Understanding Stress: Eustress and Distress

• Stress is a psychological condition and body discomfort
• Stress is a common phenomenon experienced by every individual at some point
• Stress is a state of discomfort and loss of emotional stability, apparent when a person experiences a biological disorder
• Stress has a positive correlation with age, lifestyle, time constraints, and nature of occupation
• Eustress is positive stress; distress is negative stress

Characteristics of Eustress

• Motivates and focuses energy
• Is short-term
• Perceived as within coping abilities
• Feels exciting
• Improves performance

Characteristics of Distress

• Causes anxiety or concern
• Can be short- or long-term
• Perceived as outside of coping abilities
• Feels unpleasant
• Decreases performance
• Can lead to mental and physical problems

Types of Stress

• Anticipatory Stress: Response to expected stress that can interfere with the present due to giving more attention to ‘what might happen' and "what will happen next"
• Current Stress: Occurs during an experience such as mental alertness in the midst of a debate and is vital for optimal performance if harnessed effectively
• Residual Stress: Occurs after experiencing something really affecting from the past, leaving the body in a state of alarm, like after a near collision; overstimulation, whether pleasant or unpleasant, can have the same effect

Techniques to Manage Stress

• Time management and stress are inversely related

Principles of Time Management

• Identifying and listing daily activities in a logical order
• Arranging daily activities based on importance and urgency
• Preparing a logical schedule of activities
• Analyzing and understanding the daily cycle and nature of the job
• Allocating time properly to various activities based on time demands
• Delegating minor tasks to subordinates
• Discouraging unwanted visitors
• Setting unfinished tasks on the top of list for tomorrow

Physical Management of Stress

• Relates to understanding one's own biological and body conditions, including hereditary characteristics and habits
• Overcoming stress involves managing physiological relaxation
• Physical exercises help in relieving tension and stress, conditioning the body, increasing oxygen intake and blood circulation
• This also promotes healthy secretions from glands and enhances organ activity and immunity
• Exercises can be reactive or proactive; non-competitive exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, riding, aerobics and playing games increase heart capacity and provide mental diversion
• It reduces heart attack chances, adverse blood pressure, and diabetes

Psychological Management of Stress

• Most stresses arise from psychological tensions, effective management of stress requires managing psychological activities

Relaxation Techniques

• Relaxation of mind through meditation, hypnosis, and biofeedback reduces mental tensions
• Meditation involves silently sitting, deep inhalation, and chanting which relaxes the mind, muscles, and improves bodily functions (heart rate, blood pressure, lung capacity)
• Transcendental Meditation, Soul management, Atma yoga, Anthahakarana, Silence sitting posture, Shavasana, and Bhavathetha meditation, praying are relaxation techniques

Behavioral Self-Control

• Stress results from behavioral disorders, exercising proper control over behavior brings self-awareness and behavioral self-control
• Stress can be relaxed by developing proper perception, good listening skills, maintaining a calm and tension-free mind, empathy, and positive attitude
• Cognitive Therapy is a clinical psychology technique involving understanding one's own emotions to release anxiety and tension through self-observation
• Counseling can develop confidence to handle new jobs, creating a positive impact for mental satisfaction and self-control

Yogic Management

• Yoga is an effective stress reliever; practices such as Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, and Kriya relax muscles, reduce blood pressure, control asthma, relieve neurological problems, improve lung capacity, enhance blood flow, and relax tensions

Social Management

• Involves grouping people who are good listeners and confidence builders to increase social support
• Encouraging informal groups to share information freely, developing free exchange of ideas, and promoting social support can decrease tensions
• Social clubs, recreation clubs, friendship clubs, informal gatherings, birthday parties, and family increase social support

Self-awareness Management

• Self-awareness is similar to self-audit or personal audit
• Managers should understand themselves and encourage open communication and listening
• Being aware of self is difficult as individuals resist accepting defects

Stages of Self-Awareness Management

• Identify, understand, and analyze own skills, capacities, limitations, and defects
• Encourage feedback from others (subordinates, peers, superiors, friends, family) by patiently hearing without inhibitions
• Develop a self-program to improve skills and capacities, attend self-management training programs to develop the personality