...50 Simple Ways To Reduce Stress at Home and at Work 1. Breathe, when you feel tense, take 10 slow, deep breaths in through your nose, out through your mouth. 2. Touch, hug someone, hold hands, stroke a pet, make non-sexual physical contact with people, brush your hair. 3. Communicate, be honest with your Self and others. Ask for what you want. Express your true feelings when they occur. 4. Drink at least eight, 8 oz. glasses of good water a day. This flushes toxins out of our body. 5. See the humor in life. Laugh at your self and life. Have fun and "play" at life. 6. Meditation 15 minutes a day. Take time to relax, sit, breathe deeply, quiet your mind. Record In-sights and dreams in a journal. 7. Be Human. Let up on yourself. Forgive your self and others. Slow down and enjoy being alive. 8. Communicate with friends. Spend time with each other. Share the good stuff. 9. Hug three people each day. Relax and enjoy the feeling of 10. Quit worrying about the Future. Concentrate on what you can do NOW. 11. Make a TO DO list of your agreements for each month. Schedule both play time and free time, and do both activities. 12. Write it down. Make notes to yourself. Make a list. Write special dates down on your calendar. Put it on tape. 13. Say "NO" Allow yourself to say "NO" to some requests. Don't over commit yourself. Put yourself first; say YES to you. 14. Clean it up Recycle old junk and papers. Clean your physical and mental house of old garbage...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...Reducing Stress in Young Adults with Burn Injuries Student ID #: 1358437 University of Alberta Reducing Stress in Young Adults with Burn Injuries Burn injuries affecting young adults (20-39 years old) can negatively affect their physical, emotional and psychological health, specifically creating stress. To achieve optimal health and equilibrium in the body, the body utilizes different mechanisms to ensure that it compensates and restores its function (Day et al., 2010). However, external or internal factors caused by stress can affect this equilibrium. According to Day et al (2010., p. 94) stress is “a state produced by a change in the environment that is perceived as challenging, threatening or damaging to a person’s dynamic balance or equilibrium”. When the body responds to stress it is trying to protect itself and stress can even help young adults in being more productive, energetic and focused (Potter & Perry., 2010). However, if an individual is not able to cope with the stress then the changes in their state can physiologically, biologically and emotionally affect...
Words: 1160 - Pages: 5
...statistics that prove that long office hours hold countless interruptions ever so often. Houston Chronicle, February 26, 2006 Issue, published that “people switch activities, such as making a call, speaking with someone in their cubicle or working on a document, every three minutes on average” (Key Organization Systems, 2007). Heavy workload, lack of autonomy, low interpersonal support, under-utilization of skills, lack of control over work, wage scales and repetitive work environment have been cited as major contributors to workplace stress (Citation). Coincidentally, a 2006 Harvard Business Review Case ranked work-related stress as the second biggest occupational health problem in the world (Key Organization Systems, 2007). Taking another step forward, we are curious as to how musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the leading global occupational health problem that begets physical stress, is linked to work-related psychological stress. Canada’s Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) has churned out statistics that MSDs caused over 40,000 workplace injuries in Ontario annually. In a bid to enhance ergonomic awareness and minimize MSDs in the workplace, IAPA exposed five common myths regarding MSDs in a 2009 article (refer to A2.0) (Industrial Accident Prevention Association, 2009). With the intent of maintaining all relevance to present research being conducted, we desire to apply employee mindfulness—a topic of...
Words: 2343 - Pages: 10
...Occupational Stress and How to Deal with It Heather L. DuSoleil English 333 December 12, 2012 Executive Summary Occupational Stress is a substantial problem to workers and employees all over the world. Occupational stress is considered an “epidemic” and it is costing employers over $200 billion dollars a year. With that being said, there is a lot that bosses and managers should be educating not only themselves about, but also their employees about. This proposal is to give people the tools that they need to help them solve the problem of occupational stress. Keywords: Stress, Occupational Stress, Epidemic, Tips, Acute Distress, Acute Episodic Distress, Chronic Distress, Eustress, and Distress. Statement of Need Teaching employees how to deal with occupational stress will help reduce costs to employers, reduce work accidents, and make employees and workplaces a lot healthier and safer. When people are not stressed their environment is a much less hostile place. That makes customers more at ease and co-workers get along much better. Employers spend more than $200 billion dollars a year on absenteeism, accidents, sickness, and burnt out employees. That number can be greatly reduced by making sure that employees have many ways of dispelling occupational stress both at work and in their personal lives. By implementing a plan to reduce occupational stress and the effects it has on employees the business world will...
Words: 2034 - Pages: 9
...Running head: EFFECTS OF EMPLOYEE STRESS Effects of Employee Stress Dexter B McDougal Grand Canyon University Effects of Employee Stress The pursuit of forming a work environment where people would actually enjoy working has proven to be anything but easy. The ever rising pressure to perform only enhances the effort. People like to work in an environment where they work hard but yet have fun while doing it. Furthermore they want to be recognized for the hard work that they are doing. People want to work in a place where there are not a lot of opposing personalities and egos. “Two studies of occupational stress and its relation with antecedent variables and job performance were completed by Stephan J. Motowidlo, John S. Packard, and Michael R. Manning. The first study, in which 104 nurses participated in group discussions and 96 nurses completed a questionnaire, identified 45 stressful events for nurses. In the second study, 171 nurses who completed another questionnaire were also rated by a supervisor and/or a co-worker. Ratings of interpersonal aspects of job performance (such as sensitivity, warmth, consideration, and tolerance) and cognitive/motivational aspects (such as concentration, composure, perseverance, and adaptability) correlated significantly with self-reported perceptions of stressful events, subjective stress, depression, and hostility. Models developed through path analysis suggest that the frequency and subjective intensity of the 45 events...
Words: 752 - Pages: 4
...describe different causes of burnout and ways to prevent it. This paper also examines the authors personality and how she reacts to personal or work-related stress. She will provide some insights into how to reduce the effects of burnout. This paper will also review what to do as a human service manager to be alert to help staff with his or her burnout. Burnout Burnout is physical and emotional exhaustion, involving the development of negative self-concept, negative job attitudes, and a loss of concern and feelings for clients (Bbnet, 1995). Burnout spreads over time, putting people into a situation that is not easy to recover from; an individual becomes chronically exhausted, cynical, and detached from his or her work and he or she begins to think he or she is ineffective while at work (Maslach & Leiter, 1997). High stress jobs are demanding and are cause for higher rates of burnout among others. When employees become burnt out he or she begins to lose sight of how to perform what he or she loves the best. With a constant change in a persons job descriptions and expectations, it makes a position feel impossible to master. When effort is put forth and is consistently not recognized, employees begin to believe he or she is unappreciated. When a goal is put forth but the time period is far from being adequate the stress of achieving or not achieving sets...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff Work-related stress is known to cost the economy of the United States an estimated $300 billion in sick time, long-term disability, and excessive job turnover. According to Isatou (2014), “Jobs that are stressful can be just as harmful to women as smoking and obesity.” This research was also recognized in an article written by the Department of Health and Human Services. When having to take care of someone who is sick or disabled, this can cause major burnout especially if the situation is chronic and professionals barely have any support. When it comes to difficult situations such as big case loads, difficult clients within agencies, lack of teamwork, and poor management supervision; this causes exhaustion or also known as burnout. In this paper, there will be a definition of the term burnout and the factors that cause it. There will also be a discussion about ways to prevent burnout and how to assist with staff burnout within a human service organization. I will then share with you how I personally handle work-related stress and how I go about reducing the effects of burnout. Burnout Herbert Freudenberger came up with the term “burnout” in the early 80’s. He defined the term as, “a debilitating psychological condition brought about by work stress which eventually resulted in depleted energy and exhaustion, illness, increased depersonalization in interpersonal relationships, and a dissatisfaction in work” (Lee, Johnson...
Words: 1253 - Pages: 6
...Stress management What is stress mangement Stress management refers to the wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person's levels of stress, especially chronic stress, usually for the purpose of improving everyday functioning. In this context, the term 'stress' refers only to a stress with significant negative consequences, or distress in the terminology advocated by Hans Selye, rather than what he calls eustress, a stress whose consequences are helpful or otherwise positive. Stress produces numerous symptoms which vary according to persons, situations, and severity. These can include physical health decline as well as depression. The process of stress management is named as one of the keys to a happy and successful life in modern society.[1] Although life provides numerous demands that can prove difficult to handle, stress management provides a number of ways to manage anxiety and maintain overall well-being. Despite stress often being thought of as a subjective experience, levels of stress are readily measureable using various physiological tests, similar to those used in polygraphs. Many practical stress management techniques are available, some for use by health practitioners and others for self-help, which may help an individual to reduce stress, provide positive feelings of being in control of one's life and promote general well-being. The effectiveness of the different stress management techniques can be difficult to...
Words: 3366 - Pages: 14
...Introduction Colligan and Higgins (2006) define workplace stress as the “change in one’s physical or mental state in response to workplaces that have an appraised challenge or threat to that employee.” The authors divide stress into two categories: eustress and distress. In eustress, the positive stress, the associated stressor has been cognitively appraised as positive; distress is the negative kind of stress, such as that experienced by employees who feel frustrated by a pressure to perform. All employees respond cognitively, behaviourally, emotionally, and physically to both eustress and distress. Moreover, the authors identify three levels of stress—acute, episodic, and chronic—each level of which has associated emotional and physiological symptoms. The authors point out that several factors contribute to workplace stress, such as a toxic work environment, an unmanageable workload, and challenging working hours, while adding that training can help alleviate workplace stress. Shuttleworth (2004) argues that training in workplace management can help employees become more resilient in the face of stress and better able to tackle the root causes of stress-related problems. Key Assumptions Colligan and Higgins (2006) make the following key points about workplace stress: * Workplace stress can lower productivity, increase absenteeism, and create pervasive patterns of dysfunction in the workplace. Workplace stress will also lead to changes in employees’ work habits and...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
...Income Drops: Fact Sheet 2 Control Stress You are experiencing tremendous changes in your life if you have lost your job, Adapted by Barbara R. Rowe and Denise Schroeder, Family Resource Management, Purdue University experienced a particularly bad year in your farm or business operation, or have gone through a divorce, a separation, or the death of a spouse. While such events differ in many respects, they may also have some important effects in common. First, crises like these are very stressful in their own right – they force us, against our wishes, to make rapid changes in our lives. Second, however irrationally, they can diminish our self-esteem. Finally, these personal crises often lead to a drop in income and security, and this introduces a host of secondary problems. Because of all these changes and the stress that can result, it is important to understand some causes, effects, and ways of handling stress to cope with difficult times. Severe and prolonged stress of the type associated with events causing loss of income can have a serious effect on a person’s physical and mental health. Stress-related exhaustion is believed to play a significant role in heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancer, and some kinds of arthritis, migraine headaches, peptic ulcers, asthma, allergies, and kidney and thyroid disease. Stress alone probably does not cause these disorders; rather, it is one factor in their onset and progression. In addition, stress contributes to many types of accidents...
Words: 2355 - Pages: 10
... PAGE INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………… 3 STRESS AND WELLBEING……………………………………………......... 4 - 9 MEASURING AND COPING WITH STRESS………………………………. 10- 11 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………… 12 RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………….......... 13 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………….… 14-16 INTRODUCTION BGL Group has grown to be one of the UK’s leading financial services, specialising mainly in vehicle and home insurance, as well as a range of supplementary products such as breakdown cover, legal protection and personal accident cover. It employs more than 3,000 people in several different locations. Despite the organisations continued success through increased profits, they remain focused on employee engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In 2010, BGL have introduced the ‘My Wellbeing’ programme, which consisted of four main pillars; My Health, My Fitness, My Happiness and My Relaxation and Energy. BGL states that the programme is of ‘central importance to their CSR focused strategy’. CSR is rapidly gaining recognition all over the world, where the organisations are expected not only fulfil their legal obligations but to voluntarily take further steps to improve the quality of life for the employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large. WELLBEING AND STRESS The economic and health costs of stressful work environments may be...
Words: 4655 - Pages: 19
... PAGE INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………… 3 STRESS AND WELLBEING……………………………………………......... 4 - 9 MEASURING AND COPING WITH STRESS………………………………. 10- 11 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………… 12 RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………….......... 13 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………….… 14-16 INTRODUCTION BGL Group has grown to be one of the UK’s leading financial services, specialising mainly in vehicle and home insurance, as well as a range of supplementary products such as breakdown cover, legal protection and personal accident cover. It employs more than 3,000 people in several different locations. Despite the organisations continued success through increased profits, they remain focused on employee engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In 2010, BGL have introduced the ‘My Wellbeing’ programme, which consisted of four main pillars; My Health, My Fitness, My Happiness and My Relaxation and Energy. BGL states that the programme is of ‘central importance to their CSR focused strategy’. CSR is rapidly gaining recognition all over the world, where the organisations are expected not only fulfil their legal obligations but to voluntarily take further steps to improve the quality of life for the employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large. WELLBEING AND STRESS The economic and health costs of stressful work environments may be...
Words: 4641 - Pages: 19
...1. How has the Great Recession directly affected the magnitude of stress that people experience? The Great Recession directed affected the magnitude of stress that people experience in many ways. There was lack in job security, the cost of leaving in education was too high that put high levels of stress in employees. Also, the high rate of layoff cause shortness in some organization which result in increasing the amount of work in those who were still working for these companies causing even more stress. 2. How have the responses of businesses to the Great Recession affected employees’ stress levels? The response of businesses to the Great Recession was downsizing and this is effective for cutting the company cost. However, when a company downsizing...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
...Services Ashley James BSHS/462 January 28, 2013 Linda Latson Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Burnout is a serious problem that mostly occurs in high stress level jobs. Burnouts are very popular in the Human Services field since it contains a lot of high intensity jobs. The definition of burnout, what causes burnout, burnout prevention, personal reactions and responses to high-stress situations, and ways to reduce personal and work-related burnout will be discussed in this paper. Ideas of how to respond and react to employee burnout as a human services manager will follow. Burnout is the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. This includes physical, mental, or emotional, that an individual experiences when under extreme stress. Burnout can be split into three major features which include emotional exhaustion, feelings of decreased successful outcomes with clients, and increased feelings of being de-sensitized to the needs of clients (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). How pressure is dealt with depends on how much stress an individual feels. It also depends on how close the individual is to burnout. An individual experience a little stress and may not be able to handle it well and experience burnout, a posed to another individual who may experience a lot of stress and may be able to deal with it and avoid burnout. Drained appearance and fatigue may be signs of Burnout has many causes which may be related to job structure, lifestyle...
Words: 803 - Pages: 4
...Scope 2.4 Methodology 2.0 CAUSES OF STRESS 3.5 Environmental Stress 3.6 Internal Stress 3.0 EFFECTS OF STRESS 4.7 Physical Effects 4.8 Emotional Effects 4.0 STRESS MANAGEMENT 5.9 Unhealthy Coping 5.10 Stress Management Strategies 5.0 CONCLUSION 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS LIST OF REFRENCES APPENDIX 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this report is to outline the importance of stress management, including the causes and effects stress has on individuals. This report will also discuss ways for individuals to manage stress. 1.2 Background Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Stress is the body’s way of reacting to a kind of demand. There are two kinds of stress, acute stress and chronic stress, each with different effects on the body and mind. Acute stress results from specific events or situations that involve novelty, unpredictability, a threat to the ego, and leave us with a poor sense of control. Chronic stress results from repeated exposures to situations that leads to the release of hormones and causes wear and tear on body and mind. 1.3 Scope This report examines stress and its causes and effects, along with how to manage stress. This includes how stress effects individuals physically and emotionally, and will provide suggestions on how to manage stress in the right way. 1.4 Methodology Primary...
Words: 1454 - Pages: 6
