Managing Stress in the Work Place 1

Managing Stress
Chariece Thomas
CM107-19
Professor Ann Reich
Nov. 20, 2014

Managing Stress in the Work Place 2

Managing Stress in the Work Place Stress is the number one cause of most sickness. Stress is defined as any mental or physical thing that causes tension in the body. It is very important to learn how to manage stress. A person can experience stress on the job or at home. According to Henry Parker, 40% of workers reported that their job was extremely stressful (Parker, 2007). Also, 26% reported that they are very often burned out by stress at work (Parker, 2007). Lowering your stress daily is a very important thing to do. When you lower your stress it can increase your energy and boost your immune system by allowing you to be more productive. However, when stress is present, you make room for many illnesses such as the common cold and heart disease. In order to control stress you would first need to know what is causing the stress and you would need to know the symptoms. Some typical symptoms of stress would include headache, muscle tension or pain, obesity, upset stomach, sleep problems and fatigue, just to name a few. With actual stress management tips a person can learn how to help the mind and body handle stressful positions. There are several factors that can contribute to Stress. Frustration alone can bring a lot of stress on a person. Frustration can come from home or work. Frustration from home could simply mean not having enough time to get things done as far as cooking, cleaning, helping the children with homework or not even being able to spend time to yourself. Frustration can come from work as well as home. When frustrated the first thing you should do is take a break from
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whatever you are doing and return to it later (Hilgers,2009). At work you might be overwhelmed with your workload, irritated by your supervisor or worrying about being laid off. Other factors contributing to stress on the job would be lack of control on the job. Lack of control mean that you have no control over your job related duties. Life changes, can also play a major part such as moving to a new city, a divorce or losing a loved one. Some simply stress management techniques would include exercising, nutrition, relaxation and meditation. Exercising is very important because it is good for the body and it pumps up your endorphins. It also improves your mood and will help you have a more restful night. Even though stress can cause many illnesses, exercising can actually prevent the illness. Changing your nutrition can also help with stress. Eating healthy might be hard to maintain if you are stressed or too busy to prepare a healthy meal. Stress can easily lead to an unhealthy life style which leads to more stress. Relaxation is another technique that can be used to control stress. Deep breathing meditation, mindfulness meditation, Yoga and visualization is a great way to get rid of stress. Deep breathing meditation is to breathe from your abdomen getting plenty of air in the lungs. When you take deep breathes from your abdomen you inhale more oxygen (Segal, Robinson, Smith 2014). Mindfulness relaxation is how you are feeling right now. Staying focused and calm will bring your nervous system back into balance. Yoga is another useful technique. Yoga is a mixture of moving and motionless poses combined with deep breathing. Doing yoga on a regular basis will strengthen your relaxation. Visualization is another simple technique that can be used. Visualization relaxation is getting in a quiet place and just visualizing

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a nice scenery. You could visualize yourself on the beach or maybe just watching the sunset, anything that would help you relax. In conclusion, stress is not good for the body at all. Stress will cause a great deal of problems if not treated in a timely manner. A person can become ill, frustrated, depressed and even have low energy if stress is present. If at all possible please try and avoid stress. Just by practicing on some of the techniques above one can easily overcome stress. Remember, if you have any symptoms, take some time to follow my simple techniques.

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References
Relaxation Techniques for Stress (Nov., 2014) http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief.htm Parker, H (2007). Stress Management. Chandni Chowk: Global Media.
P.89 Kaplan University Library

Stress and Frustration - Take Action or Take Rest? (January, 2009). Stress and Frustration. http://ezinearticles.com/?Stress-and-Frustration---Take-Action-Or-Take-Rest?&id=1837423