STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES

Module I: Stress

Stress can be defined as actions and circumstances to which one cannot respond adequately or to
which one responds at the cost of excessive wear and tear on the body.
Stress is an emotional and physical reaction to change.
Stress is defined as “The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of
demand placed on them”
Stress can act as a creative force that increases drive and energy, but once it reaches a certain
degree, the results can be negative.

Stress is normally experienced as fatigue, anxiety and depression. It is sometimes exhibited when
people become hostile and aggressive. These are all signs or symptoms of stress and the causes or
‘stressors’ need to be identified in the workplace and eliminated or controlled.

Nature
Due to inappropriate usage, the word stress has assumed bad connotations. In its original sense a
stress is neither good nor bad. It becomes good or bad, desirable or undesirable, healthy or
unhealthy depending upon what it does to us. For example, the demands of an examination could
make one child work hard and pass creditably. In the case of another child the very same
examination could appear very demanding and he might end up in a break down, as his resources
are poor. Thus by itself a stressor or a stress is neither good nor bad. They are neutral in nature.

Types

Distress
When a stressor becomes too demanding or when we do not have adequate resources to meet the
demands, we get ‘stressed up’. The stressed up experience is called a ‘Distress’. Distress is bad and
unhealthy. Prolonged distress initiates a number of reactions at the level of the body and mind. As
it depletes our resources we become impoverished and susceptible to diseases and disorders. The
child who has poor resources to write an examination falls ill. The executive who went on
worrying depleted his resources and developed hypertension. The housewife spent a sizable
portion of her resources to suppress her constant anger and ended up with bronchial asthma. Thus
any stress that becomes distressing is unhealthy.

Eustress
When a stressor puts demand on our resources and we experience stress that need not always lead
to distress. If the stressor is within limits and we have enough resources we will be able to cope up
with the stress. When a stress makes us cope up with it, there is a feeling of satisfaction and joy.
Stresses that make us cope up with them culminate in better integration of our personality. Such
stresses are called ‘Eustress’ or useful stress. The child, who prepared well for the examination,
wrote it effectively and came out successfully experiences better self worth and increased self-
esteem. The examination though a stress had indeed beneficial effects on him. Such beneficial
stresses are required for our motivation and growth. No wonder it is then called a useful stress.

Body Reactions to Stress

When a person is subjected to stress, the body automatically prepares itself to respond – increase in
blood pressure, increase in stomach acids, increase in sweating, dilation of the pupils, etc. If the
stress passes, the body will return to normal. If the stress continues, the body will maintain its
preparedness to respond. If this continues too long, it will be harmful and the body will become
exhausted and collapse may occur.

Module II: Stages and Models of Stress

There are three stages a person goes through while suffering from stress.
Alarm Stage: Look at a student's face just before he is going to give an exam. Isn't the fear and
tension clearly evident? When something has just started stressing you and you feel a fight or flight
kind of attitude, then you are in the alarm stage of stress. It is the start up stage which defines the
first reaction to the stressor.

Resistance Stage: When a child is sitting in the examination hall and writing his exam, he is
bothered about completing it in time. He is making full efforts to cope with the situation and his
whole body is engaged in fighting against the condition. This is the resistance stage. In this stage,
the body keeps making continuous efforts to cope with stress and therefore feels run down and
exhausted. The person starts feeling irritated, over reacts to minor situations and gets mentally and
physically weak. Psychological, physical and behavioral changes are also clearly visible.

Exhaustion
Stage: If a student is preparing for his exam and despite of every possible effort, he is not able to
relate to his studies, he is bound to get stressed. The stress could reach a height where he/she may
feel completely exhausted and helpless to the extent of committing suicide. This is the exhaustion
stage. This stage is further divided into two phases:
Initial phase: The stress persists and due to lack of appropriate measures the person is not
able to concentrate and work efficiently.
Burnout: The person is completely exhausted and drained of all energy reserves. There is a
complete physical, psychological and emotional breakdown. This requires immediate
attention.

The physiology of stress

While preparing for flight or fight response our body undergoes following changes:
 Increased heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. Pumping more blood to the muscles,
supplying more oxygen to the muscles and heart-lung system.
  Increased sugar rates in the blood. Allowing rapid energy use, and accelerating metabolism
for emergency actions.
 Thickening of the blood - to increase oxygen supply (red cells), enabling better defence
from infections (white cells) and to stop bleeding quickly (platelets).
 Sharpening of senses. The pupils dilate; hearing is better etc., allowing rapid responses.
 Prioritising - increased blood supply to peripheral muscles and heart, to motor and basic-
functions regions in the brain; decreased blood supply to digestive system and irrelevant
brain regions (such as speech areas), this also causes secretion of body waists, leaving the
body lighter.
 Secretion of Adrenaline and other stress hormones - to further increase the response, and to
strengthen relevant systems.
 Secretion of endorphins - natural painkillers, providing an instant defence against pain.
Stimulus-oriented approach.
Stimulus-based definitions view stress as an independent variable that disturbs the individual: it
leads to distress.
This is the stimulus based model, i.e. the stimulus causes the stress but our response is the same
physiologically. Any perception of a stress stimulus triggers the body's physiological response. We
speak of being 'under stress’; the external event causes the stress. Managing stress comes down to
avoiding the stressor.

Response-oriented approach
Stress can be defined as dependent upon the person's response to the stressor. This is a more
negative way of looking at stress. The person is described as 'suffering from stress', 'feeling
stressed'. The individual is seen as having inadequate coping mechanisms. This internal reaction
may also be down to different personality type or cultural influence, but the management of stress
is seen as coming from internal change.

The transactional and interact ional model

The most accepted way of looking at stress nowadays, is to use an interactionist approach. That is,
we may all be faced with the same external stressor (stimulus) but, the stress response that we
show, will depend on our individual differences or gender or culture. In other words, the phrase
'exam' is the same stimulus, but some of you will be feeling very worked up about the exam, others
will be more 'laid back'. The internal and behavioural response will be different for each of us.
Psychologists try to find out the factors affecting this interaction and stress management depends
on the perceived interaction and response.

Pressure – environment fit model of stress

The Person-Environment (P-E) Fit model, developed in the early 1970s , states that strain develops
when there is a discrepancy between the motives of the person and the supplies of the
environment, or between the demands of the job and the abilities of the person to meet those
demands.

Module III: Causes and symptoms of stress

Causes of stress vary from person to person. Some common causes of stress can be a death of a
family member, illness, taking care of your family, relationship changes, work, job change, moving
and money. Even small things such as long waits or delays or traffic can cause stress.

Personal
Some of the leading personal causes of stress are:

 Finances; who name finances as the leading cause of stress cite major purchases they have
to make, such as a home or car. Others are stressed by a loss of income, or mounting credit
card debt. For some, financial stress will eventuate in bankruptcy. While college students
stress over paying for an education, Baby Boomers and older senior ci tizens find that
retirement income can be a major cause of stress.

 Personal Health and Safety; For some, the stress is linked to obesity, and a desire to lose
weight. For others, the stress is a personal bas habit that affects health and must be
changed. For example, smoking, abuse of alcohol or other drugs. Illness or injury, whether
less or more serious, can be a leading cause of stress for many people. Personal safety is
also a leading cause of stress. Women, more than men, tend to stress about their own and
others’ safety. Adults tend to stress more than young people, who may act invincible.

 Personal Relationships; Whether it is a friendship, dating, separation, marriage, divorce,

or re-marriage, a relationship can be a leading cause of stress for many. We all want love,
and that is potentially available in relationships, but getting from A to B can be very
stressful. Some resort to online relationships that are easier to handle. Others withdraw and
become recluses. Either way, the demands on time, finances, and emotions can cause
ongoing stress.

 Death; Probably the most wrenching cause of stress is the death of a loved one or close
friend. Even the death of a pet can be stressful.

Organizational

There are 6 risk factors these are:

■ Demands – such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.
■ Control – such as how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
■ Support – such as the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation,
line management and colleagues.
■ Relationships – such as promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with
unacceptable behaviour.
■ Role – such as whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the
organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.
■ Change – such as how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in
the organisation. (HSE 2005)

All of the above risk factors appear often highly recognizable within the companies.

Employee Risk Factors: Stress can pose a significant risk to the individual in both mental and
physical health. Mental health risks include depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorders.
Physical risk factors include damage to immune and cardiovascular systems. Stress can also
increase the risk of other more serious ill health issues such as Heart Disease. As identified within
the Management Standards high demands within the job such as the working environment and
workload are known to be some of the highest risk factors which have proven to result in stress
within any individual.

Employer Risk Factors: Risk factors for employers can be divided into four main categories these
being: Cost, Negative Public Relations, Legal Obligation/Criminal Prosecution and Civil Action by
employees. The risk factors above are often found within the organisations we have carried out
Stress Surveys for. Although employers do have demanding roles we often find that the most noted
form of stress within organizations is found because they have the inability to make significant
changes as ideas are often unsupported and change within the organisation is met with great
resilience.

Environmental

Physical
 Noise
 Hot environment
 Cold environment
 Poor lighting/too much lighting
 Organizational Risk factors
 Faulty equipment
 Poorly designed and/or maintained equipment
 Dangerous equipment
 Heavy weights

Module IV: Consequences of stress

Effect on behavior and personality

We all have certain features to our personality that make us unique as people; however there are
many aspects of our personality that are similar to other people. These similar personality factors
are called Personality Traits. Research has indicated that certain personality traits can make us
more vulnerable to stress. People with such traits are known as Type A personalities. Type A's
tend to be more competitive, more impatient, have time urgency when compared to the more
relaxed and laid back Type B personalities. It's important to realise that we are all a mixture of
type A and B personality traits but if we are excessively type A this can make us more vulnerable
to stress.
Here are some Type A and some Type B Personality Traits:

Type A Personality Traits Type B Personality Traits

· Must get things finished · Do not mind leaving things unfinished

for a while
· Never late for appointments · Calm and unhurried about appointments
·Excessively competitive ·Not excessively competitive

· Can't listen to conversations, interrupt, · Can listen and let the other person finish
finish others sentences speaking

·Always in a hurry ·Never in a hurry even when busy

· Do not like to wait ·Can wait calmly

·Very busy at full speed ·Easy going

·Trying to do more than one thing at a time ·Can take one thing at a time

·Want everything to be perfect ·Do not mind things not quite perfect

·Pressurised speech ·Slow and deliberate speech

·Do everything fast ·Do things slowly

·Hold feelings in ·Can express feelings

·Not satisfied with work/life ·Quite satisfied with work/life

·Few social activities/interests ·Many social activities/interests

·If in employment, will often take work ·If in employment, will limit working to
home work hours
Effect of stress on performance

Look at the curve. Our ability to perform increases up to a certain level of stress arousal. This is
the healthy tension or eustress. But if this stress continues uncontrolled and a fatigue point is
reached, any further stress arousal will take the performance level down, ultimately leading to
exhaustion, ill-health and, finally breakdown.
Figure1. Showing inverted U relationship between stress and performance

Individual and Organizational consequences

Individual effects of stress

 Physiological: blood pressure, heart rate, muscular tension, breathing difficulties

 Psychological or emotional: anger, anxiety, depression, burnout, dissatisfaction; hope,
engagement.
  Behavioral: decreased performance, absenteeism, violence, accidents, turnover,
drug/alcohol abuse, impulsive behavior

Job Burnout
 Adverse effects of working conditions where stressors seem unavoidable and sources of job
satisfaction and relief from stress seem unavoidable.
 State of emotional exhaustion
 Depersonalization of individuals
 Feelings of low personal accomplishment
 High probability of burnout characteristics
 High degree of job related stressors
 Idealistic and self-motivating achievers
 Seek unattainable goals

Organizational Stress

Participative Problems - a cost associated with absenteeism, tardiness, strikes & work stoppages,
& turnover
Performance Decrement - a cost resulting from poor quality or low quantity of production,
grievances, & unscheduled machine downtime & repair
Compensation Award - an organizational cost resulting from court awards for job distress

Module V Strategies for stress management

Importance of stress management

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop
coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family
responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think.
In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress
management.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your
schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced
life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under
pressure and meet challenges head on.

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long
run:

 Smoking  Using pills or drugs to relax

 Drinking too much  Sleeping too much
 Overeating or undereating  Procrastinating
 Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or  Filling up every minute of the day to avoid
 computer facing problems
 Withdrawing from friends, family, and  Taking out your stress on others (lashing out,
activities angry outbursts, physical violence)

Learning healthier ways to manage stress

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical
health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with
stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction.
When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or
accept.
Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing
it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different
techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.

Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s

Change the situation: Change your reaction:

 Avoid the stressor.
 Adapt to the stressor.
 Alter the stressor.
 Accept the stressor.

Control Strategies
Stress must be dealt with by focusing on the causes, not by helping people to cope with its effects.
Stress management courses, meditation, and exercise programs do not solve the problem.
Emphasis is also placed on individual differences in people’s ability to cope with stress. This
emphasis on individual responses and coping strategies is irrelevant. It distracts from focusing on
the real causes of stress in the  workplace. Stress can only be prevented by looking at the way work
is organised and negotiating for changes to be made. The particular causes of stress in each
workplace need to be identified and addressed.

Tips for Coping with Stress

Watch for signs of stress. When they occur, try to avoid the cause or change how you react. Other
helpful tips:
• Do something that relaxes you such as: deep and slow breathing, stretching exercises, yoga, a
massage, meditation, listening to music, reading, a hot bath or shower.
• Get a hobby or do something you enjoy.
• Learn to accept things that you cannot change.
• Think positive.
• Set limits. Learn to say no. Take one thing at a time.
• Get 8 hours of sleep each night.
• Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, protein and whole grains.
Limit caffeine and sugar. • Exercise regularly. Exercise will help relax tense muscles, improve your
mood
and help you sleep better.
• Talk to your family and friends about your problems. • Do not deal with stress in unhealthy ways
such as eating too much, not eating
enough, using tobacco products, drinking alcohol or using drugs. • Get help from a professional if
you need it. A counselor can help you cope with stress and deal with problems. Your doctor may
prescribe medicines to help with sad feelings, nervousness or trouble sleeping.

Talk to your doctor or nurse if you have signs of stress.

Happiness and well-being

Live! Love! Learn!...Capture your bliss
Understanding the determinants of human happiness and well-being is important in the quest for
ecological sustainability (and social justice), because it helps us decide how to best use the limited
material throughput available, and identify what other, non-material factors are important.
 “ happiness” “happiness and contentment”
 “satisfaction with life”
 “emotional health”
 “meeting basic needs”
 “state in which individuals feel competent to influence their lives & context”
 “safe & secure”
 “quality of life”
 “it’s about physical, economic and environmental factors”
 “good social and community relationships”
 “self-esteem”
“confidence”