Effective stress management

1. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Samson ADELEKE
IITA Medical Unit

2. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Stress & Safety
Video Clip & practical
examples to illustrate

3. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Definition of Stress
State of tension arising due to EXTERNAL or INTERNAL demands
External: Environment Internal: Personal; from within

4. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Causes of Stress
1. Work related causes
 Heavy work load
 Unrealistic work targets
 Unsuitable working environment
 Management of Colleagues
 Inadequate provision for work-life
balance measures
 Ineffective/inappropriate communication
 Inability to address urgent/emergency
personal needs due to uncompromising
work-related policies
 Unfounded threats at work

5. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Causes contd.
2. Intrinsic factors
 Poor interpersonal or
communication skills
 Poor time management
 Socio-economic challenges
 Intrinsic personality disorders
 Workaholic mentality
 Feeling threatened

6. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Stress & Safety
Effects of inappropriately managed stress on
general safety
• Accidents at work
• Endangers the life of co-workers
• Catastrophic errors at work

7. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Causes contd.
3. Mostly a combination of internal &
external factors.

8. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Our Body’s Design
• Our bodies are uniquely designed to handle stress.
• When presented with stressful situation it is our most
basic survival instinct to either:
– Engage in a fight
– Or run for our lives
• The response to run or fight
is not so much on the event
but how the events are
perceived

9. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Response to Stress
• Adrenaline is secreted from the kidneys
• Cortisol (a hormone) is released providing
bursts of energy
• The heart suddenly beats faster
• Breathe rate and blood pressure increase
• Blood sugar is released into the bloodstream
• Hearing and sight are enhanced
• Digestive system and urine production slow
to divert blood to more critical areas, such
as the brain and muscles

10. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Realities about Stress
• Stress is a normal part of life
• Total absence of stress is not realistic
• Stress can be beneficial if properly handled
• Stress can be a real or perceived threat
• The perceived magnitude of stress is dependent
on the way it is interpreted
• Neither non responsiveness nor over
responsiveness to stress is good
• What is good is appropriate response to stress

11. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Effects of unchecked
Body Responses
– increased blood pressure
– Poor control or excersabation of chronic diseases
– Decreased immune function
– Several important functions of the body are
interrupted
– Poor sleep
– Psychosomatization: physical symptoms without
organic bases
– Mental deterioration & nervous breakdown

12. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Progression of unchecked
effects of Stress
• Headaches
• Asthma
• Hypertension
• Ulcers
• Low back pain
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Upper respiratory
infections
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Drug abuse
• Mental illness
• Higher risk for suicide
• Addictive disorder

13. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
• Identify the cause of your stress
•Deliberately drive the course of
stressful event to derive a positive
outcome
• Go on leave and use the leave to relax
• Engage in recreational activities that
unwind you
• Contribute your quota in making the
work place achieving but yet pleasant
Managing Stress

14. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Identify the Stressors
you can avoid
• If traffic stresses you out, take the bus
• If you get anxious about your carpet
being stained, install tile flooring

15. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Work-life Balance
• Go on long vacation for
relaxation
• Take short leave to
recuperate
• Encourage colleagues
to go on leave
• Engage in recreational
activities to unwind
• Work–life balance is the concept of proper prioritizing
between "work" (career and ambition) and "lifestyle"
(health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual ...)

16. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Exercise
Exercise boosts endorphins
which in turn can
–Put us in a better mood
–Give us more energy
–Reduces anger
–Improves mental alertness

17. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Meditation
• Close your eyes and mental follow the air in
and out of your body. As you exhale mentally
repeat a soothing word like “Peace”
Or
• Visualize a peaceful scene
• Do this for 5 to 30 minutes

18. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Managing Stress
• Learn to Laugh!!
Laughter helps to
dissipate stress

19. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Lifestyle & Stress..
Stress management works best when
it is a lifestyle and not a response to a
particular event
Does that mean I need to be aware of stress
management techniques everyday??
Only if you want to be good at it!!

20. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org
Conclusion
• Prevent the occurrence of
avoidable/unnecessary stress
• Fix the fixable
• Accept the inevitable
• Protect yourself from the physical
affects

21. A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org