Managing Stress at Work

Managing Stress at Work

Table of Contents

Table of Contents2

Introduction3

Literature Review4

Understanding Stress4

The Effects of stress5

How to manage stress effectively7

Goals10

Problems10

1. Specific10

2. Measurable11

3. Agreed/Aligned11

4. Realistic11

5. Timed Framed12

Personal Development Plan12

Fundamental Techniques to Employee Stress Reduction13

Communicating Management's Expectations13

Implementation14

Evaluation and Learning16

Conclusion18

References19

Managing Stress at Work

Introduction

Skill Development program has been set to help students identify a specific skills that they wish to develop throughout the semester. For this skill development program, I have chosen managing stress skill, as this skill would definitely benefit me in my life, such as in my work career and in my personal life. Every single individual in the world must have experienced stress, where it is usually produced by their own dread feelings when they are facing particular circumstances. This report will examine on how Managing Stress helps university students, like me, through its specific techniques, in order to avoid stress and therefore improve our performances and outcomes.

Literature Review

This section will present the reviews from some literatures that I have managed to read in order to develop my stress management skill further. It gives some perspectives on how to approach this topic; by understanding stress we can get more effective solutions.

Understanding Stress

Before I give a more precise definition, it would be helpful to examine some popular misconceptions about stress. Firstly, You should strive to eliminate all stress in your life. This statement is absolutely false. If life is stress-free, I would not study for final exams or jog an extra mile. Stress with positive implications is often referred to as eustress . The right amount and type of stress can make life exciting; in fact, stress has been called the "spice of life". Secondly, Stress is just "in your head." It cannot really harm you. This misconception is common in the past but less prevalent today. Most people now acknowledge that stress is linked to mental and physical illness. Thirdly, Stress is really just anxiety or nervous tension. If you calm down, then you would not be stressed. This statement is an oversimplification. Anxiety or nervous tension can be a response to the experience of stress. However, stress is much more than anxiety or tension (or frustration or conflict). Fourthly, Stress only implies excess, such as too much work or stimulation. This misconception does not consider that being too bored or underestimated can also be very stressful.( Alluisi, 1981 80)

As cited from the book "Managerial Stress" edited by Gowler and Legge, Stress could be defined as "experiences of mental discomfort, often accompanied by feelings of not being able to cope, or just a general unease that all is not well, without any particular cause being apparent."

The most commonly accepted definition of stress by Richard. S. Lazarus is that "stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize."

The Effects of stress

The proper level of stress can benefit people in daily living. However, when stress impairs an individual's ability to function properly, the sources ...