We hear so much about the negative efects of stress on health, but we seldom

hear anything about the positive efects of stress.

We may talk about cutting the stress from our lives, but we need those
confronted with an unexpected, needed-it-yesterday deadline at work, or when
we have to rearrange our schedule to accommodate personal commitments.
When the brain perceives physical or psychological stress, it starts pumping the
chemicals cortisol and adrenaline into the body. Instantly, the heart beats faster,
blood pressure increases, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us
and were ready to rock.
Challenge and thrill are part of stress.
Good stress is the spark that drives us to achieve more, to improve the quality of
The challenge of a new situation and the stimulation that it creates might be

positive ones, cause a certain degree of stress. For example getting a new job is
a positive change, getting married, falling in love, getting a raise or even
winning a tennis match.
We need a certain amount of stress to achieve peak performance. In fact, too
little stress leads to:
boredom
lack of motivation

not reaching your potential
low self-esteem.
Workplaces can sufer with people who may be under-stressed with their jobs,
uninspired, disinterested and disengaged thus leading to poor performance. As
we move from boredom toward the optimum zone on the performance arc, the
brain triggers increasing levels of stress hormones and we enter the range of
good stress, where our performance picks up.
Is stress good for you to achieve
peak performance?
July 2014
The key topics this month are:
Stress - how can it be good
for you?
Stress Down
Relaxation technique - meditation
Stress Down
Laugh much and laugh often.
Laughter is a powerful stress relief tool.
Laughter is known to:
Increase feelings of well-being.
Open up your creativity.
Lower blood pressure.
Stimulate the production
of endorphins.
Stress Down day is an annual event in Australia.
This day is dedicated to reducing the
burden of stress and encourages
workplaces to have fun with their
colleagues, friends or family to reduce
stress levels.
Humour, a great stress reliever!
Laugh, be happy and have less stress!
- Catherine Pulsifer
Challenges like getting motivated to reach a goal, being called on to exhibit
your best skills, or a teams race to meet a deadline, focus our attention and
elicit our best efforts on the job at hand. Good stress gets us engaged,
enthused, motivated and mobilises just enough to do the job effectively. As a
result, employees are more productive, give better attention to customers and
are more loyal to the organisation.
Too much stress is harmful for your brain, but so is too little. That is, the right
amount of stress is good for your brain. So how do we know when it is
too much stress or just the right amount of stress? That varies from person
to person.

Optum
TM
has created a short video to help you identify a few causes of stress
and how the EAP can help. Please type in your login details (as below)
when prompted.
Username: video
Password OptumEAP@12
Stress becomes harmful when it exceeds our ability to cope. This harmful stress
is called distress. At a glance:
Left unchecked, stress can have a devastating effect on your health and
relationships so its important to learn to manage it.
There are plenty of simple techniques you can learn to help reduce the
causes of stress.
However trapped you may feel in your situation, remember that there is
always a solution and that you do have control.
It may be tough to tell when youre experiencing good or bad stress, but there
are important ways that your body lets you know that youre struggling with
too much stress. Watch out for the following warning signs:
inability to concentrate or complete tasks
getting sick more often with colds
body aches
other illnesses like autoimmune diseases fare up
headaches
irritability
trouble falling asleep or staying awake
changes in appetite
increased anger or anxiety.
Why you shouldnt ignore stress
Meeting the demands of your customers, colleagues and managers can be a
challenge. However, its important that you recognise the difference between a
healthy challenge and unhealthy job stress.
Relaxation technique -
Meditation
Meditation, used for many years in
Eastern cultures, is now widely accepted
as a relaxation technique. The goal of all
meditative procedures, both religious and
therapeutic, is to quiet the mind
(essentially, to relax thought). Studies
have suggested that regular meditation
can beneft the heart and help reduce
blood pressure.
Some recommend meditating for no
longer than 20 minutes in the
morning after waking and then again in
early evening before dinner. Even once a
day is helpful.
New practitioners should understand
that it can be diffcult to quiet the mind
and should not be discouraged by lack of
immediate results. Several techniques are
available including:
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is a common practice that
focuses on breathing. It employs the
basic technique used in other forms
of meditation.
Sit upright with the spine straight,
either cross-legged or sitting on a
frm chair with both feet on the
foor, uncrossed.
With the eyes closed or gently
looking a few feet ahead, observe
the exhalation of the breath.
As the mind wanders, simply note
it as a fact and return to the out
breath. It may be helpful to
imagine your thoughts as clouds
dissipating away.
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
TM uses a mantra (a word that has a
specifc chanting sound but no meaning).
The person meditating repeats the word
silently, letting thoughts come and go.
Mini-Meditation
This method involves heightening
awareness of the immediate
surrounding environment. Choose a
routine activity when alone.
For example:
While washing dishes, concentrate on
the feel of the water and dishes.
Allow the mind to wander to any
immediate sensory experience
(sounds outside the window, smells
from the stove, colours in the room).
Positive vs. Negative Stress
Optimum Zone
Peak Performance
Distress:
Increase
tiredness,
indecisiveness,
decrease
productivity and
accuracy, can lead
to burnout
Stress
P
e
r
f
o
r
m
a
n
c
e
Under-stressed:
Under-involved,
frustration, rust-out
Left unchecked, work stress m ay:
Reduce your productivity.
Ruin your holidays.
Make you feel unhappy at work.
Interfere with your family time.
In time, stress can wear your body down and can increase the risk of injury and
disease so dont ignore it! If you are feeling tense and worried about work,
you can learn to manage it with relaxation techniques, counselling, exercise,
assertiveness training and improved social skills.

Optum data over the last two years shows that the most common issue for
accessing the EAP is stress and coping.
Optum data - top 15 issues reported (2012 & 2013).
Things to remember about stress
It is not all in the mind.
It can happen to any of us do not feel ashamed to admit that you are
feeling stressed.
Stress is a contributory factor in many other illnesses so dont ignore it.
Recognising the signs and symptoms early is important so be vigilant at
all times.
We cannot stop stress from happening but we can minimise its efects.
Take time of for hobbies and set aside a small amount of time each day to
do something that is important to you.

manager for more engaging tasks.
Enhance your concentration abilities so you can pay more attention which
leads to high performance.
Laugh it is good for you.
Become more aware when you or others leave the zone of positive stress
and peak performance so you can do something about it.
Take control - talk to your EAP before stress becomes a concern.
If the mind begins to think about

unformed thoughts or worries,
redirect it gently back.
This redirection of brain activity from
your thoughts and worries to your
senses disrupts the stress response
and prompts relaxation. It also helps
promote an emotional and sensual
appreciation of simple pleasures
already present in a persons life.
Note:
Meditating before going to bed may
cause some people to wake up in
the middle of the night, alert and
unable to return to sleep.
The only potential risks from
meditating are in people with
psychosis, in whom meditating may
trigger a psychotic event.
Access Livewell
Your online wellbeing resource has
numerous factsheets and tools to help
you manage your stress.

Access the Five-Step Programme on
the site to understand the causes of
short-term stress in your life.
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
2012
2013
Supp ort
Optum can support you in times of need and explore possible strategies that will assist you to re-balance your life as soon as
possible. Call us today.

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Sources: www.stress-relief-tools.com.com | www.nbc.com | www.caba.org.uk | www.myoptumhealth.com