Stress Management for Peak Performance

"Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it." --Boethius

Defining Stress and How it Affects Us

Can we define what we mean by stress? Stress is our mental, physical, and behavioral response to anxiety-producing events. Too much stress can result in serious physical, psychological, interpersonal, or performance problems. 

The amount of stress that we experience depends on how much stress we have, how long we have it, and how we are able to manage it. Stress can be caused by anything in your life. In fact, the experts have different theories on what causes the largest amount of stress for individuals.

• According to Peter Hansen, best-selling author of several books about stress, work and the workplace causes most of our stress. 
• According to the Holmes-Rahe stress scale, the greatest single stressors come from our personal lives

What is Stress?

A widely accepted definition of stress, attributed to psychologist and Professor Richard Lazarus, is, "a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize."

This means that we experience stress if we believe that we don't have the time, resources, or knowledge to handle a situation. In short, we experience stress when we feel "out of control."

This also means that different people handle stress differently, in different situations: you'll handle stress better if you're confident in your abilities, if you can change the situation to take control, and if you feel that you have the help and support needed to do a good job.

All about Stress

Stress is about changing lifestyles: Consider the way you experience your daily life, as opposed to how your parents lived. The lifestyles we lead depend on the values we hold as a culture. The advances and changes in technology and communications have been extraordinary over the past fifty years.

Stress is about power: How? We are more stressed when we feel powerless to change the way things are. Stress is an equal opportunity opponent. Stress affects people of every age and every culture, regardless of whether you are male or female.

Stress is about self-esteem: When our self-esteem is high, we feel more powerful and therefore less stressed. When our self-esteem is low, we feel like we have no power to make any changes and that can cause us more stress.

Stress is about change: Change itself is stressful. Even if we don’t like the situation we find ourselves in, if we are familiar with being in that situation, or if we feel that at least we know what will happen when we are in this situation, we find it less stressful than we think it might be making changes and stepping into the unknown.

Eustress

Don’t forget that stress isn’t all bad. In 1974, Richard Lazarus coined the term ―Eustress to define types of stress that are healthy. Positive stress motivates, increases energy levels, and can drive people forward to embrace the work before them.

What about having no stress at all? An absence of stress can actually lead to boredom or frustration. When people who enjoy a variety of activities as a part of their day suddenly find themselves caught up, they can actually become bored and experience feelings of fatigue.

A balance of positive stress is ideal, although the human component of that is that each person responds as an individual. So, what is good stress for one person can be negative for another. 

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – Buddha

Building a Solid Foundation: Taking Care of Your Body and Your Mind

There are four pillars that support stress management:

1. Nutrition

• No more than two cups of coffee (caffeine) a day.
• Avoid fast food when possible.
• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables.
• Avoid eating at your desk.
• Allow your body some time to digest food before getting to work again.
• Drink six to eight glasses of water a day.
• Read labels so you can avoid foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat.
• 2. Exercise
• Experts differ, but try to exercise for at least 20 minutes three times a week.
• Walking is a great form of exercise.
• If your day is really busy, set the alarm a half hour earlier and exercise when there are fewer things to distract you.
• Stretching is good exercise we can do anywhere.
• Walking at lunch hour rather than sitting at your desk can improve both health and efficiency. 
• If your willpower is low, find a buddy.       

3. Relationships

• Everybody needs a friend at work.
• Learn that it is OK to ask for help.
• Smile more often.
• Get to know your next-door neighbor.
• Offer to do something for someone else with no expectation of thanks or payment.
• Support is reciprocal. Support them and they support you.
• Don’t whine. Nobody wants to be around a whiner.
• Have a positive relationship with yourself.
• Listen to what your inner voice is saying and make that voice positive.

4. Relaxation 

• Remember to breathe.
• Deep breathing gets blood to our brain and rids our bodies of toxins.
• Music helps us relax. Lively music perks us up and slower music helps us slow down.
• Exercise is a form of relaxation.
• While a shower is invigorating, a long soak in a tub can be very relaxing.
• Practice regularly.

[Published by me on LinkedIn dated 05 January, 2017]