The “Course Topics” series from Manage Train Learn and Slide Topics is a collection of over 4000 slides that will help you master a wide range of management and personal development skills. The 202 PowerPoints in this series offer you a complete and in-depth study of each topic. This presentation is on "The Nature of Stress".

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The Nature of Stress
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
STRESS
MANAGEMENT
The Nature of Stress

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The Nature of Stress
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
The Course Topics series from Manage Train Learn is a large collection of topics that will help you as a learner
to quickly and easily master a range of skills in your everyday working life and life outside work. If you are a
trainer, they are perfect for adding to your classroom courses and online learning plans.
COURSE TOPICS FROM MTL
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The Nature of Stress
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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The Nature of Stress
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
Stress has been called the plague of the modern age. It is
thought to be linked to two-thirds of medical conditions in
the Western world. Studies show that it is not just our way
of life that causes stress, but our way of work as well.
Fortunately, for most of us the serious symptoms of stress
are rare, but for some they can be a more or less permanent
feature of life. If you are judged in your job by how well you
manage yourself, then you will also be judged by how well
you manage your stress.

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The Nature of Stress
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress is "an unresolved inability to adjust to an imposed
situation.“
The word "stress" comes from the Latin "stringere", to draw
tight. It denotes force, strain or strong effort. It can be used
to describe physical, mental or emotional strain. In the
physical world, stress means excessive force on an object,
such as on a building.
We all need pressure to do things. But there is a difference
between motivating pressure and destructive stress. A
pressure is positive, "encouraging us to act in a certain way
to achieve a certain goal." A stress is negative, leading to
excessive strain on the organism.
"Stress is the rate of wear and tear of the body." (Hans
Selye)

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
STRESS AND THREATS
To understand stress, we need to recognize that:
(a) we live in what can be a potentially hostile environment.
Hostility can take the form of perceived physical, emotional
or psychological threats to ourselves and our self-esteem.
(b) to cope with physical threats to our survival, our bodies
have developed very sophisticated and healthy defence
mechanisms of their own.
(c) only when threats are psychological, unreal, prolonged,
excessive or unresolved do the normal body mechanisms
break down and require stress to be managed.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
FIGHT AND FLIGHT
For thousands of years, the way human beings dealt with a
potentially hostile environment was the way all animals
cope with threats or dangers: through the fight-flight
mechanism.
When we see danger, our normal and natural response is to
attack or run.
We are no different from our Stone Age ancestor in his cave,
who suddenly sees a ferocious-looking sabre-toothed tiger
at the door. His instinctive reaction is to escape from it or to
attack it. Our response is the same in the face of anything
which we perceive as a threat.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
RED ALERT
When we see something that our brains interpret as danger,
a tiny cluster of cells at the base of the brain called the
hypothalamus sets into motion the autonomic nervous
system.
This nervous system has two branches, the sympathetic
branch which puts us onto alert and the parasympathetic
branch which reverses the alert once the danger has passed.
The aim of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic
nervous system is to equip us with the physical means for
fight or flight.
A simple way to compare the effects of the autonomic
nervous system is to compare the heart rates of a fit man
before and after a race. Before the race, his heart rate is 60
to 75 beats a minute. This rises to 190 to 220 at the start of
the race. When the race is over, it returns to normal.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
OUR RESPONSE TO THREATS
The following are some of the responses initiated by the
sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.
1. digestion slows down so that blood can be diverted to
muscles and the brain
2. breathing increases so that oxygen can be diverted to
muscles
3. heart rate and blood pressure increase so that blood
can be pumped to the area needing it
4. perspiration increases so that more energy can be
burned
5. muscles stiffen in preparation for action
6. chemicals are released to clot blood
7. sugar and fats pour into the bloodstream for quick
energy
8. bladder and rectum muscles tense to put elimination
processes on hold
9. the pituitary gland releases the hormone ACTH which
triggers the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
BODY REACTIONS TO STRESS
To cope with sudden threats, the sympathetic branch of the
autonomic nervous system works in milliseconds without us
really knowing what is happening.
• After 12 milliseconds, the jaw tightens
• after 16, the brow contracts
• after 20, the neck contracts
• after 50, elbows bend, palms turn down
• after 60, the abdomen contracts, breathing stops
• after 70, knees bend inwards, feet turn in
• after 80, toes lift up, crotch tightens
• after 90, heart rate increases
• after 100, mouth dries, digestion stops
• after 150, breathing becomes irregular
• after 200, palms sweat
• after 250, face pales.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
THE ADRENALIN RUSH
When the sense organs - sight, hearing, touch, taste and
smell - signal danger, they transmit impulses to the brain
that a threat exists and needs a response. The brain sends
the sympathetic nervous system into action and also sends a
nerve impulse to the adrenal glands situated just above the
kidneys.
These glands have an outer layer, the cortex, which
produces several hormones including cortisone, and an
inner layer, the medulla, which produces adrenaline.
Cortisone releases amino acids to form glucose while
adrenaline releases stored glucose in the liver and muscles.
As a result blood sugar levels increase.
The release of adrenaline stimulates the sympathetic
nervous system which creates the symptoms of anxiety and
excitement in the body.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
OUR STONE AGE BODIES
The difference between our Stone Age ancestors' handling
of threats and our own way of handling a threat is that...
1. while their threats were physically real, ours are less
likely to be physically real and more likely to be mental,
psychological and emotional
2. while their threats ceased in a given period of time with
some outcome - one way or the other - ours are often
extended indefinitely or left unresolved
3. while the primary stress response can be dealt with
quickly, by reversing the physical symptoms of stress,
dealing with the secondary stress responses of negative
thought and emotions is more difficult.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
FROM ALARM TO EXHAUSTION
Hans Selye's research into what happens when the human
body remains in the alert state for a prolonged period of
time is the best explanation of how stress leads to disease.
Selye suggests the body goes through three phases when
confronted by danger:
1. firstly, ALARM
2. secondly, RESISTANCE
3. finally, EXHAUSTION
It is in the exhaustion phase that symptoms of disease and
then disease itself start to appear.
One estimate reckons that 8 out of 10 people who visit a
doctor's surgery each day are suffering from one or another
form of stress-related illness.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
AROUSAL
The autonomic nervous system cannot differentiate
between the different sources of arousal to which we are
subjected. It cannot distinguish whether we are stuck in a
traffic gridlock with an important appointment minutes
away or whether we are being chased by a mad bull.
The healthy action of the fight-flight response is to
recognise a real danger and deal with it by using the energy
we've created. The action of the fight-flight response is
unhealthy when there is no real threat or it continues
unresolved. In these cases, the body continues to prepare
for action, allowing undischarged chemicals and muscle
tension to build up.
When faced with such high levels of arousal, we have two
choices: we must either use up the energy we've created or
find some method of turning off the response system. Only
then can the body return to normal.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
UNDER STRESS
Under extreme, prolonged or persistent stress, the human
organism continues to manufacture large quantities of
stress chemicals in the belief it is dealing with a threat.
1. over-breathing becomes hyperventilation
2. fats and proteins in the liver, gut and skin are released
as further sources of energy
3. the stomach secretes more acid but cannot return to its
normal functioning
4. the heart becomes overworked by beating more and
more irregularly
5. the body retains extra sodium encouraging fluid
retention and high blood pressure
6. muscle tension increases resulting in stiffness and pain
If all these changes continue, the body goes on trying to
adapt under increasing strain until it eventually breaks
down.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
THREE STRESS PHASES
Like any other process, stress develops progressively along
observable lines. Unfortunately, it is one of the quirks of the
stress syndrome that the more stressed we become, the
less we are able to recognize its effects.
Phase 1: occurs when we perceive the need for energy, eg a
competitive meeting at work; a project reaching a deadline.
This phase is recognisable because all our behaviour -
talking, thinking, eating - is speeded up.
Phase 2: occurs when we push ourselves beyond the normal
pace of activity. We feel tense most of the time but also
excited. Patterns of sleep, eating and rest are disrupted.
Phase 3: occurs when we push ourselves to the point of
exhaustion. We feel numb, emotionally empty, can't enjoy
anything. At this stage, collapse is a real possibility.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
These are some of the physical symptoms of excessive
stress:
1. lack of appetite
2. nervous twitching
3. frequent indigestion
4. constipation and diarrhoea
5. insomnia
6. sweating for no reason
7. nail-biting
8. nausea
9. headaches
10. impotence
11. frequent desire to cry.
These symptoms are all related to the body's prolonged stay
in the automatic alert state.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
These are some of the psychological symptoms of excessive
stress:
1. feelings of being a failure; unable to cope; unliked;
alone;
2. irritable and no sense of humour
3. suppressed anger, anxiety, aggression
4. dread of the future
5. lack of interest in life
6. lapses of concentration
7. frustration, depression, guilt, shame, moodiness
8. mental blocks
9. tension and nervousness
10. outbursts and overreactions
11. unable to settle.
These symptoms are a transference of the fight-flight
response from the physical plane to the psychological plane.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
BODY TENSION
The involuntary effects of the fight-flight response can be
detected in the way our bodies tense whenever we are
uncomfortable, frightened or anxious. We may be unaware
of all or some of these reflexes.
The tense response includes: biting nails; clenched fists;
white knuckles; grasping an object very tightly, such as the
arm of a chair or a pencil; clenched or grinding teeth; jutting
jaw; picking at facial skin; touching hair; hunched shoulders;
finger-pointing or finger-drumming; chin thrust forward;
tightened neck muscles; raised shoulders; crossed arms;
tensed buttocks; abdomen drawn in; knees tightly held
together; legs coiled around a chair leg; tapping feet.
Just as these tense body reflexes are set off by internal
processes, so we can reverse them from outside by learning
how to un-tense our bodies and relax.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
STRESS-RELATED DISEASE
The following are ailments which are now recognised as
having a stress-related background:
1. depression
2. hypertension and high blood pressure
3. coronary thrombosis and heart disease
4. migraine
5. allergies
6. ulcers, colitis and stomach disorders
7. skin disease
8. cancer
9. eating disorders
10. infertility and impotence
The UK Health and Safety Executive has officially recognised
stress as the second largest category of workplace illness
after musculo-skeletal illness.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
STRESS & HEART ATTACKS
Stress leads a three-pronged attack on the heart:
1. stress creates high blood pressure which increases the
risk of rupture of blood vessels
2. stress creates fatty acids and glucose. These are
converted to neutral fat and cholesterol and deposited on
the walls of the arteries leading to the heart. This reduces
the amount of oxygen needed by the heart, which in turn
causes angina.
3. stress increases the levels of hormones in the blood. This
increases the tendency of the blood to clot and so leads to
heart attacks.
"I would estimate that between 90% and 95% of all illnesses
can be blamed totally or mainly on psychological forces." (Dr
Vernon Coleman)

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
STRESS & ULCERS
Stress can lead directly to stomach ulcers:
1. stress diverts blood to the muscles of the body where it is
needed to fight off a threat. This means less blood is sent to
the stomach. One of the results is that appetite is put on
hold since eating is of less importance than our immediate
survival;
2. as a result of the reduction in stomach activity, gastric
juices are reduced and the wall of the stomach becomes
exposed;
3. when the threat passes, or is dealt with, the body returns
to normal and gastric juices pour back into the unprotected
stomach and causes stomach ulcers.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
THE COST OF STRESS
The level of stress-related illness and stress disease places a
high toll on medical costs:
1. each year in the UK 180 million working days are lost
because of stress
2. this represents a cost to the health services of £55
million and £4 billion to the whole economy
3. to these costs must now be added the increased costs
of employers' insurance and legal costs as more and
more employees hold employers responsible for stress.
In a typical large company of 10,000 employees, stress
results each year in 73,000 lost working days; the death of
42 of the in-work employees between the ages of 35 and
65; and lost production to the value of over £2.5 million.

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Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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The Nature of Stress
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn