Managing Stress
Stress is something we all go through in some moment of our life.The key to managing stress lies in getting to the root cause of it, confronting the source and, finally, controlling it once and for all. Unfortunately, that’s just not as easy as it sounds.
What is Stress?
It is hard to define stress because is attached to many things, such experiences, responses, expectations, and circumstances. Different people experience different stressors and that stress effects every individually differently and it becomes nearly impossible to define stress. This is the reason why different experts in the field have come up with a wide variety of definitions, and even different solutions, for stress.
Stress can be damaging. Hans Selye, one of the earliest and most recognized researchers of stress concluded in 1956 that “stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.”
Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced irrespective of whether the situation was positive or negative. Since then, ideas have moved on. In particular, the biochemical and long-term effects of stress have rarely been observed in positive situations.
Many researchers believe that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. People then feel stressed when they “feel out of control”. People feel little stress when they have the time, experience and resources to manage a situation. Stress is therefore a negative experience. And it is not an inevitable consequence of an event: It depends a lot on people's perceptions of a situation and their real ability to cope with it.
Managing Stress
Aware of the negative effects stress can have on our lives, Dr. Susan Mitchie, Stress Specialist at the Center for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness, Department of Psychology, University College London, compiled a reliable resource that can be used to understand stress, recognize the symptoms, pinpoint the sources, manage it, reduce it and perhaps most importantly, recover from it. It is called: Mind Tools’ Stress Management Masterclass a clear, concise, comprehensive resource on stress.
The Stress Management Masterclassshows participants how to:
- Understand Stress
- Find the Sources of Stress in Your Life
- Cope with Work Overload
- Survive Problem Jobs
- Work Successfully With Powerful People
- Reduce Co-Worker and Team Stress
- Manage Stress
- Reduce Stress With Rational Thinking
- Building Defenses Against Stress, and
- Avoid or Recover From Burnout
And the Stress Management Masterclass is complete with resources, exercises, tried and true tips and techniques, all aimed at combating stress once and for all.
This practical course shows you how to win control of your job and career, build positive relationships with powerful people and co-workers and thrive under intense pressure. Click here to find out more about it: Stress Management Masterclass.
Warning: Stress can cause severe health problems and, in extreme cases, can cause death. While these stress management techniques have been shown to have a positive effect on reducing stress, they are for guidance only, and readers should take the advice of suitably qualified health professionals if they have any concerns over stress-related illnesses or if stress is causing significant or persistent unhappiness.
Letting Go of Stress
