Sevilla, C. G., Punsalan, T. G., Rovira, L.G., & Vendivel, F.G., Jr. (1998).
General
Psychology: With Values Development Lessons. (4th ed.). Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store,
Inc.
Muchinsky, P.M. (1987). Psychology Applied to Work: An Introduction to Industrial and
Organizational Psychology. Chicago: The Dorsey Press Co.
Wallace, H.R. (2001). Personal Development for Life and Work. Concinnati, Ohio:
South-Western.
Bernstein, D. A., Roy, Edward J. R., Srull, T. K., & Wickens, C. D. Psychology.
Lerner, R. M., Kendall, P. C., Miller, D. T., Hultsch, D. F., Jensesn, R. A. Psychology.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
[10]
Sources of Stress
The five major sources of stress are:
1. Biological deprivation. Extreme hunger can cause deep physical and emotional
disturbances.
2. Danger (real or imagined). “Combat exhaustion” is a term used to describe a
breakdown in behaviour resulting from danger experiences which rapidly produce
stress.
3. Threats to self-esteem.
4. Overload
5. Crises and stresses that accompany normal social and personal development.
COPING
Coping is an active effort to eliminate or to get rid of stress. We try to deal directly with the
anxiety-producing situations by first, appraising the situation and second, by doing something to
avoid it or change its course.
Coping may take any of the following forms:
1. Direct action
2. Avoidance
3. Prediction
4. Use of defense mechanisms
STRESS
When life is peaceful and quiet for too long, people become bored and they seek excitement.
But stress that is too intense or prolonged can have destructive physiological and
psychological effects. Stress may include any situation that calls for more than what is
normal or usual for a person. The more a particular demand approaches the limits of a
person’s capacities and talents, the greater the stress will be. Likewise, stress is produced
when this demand blocks some motive or threatens a desired goal.
Two kinds of stress: positive stress called eustress, and negative stress called distress.
Predictability What the
of the event means
stressful to you
event
HOW MUCH
STRESS
YOU FEEL
Control over Feelings of
duration of competency
stress
Availability
of social
supports
Factors Determining the Severity of Stressful Situations
[3]
STRESS MANAGEMENT
A practical way of defining stress is the feeling one gets from prolonged, pent-up emotions.
“You can make stress your best ally in achieving personal and professional excellence.”
Prolonged stress can be devastating; burnout, breakdown, and depression are some of the
potential results of long-term, unmanaged stress.
Stress in your private life influences your work and vice versa
Sometimes stress can have desirable effects
Stress affects the body
Everyday frustration cause stress build-up
Problems in our personal life can be devastating
STRESS SIGNALS
If you are experiencing long-term stress, you may or may not be aware of it. Even if you are,
you may choose to avoid facing up to your problems. When the solutions are not obvious and
easy, it may feel better to hide the problem—even from your inner self.
You may be depressed and not realize it
o If you are experiencing depression, you may lose interest in your work and
withdraw from family, friends, and everything that enriches your life. If you
experience persistent, deep depression, you should seek professional help.
o Physical Symptoms can be Warning Signals
In The Wellness Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Maintaining
Health and Treating Stress-Related Illness, Benson and Stuart suggest
that the physical warning signs of harmful stress may include these:
pounding of the heart
dryness of the throat or mouth
insomnia
feeling constantly tired
inability to concentrate
chronic pain
change in appetite
nightmares
difficulty breathing
overpowering urge to cry
an urge to escape
trembling
panic attacks
Often stress signs are ignored, as they seem to come and go. If these
symptoms are totally disregarded, more serious conditions may
develop.
KEEP STRESS UNDER CONTROL
There are many effective ways to handle stress. One of the several excellent books on
keeping stress under control is Coping with Job Stress by Herbert M. Greenberg.
Of course, you can’t avoid stress; in fact, you wouldn’t want to avoid all stress—because
you’d never grow. However, you can manage your life so that you survive the emotional down
times without allowing stress to engulf you. Also, you can work to eliminate controllable stress
factors, such as running late or not getting enough sleep. But when stress is constant or too great,
your wisest option is to find ways to reduce or control it. You need not, and should not, live your
life in emotional stress and discomfort. Stress can be successfully manage.
Understand the Causes of Stress
Understanding why you are under stress is important. This may seem obvious, but
it requires a deliberate, conscious effort to pause and simply ponder your situation.
Stress response, the emotional or physical symptoms of uncontrolled stress.
Now you need to try to discover the stressor, the factors that create the stress in
your life.
Prepare a Written Assessment of Your Stress Factors so You can Visualize and
Understand Them
This written self-analysis can help prepare you to gain control of the stress in your
life. For example, you may write: “I feel tired most of the time. My lower back seems to
ache all through the day and night. I miss deadlines and run behind schedule.” After your
analysis of stress responses and consequences is written, consider each item and ask why.
“Why am I feeling tired? Why does my back ache? Why do I run behind schedule?”
Careful consideration of the answers to the “why” questions will reveal stressors, such as
deadlines, anxieties, trying to do too much, managing time or money poorly, or poor
health habits.
It may help to talk things over with someone with whom you feel comfortable and
secure. A good friend or a professional counsellor can help you explore possibilities and
clarify your thinking about what is causing stress in your life. These talks will release
pressure, make you feel better, and help you see a new side of a problem. In the process
of describing your problem, you may find a solution.
Deal With the Stressors
Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The longer you avoid
dealing with the stress factors, the more stress will build up. If tension comes because
you have put off an unfinished task, restructure your priorities so you can get the task you
have been avoiding out of the way and off your mind. Take the tasks that you have been
neglecting, write them down, and check them off as you take care of them. Make it a
point to talk with any person causing stress in your life and resolve your differences.
You may find yourself ignoring the causes of stress by simply saying, “I’m not
feeling well,” “I’m just tired,” or by taking your frustration and stress out on others with
unkind thoughts, words, or actions. This kind of behaviour only increases stress.
Develop your Ability to Work Under Pressure or Unusual Conditions
When you can’t reduce the stressors, you need to manage your stress response.
Almost everyone, at least at some point, has to meet deadlines, keep several tasks going
at once, resolve problems that come up, and do extra work when necessary. However,
when the pressure mounts, you can relieve it. Relaxation is the key, but most people must
train themselves to relax when the pressure is on.
Here are some tips on how to relax when the pressure is on:
Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles tightening up) and take a
few deep breaths. You may even want to post a sign that says “breathe” in large
letters.
Do a relaxing exercise. Swing your hands at your sides and stretch.
If your work situation allows it, take a “power nap”. Lie down and totally relax for a
few minutes.
Find time outside your work to do some things that you enjoy.
Learn meditation techniques or yoga.
Leave your workplace briefly for a brisk walk or other vigorous exercise.
Find a quiet place to read a magazine or novel during a break or at lunch.
If possible, have pictures of serene, peaceful scenery (forests, meadows, mountain)
visible or accessible. This “mini-vacation” for your eyes is a powerful inducer of the
relaxation response.
Look up.
Keep something humorous on hand, such as a book of jokes. Laughter is great
medicine to help us relax.
[6]
WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress is the process of adjusting to circumstances that disrupt, or threaten to disrupt, a
person’s equilibrium (Burchfield, 1979; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Selye, 1976).
Stress always involves a relationship between people and their environments—more
specifically, between stressors and stress reactions. Stressors are events and situations (such as
uncomfortable bus rides) to which people must adjust. Stress reactions are the physical,
psychological, and behavioral responses (such as nausea, nervousness, and tiredness) people
display in the face of stressors.
Stress is defined, not as a specific occurrence, but as a process.
STRESSORS
Many stressors involve physical demands; infections and extreme temperatures are
examples. In humans, however, many of the most significant stressors are psychological.
[4]
Stress.
Stress is difficult to define—it is not strictly an independent, dependent, or intervening
variable. Rather, it is a collective term denoting demands that “tax” a system (physiological,
social, or psychological) and its responses.
The antecedents of stress (called stressors) come from many sources. They may originate
from the physical environment (temperature, noise), from individual-level phenomena (work
overload, role conflict), from the work group (lack of cohesiveness) and from the total
organization (climate). Feelings of stress can then be perceived by oneself. However, sometimes
individuals do not know they are stressed, but their friends recognize that something is “wrong”.
The consequences of stress include coronary heart disease, ulcers, headaches, depression, and
nervous exhaustion.
