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Welcome to The Supercharged Manager's Guide to Stress
Management, a brief but comprehensive interactive course to
help today’s busy leaders and managers overcome obstacles to
healthy, successful living and working.
As you proceed through this online workbook, be sure to follow
the instructions and complete each section before moving on.
These next pages will . . .
change the way you perceive stress
enable you to recognize its symptoms
give you practical tools and useful skills to increase your
productivity, and
help you manage the stress in your life so that it doesn’t
manage you!
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Slide 4
Daily Stress
In our do-it-now and do-it-fast world, it’s impossible to live
without stress. Every day, we encounter difficult people and
challenging situations that stretch our emotions to the limit:
the aggressive driver who tailgates on the freeway;
the perfectionist boss who makes unreasonable demands on
your time;
the sudden loss of a family member or friend.
We can’t control the world around us, but we can learn how to
manage our responses and change our reactions. When we
practice healthy ways of expressing our emotions, then we can
reduce the negative impact stress can have on our lives.
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Slide 5
Stress as a Motivator
GOOD STRESS
Surprisingly, stress can be a powerful motivator. It energizes us
for a task or challenge. We’ve all heard stories about ordinary
people who, in a crisis, demonstrate superhuman strength,
single-handedly lifting a car off someone trapped beneath it. In
ordinary circumstances, a certain amount of stress keeps us
alert and powers us to achieve our goals.
However, intense stress--especially for a prolonged time--can be
detrimental to our physical and emotional health.
Our goal, then, is to achieve a level of stress that:
Motivates us without harming us (and those around us).
Maximizes our efficiency and performance.
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Slide 6
Information Tidbit
Studies in 1908 by Yerkes and Dodson and
in 1983 by Bossing and Rouff showed that
learning improved with moderate stress, but
declined with extreme stress, or no stress.
The fantasy of living completely "stress-free“
would be less than ideal to our growth, even
if it were possible.
Back
Slide 7
Damaging Stress
PROLONGED STRESS
Stress is most damaging when it continues at high levels for prolonged
periods .
Do you recognize any of these symptoms of stress in your life?
You are too tired to enjoy family relationships.
You no longer enjoy favorite activities.
You’re easily upset by small things.
You make frequent, uncharacteristic mistakes.
You lack confidence and feel like you can’t do anything right.
You are indecisive and feel overwhelmed by a task or project.
You’re unable to relax.
You avoid others and your own feelings.
You feel like giving up.
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Slide 8
Coach’s Tip
Numerous studies have reported the top stressors in
the average person‘s life. They include Death of a
spouse, Gaining a new family Member, Divorce,
Changes at work, Marital separation, Jail, Death
of a close family member, Personal injury or illness,
Marriage, Pregnancy, & Marital Reconciliation.
Any sound familiar?
If you've been there, or see any of these on the horizon,
take extra time to prepare how you will meet the
circumstance, and respond.
Back
Slide 9
Physiological Aspects
The first step in responding to stressful situations is
understanding the physiological aspects that are at work in your body.
Hans Selye, a professor at the University of Maryland, documented three distinct stages in our reactions to stress, called the "General Adaptation Syndrome".
They are:
The Alarm Stage
The Resistance Stage
The Exhaustion Stage
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Slide 10
Detailed Notes
Alarm Stage
The Alarm Stage is the initial response to new challenges,
whether they are a close call in traffic, a surprise visit from
a relative, or a change at work.
Physically, it is often accompanied by the involuntary
tensing of muscles, pupil dilation, and activation of glands
and brain chemistry. It is important to recognize that this
response is normal and instinctive in all of us, and serves
us well when dangerous circumstances require keen focus.
