Chapter 14 responding to personal and work-related stress

Laugh and have fun

-Laughter is a gentle exercise of the body, a form of "inner jogging. -Having fun while you are on the job does not exclude being serious about your work and caring about doing a good job

Burnout

- a gradually intensifying pattern of physical, psychological, and behavioral dysfunction that evolves in response to a continuous flow of stressors SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT -Increased detachment from coworkers, customers, or clients -Increased tardiness, absenteeism, cynicism, and moodiness -Increased disorientation: forgetfulness or low concentration -Increased personal problems: drug or alcohol abuse, decreased social contacts, or marital discord

Popular therapy options

- employee-assistance programs (EAPs) aimed at overcoming anxiety, depression, burnout, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse -twelve-step programs for help with drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders, and gambling addiction -

Work and family transitions

-A transition can be defined as the experience of being forced to give up something and face a change -Uncertainty about the future is a major trigger of the stress process -Chronic worriers are more likely to engage in dangerous habits such as drinking, smoking, drug use, and overeating

Regain or let go of control

-Another way people experience stress is when they feel they have no control in a situation -Needless worry about things outside of our control is not only a waste of time, it robs people of energy and time that can be put toward other, more productive things they can control

Incompetent leaders

-But technical superstars may be poor supervisors. And studies indicate that incompetent supervisors are a major source of stress in the workplace

Change

-Consider employees who have been accustomed to working alone and now work with a team, or employees who have held jobs that required little contact with the public and now must spend a great deal of time with clients, patients, or customers. -management personnel above you are trying to cope with their own high-pressure responsibilities, so you are not likely to get much emotional handholding from them -the pace of change is not likely to slow down - Resisting change, or hanging onto old habits and beliefs, requires the investment of a great deal of emotional energy

Sleep

-Growth hormones and repair enzymes are released and various chemical restoration processes occur during sleep. (This explains why children need considerably more sleep than adults. GUIDELINES TO IMPROVE SLEEP RECOVERY -Develop a sleep ritual: Go to bed and get up at the same time as often as possible. -Mentally wind down before going to bed. Avoid stressful activities. -Avoid central nervous system stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, or nicotine near bedtime. -Keep your bedroom cool, well ventilated, and dark.

Using positive psychology to combat stress

-Happiness is more than just a mood; it's a way of living and working

Coping with psychology disorders

-If you are under stress day after day and year after year, your hormonal response never shuts down

Noise Pollution

-Noise is unwanted sound, such as the roar of traffic, your neighbor's loud music, or the loud voice of the person who works nearby -It is the uncontrollability of noise, rather than its intensity, that often is the greatest irritant. -If you have an exceptionally loud voice, get in the habit of speaking more softly, especially in open spaces. -Many people tend to unconsciously talk louder when they're on the phone. Place a Post-it reminder next to your phone to lower your voice while talking on the phone. -If you must listen to music at your desk, keep it low or use headphones if your company allows them. -When you ask someone to quiet down, do it as politely as possible.

Major Causes of stress

-Some say the pace at work is so dizzying that it takes them hours to finally relax after the workday ends.

Stress factors in your life

-Stress refers to two simultaneous events: an external stimulus, called a stressor, and the physical and emotional responses to that stimulus (anxiety, fear, muscle tension, surging heart rate, and so on). -Environmental stress at work may be caused by noise, safety concerns, windowless settings, long hours, or unrealistic deadlines -Some bodily stress can be attributed to poorly designed work areas that produce eye strain, shoulder tension, or lower-back discomfort -a great deal of the mental stress we encounter every day is caused by our negative thinking and faulty reasoning. -Stress can be a powerful stimulus for growth if it motivates you to do your best work. It can build within you the energy and desire needed to perform effectively

Responding to stress

-Stress responses consist of three elements: the event or thought (stressor) that triggers stress, your perception of it, and your response to it -most of us do not take the time to train our minds and bodies so that we build our capacity to handle the stress in our lives -When people are under stress, surges in the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol strongly affect their reasoning.

Work environment

-The place a person works—open office, cubicle, or remote location—matters less because computers and mobile communication technologies are at the center of our lives ERGONOMICS -techniques for adapting the work environment to the human body -anyone who spends hours in front of a computer should become knowledgeable about the basics of ergonomics such as eye level, arm and hand position, and posture to understand how something as simple as sitting can either generate energy or create fatigue and long-term, often irreversible, pain and medical problems.

Rumination

-The process of replaying an incident over and over in our minds. -recurring intrusion of thoughts about negative events, can result in loss of concentration, loss of sleep, and feelings of depression

Stress-management strategies

-There is no one-size-fits-all way to reduce stress. You have to become aware of what works best for you.

Solitude

-Those who are constantly in touch with others can benefit from the therapeutic effect of solitude -Solitude can be viewed as an emotional breather, a restorer of energy, and a form of rest similar to sleep.

Multi-Tasking

-While multitasking is common for most people, research finds that it can be counterproductive and can actually lower productivity -it often takes up to 25 minutes to return to an abandoned task -We are now living in a complex, fast-response world, and our challenge is to immediately prioritize and address whatever task is most critical

Anxiety

-a condition in which intense feelings of apprehension are longstanding and usually disruptive -Anxiety becomes a disorder only when it persists and prevents you from leading a normal life

Depression

-a mood disorder, not a simple sadness. It is a major risk factor for suicide. -it primarily affects workers in their most productive years: the 20s through 40s. -Symptoms such as withdrawal, overwhelming sadness, or hopelessness may persist for weeks or months.

Meditation

-a relaxation technique that slows your pulse, respiration, and brainwave activity and lowers your blood pressure. -It produces feelings of contentment, calmness, and heightened awareness. Meditation is sometimes called the smart person's bubble bath - it trains and conditions the mind in the same way exercise trains and conditions the body 1.Sit or lie down in a comfortable, quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed. 2.Intentionally relax the muscles of your body from your toes to your head. Breathe slowly and deeply, and check every part of your body to make sure you're not holding tension. 3.Breathe in and out gently through your nose; take one breath in and one breath out, over and over again. Allow your mind to settle into your breathing, which activates the body's natural calming signals. 4.Train yourself to think about the calm and peaceful present. If your mind drifts, just slowly bring it back to focusing on your breathing.

Resilience

-being capable of bouncing back when you are confronted with stressful situations -When people have confidence in themselves, in one another, and in an organization, it motivates people to push the boundaries and strive to achieve more without fear of making a mistake

Mindfulness

-involves paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally -The idea is to quiet the mind and heighten awareness. -Keep in mind that the success of mindfulness is to "be in the moment," and maintaining awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations.

Commit random acts of kindness

-participants who were told to complete five acts of kindness toward others felt much happier throughout the course of the day, and they continued to feel happier in the days following the experiment

Exercise

-the number one treatment for stress and tension because it releases pleasure-inducing chemicals called endorphins -about 70 percent of Americans do not exercise regularly, and nearly 40 percent are not active at all

Work/Life balance

LONG HOURS/ IRREGULAR SCHEDULES - Evening shifts, rotating shifts, 12-hour workdays, and weekend work often add stress to workers' lives -a growing number of workers call workloads excessive and say that they are stressed by increased pressure on the job -Years of multitasking and workaholism have left workers across the global economic and geographic spectrum feeling exhausted.