How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress. What is stress management? We all respond to stress differently so, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to managing stress. But if you feel like the stress in your life is out of control, it’s time to take action. Stress management can teach you healthier ways to cope with stress, help you reduce its harmful effects, and prevent stress from spiraling out of control again in the future. No matter how powerless you may feel in the face of stress, you still have control over your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation. The first step is to recognize the true sources of stress in your life. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down: What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure)How you felt, both physically and emotionally. How you acted in response. What you did to make yourself feel better. It’s easy to identify sources of stress following a major life event such as changing jobs, moving home, or losing a loved one, but pinpointing the sources of everyday stress can be more complicated. It’s all too easy to overlook your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to your stress levels. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines, but maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that is causing the stress. To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses: Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather? HR Training Center provides training from multiple providers to give you one place to find training, one account to view your training history for all providers, and. Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”)? Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional? Our human resources services provide consulting, technology and administration solutions to help you manage HR efficiently and engage employees. Home > Benefits > Work-Life Programs > Employee Assistance Program. From financial pressures to workplace stress and family dealings. HR.com is the largest online community for human resources. Reduce Stress, Increase Energy and Feel. Such initiatives include employee assistance programs (EAPs), stress management workshops. How human resources can help employees manage stress Wednesday. Since the causes of workplace stress vary greatly. Provide workplace health and wellness programs that target the true. Check with your human resources. Free Stress Management Program: Source. We want to graciously thank EatSmartMoveMoreNC.org for providing this free stress management program resource kit. Best Masters in Human Resources in USA 2016/2017. The Master of Human Resource Management degree program will help prepare you to provide a strategic staffing. Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control. Start a Stress Journal. A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down: What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure)How you felt, both physically and emotionally. How you acted in response. What you did to make yourself feel better. How do you currently cope with stress? Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem. Unhealthy ways of coping with stress. These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run: Learning healthier ways to manage stress. If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control. Just about any form of physical activity can help relieve stress and burn away anger, tension, and frustration. Exercise releases endorphins that boost your mood and make you feel good, and it can also serve as a valuable distraction to your daily worries. While the maximum benefit comes from exercising for 3. Short, 1. 0- minute bursts of activity that elevate your heart rate and make you break out into a sweat can help to relieve stress and give you more energy and optimism. Even very small activities can add up over the course of a day. The first step is to get yourself up and moving. Here are a few easy ways: Put on some music and dance around. Take your dog for a walk. Walk or cycle to the grocery store. Use the stairs at home or work rather than an elevator. Park your car in the farthest spot in the lot and walk the rest of the way. Pair up with an exercise partner and encourage each other as you workout. Play ping- pong or an activity- based video game with your kids. Managing stress with regular exercise. Once you’re in the habit of being physically active, try to incorporate regular exercise into your daily schedule. Activities that are continuous and rhythmic—and require moving both your arms and your legs—are especially effective at relieving stress. Walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, tai chi, and aerobic classes are good choices. Pick an activity you enjoy, so you’re more likely to stick with it. Instead of continuing to focus on your thoughts while you exercise, make a conscious effort to focus on your body and the physical (and sometimes emotional) sensations you experience as you’re moving. Adding this mindfulness element to your exercise routine will help you break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that often accompanies overwhelming stress. Focus on coordinating your breathing with your movements, for example, or notice how the air or sunlight feels on your skin. Getting out of your head and paying attention to how your body feels is also the surest way to avoid picking up an injury. When you’ve exercised, you’ll likely find it easier to put other stress management techniques to use, including reaching out to others and engaging socially. Stress management strategy #2: Engage socially. Reach out and build relationships. Reach out to a colleague at work. Help someone else by volunteering. Have lunch or coffee with a friend. Ask a loved one to check in with you regularly. Accompany someone to the movies or a concert. Call or email an old friend. Go for a walk with a workout buddy. Schedule a weekly dinner date. Meet new people by taking a class or joining a club. Confide in a clergy member, teacher, or sports coach. Social engagement is the quickest, most efficient way to rein in stress and avoid overreacting to internal or external events that you perceive as threatening. There is nothing more calming to your nervous system than communicating with another human being who makes you feel safe and understood. This experience of safety. The inner ear, face, heart, and stomach are wired together in the brain, so socially interacting with another person face- to- face. Of course, it’s not always realistic to have a pal close by to lean on when you feel overwhelmed by stress, but by building and maintaining a network of close friends you can improve your resiliency to life’s stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress. Reach out to family and friends and connect regularly in person. The people you talk to don’t have to be able to fix your stress; they just need to be good listeners. Opening up is not a sign of weakness and it won’t make you a burden to others. In fact, most friends will be flattered that you trust them enough to confide in them, and it will only strengthen your bond. And remember, it’s never too late to build new friendships and improve your support network. Reach out and build relationships. Reach out to a colleague at work. Help someone else by volunteering. Have lunch or coffee with a friend. Ask a loved one to check in with you regularly. Accompany someone to the movies or a concert. Call or email an old friend. Go for a walk with a workout buddy. Schedule a weekly dinner date. Meet new people by taking a class or joining a club. Confide in a clergy member, teacher, or sports coach. Stress management strategy #3: Avoid unnecessary stress. While stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, some stressors arise at predictable times. When handling such predictable stressors, you can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose in any given scenario, it’s helpful to think of the four A's: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. Avoid the stressor. It’s not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs to be addressed, but you may be surprised by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate. Learn how to say “no” . Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts” and, when possible, say “no” to taking on too much. Avoid people who stress you out . If traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less- traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online. Stress management strategy #4: Alter the situation. If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life. Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, be more assertive and communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the stress will increase. Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground. Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you’ll find it easier to stay calm and focused. Stress management strategy #5: Adapt to the stressor. How you think can have a profound effect on your stress levels.
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January 2017
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