 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
STRESS MANAGEMENT How To Break Through Fear in Turbulent Times Solving Problems in a High-Stress Environment Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Make 2004 your Year of Organization Manage Stress by Stopping Obsessive or Unwanted Thoughts Stress; Control It, Change It or Let It Go! Tips for Managing Holiday Madness Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance
CHANGE The Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Change The Top Ten Ways to Manage People through Change
RUNNING A BUSINESS Be Heard. Be Strong. Be Effective. How to Deliver Impressive Presentations Getting Started in the Speaking Business: Answers to Burning Questions What Entrepreneurs Need to Know to be Successful How to Create and Maintain Culture as You Grow Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates
DIVERSITY Traits of a Diverse Organization Simma's Holiday Diversity Q and A How to Go from Eggshell Walking to Multicultural Festivity Making Are You Wasting Your Money on Diversity Training? Interview Bias: Overcoming the Silent Forces Working Against You How to Help LGBT Employees Help Your Organization Grow How to Integrate Diversity Into Your Business Strategy Diversity Benefits Organizations and Communities 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Interviewing Employees Who Stay Wage and Position Disparity Across Gender What Every Consultant Needs to Know About Diversity Consulting and Training Diversity Competency Assessment Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Communicating across Generations in the Workplace Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Valuing Diversity during the Holidays
COMMUNICATION Understanding Dialogue: A Q&A on the benefits of dialogue Dialogue as a Communication Tool 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Tips for Better Communication Between Men and Women in the Workplace Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building
GENDER COMMUNICATION Differences in Male and Female Communication Styles Gender Communications Differences and Strategies Wage and Position Disparity across Gender Tips for Better Communication between Men and Women in the Workplace
WORK/LIFE BALANCE Life/Work Balance in the Real World New Year's Resolutions: A New Approach? Working with Loved Ones: Leverage Potential and Avoid Pitfalls Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance
RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY
Are You Truly Successful?
FEAR & SELF-DOUBT |
By Simma Lieberman Stress has been defined as the specific response the body makes to all non-specific demands placed on it. We need some stress in our life. Hans Selye, one of the pioneers of stress research said, "The absence of stress is death." He stated that stress was not something that necessarily had to be avoided. It is an everyday fact of life. If we had no stress in our life, it would be very dull. We might as well become couch potatoes. Not all stress is caused by negative events. Planning for vacations, new relationships, promotions, or buying a new home can be very stressful. Stress is any change we have to adjust to. Stress comes from several main sources: environment, our physical bodies, our minds, change and pressure. Environmental stresses can be a result of noise, pollution, weather, overcrowding, crime, and threats to our self-esteem. Physical stress comes from aging, poor nutrition, illness, accidents, inadequate sleep, and over exhaustion. Anytime we have to adjust to change, we are increasing our lvel of stress, whether that change is positive or negative. Pressure can also be very stressful. It can be the daily pressure of work, deadlines or family, or it can be self-imposed pressure from within. Interested in hiring Simma for a stress management training session? Click here for more information. Our body reacts to stress in what is know as the "fight or flight response." We inherited this response form our primitive ancestors who needed to be able to fight or flee when they felt threatened in a hostile environment. This is what happens when you are in a stressful situation and your body experience the "fight or flight" response as we gear ourselves up to survive. When an event is perceived as threatening all functions of the body are put on alert to be ready to fight or flee. Our pupils dilate, so we can let in more light and see better. Our hearing becomes more acute, and we become stronger and quicker. (Most of us are familiar with stories of mothers who have lifted cars to save their children.) Our muscles grow tense in order to deal with the perceived threat. Blood leaves our hands and feet, and moves toward our head. This brings more oxygen to the brain, stimulating the thought process. Our hands and feet get cold and clammy as the blood travels behind bony structures where it is more protected. Our heart and breathing rate increase. This whole process can leave us exhausted. If there is no relief from these changes in the body, chronic stress can result and the body starts breaking down. The immune system weakens. We tend to get sick easily, become accident prone, and take longer to heal. We can develop chronic high blood pressure. Approximately 25 million Americans have high blood pressure and many don't even know they have it. By learning how to manage stress, we can minimize the fight or flight response and recuperate from it. Not all stresses require our body to react so intensely. We need to be able to interpret events more objectively, be able to response appropriately, and learn to relax.
Simma Lieberman works with people and organizations to create environments where people can do their best work. She specializes in diversity, gender communications, life-work balance and stress, and acquiring and retaining new customers. You may reprint these articles free of charge, on a non-exclusive basis, provided that Simma Lieberman's name and contact information are included. She would love to know that you plan to use her article(s); please contact her to let her know.
Call Simma at 510.527.0700 or Email simma@simmalieberman.com |
||