS ABOUT STRESS

So what is stress and how can we learn to use it to our advantage? Stress is a demand on both mental and physical energy and an inevitable part of life both at home and in the workplace, and if managed effectively stress can be good for you, however it can become a danger when it is unrecognised or has been allowed to build up over a long period of time.

Dealing with stress is about dealing with change. If we are to manage stress effectively we have to examine the root causes. Once these have been identified only then are we able to make positive use of the various stresses in our lives. So what is it that causes us to feel under stress? How can we recognise the signals of stress both within ourselves and our colleagues? And how can positive stress work in our favour by helping us to achieve our goals?

STRESS - THE CAUSES

Stress can be caused by many factors or events. In your personal life you may have moved home, had financial worries or a relationship may have ended leaving you feeling alone and isolated. In the work place the fear of unplanned change can cause stress, being overwhelmed by too many tasks and not getting any feedback from the work you do. Deadlines, understaffing and lack of job security are all major contributions to overstress, not being able to delegate or having no real responsibility for decision making create stress, low self esteem feeds stress in a negative way. Today organisations are becoming more aware of both the negative and positive aspects of stress and realise that stress, if managed effectively, is good for business not a sign of failure on the organisations part.

ASSESSING YOURSELF

Some stress signals cause us concern, but others are actually beneficial to us - how can we tell them apart? Stress falls into three categories;

Under-stress

Over-stress

Positive Stress

See which of the following signals best describes your lifestyle or those of your friends & colleagues;

UNDER-STRESS

Low energy
Little interest in work
An inability to bring about any change
Poor decision making
No real focus or concentration
Lack of enthusiasm

OVER-STRESS

Loss of sense of humour
Suppressed anger
Extreme mood swings
Use of excess coffee, tea, cigarettes & alcohol
Depression
Fear of failure
Constantly "fire-fighting" at work & home
Deterioration of professional and personal relationships
Starting lots of projects simultaneously
Fear of crowds, confined spaces and confrontation
Fear of illness

POSITIVE STRESS

Feeling valued
High energy
Sense of humour
General confidence
An interest in both work and home life
Good appetite
A feeling of optimism for the future
A positive approach to problem solving
A willingness to change
The ability to prioritise and manage your time effectively.
Overall confidence
An ability to ask for what you need from others without fear of rejection