withstanding pressure
DESCRIPTION
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WITHSTANDING PRESSURE
(STRESS MANAGEMENT)
BY: SOFT SKILLS WORLD
What is Stress?
• Stress can be defined as our mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral reactions to any perceived demands or threats
• Is a substantial imbalance between environmental demand (i.e., what you perceive is being demanded of you) and response capabilities (i.e., what you perceive your capabilities are for meeting those demands), when you perceive success to be important
What Makes Something Stressful?
• Situations that have strong demands• Situations that are imminent• Life transitions• Timing (e.g., deviation from the “norm”)• Ambiguity• Desirability• Controllability
Not All Stress is Bad…
• Distress
• Eustress
Misconceptions about Stress
• Misconception 1: Stress is high situational demand
(stress = accumulation of daily hassles)
• Misconception 2: Stress is an emotional response
Vulnerability to Stress
Some people are more vulnerable to stress than others. Determine your level of vulnerability to stress by completing the following worksheet: VULNERABILITY TO STRESS
Why Do We "Stress Out"?
• For two major reasons:– We perceive a situation
as dangerous, difficult, or painful.
– We don't believe we have the resources to cope.
Stress Warning Signals
• What are your "red flags," or warning signs, that stress is creeping into your life?
Harmful Effects of Stress
• Illness - infections, cancer progression, high blood pressure,
obesity from overeating, heart disease, ulcers
• Fatigue - that may lead to mistakes and injury or death
• Intoxication: Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs etc.
• Moroseness – Relationship breaker
EMOTION-MANAGEMENT
• Cognitive and behavioral techniques designed to decrease emotional distress, even if the source of threat remains unchanged, boosting morale through . . . – emotional social support,– relaxation, – reappraisal and positive thinking, – wishful thinking, – self blame and isolation, and – mental and behavioral withdrawal.
POSITIVE APPRAISAL EMOTIONS• Self-confidence – a positive belief or expectation of success
• Excitement/readiness – physical activation of the autonomic nervous system that is interpreted as effective physical preparation.
NEGATIVE APPRAISAL EMOTIONS
• Cognitive anxiety – a negative belief or expectation of success or worrying about the negative consequences of failure
• Somatic anxiety – physiological and affective component of anxiety that develops directly from activation of the autonomic nervous system that is interpreted negatively
• somatic anxiety
• excitement
• readiness
• cognitive anxiety
• self-confidence
Physical
Facilitative
Debilitative
Mental
Model of Competitive Emotions
Managing Emotions and Performing
Suggestions for Reducing Stress
• 1. Find a support system
• 2. Change your attitude. Find other ways to think about stressful situations
• 3. Be realistic
• 4. Get organized and take charge
• 5. Take breaks, give yourself "me time”
Symptoms of Stress
• Physical
• Emotional
• Cognitive
• Behavioral
Symptoms of Stress
• Muscle tension
• Headache• Fatigue• Sleep
problems• Gastrointes
tinal problems
• High blood pressure
Physical Emotional Cognitive Behavioral
• Irritability• Arguing• Anxiety• Depression• Lack of enjoyment • Mood swings• Suicidal thoughts• Homicidal thoughts
• Inattention• Distractibility• Forgetfulness• Confusion• Poor concentration
• Social isolation• Work problems• Conflicts with coworkers, friends & loved ones• Unhealthy habits• Aviator: conflicts with peers, disregarding rules and checklists
MIND TRAPS• Unrealistic expectations• Taking things personally• All or nothing thinking• Exaggeration• Rigid thinking
PERSONALITY TRAITS• Perfectionists• Workaholics
FACTORS INFLUENCING WORK STRESS• The drive for success• Changing work patterns• Working conditions• Overwork• Under-work
• Uncertainty• Conflict• Responsibility• Relationships at work• Change at work
Suggestions for Reducing Stress
• 6. Take good care of yourself
• 7. Learn to say “No“
• 8. Get regular exercise
• 9. Get a hobby, do something different
• 10. Slow down
• 11. Laugh, use humor
Relaxation Exercises
• Many different kinds, but some are:– Deep Breathing– Visualization: Visualization is a nice way of giving our
minds and bodies a "mini vacation.“– Muscle Relaxation
Faulty Thinking Causes Stress
• Catastrophizing - anticipating a terrible outcome;
overexagerating the importance of a situation
• “I can’t stand it” - deciding that you cannot handle a
situation, without trying
- alternative: “I can handle this!”
• “Should” statements
e.g. “I should always be happy”
- alternative: “I’m human. I am allowed to
make a mistake or have a bad day.”
Faulty Thinking (cont.)
• “Beating yourself up” about past mistakes that you cannot
change
• Worrying about situations over which you have no control,
or cannot change
e.g., “If only I had 20/20 vision”
• Overgeneralizing - viewing one negative event as predicting
a never-ending pattern of defeat
e.g., “My girlfriend dumped me. I will never date again!”
Faulty Thinking (cont.)
• Emotional reasoning - thinking, “I feel it, so it must be true.”
e.g., “I am anxious today, so something terrible will happen!”
• Personalizing - blaming yourself for something that is not
your fault
• Fairness fallacy - becoming angry when something
disappoints you because you think, “life is supposed to be
fair!”
Anger Management
• You can choose to control how you express your anger
(others won’t respect you if you curse, yell, or use violence -
and you are too important to let situations control you)
• Speak calmly when disagreeing
• If you are about to lose control - count to “10” slowly,
breathe deeply, and walk away if necessary
Anger at Office
Anger Management (cont.)
• Set limits on how long you choose to be angry - then do
something nice for yourself
• When you disagree with someone, stick to the present issue
(and avoid dredging up past hurts)
• Criticize someone’s behavior, not their character
Assertiveness/Better Communication
• Ask for what you desire
• Refuse a “tasker” if you do not really want to do it, or if you
lack the time to do it well
• When you make a request, give a reason
• Be specific with your request (tell the receiver exactly what
you want done)
• Be a good listener - give your full attention, show interest,
and summarize what you heard
Relaxation Techniques
• Slow deep breathing
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Guided imagery
Slow Deep Breathing
• Inhale slowly through your mouth or nose for 5 seconds,
while allowing your stomach to push out
• Without pausing, exhale slowly for 5 seconds, and tell
yourself to relax
• Perform this techniques for at least 5 minutes whenever you
feel stressed, angry, anxious, overwhelmed, or unable to
sleep
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down
• Practice slow deep breathing for several minutes
• Then, tighten and relax each major muscle group in turn
(you may choose to relax each muscle group twice)
Guided Imagery
• Practice slow deep breathing for several minutes
• Then, practice progressive muscle relaxation
• Finally, imagine yourself in a pleasant, relaxing setting
(example, the beach)
• Use all of your senses to observe your surroundings