Stress Management
So what is stress?
Is stress and pressure the same?
Effects of chronic stress
How does stress management work?
Can stress management help you?
What does having resilience to stress mean?
What is Bio-feedback?
My style of working
How Can I Help Myself?
So what is stress?
In our busy and hectic lifestyles of today, we are all familiar with the word “stressed”. It is a word that we all increasingly use, if not to describe ourselves, then someone we know.
A little bit of pressure can be productive, give you motivation, and help you to perform better. However, too much pressure or prolonged pressure can lead to stress, which is unhealthy for the mind and body and this can lead to physical, mental and emotional problems.
Everyone reacts differently to stress, and some people have a higher threshold (are more resilient) than others. It is also important to understand that when the pressure you are under exceeds your actual or perceived ability to cope, stress will occur. The key here is perceived ability as this will be different for everyone.
A definition from the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) is:
| “The adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed upon them.” |
• Stress is the way that you feel when too much pressure, or too many demands are placed on you.
• You believe you are unable to meet all the demands expected of you from work, home, relationships or just life in general.
It’s important to know
• Suffering from stress is not a sign of weakness, nor is it to ask for help, yet still in the work environment job security may be in doubt if you are seen as not able to cope.
• Stress is a normal part of life and is the body’s natural reaction when you experience too much pressure. Everyone will experience stress at some point however, some people do seem to cope better with stress than others and that’s because everyone is different.
• Stress may be experienced due to a single event or situation; more commonly though, it is accumulated over months and often many years, so affecting every one of us very differently.
• Your upbringing and personality largely determine your attitudes and expectations, and this in turn results in how you will deal with the challenges, changes and demands of life. What is stressful to you, may in fact be an exciting challenge to someone else and that’s why the same event will have a different reaction to each person.
Is stress and pressure the same?
There is still much confusion on this and despite what many people think, even from some very reputable sources, the answer is simple … NO! Not even a little bit! Pressure and stress are not the same. Stress is the result of too much, or inappropriate levels of pressure. How you then cope with the stress is very much an individual experience so please don’t compare yourself to others!
Some examples of stress V pressure are shown below:
| Stress | Pressure |
| • Headaches/migraine • High blood pressure • Stomach upsets • Muscle tension • Loss of confidence • Poor sleep/insomnia • Irritability/mood swings • Anxiety/depression |
• Motivation • Excitement • Zest for life • Optimistic and energised
• Increased performance |
| “The ‘cost’ of stress to you is often difficult to see immediately, but over time left unchecked it will become apparent!” |
Effects of chronic stress
The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. Whether you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a huge pile of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be ‘on’ most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to set off, and then it becomes much harder to shut off.
• When you are faced with a situation that makes you stressed, your body releases chemicals (hormones), including cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenalin.
• This is known as the ‘fight and flight’ or stress response, which is the body’s way of giving you the strength, energy and ability to help you deal with the situation.
• However, when you’re in a situation that prevents you from ‘fighting or escaping’, such as being on an overcrowded train, problems with the boss, worrying etc. then these chemicals are not used.
• If these chemicals released during stressful situations accumulate from not being used, then their effects are felt throughout the body.
• Some of the effects of a build-up of adrenaline and noradrenalin are increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and the amount that you sweat.
• Cortisol also prevents your immune system from functioning properly, as well as releasing fat and sugar into your blood stream.
The following are just some of the many health problems that are linked to chronic stress.
| • Coronary Heart Disease • Depleted Immune System • Depression & Anxiety • Diabetes • Heart Attacks • High Blood Pressure • Infertility |
• Insomnia • Irritable Bowel Syndrome • Poor Concentration • Obesity & eating disorders • Skin conditions such as eczema • Strokes • Memory Loss . |
How does stress management work?
Everyone experiences stress differently. What is upsetting to you may not bother another person at all. Equally, something you enjoy or find exhilarating may cause a stressful response for someone else, which is why:
• Your stress management programme is put together depending on your own personal audit result and individual needs. Each one is tailor made just for you.
• There is no single ‘best way’ to handle stress, but there are ways to become more aware of what causes your stress and how your body responds, mentally, physically and emotionally.
• You will be able to learn how to cope with stress more effectively, become more resilient, mentally stronger and positive as well as benefit from having greater confidence in yourself.
• A stress assessment will help you to understand where your stress is coming from and why, show you what you can do about it and most importantly, how to implement those necessary changes!
Can stress management help you?
The easy answer is yes if you are looking to:
• Improve the quality of your work-life balance and well-being
• Reduce feeling worried or anxious.
• Get your life back on track if you have found yourself stuck and frustrated by life’s many challenges.
• Change that feeling of being so overwhelmed you don’t know where to start which can be due to excessive pressure at work or home.
• Clarify what you want and learn how to make it happen by setting realistic goals that work.
• Help yourself return to work if you are currently off sick with any stress related issues.
• Manage your current stress and any subsequent health issues that may already be known to you (maybe having seen your GP) e.g.
a. depression,
b. panic attacks,
c. mood swings/irritability,
d. sleep difficulties,
e. muscle tension,
f. stomach upsets.
I specialise in working with individuals who are experiencing stress, and in the following areas:
| • Anxiety and worry • Assertiveness • Career development • Communication skills • Confidence and motivation • Goals, work and personal • Executive skills |
• Interview success • Leadership skills • Performance anxiety • Problem Solving • Resilience to stress • Well-being • Work/Life balance .. |
What does having resilience to stress mean?
Resilience is a quality that helps you turn adversity or difficulties to your advantage; it helps you to see threats and problems more as opportunities or challenges. It is in effect, a package of skills, attitudes and behaviours that you can learn or develop at any time in your life and is not dependant on previous experience.
It is more about the meaning you attach to the event rather than the event itself, and that determines your reaction and what you DO about it rather than something you have, which is why different people react to stress in a variety of ways.
By developing resilience and having hardiness, you are more able to:
• Manage stressful situations effectively
• Skilfully problem solve
• Bounce back from tough times, disruptive changes and be less fazed by setbacks
• Be open to new ideas and more willing to try different approaches
• Embrace changes, have a more flexible outlook
• Enjoy the power of positive expectation
Research has identified 5 key elements that are essential to becoming resilient, qualities that those who thrive in difficult times already have. You can learn these skills and so become less vulnerable to the effects of stress.
| Resilient people recognise that failure and disappointment are often just stepping stones to success. |
What is Bio-feedback?
It is a very easy, yet powerful tool that helps you learn how to reduce your levels of stress. Once learnt it becomes a skill you have for life.
• Bio-feedback is a technique that provides the advanced technology to help you reduce the negative effects of stress.
• Bio-feedback trains you to use signals from your body positively, allowing you to experience greater health, more energy, and improved emotional and mental clarity.
• The specific signals used here are from the heart to the brain, and are read by using a sensor to take your pulse, then displayed on a computer screen. In this way, you too can see how instant the variations to your internal well-being are, depending on your emotional state and thoughts in ‘real time’. A print out will be provided for you.
The Benefits of using bio-feedback to learn how to reduce stress are to the whole mind and body, and includes:
| • Clearer thinking ability • Improved problem solving capacity • Enhanced decision making skills • Improved memory • Reinforcing positive feelings |
• Improved attention and learning capability • Improved sleep • Reduced worry and anxiety • Decreases panic attacks • Helping to alleviate depression .. |
These positive examples however, are compromised in some way, or they may even become non-existent when you experience too much pressure, leading to stress.
This can mean:
• Skills that you may previously have used very effectively, are now abandoning you.
• Others may have noticed the changes, reluctance or even difficulty in you performing in your usual way.
• This is particularly noticeable if you have a managerial role.
My style of working
I use a cognitive behavioural approach (CBT). This approach recognises that the way we think influences the way we feel and behave in the choices we make in life, career and relationships. This approach has been recognised by the medical profession for working with any anxiety, depression, stress and related issues, lack of confidence or overcoming obstacles and stumbling blocks to your desired changes or goals. I also use NLP techniques, relaxation and creative visualisation when appropriate and if it suits you.
My relaxed, flexible style and down to earth approaches are provided in an understanding and non-judgemental way. I use positive and solution focused strategies to help you move forward and achieve the outcomes and changes you want and need. On average between 6 and 8 sessions will be needed (some of which can be using bio-feedback), although this is always dependent on individual circumstances and need.
How Can I Help Myself?
‘Life is a roller coaster’, a phrase well used over the years and how true it is. Life is inherently unpredictable, there will always be those inevitable times when our resources are overloaded and stretched up to, and often beyond, the limit of our coping abilities.
• Achieving good health is not just a physical process, but a mental and emotional one too. The mind and body need to work together in order to enjoy all that life has to offer.
• You must first learn how to identify what causes you stress and how your body reacts to stress. Then you can discover ways to manage life more effectively.
• Resilience to stress can be learnt and small changes really do make a BIG difference!
• Decide to do something for yourself and make a positive change to your well-being.
| “If you keep doing what you always do, you will keep getting what you have always got!” |
Life is a roller coaster, but you do have choices in how you manage it, for your health today and later on in life is dependent on how you care for yourself now!
Please call me to find out more and to see how I can help you today.
All my work is carried out according to the ethical guidelines laid out by all the professional organisations that I belong to.
