Stress And Life Situations
by http://free-daily-motivational-self-improvement.com
Stress begins when a particular event disorients you and knocks you out of balance. This life situation could be as simple as a change in room temperature, or a threat from another person, to the extremes of dealing with the death of a loved one.
Fundamentally it means that you are experiencing some change in your life to which you need to adapt. However the same situation presented to different people may result in very different reactions. That is because different people will interpret the situation differently. This is termed their 'cognitive appraisal' and can be controlled.
We have a life situation that is perceived. Such feelings as fear, anger, and insecurity or feelings of being overpowered, frustrated, pressured, or helpless may be results of perceiving a life situation as stressful. These feelings lead to physiological stimulation. If physiological stimulation is chronic or prolonged, illness or disease may result. In addition, stress can lead to other consequences, like inefficient performance and interpersonal relationships at work, school, or home.
If you do not take steps to learn how to deal with your stress you can be at risk of health problems like hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, ulcers, migraines, cancer, tension headaches, allergies and asthma. Stress has been shown to affect other health conditions as well.
Taking Control
Managing stress is really just exercising control rather than giving it up to others or to your environment. So often we hear others say, “So and so made me angry!” No one can make you angry. Rather, you allow yourself to be angered by what so and so has said or done. When you describe your behavior as dependent upon another’s, you have given up control of that behavior to that other person.
The actual event does not necessarily have anger as its consequence. The anger was brought to that situation by you – not by the event or another person. On some days, the same event would not have resulted in your becoming angry. You may have been having a great day and telling yourself it was so great that nothing was going to ruin it. And so, nothing did! You are the master of your ship. You may not be able to influence other people to alter what they say or do, but you can alter your reaction to what they say or do.
Are You Experiencing Work Stress?
When you ask people where most of their daily stress comes from, majority will tell you that it either comes from their home or from work, with greater emphasis on the latter. Because work is a paid endeavor, and the time allotted for it is regular and measured, a lot of people say the routine is what bothers them – in addition to the gnarly boss, the file pile-ups, and office politics.
Work stress can be managed. Next time you feel like you're stressed at work, here are a few tips you can try.
1. Take a break
Leave the workplace, take a short walk or visit a quiet nook in your building or a nearby café. Claiming some "me" time helps clear and refresh your mind; so will a change of atmosphere.
2. Talk it over
Before you snap back at a co-worker, bite your tongue. Talk to a close friend at work, ask if he or she has the time, and ask for help in processing your anger or anxious feelings. Expressing yourself to a friend helps you simmer down and prevents you from acting impulsively or saying things that you might regret later.
3. Stretch
Exercise can do wonders to one's spirits. It doesn't have to be rigorous. A few minutes of stretching and breathing does the trick.
4. Eat, drink
Yes, stress eating is the number one cause of weight gain, but there are nutritious foods to calm you and to help you sustain your energy for the rest of the day. Instead of reaching out for a sugar-laden doughnut, get a bran muffin; instead of coffee, have a relaxing tea drink.
5. Laugh!
Humor is an effective way to relieve stress. Laughter relaxes tense muscles, brings in more oxygen into our system, and lowers blood pressure. Next time you want to blow your top, call a friend with a good sense of humor. Developing good jokes – no offensive ones – does wonders for yourself and your workmates, too. Seeing humor in everyday things lightens up an otherwise trying and tiring day at work.
Managing Occupational Stress
In conclusion, occupational stress may be difficult to define and measure because of the personal stressors people bring to their jobs and their varying personality characteristics, but we all know when we are experiencing it. Fortunately, we can manage occupational stress by using the stress model to set up roadblocks between occupational stress and illness and disease.
We can change jobs, perceive the stressors associated with our jobs as challenges rather than burdens, practice relaxation techniques, and exercise regularly to use up the accumulated products of stress. However, anything we do is our own choice. Grinning and bearing it won’t help; neither will always complaining about our jobs or our bosses.
Powerful Daily Motivation
The power to change anything in your life that you want to change. The rare ability to control your own behaviour on a daily basis to create and maintain a lifestyle by YOUR exact design. Helene Malmsio has created a website to help you learn the skills to achieve all that. When you visit you can also download your free copy of “365 Daily Motivation Quotes”. IT’S TIME that YOU enjoyed a feeling of happiness and excitement about your life!
http://free-daily-motivational-self-improvement.com
