INTRODUCTION:

Stress is dynamic condition in which individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint, or demand related to what he or she desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. This is a complicated definition. Lets looks at its components more closely. Stress is not necessarily bad in and of itself. Although stress is typically discussed in a negative context, it also has a positive value. Its an opportunity when it offers potential gain. Consider, for example, the superior performance that an athlete or stage performer gives an clutch situations. Such individuals often use stress positively to rise to the occasion and perform at or near their maximum. Similarly, many professionals see the pressures of heavy workloads and deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the quality of their work and the satisfaction they get from their job. More typically, stress is associated with constraints and demands. The former prevent you from doing what you desire. The latter refers to the loss of something desired. So when you take a test at school or you undergo your annual performance review at work, you feel stress because you confront opportunities, constraints and demands. A good performance review may lead to a promotion, greater responsibilities, and a higher salary. But a poor review may prevent you from getting the promotion. An extremely poor review might even result in your being fired. Two conditions are necessary for potential stress to become actual stress. There must be uncertainty over the outcome and the outcome must be important. Regardless of the conditions, its only when there is doubt or uncertainty regarding whether the opportunity w ill be seized, the constraint removed the loss avoided that there is stress. That is, highest for individuals perceive

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that they are uncertain as to whether they will win or loss and for individual who think that winning or losing is a certainty. But importance also critical. unimportant outcome, there is no If winning or losing is an

stress if keeping your job or earning a promotion doesnt hold any importance to you have no reason to feel stress over having to undergo a performance revision.

DEFINITION
The term stress is a condition of strain on ones emotions, thought processes and physical condition. When it is excessive, it can threaten ones ability to cope with the environment KEITH DAVIS

Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. RICHARD S LAZARUS Stress is the reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them. It arises when they worry that they cant cope. Stress is the wear and tear our mind and bodies experience as we attempt to cope with our continually changing environment.

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 THE EVOLUTION OF THE STRESS CONCEPT

The terms stress was first coined in 1822 by the French mathematician Augustin Cauchy. He defined stress as the pressure per unit area.

In the twentieth century, the stress concept entered the field of the biological sciences. Walter Cannon (1914) conducted physiological research which resulted in his describing the stress response as a fight or flight response. Hans Selye (1936), a Canadian endocrinologist, continued this work and devised the General Adaptation Syndrome, a model of how the body responds to stressful situations in the short and long term.

HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
Richard Rah and others established the view that stress is caused by distinct, measureable life stressors, and further, that these life stressors can be ranked by the median degree of stress they produce .Thus, stress was traditionally conceptualized to be a result of external insults beyond the control of those experiencing the stress. More recently, however, it has been argued that external circumstances do not have any intrinsic capacity to produce stress, but instead their effect is mediated by the individual's perceptions, capacities, and understanding.

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 MODELS OF JOB STRESS Transactional model

Richard Lazarusand Susan Folk man suggested in 1984 that stress can be thought of as resulting from an imbalance between demands and resources or as occurring when pressure exceeds one's perceived ability to cope. Stress management was developed and premised on the idea that stress is not a direct response to a stressor but rather one's resources and ability to cope mediate the stress response and are amenable to change, thus allowing stress to be controllable. In order to develop an effective stress management programme it is first necessary to identify the factors that are central to a person controlling his/her stress, and to identify the intervention methods which effectively target these factors. Lazarus and Folk mans interpretation of stress focuses on the transaction between people and their external environment (known as the Transactional Model).The model proposes that stress can bereduced by helping stressed people change their perceptions of stressors, providing them with strategies to help them cope and improving their confidence in their ability to do so.

Health realization/innate health model

The health realization model focuses on the nature of thought, stating that it is ultimately a person's thought processes that determine the response to potentially stressful external circumstances. This model proposes that helping stressed individuals understand the nature of thoughtespecially providing them with the ability to recognize when they are in the grip of

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insecure thinking, disengage from it, and access natural positive feelingswill reduce their stress.

Recognizing a stressor:
It is important to recognize whether you are under stress or out of it. Many times, even if we are under the influence of a stressful condition and our body reacts to it internally as well as externally, we fail to realize that we are reacting under stress. This also happens when the causes of stress are there long enough for us to get habituated to them.

STRESSORS Acute
The cause of acute stress disorder is a traumatic experience. A traumatic experience is one that causes extreme fear. Usually, this type of experience is a part of any life threatening incident or injury to self or others.

Bipolar
Bipolar disorder is known as a psychological problem which comes with heavy bouts of stress and extreme mood swings. The sufferer would either go in to depression or would brim with energy

Generalized
Have you ever heard of people talking about Generalized Anxiety Disorder? Has the term left you puzzled? This is a common problem that is often ignored. 49

 THE REAL STRESSORS

Frustrations
This is one of the most common factors that builds up to stress. Typically, most people

feel frustrated when they are unable to achieve a goal or certain needs. As a result, the person tends to feel de-motivated and unenthusiastic. People who are frustrated for a long time tend to deal with feelings of incompetence and low self wortA person may deal with various kinds of frustrations. Some frustrations can be attributed to environmental or external factors. For instance, experience of any kind of discrimination or death of a loved one can lead to frustration. There are some frustrations such as individual limitations that are more of internal nature.

Pressures

We all deal with some or the other kind of pressure in everyday life. For instance, a working individual may have to deal with pressure at work. On the other hand, high profile celebs are constantly dealing with the pressure of looking good all the time. These pressurizing situations often end up in stress. Pressure can exist both at internal as well as external levels. When a person is being pushed to intensify his/her course of activity due to external factors, it is termed as external pressure. An example of this could be a child being pushed by his parents to work harder for the exams. Some times, the pressure can be internal where in an individual is pushing himself/herself to achieve something.

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Conflicting situations:
Conflicting situations are yet another important cause of stress as seen in many individuals. A conflict can exist both at the internal as well as the external level, which leads to stress. External conflicts refer to any kind of clash or conflict with family, peers, friends and the like. On the other hand, internal conflicts refer to a conflict within an individual's mind. Internal conflicts typically occur when an individual is made to choose between two or more options. This leaves the individual in a state of dilemma, straining the mind. As a result of mental strain, the individual concerned is bound to bestressed.

TYPES OF STRESS:
The nature of stress is of two types namely: Eustress Distress

Eustress- The Positive Stress

Stress need not be bad all the time. Sometimes, stress can be good too. Eustress, a type of positive stress is actually good for your body. It is basically a desirable form of stress which is healthful and gives a feeling of contentment. It keeps you excited about life. There are several situations where in you may experience eustress. Just because Eustress is a type of stress, it need not be damaging to your body. Unlike chronic stress that is taxing on your 51

body, eustress does not have any unfavorable effects on your body. Instead, it lifts up your spirits and helps you stay in a good mood. Eustress provides the desired balance by evening out the negative stress.

The Importance of Eustress

Unlike negative stress, human beings actually need Eustress. It gives a meaning to life. Without Eustress, you would never feel excited or strive more to do a particular task. This is the reason why Eustress is important.

Eustress is very important for a person to generate maximum performance and output. This helps improve your efficiency at work. By improving both your personal as well as professional life, eustress can also help you get rid of chronic stress.

Eustress for

stress management if utilized in a proper manner, Eustress can actually

help you get rid of stress. Since eustress is a positive phenomenon, it can help change your mindset and attitude towards things. It helps you consider the threats in your life as challenges. This changes your mental attitude towards different situations in life and helps you steer clear of stress.

Distress- The Negative Stress

Stress, in simple words, can be defined as the physical and mental strain that is caused on our body due to certain situations from the outside world. When you are faced with sudden or unpleasant situations, your body reacts by kicking in the 'fight or flight' response. This is known as stressWhen stress exceeds a desired level, it can harm your body. It can damage not just your 52

health but also have negative effects on your social life. In the long run, stress can also hamper your productivity levels. So, stress is not always bad. It harms you only when it exists in more than a desired quantity.

SYMPTOMS OF STRESS Mental symptoms

Lack of concentration Tension Fatigue Irritability

Behavioral symptoms
Eating disorders Increasing smoking Restlessness Increase intake of alcohol

Emotional symptoms
Impatience Tearfulness Fits 53

 Symptoms of Workplace Stress

The causes of workplace stress are global and specific to the workplace in nature. Similarly, the signs of workplace stress can also be divided into some that are general symptoms of stress and others that are specific to the workplace.

Psychological symptoms include depression, and anxiety. Emotional symptoms include dissatisfaction, negativity, mood swings, tiredness, fatigue and frustration.

Behavioral symptoms that can surface are aggression, alcoholism, and drug abuse, irritability that leads to broken relationships, absenteeism as well.

Cognitive handicaps like lack of concentration, memory loss, incapacity of completing easy assignments on time and inability to find a solution to the simplest of work issues can also occur.

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 CAUSES OF STRESS AT WORK PLACE

It should also be recognized that properly managed circumstances can reduce stress, maximize employee productivity, and improve the living conditions of everyone. Out of control stress also costs companies through increased absenteeism, lack of enthusiasm for the job, poor performance, and bad attitudes. Improvements in each of these areas can bring improved productivity and increased profits

The treadmill syndrome

Employees who consistently have too much or too little to do creates a lot of stress. Some employees are highly stressed because they simply have too many responsibilities. These are generally the employees who have too much to do and too many responsibilities.

"Random interruptions"
Interruptions keep employees from getting their work done - telephones, walk-in visits, supervisor's demands.

"Mistrust, unfairness, and office politics

These situations keep everyone on edge and uncertain about the future. Management of trust and fairness is just as important as any other management tool. If people cannot trust management, performance goes down. And, everyone is affected if even one employee is treated unfairly.

"Unclear policies and no sense of direction

Lack of focus causes additional uncertainty and undermines confidence in management. 55

No feedback - good or bad

People want to know how they are doing, and whether they are meeting expectations. If they do not communicatetheir thoughts on their performance, they are stressed about how well they are doing.

Uncomfortable working conditions

This is something that affects factory workers the most. An uncomfortable working environment can take its toll on the overall health of an individual and cause a fair amount of stress over time. For office workers too, a cramped up working station, lack of hygienic conditions, improper air conditioning can also cause workplace stress.

Economic factors

With the industrial and the information technology revolution, better productivity has become possible. This has resulted in investors putting pressure on the management to get better bottom line results. Higher competition, lack of worker unions and a hire-and-fire attitude has increases the fear of a job loss to an extent where even high performers do not consider themselves safe from a "pink slip"

Long working hours

The fear of loosing a job make employees want to work harder to be able to outperform their colleagues in the desire to impress the bosses. Long hours are not only physically tiring but can a high alert state throughout the day can drain your mind completely.

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Job insecurity

The competition in the market, economic conditions, mergers and acquisitions and better technologies are making resources redundant. In such a situation every employee is pushedtowards saving his place irrespective of what it takes to do so. Back-biting, taking credit for where it is not due and other such unprofessional behavior breeds.

Technology

Computers and mobile phones were developed to make life easier, faster and more convenient for man. However, with new technologies being launched each day there is a large pressure on workers to stay up-to-date with every new technology. Accompanied by this, the workload does not seem to have reduced with the use of technologies. Instead the demands from humans keep increasing continuously.

Discrimination
While not a global cause of workplace stress, discrimination is however extremely rampant in various offices. The discrimination could be on the basis of sex, race, religion or nationality. Any such discrimination makes the targeted employee feel extremely tense at work all the time.

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Reduce your stress

Job analysis:

The first of the action-oriented skills that we look at is Job Analysis. Job Analysis is a key technique for managing job overload an important source of stress.

To do an excellent job, you need to fully understand what is expected of you. By understanding the priorities in your job, and what constitutes success within it, you can focus on these activities and minimize work on other tasks as much as possible. This helps you get the greatest return from the work you do, and keep your workload under control.Job Analysis is a useful technique for getting a firm grip on what really is important in your job so that you are able to perform excellently. It helps you to cut through clutter and distraction to get to the heart of what you need to do.

Rational & positive thinking:

Negative thinking damages confidence, harms performance and paralyzes mental skills.

Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to flit into our consciousness, do their damage and flit back out again, with their significance having barely been noticed. Since we barely realize that they were there, we do not challenge them properly, which means that they can be completely incorrect and wrong.

. Here are some typical negative thoughts you might experience when preparing to give a major presentation: 58

Fear about the quality of your performance or of problems that may interfere with it. Worry about how the audience (especially important people in it like your boss) or the press may react to you;

Dwelling on the negative consequences of a poor performance; or Self-criticism over a less-than-perfect rehearsal.

Positive Thinking & Opportunity Seeking

The final step is to prepare rational, positive thoughts and affirmations to counter any remaining negativity. It can also be useful to look at the situation and see if there are any useful opportunities that are offered by it.

Worries about performance: "I have prepared well and rehearsed thoroughly. I am
well positioned to give an excellent performance."

Problems issues outside your control: "I have thought through everything that
might reasonably happen and have planned how I can handle all likely contingencies. I am very well placed to react flexibly to events."

Worry about other people's reaction: "Fair people will react well to a good
performance. I will rise above any unfair criticism in a mature and professional way."

Positive Thinking is to look at opportunities that the situation might offer to you. If you successfully overcome the situations causing the original negative thinking which will open up greater opportunities.

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 COPING WITH STRESS:

Allow longer or more frequent work breaks. Provide backup coverage for when the employee needs to take breaks. Provide additional time to learn new responsibilities. Restructure job to include only essential functions. Allow for time off for counseling. Assign a supervisor, manager, or mentor to answer employees questions.

STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS

There is tremendous amount of stress in the workplaces of the present day world. Daily stress can come to such a flash point that you may feel like exploding at any point of time. Frankly speaking, no one in this world has been able to wipe out stress.

The following are the tips which you should find helpful.

Know the enemy

You need to find the exact reason of stress. You need to think and analyze the root cause of stress.. After this, you need to examine whether your home life is responsible for your stress. The third thing which you need to reexamine is relationships. You need to come to a particular conclusion. Without finding the prime cause of the problem, it is very difficult to counter stress.

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Share the land

You need to share things about stress to the other person. You should not have this feeling that you only can find the right solution and no one can help you. In case you will not share the problems with your boss or a friend, the stress problem is not going to get over.

Get a fresh outlook.

Do not take the things of life and the job in a more serious way. Have a new outlook of life. This will help you to come out of stress in your life.

Be a tough nut
Take criticism lightly. Take it as positive criticism. Have a balance between work And life. This will reduce stress.

Visualize Calm
Close your eyes, take three long, slow breaths, and spend a few seconds picturing a relaxing scene, such as walking in a meadow, kneeling by a brook, or lying on the beach. Focus on the details -- the sights, the sounds, the smells.

Put It on Paper
Divide a piece of paper into two parts. On the left side, list the stressors you may be able to change, and on the right, list the ones you can't. "Change what you can, "and stop fretting over what you can't."

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AdmitIt
Each of us has uniquely individual stress signals -- neck or shoulder pain, shallow breathing, stammering, teeth gritting, queasiness, loss of temper. Learn to identify yours, then say out loud, "I'm feeling stressed Recognizing your personal stress signals helps slow the buildup of negativity and anxiety.

TECHNIQUES OF STRESS MANAGEMENT

Make stress your friend
Acknowledge that stress is good and make stress your friend! Based on the bodys natural fight or flight response that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.

Stress is contagious
Protect yourself from stress germs by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if youve got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage their stress

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Copy good stress managers

When people around are losing their head, which keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced? Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and follow what they are doing.

BENEFITS
The benefits of Stress management programs are

The participant is able to understand his problems He learns to overcome it He is able to change his life style and way of thinking. He develops a high self esteem He develops social interaction skills He is able to handle different persons and situations effectively He is able to understand the reality - what is possible and what is not possible.

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 EFFECTS OF STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress is not good for your body. The reason for the same being the numerous ill effects that it brings along. Prolonged stress can damage almost every part of your body and also bring along several stresses related ailments. It can suppress the immune system and make you more prone to illness. It also raises your blood pressure, increases the chances of heart attack and also speeds up the aging process. Long term exposure to stress may also contribute to infertility. If you do not fight stress on time, you may end up being a victim of depression.

Assertion- The Way to Manage Stress

Assertions are nothing but the art of implementing a positive thinking process. More than often, it is the way a person thinks that determines whether he/she is stressed or not. If a person is constantly thinking negative thoughts, he/she is bound to be stressed. On the other hand, positive thoughts help one look at the good side of things and remain stress free. Assertions help change the negative thoughts into positive ones and stay stress free.

For those who have a negative mindset, short constructive sentences that challenge the existing beliefs may prove helpful. It is quite similar to self brainwashing. But then an individual needs to be careful about which beliefs, he/she wants to replace. Initially, this may seem like going against yourself. People who are slightly egoistic may even have trouble implementing positive assertions. But as you keep on repeating implying positive assertions, you will have lesser problem accepting newer thoughts. Once you have replaced the negative thought with a positive one, you will need to repeat the positive thought to yourself over and over again. Eventually, these positive assertions seep into your mind, changing the way you react to situations. So, the next time you are faced with a similar situation, you will not be stressed. 64

 Managing stress at work place

Managing stress in the work place is a reality that all most all of us have to face for one very important reason. Try to address issues, which are affecting your stress level, head on. Specifically so, for those issues, which you know you can change. 1. Try to manage your time properly. If you are unable to manage time, it is going to put a great amount of stress on you. Never waste your time in talking with colleagues, making personal phone calls. Give first priority to your work at all times. After that you can unwind. 2. Do not neglect your personal life. Always make a balance between the personal and professional life. It is always important to have a balance between these two, because it is the secret of a healthy life. 3. Check if the work you are doing is suited to your talents and temperament. Lack of job satisfaction is one of the key reasons for undue stress at the workplace.

Assertions Helping in Managing the Stress

Assertions help change your attitude and behavior towards things. They replace all your negative thoughts with positive ones, which in turn changes the way you react to situations. For example, you may get really irritated and think bad of your boss every time he nags you. An assertion could change the irritation and negative thinking into a positive thought like the boss's nagging will help you become better.

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 ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACHES TO REDUCE STRESS

Several of the factors that cause stress particularly task and role demands and organizations structure are controlled by management. As such they can be modified or changed. Some of the strategies that management want to consider include improved personal self section and job placement, use of realistic goal setting, redesigning of jobs, improved organizational communication and establishment of corporate wellness programmers. Selection and placement decisions should take these facts into consideration. Goal setting helps to reduce stress. It also provides motivation. Designing jobs to give employees more responsibility, more meaningful work, more autonomy, and increased feedback can reduce stress, because these factors give the employee greater control over work activities and lessen dependence on others. Increasingly formal organizational communication with employees reduces uncertainly by lessens role ambiguity and role conflict. Wellness program, say, employee counseling form on the employees total physical and mental condition. They typically proud work ships to help people quit smoking, control alcohol usage, eat better and develop a regular exercise program.

Some of the organizational strategies discussed are: Selection placement Goal setting strategies Participative decision making Improved communication Stress management.

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 CORE CONCEPTS TO REDUCE STRESS IN THE ORGANIZATION

Time management
Many people manage their time very poorly. Some of well known time management principles include, o Making daily list of activities to be accomplished o Scheduling activities according to the priorities set o Prioritizing activities by importance and urgency o Knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding parts of your job.

Relaxation training
Relaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis and bio-feedback. The objective is to reach in state of deep relaxation, where one feels physically relaxed, somewhat from detached from the immediate environment. Fifteen or twenty minutes a day of deep relaxation releases tension and provides a person with a pronounced sense of peacefulness.

Social support
Having families, friends or work colleagues to talk provides an outlet, when stress levels become excessive. So expand your social support network that helps you with someone to hear your problems.

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 Alternative employment
Leaving the firm and seeking alternative employment is another firm may manage stress. Many times the only way to reduce stress is to change the situation.

How to Change the Organization to Prevent Job Stress

Ensure that the workload is in line with workers' capabilities and resources. Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their skills.

Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities. Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs. Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects.

Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.

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