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Stress Less in the Workplace

Stress Less in the Workplace. Lisa K. Marzoli, BS, MBA Wellness Coordinator, Anthem. What is Stress?. A perceived threat (real or imagined) that affects one’s mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual well-being; the physiological response that is activated when the mind perceives a threat.

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Stress Less in the Workplace

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  1. Stress Less in the Workplace Lisa K. Marzoli, BS, MBA Wellness Coordinator, Anthem

  2. What is Stress? A perceived threat (real or imagined) that affects one’s mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual well-being; the physiological response that is activated when the mind perceives a threat

  3. What is Stress? “Stress is a scientific concept which has suffered from the mixed blessing of being too well known and too little understood.” - Hans Selye

  4. The Body Follows the Mind Most of our stress and emotional suffering comes from our mind or thoughts.

  5. What are Stressors? • A stressor is any event or situation that causes us to adapt or initiates the stress response • Stressors can be negative or positive, our bodies will still have the same stress response • A stressor is a stimulus, and stress is a response

  6. Fight or Flight (Stress) Response The fight or flight response prepares the body for a battle of epic proportions even over events as simple as a misplaced set of car keys!

  7. Fight or Flight (Stress) Response Surges of cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline (stress hormones) are released on instructions from the brain and simultaneously throughout the body by the Sympathetic Nervous System

  8. Fight or Flight (Stress) Response • Pulse and heart beat quicken • Fatty acids and oxygen increased in blood supply • Capillaries constrict • Blood clots more easily • Pupils dilate

  9. Fight or Flight (Stress) Response • Mucus membranes shrink • Bowels and bladder empty • Perspiration increases • Digestion and reproduction stop • Immune system shuts down

  10. The Positive Side of Stress EUSTRESS – “Good Stress” – anything that makes you feel motivated, exhilarated, or inspired Although the body has some sympathetic neural activity, it also produces some very desirable neuropeptides – we don’t generally experience enough of this kind of stress

  11. The Positive Side of Stress The Yerkes-Dodson Law

  12. The Positive Side of Stress DEFINITIONS Total absence of stress? DEATH! Too little stress? BOREDOM!!

  13. “Bad Stress” - Distress Acute Stress • short, occasional episodes of stress • even if not discharged not likely to damage the body • very intense but doesn’t last too long (20-30 minutes)

  14. “Bad Stress” - Distress Chronic Stress • Unrelenting stress; a long-term stress resulting from those nagging problems that just do not seem to go away • Events that are not so intense, but seem to last forever (e.g., days, weeks, months or years)

  15. “Bad Stress” - Distress The way we think and face a situation and the thoughts that cause stress are usually negative, unrealistic, and distorted

  16. Goose in a Bottle • Imagine a large glass bottle that contains a large, healthy, happy goose. • You can not break the bottle, you can not harm the goose. How can you free the goose?

  17. What You Think, You Become; What You Feel, You Attract; What You Imagine, You Create. *Mind/Body Medical Institute

  18. Goose in a Bottle Many of our problems can be solved when we realize our minds are creating them!

  19. Our own perceptions and thought processes affect our stress levels!

  20. JOB STRESS

  21. What is Job Stress? • Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. • Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury. Reference: www.cdc.gov/niosh

  22. Work-related Stress • 25% of employees perceive their jobs as the #1 stressor in their lives • 75% of employees believe workers now have more on-the-job stresses and demands than they did a generation ago www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html

  23. Work-related Stress • Problems at work are more strongly associated with health problems and complaints than any other life stressor, even more so than financial difficulties and/or family problems.

  24. Causes of Job Stress • Worker/individual characteristics - Personalities/Interpersonal relationships - Coping Styles - Communication

  25. Causes of Job Stress • Working conditions - Work organization and expectations - Little or no control over job - Mismanagement - Physical environment - Economic conditions - Discrimination

  26. Early Signs and Symptoms of Workplace Stress • Headaches • Sleep disturbances • Difficulty in concentrating • Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed • Fatigue • Stomach problems • Muscle tension • Job dissatisfaction • Low morale • Social withdrawal

  27. Managing Job Stress • Take responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being. • Avoid pitfalls by identifying knee-jerk habits/reactions and negative attitudes that add to the stress you experience at work • Learn better communication skills to ease and improve your relationships with management and coworkers.

  28. Ways to Manage Job Stress #1: BREATHE!!! • Beneficial results are immediately obvious • Can be done any place, any time • Stress response automatically turns off when one consciously returns breathing to its natural rhythm of deep, slow, and effortless inhaling and exhaling.

  29. Ways to Manage Job Stress • Take a break/take a walk (both mental and physical breaks) • Plan and prioritize your day • Schedule in “catch up” or “back burner” time • Practice the 10-minute rule

  30. Ways to Manage Job Stress • Limit distractions • Don’t over-commit yourself • Make friends at work • Talk it out • Practice random acts of kindness • Ask for help

  31. Ways to Manage Job Stress • Cop an attitude (a positive one of course!) • Rethink your thinking (cognitive restructuring) • Put yourself in the other person’s shoes • Let perfectionism go when you can • Try not to personalize criticism, but rather use it as an opportunity for growth

  32. Ways to Manage Job Stress • Find humor in situations • Don’t hold grudges • Plan for fun • Clean up your act! • Participate in the Better Health Stress Management Coaching Module • Contact EAP office or seek other professional help

  33. Ways to Manage Job Stress • Take care of yourself and make positive lifestyle changes • Get moving • Make healthy food choices • Get enough sleep • Drink alcohol in moderation and avoid nicotine

  34. Other Ways to Counter Stress • Journaling • Visualization • Yoga/Pilates • Mindfulness • Take a vacation • Focused breathing • Play • Hobbies • What else brings you joy?

  35. Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

  36. “You are the way you are because of the choices that you have made, and you’re going to continue to be the way you are based on the choices you continue to make. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” - Sandy Queen, Motivational Speaker

  37. SELF CARE IS NOT SELFISH! Make the rest of your life The best of your life!!

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