STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES: A NEW WAY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS *Mrs. R. Anitha., M.Sc., MBA., M.Phil, Sr.

Lecturer, PPG Institute of Technology Coi !atore ** Mrs. G. Sindhu., MCA., MBA Sr.Lecturer, PPG Business School Coi !atore

ABSTRACT In today"s #or$ scenario, #hen the #hole #orld is dealing #ith the %ro!le of econo ic crisis, ost e %loyees ha&e to handle too uch #or$ %ressure in order to secure their 'o!s. In their effort of co%ing #ith the challenges that they ha&e to face #hile #or$ing, there ha&e !een any %eo%le #ho are co %laining a!out !eing stressed out. Though it is !elie&ed that a little !it of stress is necessary to a$e e %loyees #or$ and achie&e their goals, too uch of it actually leads to decrease in (uality of #or$ as #ell as e %loyee %roducti&ity. Stress at #or$ is also said to !e res%onsi!le for gi&ing rise to %hysical as #ell as e otional %ro!le s. Stress at #or$ is a relati&ely ne# %heno enon of odern lifestyles. The nature of #or$ has gone through drastic changes o&er the last century and it is still changing at #hirl#ind s%eed. Stress is an ine&ita!le %art of our cor%orate li&es. )ue to stress, there can !e any different health and %sychological issues, #hich ay ad&ersely affect our %ersonal li&es as #ell. Stress ay also hold us !ac$ fro a$ing use of our %rofessional s$ills and a!ilities to their fullest. Considering all the !ad results of stress, co %anies are conducting &arious %rogra s and trainings regarding stress anage ent at the #or$%lace. *ith so e stress anage ent ti%s and techni(ues, it is %ossi!le to reduce the a ount of stress, #ithout lo#ering the a ount of #or$ done and %roducti&ity sho#n. Moreo&er, if the %erson does not learn to handle the stress e+%erienced at #or$, it starts ta$ing a toll on his,her %ersonal life, gi&ing rise to a #hole set of %ro!le s at the ho e front too. -ence, $no#ing a!out ti%s for handling stress in the #or$%lace has !eco e essential for the career gro#th as #ell as o&erall #ell !eing of the e %loyees. -ence this %a%er atte %ts to study the details of handling stress at #or$, the causes of stress in the #or$%lace and so e si %le techni(ues that #ill hel% a %erson to get their attention a#ay fro stress, thus a$ing their less stressed out. The %resent %a%er also discusses the &arious i %act of stress on the %erfor ance of indi&idual in the organisation and suggests so e &alua!le reco endations to the organi.ations to i %ro&e e %loyees" %erfor ance through effecti&e stress anage ent techni(ues.

Introduction Stress is the e otional and %hysical strain caused !y our res%onse to %ressure fro the outside #orld. Co on stress reactions include tension, irrita!ility, ina!ility to concentrate, and a &ariety of %hysical sy %to s that include headache and a fast heart!eat. Richard S La.arus defines stress as /a condition or feelin e!"erienced #$en a "er%on "ercei&e% t$at de'and% e!ceed t$e "er%onal and %ocial re%ource% t$e indi&idual i% a(le to 'o(ili)e*+ In short, it"s #hat #e feel #hen #e thin$ #e ha&e lost control of e&ents. Stress can destroy the ental sta!ility of any indi&idual. It is !asically a condition that a$es us unco forta!le. Stress could !e due to &arious reasons li$e financial crunch, 'o! loss, e otional and any other %ersonal reasons. *hen a %erson e+%eriences stress and an+iety due to #or$, he ay start feeling irrita!le and de%ressed all the ti e. -e ay ha&e difficulty in concentrating on the tas$ that he has to do and ay also start losing interest in his #or$. So e %eo%le ay also e+%erience e+tre e tiredness and inso nia, a%art fro other health %ro!le s li$e headache, sto ach %ro!le s, etc. There ha&e also !een cases #here %eo%le ha&e started drin$ing or ta$ing drugs to relie&e the tension caused !y stress at #or$, leading the to !eco e addicts.
It is al ost i %ossi!le to li&e #ithout so e stress. And ost of us #ouldn"t #ant to, !ecause it gi&es life so e s%ice and e+cite ent. But if stress gets out of control, it ay har one0s health, relationshi%s, and en'oy ent of life. *hen the negati&e reactions to life1s situations !eco e

re%etiti&ely intense and fre(uent #e ay de&elo% sy %to s of de%ression. Life thro#s u% innu era!le situations, #hich #e greet #ith !oth negati&e and %ositi&e e otions such as e+cite ent, frustration, fear, ha%%iness, anger, sadness, 'oy etc. )e%ression is %re&alent a ong all age grou%s, in al ost all #al$s of life. Persons of any age2children or adults, ay de&elo% de%ression sy %to s. Sy %to s such as intense sadness, loss of interest or %leasure in nor al acti&ities, slee% distur!ances or o&erslee%ing, change in a%%etite and decreased energy le&el3 feelings of hel%lessness and thoughts of suicide are se(uels to stress induced de%ression. Stre%% at Wor,"lace Stress is an ine&ita!le %art of cor%orate li&es. )ue to stress, there can !e any different health and %sychological issues, #hich ay ad&ersely affect one0s %ersonal li&es as #ell. Stress ay also hold one !ac$ fro a$ing use of their %rofessional s$ills and a!ilities to their fullest. Considering all the !ad results of stress, co %anies are conducting &arious %rogra s and trainings regarding stress anage ent at the #or$%lace. *ith so e stress anage ent ti%s and techni(ues, it is %ossi!le to reduce the a ount of stress, #ithout lo#ering the a ount of #or$ done and %roducti&ity.

4uan Carlos a%aricio, inister of la!or and social affairs, S%ain says that change and inno&ation can result in #or$ers feeling stressed. Co %anies are currently facing huge changes. Co %etitions ha&e increased !oth in #ithin the do estic ar$et as #ell as at the international le&el. The need to i %ro&e the %roducti&ity and (uality, inno&ations in technology and in the organi.ation of #or$, en&iron ental de ands and shifts in structure of the #or$ing %o%ulation li$e ageing, a ulticultural society, #o en in #or$force etc all re(uired fle+i!ility and ada%ta!ility. As a result any #or$ers feel threatened5 $no#ledge &ery (uic$ly !eco es outdated and there is an increase need to u%date their s$ills. 6ccasionally other factors co e in to %lay, such as an intensi&e #or$ %atterns, long #or$ing days and harass ent. All of these factors ha&e resulted in stress !eco ing an increasingly co on %heno enon #ith significant re%ercussion since a %erson"s %hysical and %sychological #ell !eing is affected and running of the organi.ation is da aged. Stress therefore har s health and efficiency, !oth indi&idually and socially and #or$%lace stress !eco es an i %ortant as%ect of 'o! security and health. 4o! stress is a chronic disease caused !y conditions in the #or$%lace that negati&ely affect an indi&idual1s %erfor ance and o&erall #ell7!eing of one0s !ody and ind. 6ne or ore of a host of %hysical and ental illnesses anifests 'o! stress. In so e cases, 'o! stress can !e disa!ling. In chronic cases a %sychiatric consultation is usually re(uired to &alidate the reason and degree of #or$ related stress. The signs of 'o! stress &ary fro %erson to %erson, de%ending on the %articular situation, ho# long the indi&idual has !een su!'ected to the stressors, and the intensity of the stress itself. Ty%ical sy %to s of 'o! stress can !e5 Inso nia, loss of ental concentration, an+iety, stress, a!senteeis , de%ression, su!stance a!use, e+tre e anger and frustration, fa ily conflict, %hysical illnesses such as heart disease, igraine, headaches, sto ach %ro!le s, and !ac$ %ro!le s. 4o! stress has a negati&e i %act on the %roducti&ity of an indi&idual and #ithin no ti e interest le&els di%. Peo%le stay occu%ied #ith so e thoughts and getting out of it !eco es difficult. At ti es %eo%le do not $no# that they could !e in a %osition of life threatening stress. Stress could !ring #ith itself a #hole set of lifestyle diseases li$e !lood %ressure, dia!etes and lac$ of slee%. In an atte %t to get relief fro such conditions %eo%le try to treat the indi&idual ail ents. -o#e&er, they iss on the central root cause of reducing or treating the stress. Need of t$e %tud-: Stress can reduce %erson0s ca%acity to %erfor and function #ell in the #or$%lace. Therefore, stress isn"t so ething to !e dis issed. Aside fro the %ersonal i %acts one can e+%erience fro stress, it also affects ho# they deal #ith the en&iron ent and the %eo%le in their li&es. It is i %ortant to first $no# the causes of stress then stress anage ent techni(ues to achie&e stress relief. Stress e+%erienced at the #or$%lace is a serious issue !ecause it not only affects the e %loyee, !ut the organi.ation too. As the conse(uences of stress can !e dangerous, learning so e i %ortant ti%s for handling stress at #or$ can hel% e %loyees to co%e #ith the #or$ %ressure in a %ositi&e #ay and there!y increasing the %erfor ance of the organi.ation too. Therefore, %resent
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study #as underta$en to understand the 'o! stress, the &arious causes of stress at #or$%lace, i %act of stress on %erfor ance of the e %loyee and finally to highlight &arious odern techni(ues on dealing #ith stress at #or$. Cau%e% of Wor,"lace Stre%% 4o! stress ay !e caused !y a co %le+ set of reasons. So e of the #or$%lace stress are5 .o( In%ecurit6rgani.ed #or$%laces are going through eta or%hic changes under intense econo ic transfor ations and conse(uent %ressures. Reorgani.ations, ta$eo&ers, ergers, do#nsi.ing and other changes ha&e !eco e a'or stressors for e %loyees, as co %anies try to li&e u% to the co %etition to sur&i&e. These refor ations ha&e %ut de and on e&eryone, fro a C86 to a ere e+ecuti&e. Hi $ /e'and for 0erfor'ance 9nrealistic e+%ectations, es%ecially in the ti e of cor%orate reorgani.ations, #hich, so eti es, %uts unhealthy and unreasona!le %ressures on the e %loyee, can !e a tre endous source of stress and suffering. Increased #or$load, e+tre ely long #or$ hours and intense %ressure to %erfor at %ea$ le&els all the ti e for the sa e %ay, can actually lea&e an e %loyee0s %hysically and e otionally drained. 8+cessi&e tra&el and too uch ti e a#ay fro fa ily also contri!ute to an e %loyee1s stressors. ost &isi!le causes of

 Tec$nolo The e+%ansion of technology2co %uters, %agers, cell %hones, fa+ achines and the Internet2has resulted in heightened e+%ectations for %roducti&ity, s%eed and efficiency, increasing %ressure on the indi&idual #or$er to constantly o%erate at %ea$ %erfor ance le&els. *or$ers #or$ing #ith hea&y achinery are under constant stress to re ain alert. In this case !oth the #or$er and their fa ily e !ers li&e under constant ental stress. There is also the constant %ressure to $ee% u% #ith technological !rea$throughs and i %ro&isations, forcing e %loyees to learn ne# soft#are all the ti es. Wor,"lace Culture Ad'usting to the #or$%lace culture, #hether in a ne# co %any or not, can !e intensely stressful. Ma$ing oneself ada%t to the &arious as%ects of #or$%lace culture such as co unication %atterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, #or$s%ace and ost i %ortantly #or$ing and !eha&ioral %atterns of the !oss as #ell as the co7#or$ers, can !e a lesson of life. Malad'ust ent to #or$%lace cultures ay lead to su!tle conflicts #ith colleagues or e&en #ith su%eriors. In any cases office %olitics or gossi%s can !e a'or stress inducers. 0er%onal or 1a'il- 0ro(le'% 8 %loyees going through %ersonal or fa ily %ro!le s tend to carry their #orries and an+ieties to the #or$%lace. *hen one is in a de%ressed ood, his unfocused attention or lac$ of oti&ation affects his a!ility to carry out 'o! res%onsi!ilities. .o( Stre%% and Wo'en *o en ay suffer fro ental and %hysical harass ent at #or$%laces, a%art fro the co on 'o! stress. Se+ual harass ent in #or$%lace has !een a a'or source of #orry for #o en, since long. *o en ay suffer fro tre endous stress such as 1hostile #or$ en&iron ent harass ent1, #hich is defined in legal ter s as 1offensi&e or inti idating !eha&ior in the #or$%lace1. This can consist of un#elco e &er!al or %hysical conduct. These can !e a constant source of tension for #o en in 'o! sectors. Also, su!tle discri inations at #or$%laces, fa ily %ressure and societal de ands add to these stress factors

I'"act of %tre%% on "erfor'ance: Instituting stress anage ent conce%ts in the #or$%lace see s to !eco e a lot difficult each and e&ery single day. ore

6ne of the ost co on causes of stress at #or$ re&ol&es around the issues of anaging an unrealistic #or$ %ortfolio, i %ro%er ti e anage ent, lac$ of certainty at #or$, and %oor organi.ational s$ills. 6f course, there #ill !e other %ro!le s that ight arise due to stress. Stress #ill i %act on the a!ility to #or$ #hich #ould ad&ersely affect the %erfor ance of the indi&idual as #ell as the organisation as a #hole. :-o# does stress affect %erfor ance: is &ery i %ortant in %acing out your life change e&ents and li iting e+%osure to stressors. It #ill also hel% us in %lanning a ti ely stress anage ent %rogra . ;i+on P in <=>=, charted out the stress %erfor ance cur&e to e+%lain ho# stress affects %erfor ance, #hich is gi&en !elo#5

A!ility to %erfor increases u% to a certain le&el of stress arousal. This is the healthy tension or eustress. But if this stress continues uncontrolled and a fatigue %oint is reached, any further stress arousal #ill ta$e the %erfor ance le&el do#n, ulti ately leading to e+haustion, ill7health and, finally !rea$do#n. If stress anage ent is a%%lied daily and regularly !efore the fatigue %oint is reached, the stress %erfor ance cur&e can !e straightened u% dra atically, #hich eans that one can i %ro&e his,her %erfor ance le&el e&en u% to ?@A 'ust !y learning to rela+. Wor,"lace Stre%% Mana e'ent Tec$ni2ue%

Stress can !e anaged if so e efforts are ade in a s art anner. More %eo%le across the #orld are falling %rey to stress. They are in&esting hea&ily in edicinal treat ents. -o#e&er, not reali.ing that the !est #ay is to anage it naturally. There are so e stress anage ent techni(ues that can !e a%%lied at #or$%lace to get relie&ed fro stress are discussed !elo#. Identif- t$e 0ro(le' Birst of all, understand the %ro!le can ta$e in order to eli inate it. affecting the . )e%ression, erratic %ersonal life are so e of the sy ethod of anaging stress. and identify it. Recogni.ing stress is the first ste% one This in&ol&es understanding the sy %to s that are ood s#ings or si %le irritation and loss of interest in %to s of stress due to #or$. Rela+ation is the !est

A relia!le chec$list designed to hel% in order to identify the scenario that one o&er7stressed at the #or$%lace. Are you consistently an+ious, irrita!le or de%ressedC Is your interest in your #or$ decliningC -as slee%lessness !eco e a a'or %ro!le for you as of lateC

ay !e

)o you feel that your concentration on your tas$s is sli%%ingC Is uscle tension or headaches occurring fre(uentlyC

Is your sto ach feeling u%set and ill at easeC )o you currently %refer to #ithdra# socially fro -a&e you decided to use drugs or alcohol to hel% Rela! and 3earn To /e4%tre%% Stress does not stri$e i ediately, instead it gathers slo#ly and gradually, and !ursts out #ith sudden ood s#ings and health %ro!le s. So, the !est #ay to deal #ith stress in the #or$%lace, is to ta$e fre(uent !rea$s and not to sit idle. Short #al$ or listening to so e soft usic are the reco ended #ays #hen one get stressed out. If the #or$%lace ethics do not allo# to do these things, then one can close their eyes and rela+ for so e ti e. A si %le coffee !rea$ or tal$ing to the colleagues can 'ust a$e one feel !etter. Going on lea&e for a cou%le of days can re'u&enate the e %loyee to co e !ac$ #ith a ne# &igor and enthusias at #or$. Carrying so e fa&orite !oo$s, reading the to rela+ or %enning do#n ones" thoughts #ould !e a sort of catharsis, #herein one can release the negati&e energy !uilding inside their ind.
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interacting #ith othersC anage the dayC

 Yo a and Meditation 8+ercises ha&e a agical effect on the %syche. It"s a scientific fact that ental stress is reduced drastically in the %eo%le that follo# healthy li&ing techni(ues. Doga and editation ha&e !een $no#n to offer a uni(ue solution to the odern age stress. ;othing is ore i %ortant than health, so one should ta$e care of it. Tal, to Your Senior% If certain %ro'ects or tas$s need assistance and hel% of seniors, then don"t hesitate in tal$ing to the . Right co unication a ong e %loyees fosters a unity and understanding in the co %any. Tal$ing out %ro!le s #ith the seniors is not a !ad idea, unless his,her concerns are genuine. A good ra%%ort #ith the seniors #ill hel% the to learn fro their e+%eriences and they #ill also feel ha%%y to guide in the tough %ro'ects. S'ilin Co%t% Not$in It"s logical that one can"t $ee% a cheerful face all the ti e, es%ecially #hen eeting deadlines, !ut still, trying to aintain a %ositi&e attitude and $ee%ing the s%irits of the tea e !ers high can ele&ate the ood of the entire tea . -u or is the !est edicine e&er in&ented and a si %le #ay to de7stress. 3au $ter and 1un Ti'e -a&ing laughter and a fun ti e is %ro!a!ly the !est #ay to reduce stress in the office. If a %erson is #or$ing for hours continuously, he ay feel rela+ed !y s%ending so e inutes on infor al tal$ #ith his colleagues and tea e !ers. -e can also crac$ so e good 'o$es or tal$ a!out his funny e+%eriences that he had a day !efore 5ee" Your Bod- Mo&in If a %erson is #or$ing for a su!stantial a ount of ti e sitting in the sa e %lace for hours, it is certain that he,she is going to e+%erience %hysical stress. The ans#er to this %ro!le is to $ee% their !ody o&ing. Stretching of ar s and !ody at regular inter&als, or 'ust a #al$ around for getting coffee. This is one of the !est stress relie&ers #hich can !e used for anaging stress at the #or$%lace.

 Healt$- 1ood and 3ife%t-le Personal lifestyle also has a &ery significant i %act at #or$. Bor reducing or not e+%eriencing stress at #or$%lace, one need to !e on a healthy diet first of all. They should stay a#ay fro !ad ha!its such as s o$ing, drin$ing, etc. Many ti es, during stressful situations %eo%le tend to either lose their a%%etite or indulge in !inge eating. As !oth these factors are !ad for the !ody and ind, it is i %ortant that #e learn to eat healthy foods. A%art fro this, indulging in e+ercises li$e 'ogging, aero!ics, #al$ing, etc. also hel%s in relie&ing #or$ related stress. Ti'e Mana e'ent and 0rioriti)in Ta%,% Stress is ostly caused due to %ending #or$. Therefore, for reducing the %ending #or$, ti e should !e anaged in a %ro%er anner. Routine #or$ should !e sorted out according to the %riority, and ti e should !e allotted for each #or$ !y %re%aring a ti e ta!le. Ti e anage ent #ill effecti&ely lessen stress and ay e&en increase e %loyee %erfor ance. A list should !e ade of the tas$s #e ha&e to co %lete and !ifurcate according to #hich #e ha&e to do i ediately, #hich can !e done later and those #hich can !e a&oided totally. This #ill surely hel% in rela+ing as #ell as en'oying our tas$s at #or$. Moreo&er, if #e are at a %lace #here additional res%onsi!ilities are !o !arded u%on us, learn to a&oid the !y saying ";6". Wor, in a Tea' and Tr- to Ac2uire 5no#led e It is a %ro&en fact that #or$ing in a tea really a$es it far easier for e %loyees to #or$ s arter. If #e #or$ in a tea , #e can di&ide the #or$ as %er the s$ills each indi&idual has and get the #or$ done. Moreo&er, #e #ill also !e a!le to de&elo% our s$ills and ca%a!ilities regarding the 'o!. Another good ethod of reducing 'o! stress or letting it go unnoticed is to ac(uire $no#ledge of our interest. The Internet is the !est #ay to o!tain $no#ledge in our field of interest. *e can then %ut the ac(uired s$ill into use in our e&eryday office 'o!. Breat$in E!erci%e% Breathing e+ercises are a great #ay of relie&ing stress and tension. Many ti es, #hen trying to co %lete the #or$ fast, the %erson !eco es an+ious #hich actually ha %ers his %erfor ance, rather than s%eeding it u%. If #e co e across such a situation, 'ust sto% #or$ing for a #hile and %ractice so e dee% !reathing e+ercises for stress relief. *e #ill surely feel !etter and #e #ill also see i %ro&e ent in the #ay #e #or$. A%art fro this, learning so e stretching e+ercises that #e can do #hile sitting can also hel% in decreasing uscle tension and reducing stress.
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Conclu%ion and reco''endation% Stress at #or$ is a relati&ely ne# %heno enon of odern lifestyles. The nature of #or$ has gone through drastic changes o&er the last century and it is still changing at #hirl#ind s%eed. They ha&e touched al ost all %rofessions, starting fro an artist to a surgeon, or a co ercial %ilot to a sales e+ecuti&e. *ith change co es stress, ine&ita!ly. Professional stress or 'o! stress %oses a threat to %erfor ance and %hysical health. *or$ related stress in the life of organi.ed #or$ers, conse(uently, affects the %erfor ance of organi.ations. Stress can0t !e co %letely a&oided. It is %art of life and is e&en !eneficial in s all doses to $ee% the !ody ready to res%ond to en&iron ental de ands. To a&oid or di inish the effects of stress, ho#e&er, se&eral #ays to co !at it need to !e $no#n. Methods and techni(ues to co !at stress, include !ut are not li ited to5 stress a#areness, a&oidance of %eo%le or situations $no#n cause stress, s%orts or %hysical e+ercise, ti e anage ent and change anage ent, !oosting self7 oti&ation and self7res%ect, learning rela+ation ethods li$e editation, !reathing techni(ues, %ositi&e thin$ing, etc. Co %lete stress %re&ention is not %ossi!le, and is not reco ended, !ecause stress is a catalyst for gro#th and hu an creati&ity. Stress anage ent techni(ues, training and an e %loyee assistance %rogra E8APF can i %ro&e the a!ility of #or$ers to co%e #ith difficult #or$ situations. Si ilarly, stress anage ent %rogra s teach #or$ers a!out the nature and sources of stress, the effects of stress on health, and %ersonal s$ills to reduce stress. It is
i %erati&e to understand that stress can ne&er !e eli inated it can only !e reduced. The to anage stress in a rightful anner. antra is

References5 <F ###. indtools.co ,s %age.ht l GF ###.a!outstress anage ent.co HF ###.life%ositi&e.co , ind,%sychology,stress,stress.as%
IF ###.hel%guide.org ?F ###.stress anage entti%s.co JF ###.stressreduction!asics.co

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