Stress can be painful and performance limiting for the most junior recruit to the most experienced senior executive in an organization. When employees perceive that their efforts are not matched by rewards they are found to be at risk of a host of stress related illnesses, including cardiovascular disease. Stress audit practices create awareness about the employees’ physical and psychological status and help to focus on providing employees with strategies and tools that can lead to personal as well as professional growth and development, better workplace relationships and less conflict and stress. The following real case study of Ms.Nanthini implies the need to have stress audit practices in organizations.

As people spend a large part of their time at work, the workplace is a crucial setting for action. It has been observed that interventions to improve individual capacity and to reduce stressors in the work environment increase population health and economic development. Employees tend to display a variety of emotional reactions regarding management decisions and behaviour that, in their perception, have robbed them of a known way of life and work place security, and cast uncertain shadows on their future careers. While many of the external aspects of change happen according to schedule, the internal transition of an individual happens in a non- scheduled manner. For most people, the journey seems long, uncertain, tiring and very stressful.

Devastating Effects of Work Stress

We always emphasize the emotional impact of work stress and underplay the devastating effects it can have on cognitive functioning and on physical health. Recently, in a presentation at the University of South Australia, Professor Dick Dienstbier, University of Nebraska, stated that exposure to chronic work stress over time without sufficient opportunity for recovery leads to degradation of the hippocampus. This is a major problem not only for individuals but for knowledge organizations/ industries and especially knowledge economies, because the hippocampus is required for higher level cognitive functions.

Workers can be relied upon to know what local stressors are, and hearing others raise similar issues validates these concerns. Once identified, action needs to be taken to reduce the stressors, followed by feedback, and by evaluation to confirm reduction or to arrive at improvements in the process that need to be made. In the field this is referred to as the risk management approach (identify, assess, control).

When employees perceive that their efforts are not matched by rewards (including the old fashioned ‘you are doing a good job’) they are found to be at risk of a host of stress related illnesses, including cardiovascular disease (Seigrist, 1996). The following case is a typical example.

– Vasuki Mathivanan,

Care Provider at SeekSpark

Did you know, that most diseases are really not physical conditions, but a manifestation of what your mind carries in it? Stress, fast paced living and the demands of a modern life put a lot of pressure on your mind. The Buddha once said, “Your mind is everything. What you think, you become.” Your mind is where you live, really: it is your space with your thoughts, and it is the platform from which you engage with yourself and the world.
Here are some beliefs you can indulge yourself in, to stay happy, always!
– Believe that anything is possible!
– Happiness is not about wealth and money, but about the intangibles
– Let go of the little things
– Embrace change
– Love without fear, give without fear and live without fear
– Accept yourself the way you are, but strive to improve, no less!
– Accept the past, let go of it and move on!
To keep your mind healthy and to stay happy, here are some simple ideas!
• Eat well: It is important that you eat well, and eat nourishing food. Foods that have a rich supply of vitamins, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and salts keep your brains sharp and active. An empty stomach can also cause your mind to slow down. Starving is a big no-no!
• Sleep enough: If you give your body at least six to eight hours of sleep each day, your mind is sharp, alert and remains with good memory. You are less susceptible to stress when you rest well. Otherwise, your mind is full of thoughts and it destabilises your capacity to think.
• Exercise regularly: Keeping your body fit and exercising regularly gives you physical strength to withstand stress. Exercises also keep your mind fit, allowing you to blow off steam from all the demands of life and work. Yoga and breathing exercises specifically help you fight stress and keep calm.
• Be social: The more you talk to people around you and interact with them in real time, the better your mind is at staying healthy. Interactions have been confined heavily by technology, and these things tend to stunt your social skills. Talk to people, have simple and light-hearted conversations and engage with others for a healthy mind.
• Indulge in a skill: Keep up with your hobbies and talents, enjoy a skill and hone a hobby. The more you do to keep your creative juices flowing, the more vibrant you become, inside and out. It gives your mind a fantastic workout that will allow you to be more alert and sharp. Doing puzzles and playing games also allows you to keep your memory, logical and decision-making skills and thinking skills alive.
• Laugh out loud! Watch sitcoms that are funny, read a funny book, listen to jokes and perhaps even join a laughter club. The more you laugh, the more you allow your mind to soak in cheerful fervour. A cheery disposition sets in, making you capable of taking on life’s stresses without tension.
• Bust all your stress: Stress is easily a key factor in bogging you down and bringing down your spirits. It happens – especially seeing how fast-paced life has become, and how there are tremendous demands on everyday living. Set some time to unwind, relax everyday and invest in yourself, and siphon out your stress out of your system to enjoy a peaceful mind.
It is important to make sure that your mind, just as your body, gets all the nourishment it needs, to stay healthy. Your mental state is significant, for it controls your consciousness and also determines how you and your body operate.

References
http://idiva.com/news-health/18-beautiful-beliefs-all-happy-people-share-and-you-should-too/1508218
http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/healthyliving/SpecialFocus/Pages/10-Proven-Ways-to-Achieve-Mental-Wellness.aspx
http://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health/
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18084/9-ways-to-slow-down-aging-through-your-food-choices.html

Picture Courtesy: tinybuddha.com

A lot is said and done about women and depression, but what about men? It affects them as much or more than it does women. At least that’s what I see in my practice. Men come in with presenting issues like anxiety, stress, and lack of interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, anger management concerns and a host of other problems. Rarely ever do they state depression as the reason for them coming to consult me.

A session or two, and the client soon discovers that his presenting problem is a symptom of an underlying disorder – mild or moderate depression. Your local physician can prescribe medication for depression, but that’s not a route one wants to take without trying other modes of treatment. Studies show that medication does not guarantee cure from depression. It helps you to cope with the chemical imbalance in your brain, but can also lead to dependence. Which is not something to look forward to because of the side effects that eventually start showing.

Today’s research shows that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy works well with mild depression. This is also true with moderate and severe depression when it is clubbed with medication, but more on this later. First, how is depression in men different from depression in women?

To begin with, depression in men is serious. One, because men are less adept than women in recognizing the signs of depression they are suffering from. Even if they are aware of them, a sense of denial does not permit them to acknowledge the signs. This is  because to them it isn’t a manly disorder to have and shows them as weak and unable to handle the stressors and strains of everyday living. Two, this keeps them from talking about it or seeking help, further compounding the problem. And thirdly, depression in men if left unchecked and allowed to take over their life can eventually lead to suicide. While women mostly attempt suicide, depressed men most often complete the task (men are four times more likely than women to commit suicide).

Remember, there are no feelings of sadness involved in depression. It is all about an overwhelming sense of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness that simply doesn’t seem to go away no matter what you do to try and lift your mood. And this spills over into your daily living. No more do you have any interest in daily activities like eating, sleeping, exercising, working, having sex and so on and so forth. So much so, there is a loss of appetite, weight change, increase in reckless behaviour, unexplained aches and pains (usually involving the back), concentration problems, self-loathing, anger and irritability at loved ones and a dip in general energy levels.

Interventions offered:

As a professional counselor I, first and foremost, let my client know that being depressed is not a sign of failing masculinity. In no way does it mean that they are not strong and in control of their emotions.

Next it is my job to challenge them. Challenge their Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs). NATs can predispose you to faulty behaviour and further compound your low mood. So my role is to allow my client to consciously stop in his tracks when he feels a NAT creep into his head. Then he is encouraged to put it down on paper and ask himself what the NAT does to his behaviour and emotions. Once he becomes conscious how dysfunctional thinking has made him act in an inappropriate way he understands better why he feels the way he does. And begins to challenge his negative thinking habit.

I also strongly urge my male clients to put off making important decisions for a while. I remind them to not expect miracles overnight. There will come a change in mood, I assure them, but surely not instantly. My clients are encouraged to exercise daily. To get enough sleep everyday-neither more nor less and to eat many, regular but small, meals through the day.

We have it in us to adapt, change and self-actualize. So why stay depressed when help is at hand. Get empowered to deal with depression. Allow CBT to help you help yourself.

– Sunitha Menon,

Psychologist & Care Provider at SeekSpark.com

The Author, Sunitha Menon, has specialized in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She is currently a Psychologist & Care Provider with seekspark.com

Looking ahead in life is one of the most important thing – for life keeps moving forward and there is a need to keep up with it. Becoming optimistic in life can be a challenge for many. Not everyone has the natural inclination to keep hope alive despite all the lemons that life throws at you. For some, even the task of nursing an ambition might feel challenging. Pessimism is a very common occurrence in many cases, and a lot of people tend to have to deal with it. As much as a challenge that it is, pessimism can be overcome with some effort on part of the person nursing this tendency. Here are some ways to build confidence:Love yourself and accept yourself as you are. Half the time, we battle with our own identities and lose ourselves in our negative perceptions about ourselves. When you accept yourself, you tend to look ahead with a sense of inner calm and peace, knowing that things are going to be good, no matter what.

            

•  Don’t avoid doing something because you feel pessimistic about it, or its outcomes. When you avoid something, it reinforces your negative feelings towards it, and doesn’t allow you to escape the pressures of attending to something that still needs your attention. By force, you will be obliged to attend to obligations – and avoidance many times sets a precedence of inability. If you do something with a negative attitude or a mindset, you wind up doing it badly.
• Don’t guilt yourself into optimism – you should be sensitive to others who are worse off, but you shouldn’t tell yourself that because someone is worse off, you have to feel guilty about being optimistic.
•  Indulge in meditation and breathing exercises that help you de-clutter your mind and de-stress. Breathing deeply helps you ease out the tensions that run in your mind and eases out the anxieties you feel. This way, you tend to look at things with a clearer mind.
• Surround yourself with people you trust and feel comfortable with. Never allow other people’s negativity to bog you down, as it only augments your anxiety. Allow yourself the luxury of believing in yourself. Self-doubt plagues everyone – it is but natural. But don’t let it overwhelm you.
• Maintain a journal and ensure that you write out your thoughts and issues on your mind so that you have a route to vent.
• Avoid taking to substance abuse such as cigarettes, caffeine and drugs. While some may claim that it makes one feel better, it is really damaging to your body and mind.
• Don’t hesitate to take professional help when it gets too much to bear. Anxiety can be treated with counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). A professional who intervenes to help can assist a person’s thinking and help them find direction and a way out of anxiety.
•  Indulge in some me time, and give yourself a chance to take a break and unwind by doing things you enjoy most. In a day, make sure that you have at least an hour for yourself.

References:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21147/how-to-be-optimistic-even-at-rock-bottom.html
http://greatist.com/happiness/how-be-optimistic-about-everything

Picture Courtesy: amazonaws.com

Who doesn’t have a life full of stress and hectic work days? Life has many demands to make of anyone, regardless of what his career or family needs may be. The pressures of everyday living can throw many spokes in the wheel and put a person in a state of stress. Regardless of how small or big an issue maybe, the response one has to it can be the factor to define stress levels. Hectic days can come in any form – something as simple as a task not going on according to time can throw the rest of the day into a mess. Here are some ways for you to beat the fatigue of a hectic day!
– Come back home to indulge in a hobby. Very often in life, we are so caught up in the demands that life and career obligations make on us. Consequently, we forget what it is to do things we like. Nurture a hobby and indulge in it, and allow your mind to soak in some stress busting comfort.
– Meditate at the end of the day. Meditation is not a religious practice, and need not even be a spiritual practice if that is what you best prefer. It is just about improving your concentration on a particular thing, enough to encourage your cluttered mind to feel lighter and more peaceful. Set 10 minutes aside everyday to meditate, and feel yourself growing calmer.
– Do some good and sound physical activity. The more active you are, the sharper your mind is, and the more comfortable you feel about the many things you need to attend to. Physical activity need not be rigorous – it can even be just about enough to discourage a sedentary way of life
– Introspect within and always ask yourself if whatever it is that made your day hectic came from bad organising or inefficient planning. Yes, your day was hectic. Yes, you are fully winded. Yes, there is every chance that it may repeat. But if you understand what it is that makes your day hectic, it can be easily tackled.
– Keep a good circle of friends whom you can trust and vent to, and comfortably engage with to ensure a positive frame of mind.
– Spend time in the outdoors and with nature. Allow your mind to breathe while your body does, expanding with space and light and soaking in good vibes. Go for a walk in the mornings or the evenings, and admire the scenes around you without worrying about anything.
– Spend time, sometimes, to do just nothing. Sit back on your recliner or lie flat on your back and admire the skies above, and enjoy spending time just relaxing. When you do nothing, your mind and brains recharge quicker and you become more productive.
– Get enough rest and sleep. When you remain active each day, your body uses up a lot of its energy and needs to recharge. To do this, it needs sleep. When your body loses sleep, it loses the capacity to function normally, and the mind becomes tired and fatigued, so you fail to coordinate and remember things, and stay in a good mood, too
–
References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/20-best-ways-to-relax-after-a-hectic-day/articleshow/21742244.cms

http://www.wikihow.com/Relax-After-a-Long-Day

Picture Courtesy : huffpost.com/

If life had a writer’s block, or its equivalent, it would be the state of feeling stuck and trapped in life. No matter what it is – a moment in life, a relationship, a career transition, or just generally, feeling stuck can be frustrating – but there’s so much that’s still in your control that can help you get out of it. From self-love to attention to your needs, from giving yourself the momentum you need by motivating yourself and indulging yourself in evolutionary ways, you can set things in order and find a space of comfort with ease. Here are a couple of ways in which you can help yourself if you’re feeling stuck:
– Celebrate yourself and indulge in giving yourself some time, and perhaps, some attention. If it takes a day at the spa, or some retail therapy, or a good round in the pool or perhaps even a jog, do it. Give yourself the chance to reconnect within, and to forget the myriad pressures that hold you back, so that you can breathe easy.
– Don’t take on more things when you know you can’t handle it. Part of the problem with feeling stuck is biting off more than you can chew, and being encumbered with the need to prove one’s worth vis-à-vis the deliverance accordingly.
– Say no if you should. Don’t feel burdened or forced to say yes for whatever reason – remember, you are in charge, and you remain so – so if you feel that you cannot do something, be frank and say so. Remember, it makes more sense for everyone involved to be forthright and candid, rather than to have empty promises and resentment.
– Start your days on the right note – do something for yourself every morning and set the tone for your day happily. It maybe something as simple as working out or having a cup of tea, or watching nature before the madness of the day unfolds. Whatever it is, give yourself that freedom and time.
– Make sure to do some physical activity – workout, run, go for a swim, or even dance. The more physically active you get, the better it is for your wellbeing.
– Always indulge in a hobby – and keep dabbling with variations. The more you’re able to do, the more you indulge in, and the more you gather as a pursuit of passion, the more creative and less stuck you feel in life.
– Switch off every now and then. It is important to disengage – we are always so connected that there is a tendency to feel a pressure, a sense of jealousy of social happiness and a tendency to compare with others who we think are living it up – but actually may not be!
– Don’t be negative about yourself and dismiss yourself. You deserve your critique only if it is constructive.
– Always make it a point to eat healthy and keep yourself hydrated – because your energy levels, your mood and your tendency to indulge in habits are all related.

References:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21354/feeling-stuck-try-these-15-tips-to-get-what-you-really-want-in-life.html

Picture Courtesy : drinkprotein2o.com

Who doesn’t have a life full of stress? Life has many demands to make of anyone, regardless of what his career or family needs may be. The pressures of everyday living can throw many spokes in the wheel and put a person in a state of stress. Regardless of how small or big an issue maybe, the response one has to it can be the factor to define stress levels. Here are some ways for you to overcome anxiety and stress.
– Identify the issue that is causing you the stress. Sometimes, a little introspection can help you identify what the root cause of all your stress is. It is not always a particular factor at the superficial level, for there are many issues that can contribute to heightened stress levels. Start by looking within – is there a hike in the stress levels at particular times in a day, or when a particular kind of incident occurs? Try to find the things that trigger you, and address them effectively to help settle your issues.
– Indulge in a hobby. Very often in life, we are so caught up in the demands that life and career obligations make on us. Consequently, we forget what it is to do things we like. Nurture a hobby and indulge in it, and allow your mind to soak in some stress busting comfort. Always invest in yourself and make sure to put yourself and your needs in line with your priorities. When you feel that you cannot take on more tasks, or that you need to have an extension of an unreasonable deadline, make sure to speak up.
– Make sure to be smart about how you work. Working hard is one thing, but working smart is important. Make good to-do lists with reasonable number of obligations to check off, and make sure that you utilize your work time well.
– Always take sufficient breaks while at work. Don’t work for hours and hours at an end, always make sure that you get up, go for a walk, or grab a light and healthy snack and then resume work.
– Keep a clean and comfortable work environment. Your cubicle or cabin should be well lit, and not filled with clutter. The more you clutter up your spaces, the more stress you wind up experiencing.

– Always plan your day in advance. While this might seem a little difficult if you are in a job that is largely unpredictable, make an attempt to establish certain constants around your day, so that you achieve them. Never set unrealistic targets or bite off more than you can chew. Always allow yourself breathing space with deadlines and work pressures.
– Meditate often. Meditation is not a religious practice, and need not even be a spiritual practice if that is what you best prefer. It is just about improving your concentration on a particular thing, enough to encourage your cluttered mind to feel lighter and more peaceful. Set 10 minutes aside everyday to meditate, and feel yourself growing calmer.
– Do a lot of physical activity. The more active you are, the sharper your mind is, and the more comfortable you feel about the many things you need to attend to. Physical activity need not be rigorous – it can even be just about enough to discourage a sedentary way of life
References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/Steps-to-improve-your-emotional-health/articleshow/18861339.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/BUSTED-Why-is-India-unhappy/articleshow/47701458.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/Take-the-stress-test/articleshow/47861216.cms

Picture Courtesy : http://paulstallard.me/

Getting a good night’s sleep is a blessing, indeed. Not having enough sleep can hamper your productivity, attention and mental health and capacity – and can also cause you a lot of physical issues such as blood pressure fluctuations, migraines and stress headaches. How often have you lain in bed, willing yourself to sleep, but have found yourself unable to? How often have you decided to just hit the sack, but find yourself looking up at the ceiling without any sleep whatsoever? With lives full of pressures, minds full of worries and tensions, and stress levels to the max, it is not an uncommon phenomenon to see more and more people being unable to sleep on time. Here are some ways to ensure that you wake up comfortably even if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep.
– Don’t hit snooze and try to prolong your sleep. While pushing yourself to sleep, you only make your body and mind tired, and leave yourself with a sense of irritation at not having been able to catch those winks as you would ideally like to.
– Hydrate: If you haven’t slept enough, chances are that your body processes – the ones that were intended to take place at the time when you were supposed to be asleep – do not take place in entirety as they should have. Drinking water will help you refuel and help you flush out the toxins that may be stagnant and accumulated in parts of your body.
– Get some sunlight: Spend some time in nature and allow your body to soak in some solar energy, particularly as Vitamin D will help give you the kind of energy boost you most need to feel better, physically.
– Don’t overdose on coffee. When you resort to caffeine in any form, you invariably give yourself only a temporary solution that really doesn’t go as long a way as it should in helping you. Avoid too much coffee, and opt for something that fills your stomach and gives you a clear mind.
– Get yourself a good amount of exercise. Allow your blood to circulate and your muscles to get moving. The more effort you put into getting your body in order, the more benefits you will reap from it. Physical activity can help alleviate your mind with the feel good hormone, which will translate into a sound impact on your body, as well.

References:
http://www.indiatimes.com/health/tips-tricks/had-a-sleepless-night-this-will-help-you-make-it-through-the-next-day-235193.html
http://www.medicaldaily.com/no-sleep-5-tips-wake-after-long-sleepless-night-275690

Photo Courtesy:www.moneylife.in

Stress is a very common occurrence in our daily lives – no matter how organized or how regular we are at work and deliver on deadlines, there are many things that happen around us that our body and mind perceives as stress. Sometimes, this stress when left unattended to, accumulates and manifests itself as an illness that needs medical attention. Instead, if you can help yourself and prevent stress from building up, you will be doing yourself a great deal of help. Here are a couple of ways you can keep your stress levels at the lowest:
– Enjoy lilting music while you work, especially the softer and melodious strains. If you’d rather not listen to music while working, return home and unwind with some good music.
– Keep speaking and stay social with your friends. Don’t let work take over to the point that you forget your social life altogether. Speaking your mind each day, or at least at regular intervals will help you cope with pressures around you.
– Keep a journal and write down everything that’s on your mind, or stresses you out. It also helps if you keep a to do list that you can keep revisiting to see if you’ve done what you need to, instead of worrying abstractly.
– Exercise regularly, because your body helps get rid of physical stress by allowing those muscles to move about. You can even pack a bit of action into your work day by walking or jogging around a few times in a day, between work.
– Indulge in me time, and enjoy doing something you love – a hobby or just watching shows on television!
– Do nothing, every now and then, just sit back and do nothing at all, and watch time pass you by.
– Indulge yourself every now and then, perhaps in some retail therapy or even a delicious meal!
– Travel frequently – take smaller and shorter trips if you can’t take on longer vacations, and disconnect from work when you do.
– Unplug consciously at regular intervals. The more you keep away from technology and all that it demands of you, the lighter you feel in mind and body.

References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/Get-rid-of-stress-instantly-at-work/articleshow/21955791.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/How-to-handle-work-stress/articleshow/15227701.cms

Picture Courtesy : http://www.hrnigeria.com/

Do you wake up each morning feeling like you’ve been snowed in, or that a steam roller has just whooshed over every ounce of happiness you’ve ever believed yourself capable of enjoying? Don’t lose heart: there’s a way to find all that happiness and sustain it. Here are a bunch of simple things that you can keep at, in your everyday life, each night before you sleep, to make sure that you wake up happier!
• Switch off all the electronic appliances around you. If you must keep your phone on through the night, keep it a good distance away from you – but the ideal is to switch it off altogether. Avoid filling your room with too many artificial rays and radiations that only harm your mind more than anything else.
• Stock up on vitamins. Your mood takes a beating when your body is deprived of the essential vitamins and minerals that it needs. Vitamin supplements are a good way to keep that level up.
• Indulge in some yoga, pranayama and meditation before you sleep each night. It will help you calm your mind and forget your difficulties and issues for a good amount of time so your mind can find the peaceful spot that will help you sleep easily. Consciously eliminate bad thoughts that creep into your mind before you sleep. This makes sure that only positive things come up when you wake up.
• Stroll a little before you sleep, preferably outdoors. It helps you unwind before you close down for the day, and lets you spend some time with nature, allowing your food to digest better, as well, so you sleep tight and wake up with a sorted mind the next morning.
• Listen to relaxing music before you sleep. Soft, lilting tunes are the perfect way to lull a troubled mind to sleep, so that you sleep with calmness in your mind. Avoid ear phones, play the music to fill your space up. Wake up to a pleasant morning with pleasant thoughts!
• Avoid drinking before bedtime, for it often affects your mind and body and tends to put certain kinds of thoughts in mind. Your safest route out is to indulge in something healthy to drink, and then to sleep tight without an issue whatsoever, and wake up with positivity.
• Smoking before you sleep is also a troublesome thing for your mind, especially because you wind up with insomnia. Smoking may be purportedly relaxing to some people who claim that their minds need it – but the fact of the matter is that there is absolutely no point in smoking if you are looking for peace of mind. Instead, you ruin your lungs.
• Write out a journal entry before you sleep each night, so that you unload all that is on your mind before you sleep. This helps you clear your thoughts and de-clutter your mind so that you sleep free of worry, and wake up with a clear mind.
References:
http://www.indiatimes.com/health/tips-tricks/10-things-to-include-in-your-bedtime-schedule-to-wake-up-happier-234544.html

Picture Courtesy:indiatimes.com