What is Stress?

Stress at Work

What is Stress?

How to turn a stressful situation to your advantage

Try to allow for some downtime for an hour each day by avoid­ing activities that create 'noise' in your mind such as watching tele­vision or surfing the internet.

Getting the right amount of sleep and eating at the right times are important in keeping your mind positive.

The Star/Mental health/Sunday, 28 August 2016

WE live in a demanding, dead- line-driven digital world, the per­fect storm for stress - or is it?

What if stress is not the dreaded beast that it has been made out to be?

Did you know that stress is not a medical, but a psychological condi­tion that triggers physiological responses in the body?

Very often, we say, “I have had a stressful day”, “My job is so stressful” or “My boss stresses me out”.

What we are actually doing here is responding in stressful ways to situations and/or people.

A study conducted by two Yale University researchers in the United States found that if some­one changed his mindset about stress to view it as a challenge instead of a threat, he enjoyed a significant reduction in stress-relat­ed physical symptoms like head­aches, backaches and fatigue.

While the stress was still there, its effect on the body was com­pletely changed.

What this shows is that while - stress is inevitable, its effects on us are still within our control.

So, how can we take what we perceive to be stressful situations and convert them to our advan­tage?

Here are some tips:

-Think positive

-Realise the meaning behind the stress and use this to your advantage

-Enjoy and harness quiet time

-Set yourself up for success

-Sleep well and do not skip meals

-Create a support network

Think positive

If you are faced with a task that you find boring, like washing dish­es, try looking at the positive aspects.

For example, think about how you enjoy the feel of warm water, or how washing dishes allows you to disengage from the buzz of life for just a short while.

Doing this trains the mind to realise that there is not just one reality, but multiple realities at any point.

It allows you to change the way a situation is viewed from a negative to a positive.

Consider these facts: Simply changing your perspective in the workplace enables you to achieve greater long-term growth, 37% higher sales and 31% more produc­tivity.

for some downtime for an hour each day by avoid­ing activities that create 'noise' in your mind such as watching tele­vision or surf­ing the inter­net. — AFP

Realise the meaning behind the stress and use this to your advantage

Banish mental hijackers by focusing on the positives and look­ing at the larger purpose of your situation.

For example, if you are stressed about a job interview, re-focus on how it will advance your career.

Likewise, if planning a party is stressing you out, think about how holding it deepens your relation­ships. Harness these positives to jumpstart your productivity and increase social bonds.

Enjoy and harness quiet time

Studies show that when the brain is overwhelmed, it becomes harder to see the positive side of things.

Try to allow for some downtime for an hour each day by avoiding activities that create “noise” in your mind, such as watching televi­sion or surfing the internet.

Instead, relax by going for a walk, meditating or doing some light exercise. This gives your mind a break, allowing it to better focus on the positives.

In this way, whenever you encounter a stressful situation, you will be well placed to find solutions and to deal with it in a positive manner.

Set yourself up for success

Whenever you face a challeng­ing task, remind yourself of the times you succeeded in similar sit­uations.

This once again allows your brain to focus on positives, ena­bling success to become a reality.

Focus on what you can con­trol

When faced with worries, remember what you can affect and what you cannot.

There is no point in focusing on things that are out of your control, for example, the weather.

Instead, focus on an action that needs to be done that can help your situation - like being pre­pared for rainy weather and mak­ing the best of it.

Sleep well and do not skip meals

Ever realised that you feel more stressed when you have not slept or eaten?

Getting the right amount of sleep and eating at the right times are important in keeping your mind positive.

Create a support network

Knowing that you have some­body to talk to is crucial.

Surrounding yourself with peo­ple who think positive does won­ders whenever stress is around.

In essence, remember the saying, “Stress itself is not your enemy. Stressful thinking is.”

By viewing stress as an indicator that you care about something, you can harness it to focus on the tasks on hand.

For more information about stress management and the Live Great Programme, please log on to www.livegreat.greateaternlife.com.

You can also visit the FitForLife Penang 2016 fair this October for some healthy living tips.

This year’s theme “Get Fit. Live Great!” aims to inspire Malaysians to lead a healthy lifestyle and adopt a holistic approach to health that includes physical and mental fit­ness, financial health and general well-being.

The event will feature a diverse range of health and lifestyle prod­ucts and services under one roof, catering to people of all ages.

Visitors can expect an array of products suitable for various health needs, such as supplements, diet and nutrition aids, health checks, alternative remedies and many others.
FitForLife Penang 2016 is organ­ised by The Star with Great Eastern Life as the event partner, Nestle Omega Plus as Official Wellness Sponsor and Guardian as Health­care Provider. It will be held in the SPICE Arena (PISA), Penang from Oct 14 to 16. It is open from 10am to 7pm and admission is free. For enquiries, call 03-7967 1388 (ext 1243/1432/1529) or visit www.face- book. com/thestarhealthfair.

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