Stress Management

Your body's biochemical, structural and psychological functions are delicately balanced to enable good physical and mental health, and an upset in any one area can lead to problems in others.

Optimum health, requires looking after all parts of the whole. A healthy body and a clear and active mind with a positive attitude will help you maintain this balance.

The increasing demands of modern life can put enormous pressure on the body and mind. Some stress is part of life and is not necessarily a bad things: it is a normal response to dange and positive stress provides the spur to achieve; but when stress is long-term it can affect you physically, emotionally and spiritually, impacting on your well being.

What causes stress?
There are many causes of stress from the routine ring of the telephone to something life-threatening. Major life events, such as moving home, birth, marriage, divorce or death; environmental factors such as noise, heights, flashing lights, pollution and overcrowding; lifestyle - such as poor diet and lack of sleep and exercise. These are just some of the things that can contribute to stress. Your own temperament, constitution and previous experiences moderate the effects of stress but the more causes of stress there are, the less you are able to deal with them effectively.

3 Stages of Adaptation
In the 1950s, an American Doctor, Hans Selye, identified three stages of adaptation in the human response to long-term stress.

1. Alarm
Exposure to a cause of stress prompts an immediate biochemical reaction. Stress hormones are released into the bloodstream, causing the following:
- increase heart rate and blood pressure
- raised blood-sugar and cholesterol levels
- faster breathing and perspiration
- increased muscle tension
- disruption of digestive processes
- supression of the immune system
- emotion tension

2. Resistance
If the cause of stress is removed or dealt with, the body reverts to normal functioning, but if it continues the body copes by adapting. Although you may feel as though everything has returned to normal, your body uses up energy stores and over time this affects your ability to function effectively, resulting in fatigue, irritability and lethargy.

3. Exhaustion
Long term stress changes the balance of hormones in the body and leads to exhaustion. A suppressed immune system, slower metabolism and slower rate of cell repair results in rapid ageing, weight gain and a greater risk of degenerative disease. Your body becomes run down, with recurring minor illnesses and psychological 'burn-out'. Eventually you may become seriously ill or suffer a breakdown.

Although stress may cause a variety of disorders, it is not in itself an illness. Stress is created by habitual responses to difficult situations and by an unhealthy lifestyle. It is a habit that you can break; if you are prepared to look carefully at your life and take control.

If stress is affecting you and your team or you want to prevent executive stress, Skillkick's training course on stress management will be of interest to you.