In an organization or in any workplace people work according to certain rules and regulation. Self-management skill is one of the best management practices for those people who have decided to become more productive employees. For example, consider the following cases:
• Your class teacher or subject teacher. How he/she manages a class, co-workers, school management.
•An employee, how he/she manages timelines, decision, stress, communication right information to others, schedules, goal setting lists and organizers.
•A doctor, how he/she manages patient with chronic disease, the symptoms, physical and social consequences and lifestyle changes. These are all self-management skills in different environments. So, self-management is define as an individual skill to control feelings, emotions and activities. This plays a decisive role in our personal and professional life. It includes a broad range of skills, qualities, attitudes and experience
Apply Stress Management Techniques–
Question – What is Stress Management?
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain and is part of our lives. It is important to note that the experience of stress varies greatly among individuals. Stress is a physical, mental or emotional response to events that causes bodily or mental tension. Simply put, stress is any outside force or event that has an effect on our body or mind.
Stress management is all about taking charge: of your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, initial reaction towards a situation and the way you deal with problems. No matter how stressful your life seems, there are steps you can take to relieve the pressure and regain control. It is a part of everyday life in the form of time, money and relationships. Stress comes in all forms and affects people of all ages and all walks of life.
If you are living with high levels of stress, you are putting your entire well-being at risk. Stress causes havoc on your emotional stability, as well as your physical health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively and enjoy life. When you are in stress, it affects human body organs like brain and nerves, muscles and joints, heart, stomach, pancreas, intestines, reproductive system also.
Importance of Stress Management
Stress is always harmful, because repetitive exposure of the stress response on our body is proven lead to long-lasting psychological and physical health issues; these include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression, etc. It is important for every individual to know their own emotional intelligence. Stress management is an essential step for you to take once you have determined you are facing stressful situations in your life, regardless of the cause. The degree of stress in our lives is highly dependent upon individual factors such as:
•Our physical health.
•The quality of our interpersonal relationships.
•The number of commitments and responsibilities we carry.
•The degree of others’ dependence upon and expectations of us.
• The amount of support we receive from others.
•The number of changes or traumatic events that have recently occurred in our lives.
•General outlook on life’s quality of relationship, emotional intelligence and genetics.
Long term stress can specifically produce negative impacts on your health and is recognized to deteriorate your health faster than some other diseases. Furthermore, stress can reduce your capacity to perform and function well, either at school, during exam, at home or in the workplace. Therefore, stress isn’t something to be dismissed. Aside from the personal impacts you can experience from stress, it also affects how you deal with the environment and the people in your lives.
A wide variety of conditions, situations and pressures can cause stress to any one person at a given moment. These stress-causing situations and pressures are known as “stressors”. Stressors can come from external and/or internal factors, such as the ones below:
Common Internal stressors:
•Chronic worry
• Negative self-talk
•Rigid thinking and lack of flexibility
•Pessimism
•Unrealistic expectations/perfectionism
•All-or-nothing attitude
Common external stressors:
•Major life changes
•Relationship difficulties
•Children and family
•Work or school
• Financial problems
The symptoms of stress can be experienced mentally, physically, emotionally and behaviorally .
Most common stress warnings and symptoms.
If you find yourself experiencing several of the above symptoms and feel as if the stress in your life is overwhelming, it is time to take back control. You need to learn how to keep yourself cool whatever the situation may be. This helps you avoid making mistakes as people often tend to do so when they are highly stressed. The first step in managing your stress is recognizing any warning signs and identifying the stressors in your life.
Different Types of Stress
Stress can be positive or negative, depending on the situation. Positive stressors (called eustress) may include:
•An upcoming wedding
• Starting a new job
•Receiving a promotion or raise at work
•Buying a home
•Having a child
•Taking a vacation
•Holiday seasons
When you are in positive stress, it shows many characteristics like:
•It motivates and focuses energy to handle difficulties.
•Can help you achieve your goals.
•Certain level of stress helps us focus and concentrate better.
• It feels exciting.
•It improves performance.
•Major life changes activities are prevailed.
On the other hand, negative stress (called distress) results in the full-blown stress response. Negative stressors may include:
•Sleep problems
•Hospitalization
•Monetary problem
•Unemployment
• Children’s problems at school
•Legal problems
•Any mishap to family members, etc.
When you are in negative stress, it shows many characteristics like:
•Causes anxiety or concern.
•Results from too much pressure or trauma and you do not know how to deal with it.
•Can be short-term (fever) or long-term (headaches).
•Feels unpleasant.
•Decreases performance.
•Can lead to mental and physical problems.
•Blood pressure and pulse rate rise.
•Breathing is faster.
•Immune activity decreases.
•The digestive system slows down.
•The muscles become tense.
Also, when you or somebody is in stress, you can ask the following questions to assess stress:
•Where do you feel stress in your body?
•How do you know when you are stressed?
•How do you react to stress?
Some more Question answer from this –
- Self-management is defined as an individual skill to control feelings, emotions and activities. This plays a decisive role in our personal and professional life.
- Stress is a physical, mental or emotional response to events that causes bodily or mental tension.
- Stress due to an excess of adaptive demands upon us is known as distress.
- The optimal amount stress, which helps to promote health and growth, is known as eustress.
- The methods of classical yoga include ethical disciplines, physical postures, breathing control and meditation.
Self Assessment
A . Multiple choice questions. (Choose the most appropriate option):
1 . The word stress refers to
A ) Pressure and tension
B ) Trauma
C ) Anxiety
D ) All of these
Ans. D
2 . A self-management skill means
A ) Control feelings
B ) Control emotions
C ) Control activities
D ) all of the above
Ans. D
3 . The situation that causes stress is know as
A ) obesity
B ) Stressors
C ) stress response
D ) behaviours
Ans. B
4 . Identify the odd one out
A ) self awareness
B ) self management
C ) sleeping
D ) productivity
Ans. C
5 . Positive Stressors include events such as
A ) major life change
B ) everywhere on getting problem
C ) financial problems
D ) feels unpleasant
Ans. A
6 . The ability to take stress depends upon
A ) health
B ) family relationship
C ) emotional intelligence
D ) all of the above
Ans. D
7 . It is very important fir every individual to know their own
A ) emotional intelligence
B ) physical strength
C ) limits for handling pressure
D ) outlook in life
Ans. A
8 . Which is not a factor of building self- confidence?
A ) social
B ) economical
C ) physical
D ) cultural
Ans. B
B . State True and False
1 . Stress is an unnatural reaction.
Ans. True
2 . All people react to stressful events in the same way.
Ans. False
3 . Stress management is all about how to develop skills that would enhance our body’s adjustment when we are subjected to the pressure of life .
Ans. True
4 . Stress is usually thought of as a negative experience, but it can be a positive one.
Ans. True
5 . Experiencing long term stress is not harmful to you.
Ans. False
6 . High blood pressure is a common sign of stress.
Ans. True
7 . Exercise increases your stress levels when you work shifts.
Ans. False
8 . Emotional feeling is not a symptom of stress.
Ans. False
9 . A stressed person can stimulate endorphin release by regular activity and exercise.
Ans. True
10 . Negative stress can lead to mental as well as physical problems .
Ans. True
C . Short answer type questions:
1 . Why stress is harmful?
Ans . Stress is always harmful, because repetitive exposure of the stress response on our body is proven to lead to long-lasting psychological and physical health issues; these include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression, etc.
2 .Name four sources of stress on your view.
Ans . The four basic sources of stress are the environment, social stressors, physiological and thoughts.
3 .Write five characteristics of positive stress.
Ans. Five characteristics are:
•It motivates and focuses energy to handle difficulties
• Can help you achieve your goals
•Certain levels of stress helps us focus and concentrate better
•It feels exciting
•It improves performance
4 . What are the symptoms of stress?
The symptoms of stress are emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioural.
5 .Stress is usually thought of as a negative experience, but it can be a positive one. Justify.
Ans. Stress in small doses can be beneficial for us in terms of increased energy and mental alertness. This type of stress is considered good. For example, feeling mildly stressed when carrying out a project or assignment often compels us to do a good job, focus better, and work energetically.
6 .Name five hobbies that help to reduce stress.
Ans. Hobbies that helps to reduce stress are:
•Reading Doing an art project
•Playing golf, badminton, chess, etc.
•Watching a movie
•Playing cards and board games
7 . Give five examples of negative stress.
Five examples of negative stressors are: unemployment, sleep problems, children’s Problems at school, legal problems and monetary problem.
8 .Why exercise is important in stress management?
Ans .Exercise is the key and central method to compensate for stressors. Physical exercise not only promotes overall fitness, but it helps you to manage emotional stress and tension as well. Exercise can also aid in relaxation and improve sleep.
9 .How can stress affect your emotional and physical health?
Ans. If you are constantly under stress, you can have physical symptoms, such as headaches, an upset stomach, high blood pressure, chest pain, problems sleep, etc. Stress can also lead to emotional problems, depression, panic attacks, or other forms of anxiety and worry.
10 .Is exercise important for managing stress?
Ans .Working out regularly is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. Plus, exercise will improve your mood like swimming laps, jogging or other sports that gets your heart rate up. But you have to do it often for it to pay off.
11 . Is taking a break important for managing stress ?
Ans . Yes. A break from normal work like take a natural walk, go for vacation/holiday, listening to your favourite music, spending time in nature helps to manage stress.
- Demonstrate the Ability to Work Independently
Session 3:
Importance of the Ability to Work Independently
Work independently means doing what is asked to the best of your ability, without the need of external influence and working until the job is completed. This is also called as “freelancing” or “self- employment”. The advantages to work independently are:
Become Independent. When you work independently you can form your own methods of routine to get the job done by yourself and you would not have to worry whether the other person has finished his/her part.
More clarity. Since there is only one person doing the job, one will find that things are clearer, As there is no confusion.
You have no boss. If you own your own business, you only answer to your clients. You can choose to do the things the way they want to.
Easy to focus on own work. When you are alone doing a job, it becomes more convenient for one to concentrate properly.
No outside pressure. If a person is working alone, there is no pressure from anyone to do the job in a certain way or at a particular time.
You are flexible at your own pace. Depending on your work situation, you have the ability to set your own hours, choose where you want to work.
You know your strengths well. Working independently lets you focus on what you love to do, rather than how to get projects done without dealing with a wide variety of personalities.
Better job satisfaction. When you work independently, you often find more job satisfaction because you are responsible for determining how you’ll tackle your duties and get the credit for your successes.
Skills Needed to Work Independently
The followings are the necessary skills needed to work independently:
• Organizational skills. As you are working independently, probably you do not have an assistant to answer the phone, to make some copies or to remind you of urgent appointments, etc. For that reason, a certain degree of organizational skills is an essential requirement to know where everything is and to be able to do and finish everything on time.
•Multitasking ability. If you want to earn some (more) money, you often must do several things at once. You cannot just do and finish one project and then you start to look for your next Projects.
•Discipline. You should be able to tell yourself when it is time to work, to actually sit behind your Desk and to really start working.
•Communication skills. As you are the boss, you must communicate tactically when dealing with your business partners or clients. An honest but tactless opinion is an expensive luxury that you actually cannot afford.
•Ability to compromise. Compromising is a very important aspect if you want to keep clients happy and satisfied with your work and services.
•Flexibility. Some clients cancel projects or they change their priorities and demands. Always be flexible to accept about it. One fun part of working independently is having a variety of projects and plans can be varied.
•Ability to deal with rejection and not to take it personally. Sometimes you have to contact some potential clients more than three to five times before they sign a contract. Some of them reject your proposal with no obvious reason at all (at least none that makes sense). Learn to deal with rejections and do not take them personally. Remember, there are lots of other clients who want to work with you.
Characteristics of Work Independently
There are three key characteristics of working independently. These are self-awareness, self-motivation and self-regulation.
- Self-awareness
Self-awareness is a valuable skill that few truly master. It allows us to improve the quality our lives just by being aware of how external factors influence us Self-awareness refers to your knowledge and understanding of you – your emotions, beliefs, assumptions, biases knowledge base, abilities, motivations, interests, etc.
It takes years of effort to achieve, so start working on it today. Understanding the causes of your own behaviour is an extremely important skill to have. For that ask others to judge you At first, you may not like what you hear but try to realize what other people think about you. This may guide you better for your good. There are number of benefits of self-awareness These are:
•Better deal with external factors that cannot be controlled. We might not be able to control external factors that seem to run our lives every single day. But we can control how we react to those external factors. In order to control how we react to external circumstances we need to know exactly how our internal states, preference, resources, and intuitions work.
•A higher level of self-awareness enables us to better predict how certain future situation Will influence our state of mind. Being aware of how certain external factors have a negative impact on our lives allows us to better avoid these situations in the future.
•Self-awareness allows us to better understand the emotions of the people around us. For example, think about a close friend or a sibling of yours. If you know how you would react to an external factor, then it’s much easier to understand what goes on in the mind of this other person.
•Have a positive influence on the state of mind of people around you. For example, if you partner or close friend is sad or angry then there is a possibility that you will feel that emotion as well.
Types of self-awareness
There are two types of self-awareness: public self-awareness and private self-awareness.
- Public Self-awareness: This type emerges when you are aware of how you appear to others. for example, when you are talking to a group of friends. When you are aware that you are being watched and evaluated, you often try to behave in way that are socially acceptable and desirable. Public self-awareness can also lead to evaluation anxiety in which people become distressed, anxious, or worried about how they are perceived by others.
- Private Self-awareness: This is when you become aware of some aspects of yourself. For example
•feeling your heart flutter when you see someone you are attracted to.
•Seeing your face in the mirror.
- Self-motivation
Self-motivation is one of the most powerful forces that drive you to do things and to achieve success in business and personal life. Self-motivation is a life skill and if you care about your mental and physical well-being at all, you should spend a little time thinking about how to keep up your self-motivation. Self-motivation is encouraging yourself to continue making progress toward a goal even when it feels challenging That is:
*Writing a book.
*Learning to play the guitar.
*Starting an online business.
*Building your social media following
For example, when you do or start some work, you need self-motivations. Some of them are:
*Know yourself and think positively.
*To find and list your needs and desires;
*Find different sources of motivation and inspiration like music, books, activities;
*Stay with positive people and keep learning:
*live fully in the present moment,
*Dare to have big dreams;
*Dream often every day;
*Starting an online business
* track your progress;
*Learn from mistakes;
* remember that nothing is impossible.
3 . Self-regulation
The term self-regulation means “control by oneself. It refers to a system taking the needed steps to keep itself in balance. Self-regulation is the ability to monitor and manage your energy states, emotions, thoughts and behaviours in ways that are acceptable and produce positive results in the search of long-term goals. There are many different systems can self- regulate, including businesses, schools, communities, financial institutions, political campaigns and industries. Examples of successful behaviour include: A cashier who stays polite and calm when an angry customer is berating him for something he has no control over.
LET US REVISE
- Self-motivation is one of the most powerful forces that drive you to do things and to achieve success in business and personal life.
2. Self-awareness allows us to improve the quality of our lives just by being aware of how external Factors influence us.
3 .Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions and behaviour in accordance with the demands of the situation.