TS2 : Stress Management

"In the middle of every difficulty, lies opportunity."
                                                                  Albert Einstein


A little bit of 'stress' is good for you, isn't it?

Not if it makes you ill or contravenes the Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards for Stress guidelines!


The word 'stress' is often misused and, consequently, loses its meaning. All too frequently it is confused with 'pressure.' An excessive number of tasks, either work-related or on a personal level, is often the cause of 'pressure' and it is how an individual responds to that 'pressure' that determines whether or not they will succumb to 'stress.'


At TS2 and AMC Mentoring our definition of 'stress' is:
  • "An unhealthy, whole body, reaction to too much pressure."

When you experience pressure day after day your behaviour changes; you feel 'under the weather'; your normal coping mechanisms appear not to be working very well; your general health declines and your productivity, both in and out of work, reduces. This is 'stress.'

The causes of stress include:

  • At work - organisational changes, working environment, work-place relationships, work demands and targets, your employer's and your own expectations, lack of support, bullying and harassment, lack of clarity of role.
  • Personal - major life changes i.e. divorce, death, marriage, house and job moves; regular daily hassles e.g. commuting, shopping; child/parent caring, rules and regulations that appear petty.

Stress behaviour indicators/habits include:

  • Worry; striving for perfection; low self esteem/self confidence; a belief that other people are in control.

Stress reactions include:

  • Persistent minor illnesses, loss of energy, crying and long term stress can lead to sleeping difficulties, obsession, impatience, anger, irrationality, loss of sense of humour, skin complaints, depression, heart problems and even death through stroke or suicide..

"One man's meat is another man's poison"; it is commonly recognised that stress will affect different people in different ways and, therefore, it is necessary to approach the relief of stress according to the response demonstrated by the individual. However, it is also necessary for organisations to recognise their responsibility in aiding employees, in the reduction of stress-causing scenarios, by adhering to the Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards for Stress.


TS2 and AMC Mentoring can provide you with either Corporate Stress Management solutions or individual Coaching to help alleviate these situations:


H&SE Stress Risk Assessment - It is all too common for organisations to rush into Stress Management with inappropriate interventions that have no discernable methods of measuring their effectiveness. The 2004 Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards for Stress help organisations to focus on the best practices for dealing with the awareness and causes of stress in the work-place, which ultimately have an effect on organisational costs.

Employee Assistance Programmes - TS2 and AMC Mentoring's collaboration can help in setting up a tailored programme. A good EAP will offer employees reassurance, counselling and advice on areas concerning personal emotional reactions; family and marital matters; legal requirements and, in conjunction with our Talent Management solution, clarity of work-related role and career motivators.

StressWatching™ - This integrated Stress Management programme provides individuals with their own personal StressWatching™ Plan. This will help them to improve physical and emotional fitness, self-esteem, confidence and an understanding of how the mind and body are linked. There is also an introduction to 'The Stress Gremlins', created by Ann McCracken who is Vice-Chair of the International Stress Management Association UK and Director of AMC Mentoring. This programme can be used personally or through corporate membership.

Stress Awareness Workshops - Organisations and individuals can learn to recognise and deal with stress by becoming aware of what stress does to them; by identifying their own stressors and how these affect their behaviour; by developing strategies for controlling their stress.

The benefits of a Stress Management solution:

Effective Stress Management works on both personal and corporate levels. It allows an individual to be aware of those stressors in life that are likely to cause them health problems; it lets them focus on the tasks that are important and to complete those tasks in a positive and productive manner. Further, in work-related situations, having a positive and productive staff not only increases the bottom-line returns but also reduces the organisational costs involved in recruitment, lost days through illness and employee turnover figures.

Although our solutions are tailored to meet your requirements, TS2 and AMC Mentoring's Stress Management solution is incorporated within TS2 and Novations' Talent Management solution and can run concurrently with TS2's Coaching facility.

Trevor Smith, Director of TS2, is a member of stressmanagers.co.uk - If you contact Stressmanagers from this website, please use the following code in your message - TS2ltd.

"Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result but the cause of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all."
                      Norman Vincent Peale

 
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