SELF-

INTRODUCTION

INAYAT SHAH
DIRECTOR ®STI /CONSULTANT WORLD
BANK

Public Administration
Political Science
Post Graduate Diploma in Local
Government
Master Trainer from(LUMS)
Diploma in Human Rights
Consultant Training World Bank (TA-
BISP)
Member USAID Pakistan Alumni Association,
Islamabad

Email: [Link]@[Link]
 PRAY
O, Allah! Take us
out of the
darkness of false
notions & Bestow
upon the light of
understanding.
Management of Stress

6
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Meditation
• Introduction To Stress Management
• Taking Exercise
• Finding Your Optimum Stress Levels
• Physical Stress Reduction
• Psyching Up
• Time Management
• Anticipating Stress
• Improving Attitudes
• Imagery
• Slowing Down
• Thought Awareness • Health and Nutrition
• Healthy Environment
COURSE OBJECTIVE:

• To increase understanding of the dynamics of

stress
• To increase awareness of the role of stress in
everyday life
• To increase appreciation of individual choice
around stress
• To increase awareness of multiple stress
management options
• stressor is the stimulus to
which the body reacts
• Stress is your response as you
attempt to make the adjustment
• Stress is “ the gap” between the
demands you perceive are being
made on you and your perceived
resources to meet those demands
10
WHAT IS STRESS?

• The way your body relates to life’s

pressures
Write down one sentence on
Autumn
• Stress is the way that
you react physically,
mentally and
emotionally to various
conditions, changes and
demands in your life.
• High levels of stress can
affect your physical and
mental well-being and
academic/Professional
performance.
 SAD

Depressio
stress Anxiety n
• stressor is the stimulus to
which the body reacts
• Stress is your response as you
attempt to make the adjustment
• Stress is “ the gap” between the
demands you perceive are being
made on you and your perceived
resources to meet those demands
REACTION TO STRESS:
R E A C T I O N T O S T R E SS C A N
BE: R E A C T I O N T O S T R E SS C A N
AFFECTS THE PERSON’S:
• Short term
• Long term • Physical health
• Extreme and life threatening • Emotional health
• Thinking
• Social activity
SOME COMMON SYMPTOMS
OF STRESS:
TO DE-STRESS
 WHEN DOES ANXIETY
BECOME A DISORDER?
• Anxiety is a normal human response
to objects, situations or events that
are threatening
• Anxiety is different from fear due to its
cognitive component (i.e. fear of the
future)
• Anxiety can be helpful and adaptive
(e.g. anxiety about giving lectures!)
• Anxiety becomes a disorder when out
of proportion or when it significantly
interferes with life.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION:
• Form of mental illness
characterized by intense
feelings of sadness and
despair increased in both
intensity and duration to an
incapacitating extent.
– sadness, irritability
– general lack of interest in previously pleasurable
activities.
– Anorexia (EATING DISORDER) , sleep disorders
(either too much or too little),
– fatigue, lack of self-esteem,
– irrational guilt.
– Frequent thoughts of death and suicide may also
help lead to a diagnosis of depression.
• Depression can lead to
suicide
• Depression can happen
in anyone’s life:
• Any race
• Any social
standing
• Any age
STRESS AND DEPRESSION
COMPARING FEELINGS:
STRESS DEPRESSION
• LACK OF INTEREST • SADNESS
• DENIAL • LACK OF ENJOYMENT

• ANXIETY AND FEAR • HOPELESSNESS

• WORTHLESSNESS
• GUILT
• EMPTINESS
• FEAR
• GUILT
• ISOLATION
• RESTLESS
• BLAMING • WANTING TO BE ALONE
GOODPERSONSAREN
OWHERE
 DIFFERENCE B/W POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE STRESS:
P O S I T I V E S T R E SS N E G AT I V E S T R E SS

• MOTIVATES AND FOCUSES ENERGY • CAUSE ANXIETY

• IT IS SHORT TERM • CAN BE SHORT TERM OR LONG TERM
• FEELS EXCITING • FEELS UNPLEASENT
• AS PERCEIVED AS A COPING • PERCEIVED AS OUTSIDE OF COPING
ABILITIES ABILITY
RESULTS OF POSITIVE
STRESS:
Positive
stress
result

Enables Increases Energizes

concentrati performanc you into
on e motion
RESULTS OF NEGATIVE
STRESS:

Negative
stress result

Physical
Reduce
Loss of mental and
effectivenes
motivation behavioral
s
problems
EXTREME STRESS:
• CHRONIC AND SHOCKING STRESS IS
POTENTIALLY VERY DESTRUCTIVE
• IF STRESS IS EXTREME AND NOT
MANAGED, SOME INDIVIDUAL MAY
EXPERIENCE POST TRAUMATIC
STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
• POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
IS A PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER THAT
CAN OCCUR FOLLOWING EXPERIENCE
OR WITNESSING OF LIFE
THREATENING EVENTS.
GET A GRIP!!
TAKE A STRESS TEST:

Do any of these
apply to you ?
WORK LOAD:
 Always too much work; never able to relax
 High Pressure periods; deadlines, test come all at once
One or two difficult courses take all my time; no time left for
anything else
Efforts often seem for nothing – Don’t get satisfying results
 Seems like I have a lot more work than
roommate, friends
 I have to work harder than roommate and friends
to get the same results
 My job takes up too much time; I can’t afford to
cut back
 My stress is complicated by commitments I can’t
get out of
PEOPLE:
 Tension with family, friends or romantic partner
 Incompatibility with roommate’s habits,
schedule, lifestyle
 Change in relationship; love lost/gained new
romantic partner
 Death of a close friend or family member
 Parents divorce, separation or conflicts.
Adjustment to parents new partner.
 Interpersonal conflict; trouble expressing needs
or standing up for rights
 Reluctant to ask for help
 Trouble saying no
 MIND:
Worry about what people think?
More time spent thinking about what can
go wrong than what can go right
More time spent thinking about what DID
go wrong than where you can go from
here
No time to think, always having to do
Motivation problems, difficulty getting
started
Tendency to get down, dwell on how bad
things are
 Often feel guilty
BODY:
Insufficient sleep
Frequent colds, sickness
Negative effects from caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, etc.
Uncomfortable chair, poor posture, excessive time
hunched over book or computer.
Eye Strain (wrong glasses, poor
lighting, computer screen
overload)
Inadequate nutrition, missed
meals, reliance on junk food
 Lack of exercise
 Aversive environment
BALANCE WHEEL:
SO…
W H AT C A N Y O U D O
TO RELIEVE
E XC E S S I V E
STRESS?
CHOOSING WHICH STRESS
MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE
TO USE:
• First look at a method of analyzing
the stresses you are under so that
you can choose the appropriate
control technique
• Next look at different mental
approaches
• Examine physical techniques for
stress reduction
• Focus on long term stress, and look at
ways of controlling stress that you
may be creating for yourself
• Finally, examine environmental ways
to reduce stress
STRESS DIARY: FINDING
OPTIMUM STRESS LEVELS.
• Keeping a stress diary is an effective way of
finding out what causes you stress, the level of
stress you prefer, and your effectiveness under
pressure.
• In this diary, write down your stress levels and
how you feel throughout the day. In particular,
write down stressful events. Record the following
information:
• At a regular interval, for example every hour,
record routine stress
– The time
– The amount of stress that you feel (perhaps on a scale
of 1 to 10)
– How happy you feel
WHEN STRESSFUL EVENTS OCCUR, WRITE
DOWN:

– What was the event?

– When and where did it occur?
– What important factors made the event stressful?
– How stressful was the event?
– How did you handle the event?
– Did you tackle the cause or the symptom?
– Did you deal with the stress correctly?
ANTICIPATING STRESS:

• Rehearsal
• Planning
• Avoidance
• Reducing the
importance of an
event
• Reducing
uncertainty
THOUGHT AWARENESS, RATIONAL
THINKING AND POSITIVE THINKING:

• Thought awareness - the process

by which you observe your
thoughts for a time, perhaps when
under stress, and become aware of
what is going through your head
• Rational thinking - negative
thoughts are reviewed rationally
• Positive thinking and
affirmation - clear facts to reverse
the damage of negative thinking
MEDITATION:

• Choose a position that will be comfortable for at least 20 minutes

• Breathing
• Focusing on an object
• Focus on a sound
• Imagery
EXERCISE:
• Taking frequent effective exercise is probably one of the best
physical stress-reduction techniques available. Exercise not
only improves your health and reduces stress caused by lack of
physical fitness, it also relaxes tense muscles and helps you to
sleep
• Blood flow adding sugars and oxygen
• Releases endorphins (CHEMICALS) which produce happiness
• Fun factor
PHYSICAL STRESS
REDUCTION: PMR AND DEEP
BREATHING:
• Progressive muscular
relaxation (PMR)
• PMR is a purely technique
for relaxing your body when
muscles are tense
• Forcefully tighten a muscle
for several seconds and
then relax
• Deep breathe while doing
this exercise
TIME MANAGEMENT:

• How do you value your time?

• How effectively are you using it?
• Priorities, do you delegate?
• Use the time you have more effectively
• Create more time
• Manage and avoid distractions
• Increase your productivity and personal effectiveness
• Perspective
• Security
• Quality time for relaxing and life outside work
IMPROVING ATTITUDE:
• Keeping things in
perspective
• Is it really a problem at all
• Does it really matter
anyway?
• Being in control
• Change
• Attitudes toward other
people
• Positive approach, positive
image, decisiveness,
compliments, pleasing tone
IMPROVING ATTITUDES:
What to do about:
• Rudeness

• Hurting actions/words

• Frustration

• Annoyance
SLOWING DOWN:
• A good way to reduce long term stress is to take
up a leisurely sport or hobby in your own time.
If you spend all your working day competing or
stressed, then it is very pleasant to be
completely noncompetitive for some of your
free time
• Reading, TV, meditating, long baths, massage,
etc
HEALTH AND NUTRITION:
• Preparation for stress
• Chemicals
• Unbalanced diets
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Nicotine
• Sugar
ELIMINATING STRESS FROM
ENVIRONMENT:
• Air quality: smoking, AC, heating,
ionization of electrical equipment,
overcrowding, pollution, solvents
in carpets and furniture, excess
humidity or dryness
• Lighting
• Decoration and tidiness
• Noise
• Personal space
MANAGEMENT
BEWARE OF YOUR
STRESSORS:
Notice when you
are stressed,
don’t ignore it
- Find out what
stresses you out
and what they
might be telling
you
- Learn how it
affects your body
(sweats, stomach
ache, etc)
 RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU CAN
CHANGE:
• Can you change your
stressors by avoiding or
eliminating them?
• Can you reduce their
intensity (manage them
over time instead of
immediately)
• Can you shorten your
exposure to stress (take a
break, leave)
• Can you devote the time
necessary to make a
REDUCE INTENSITY OF YOUR
EMOTIONAL REACTIONS:
Are you expecting to please everyone?
Are you overreacting and viewing
things as absolutely critical and
urgent?
Work at adopting moderate views, see
stress as something you can cope with,
not something that overpowers you
Do not labor on the negative and/or the
“what ifs”
BUILD OUR PHYSICAL
RESERVES:
• Exercise for cardiovascular fitness 3 – 4 times a week
• Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals
• Maintain your ideal weight
• Avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine and other stimulants
• Mix leisure with work. Take breaks and get away.
• Get enough sleep. Be consistent with your sleep schedule.
AIR QUALITY:

To improve air quality:

• Ban smoking
• Open windows
• Have plants in the room.
LIGHTNING:
• Bad lighting can cause eye strain and
increase fatigue, as can light that is too
bright, or
• light that shines directly into your eyes.
• Glowing lighting can also be tiring. What
you may not appreciate is that the quality
of light may also be important.
• Try experimenting with working by a
window or using full spectrum bulbs in
your desk lamp.
• You will probably find that this improves
the quality of your working environment.
DECORATION AND TIDINESS:

• A chaotic and cluttered

living or work space adds to
stress.
• Don’t be dogmatic, but
keep the area you are
working in free of clutter.
• Have relaxing and happy
decorations.
 NOISE:

Large amounts of background noise during the day

can cause irritability, tension and headaches in
addition to loss of concentration.

Solutions:

 use of quiet rooms when concentration is needed

 Use earplugs
 Try a pleasantly assertive approach. Ask that music is
turned down or that the person use headphones
77
PERSONAL SPACE:

It is important for people to feel that they have sufficient

personal space at work and at home.

Where no personal space is available, then you can establish some

feeling of ownership by bringing personal objects such as small
plants or photographs of loved-ones.
Block off a space using furniture, sheet or divider when you need
some space.
MEDITATION TECHNIQUES:
• The essence of meditation is to quiet your thoughts by
focusing completely on just one thing.
• Unlike hypnosis, which is more of a passive experience,
meditation is an active process which seeks to exclude
outside thoughts by concentrating all mental faculties on
the subject of meditation.
• Keep your body relaxed. It should be in a position that you
can comfortably sustain for a period of time (20 - 30
minutes is ideal).
BREATHING:
• Focus your attention on your breathing.
• Concentrate on breaths in and out. Count your breaths
using the numbers 0 to 9.
• Visualize images of the numbers changing with each
breath.
• Alternatively, visualize health and relaxation flowing into
your body when you inhale, and stress or pain flowing out
when you exhale.
IMAGERY:
• Create a mental image of a pleasant and relaxing place in your mind.
Involve all your senses in the imagery: see the place, hear the sounds,
smell the aromas, feel the temperature and the movement of the wind.
Enjoy the location in your mind.
•

ASHKOMAN
EXERCISE: REFLECT ON A
STRESSFUL SITUATION:
• Write a brief description of a recent
situation that caused you stress.
Summarize your mental, emotional and
physical states at the time.

• Make up teams of two each. Share your

problem. Counsel and seek advice.

• Close your eyes. Breathe deeply and relax

and listen to some music.
UNDERSTANDING STRESS:

Internally generated stress

• Environmental and job
stress
• Tiredness and overwork
COMMON PHYSICAL MENTAL
AND EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
OF STRESS:
• Common physical symptoms of stress include lethargy, headaches,
sleeplessness, muscle pains and stiffness, chest pains, queasiness, and
frequent colds.

• Common mental symptoms of stress include lowered concentration

and memory, indecision, confusion, loss of sense of humor, negative
mental attitude, and mental lethargy.

• Common emotional symptoms of stress include anxiety, nervousness,

depression, anger, frustration, worry, fear, irritability, impatience, short
temper, and becoming easily discouraged.
COMMON BEHAVIORAL AND
SOCIAL SYMPTOMS OF
STRESS:
• Common behavioral symptoms of stress include pacing,
fidgeting, nervous habits, increased eating, smoking and
drinking, crying, blaming, throwing things, and hitting.

• Common social symptoms of stress include experiencing a

sense of isolation, harboring resentments, suffering loneliness,
lashing out at others, lowered sex drive, lack of intimacy,
unsatisfactory family relationships, distrusting, and engaging in
socially unacceptable behavior, e.g. drinking and driving.
COMMON SPIRITUAL
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS:
• Common spiritual symptoms include a sense of inner
emptiness, life having no meaning, a bleak future,
being unforgiving, seeing few positives, martyr-like
behavior, doubting your own work or ability to
succeed, feeling life has been wasted, holding no
personal beliefs, feeling little obligation towards
others, and having a morbid fear of death.
INTERNALLY GENERATED
STRESS AND ANXIETY:
• Internally generated stress is stress that you cause for
yourself

• Anxious worrying

• Tense hurried approach to life

• Relationship problems caused by your own behavior

INTERNALLY GENERATED
STRESS AND ANXIETY:
• Addiction” to and enjoyment of stress

• Stress can cause the levels of a chemical called

noradrenalin to rise in and between nerve cells. This
gives a feeling of confidence and elation that some
people like

• “ Deadline high”
INTERNALLY GENERATED
STRESS AND ANXIETY:
• Perfectionism

• Excessive self-effacement

• Anxiety
ENVIRONMENTAL
STRESSORS:
• Crowding and invasion of personal
space
• Insufficient working and living
space
• Noise
• Dirty or untidy conditions
• Pollutions
• A badly organized or run down
environment
CHEMICAL AND
NUTRITIONAL STRESSORS:
• Caffeine
• Bursts of sugar from
sweets or chocolate
• Too much salt
• Smoking
LIFE STYLE AND JOB
STRESSORS:
• Too much or too little work
• Time pressures and deadlines
• Responsibility for people, budgets or
equipment
• Frustration and boredom with current
role
• Lack of clear plans and goals
• Demands from clients
• Disruptions to plans
• Frustration at having to overcome
unnecessary obstacles
• Financial or relationship problems
• Poor health
• Family changes such as birth, death,
marriage, or divorce etc
OPTIMUM STRESS LEVEL:

The level of stress under which you operate is important:

 if you are not under enough stress, then you may find that
your performance suffers because you are bored and
unmotivated.
 If you are under too much stress, then you will find that your
results suffer as stress related problems interfere with your
performance
REMEMBER:

• If you are depressed you are living in the past

• If you are anxious you are living in the future
• If you are at peace you are living in the present
LEARN TO DELEGATE:

• Empower the people to use their initiative and

creative ability. Remember when you delegate
you also help others to learn.
• If you do not let other people to get trained
about your job and keep every thing to your self
than you just imagine what will happen when
you are away
KEY POINTS:
• Thought awareness, rational thinking and positive thinking are three closely
connected tools which help you to eliminate thought patterns that damage
your self-confidence and cause you stress

• Meditation is a useful relaxation technique. It gives you a period of peace and

time in which you can let your body relax, and clear your mind of stressful
thoughts. You do this by concentrating on one thing for a long period of time.
This could be your breathing, and object, a sound, or an imagined scene

• By anticipating stressful situations you can prepare for them. This may
involve rehearsals, plans to counter stressful contingencies, or avoidance of
an unpleasant situation altogether
• With imagery you substitute actual experience with scenes from your
imagination. Your body reacts to these imagined scenes almost as if
they were real

• Exercise is an important stress management technique it:

• Prevents obesity, body strain, and lack of stamina

• Promotes muscle relaxation, improved sleep and enhances creative

thinking

• PMR and deep breathing are purely physical techniques for relaxing
tense muscles and calming down under stress. They can be used in
conjunction with mental techniques such as imagery and meditation
• Time management is an essential set of skills that help you to take
control of your life, and work efficiently and effectively. By working
effectively you can have confidence in the security of your job and
your future, and can still have time to do what you enjoy in your own
time. This helps to significantly reduce long-term stress

• If you experience a lot of stress from other people, or find that you
are out of control in ;your life, then your attitude may be at fault. You
can eliminate a great deal of stress by being positive, by keeping
things in perspective, by setting personal goals and by welcoming
change

• Taking part in a noncompetitive sport of hobby can be an excellent

way of relaxing after a stressful day
• The chemicals you consume may cause some stress you experience.
You can eliminate a great deal of this stress by reducing the amount of
coffee you drink, stopping smoking and eating the right amount of a
well balanced diet

• You can often significantly reduce stress by improving the quality of

your environment. The following actions can significantly reduce
environmental stress:
– Improving air quality
– Introducing plants
– Improving lighting
– Maintaining a reasonable decorated, neat environment
– Mysterious noise where possible
BE EMOTIONALLY
INTELLIGENT:
• Stay relaxed and composed under pressure
• Stay focused in getting job done
• Friendly admit mistakes
• Be sensitive to others peoples emotions
• Develop the ability to receive feedback or criticism
without becoming defensive