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 "Stress and the Physical Response".

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Stress and the Physical Response
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Stress and the Physical Response

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Stress and the Physical Response
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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Stress and the Physical Response
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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Stress and the Physical Response
Stress Management
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
Although the effects of stress are seen in all parts of our
lives, it is in the physical side, through exhaustion and
disease, that they are most keenly felt. Changing how we
live from the physical point of view may mean changing
important parts of our lifestyle, changes which may not be
easy if we have lived with certain habits for years. Yet, such
changes are the foundations to a good stress management
plan.

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OUR OUTDATED BODIES
Jack Ivancevich puts modern living into context when he
divides the 50,000 years of human history into 800 separate
human lifetimes, ie an average of 62 years each.
Men and women spent the first 650 of these lifetimes living
in caves, hunting and coping with basic natural threats to
their survival.
Writing has only been available to man in the last 70 of
these lifetimes, printing in the last 6 and the motorcar in the
last 2. Global communications, workplace organisations, and
the extraordinary pace of modern living have been around
for just half a lifetime.
It is no wonder that we suffer from stress when you realise
that we are 21st century creatures living in bodies that were
designed for life in the Stone Age.

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ENERGY DRAINS AND SOURCES
While many of the technological features of modern life sit
awkwardly with our human abilities to handle them, we still
have a remarkable ability to adapt and cope with what life
throws at us. There appears to be in each one of us things
that drain us of energy and sources to replenish that energy.
1. examples of energy drains include: lack of privacy; lack
of love; noise; crowds; disorder; hunger; driving in
heavy traffic; envy; jealousy; loneliness; unfulfilled
dreams; pessimism; illness; preoccupation with failure.
2. examples of energy sources include silence; good
friends; a good book; a pet; a holiday; a good walk;
being complimented; going to a sports event; working
on the house; spiritual worship; money; charity work;
singing.
Our aim should be to ensure that there is always a healthy
balance of energy in our energy accounts.

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STRESS AND LIFESTYLE
A stress-resistant lifestyle is one which counter-balances the
excesses of modern living.
1. to counter-balance the assault of modern life on our
senses, seek personal space and peaceful surroundings
2. to counter-balance the effects of modern food, seek a
more natural diet
3. to counter-balance the effects of workaholism and
competitiveness, learn to switch off
4. to counter-balance the effects of a rushed lifestyle, learn
to slow down
5. to counter-balance the hectic pace of change, learn to
manage change and manage your time
6. to counter-balance the effects of a sedentary lifestyle,
take more exercise
7. to counter-balance a state of almost permanent arousal,
learn to relax.

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PERSONAL SPACE & QUIET
Many of the pressures we feel in modern life come from a
lack of physical space. In cities, we are continually
bombarded by the rush of traffic and people going about
their business. At work, in our homes, on the phone, there
is a constant barrage of sounds and information from which
there is no escape.
Re-claiming personal space is an essential ingredient of
managing a stress-free lifestyle. There are many ways to do
it. For example, at least once a day, go somewhere quiet and
be alone. Take the phone off the hook, hang a "Do not
disturb" notice on the door; use the time to be yourself
again. Practise silence.
"No man or woman who practises silence has ever been ill
to my knowledge." (Starr Daily)

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SURROUNDINGS
To counterbalance the excessive assault of modern life on
our senses, it is a good idea to find one place where you can
be in stress-resistant surroundings.
Select a quiet room in the house or workplace and make it a
haven of tranquillity. Ban TV, stereos, newspapers, radios,
videos, computers and the telephone from this room. You
can soundproof it, paint it in restful colours, or try out some
modern ideas such as the techniques of Feng Shui - the
management of space and objects in line with natural
energy.
Avoid fluorescent lighting or work close to a window so that
you make the most of natural daylight. Use an ionizer to
discharge negative ions that are polluted by smoke and
central heating. Use an electric humidifier to counteract dry
air or place bowls of water around the room.

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COLOURS AND THEIR EFFECT
Colour can have a striking effect on whether we feel at ease
with our surroundings or not.
The following list gives a guide to colours and their effect:
1. violet is connected with peace and calm
2. blue reduces tension
3. turquoise gives a feeling of spaciousness
4. green represents lack of movement
5. yellow gives a space-less feel and loss of reason
6. orange is joyful but may feel sickly
7. red reduces space but is warm
8. pink is associated with tranquillity
9. grey and beige shades are protective
10. white represents purity; its effect can be cold or
calming.

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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Look carefully at what and how you eat. A diet that is highly
processed is not just lacking in the essential nutrients you
need to repair damaged body cells, it is likely to add even
more stress on your body through artificial chemicals.
1. avoid refined foods which are likely to be poor in
vitamins and nutrients and high in artificial additives.
Instead include in your diet plenty of fresh fruit,
vegetables and fibre. Eliminate refined white in favour
of wholemeal brown: brown flour, brown bread, brown
rice, brown sugar and so on.
2. aim to cook food as little as possible; eat raw, lightly
boiled or steamed food
3. take your time over eating. Make mealtimes a time to
slow down to a more natural pace. Eat slowly, enjoyably
and in good company.

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MOOD FOODS
Excessive consumption of the following foods can change
your mood and reduce your body's ability to withstand
stress:
1. Caffeine (in coffee, tea, aspirin, and cola) which irritates
the kidneys and can produce headaches and lethargy
2. Alcohol which can damage the liver
3. Salt which increases nervous tension, fluid retention
and blood pressure
4. Tryptophan (an amino acid present in bananas, chicken,
milk and rice) which can cause drowsiness
5. Sugar which overworks the adrenal glands.

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HEALTHY DIETS
The following five groups of food imitate or prolong the
stress response and should be avoided in excess:
1. foods with a high sugar content, such as biscuits, cakes,
sweets, processed foods and desserts. Instead, use sugar-
free products, carob and dried fruit.
2. foods with high saturated fat including hard margarine,
red meat, fried food and butter. They increase cholesterol
levels. Instead, use chicken, game, skimmed milk and
polyunsaturated oils.
3. refined foods such as white sugar and flour. Replace them
with their brown equivalents.
4. foods with a high salt content such as crisps and snacks.
They stimulate the adrenal glands. Their non-salty
equivalents are much better.
5. caffeine in tea, coffee and cola. They increase alertness
by mimicking the stress arousal. Decaffeinated versions,
fresh juice or plain water are much better.

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SLOW DOWN
The simplest stress-resistant recipe to add to our lifestyles is
to simply learn to SLOW DOWN.
At any time, day or night, work or play, do everything half as
quickly as you were doing. Move slower, walk slower, work
slower. Tell yourself that everyone and everything can wait.
The effect on your feelings of stress is immediate and
effective.
1. think in two dimensions: the ultimate goal and the next
step. Then take your time over the next step.
2. give people more of your time by taking your time with
them
3. work more slowly and find out that you can still reach
your deadlines
4. take more time to admire the world around you
5. do everything more slowly and notice how more aware
and alive you become.

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SAUNTER
By taking the time to live life in the slow lane, we quickly
experience a deeper, more profound experience of
contentment.
This is what is meant by “sauntering”. According to Jungian
psychologist Robert A. Johnson, the word “saunter” comes
from the Middle Ages, where everything was considered
sainted including the earth (St Terre). Therefore, to saunter
is “to walk on the earth with reverence for its holiness”.
To saunter through life is to be fully present to what is. It is
feeling blessed with everything that happens in life.
As an experiment, just for one day, declare yourself
“cooked”. Don’t work on yourself, and don’t even resolve to
improve yourself. Just be content. Saunter.

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A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Researchers at Loughborough University's Sleep Research
Centre conducted an experiment on the effects of sleep on
the way we make decisions.
They asked two groups of students to imagine they were
running a business. One team were allowed a good night's
sleep; the other team were deprived of sleep for 36 hours.
Each team was then presented with a number of business
problems to solve. 80% of the sleep-deprived executives
took decisions which bankrupted their company, even
though they thought they were making good decisions.
Getting a good night's sleep is essential for the stress-
resistant lifestyle. It can even include pick-me-up naps
throughout the day. Winston Churchill survived on snatched
sleep throughout the Second World War. Leonardo da Vinci
favoured 15 minutes of napping every 4 hours rather than a
good night's sleep.

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MANAGING YOUR TIME
Time management is often quoted as a major reason for
workplace stress at both ends of the work spectrum.
Executives complain that they feel excessive pressure when
they don't have enough time to do all they want to do,
inside a tight deadline or to high standards. Equally people
at shop-floor level complain that they feel stress from
having too little to do and from feeling unable to control or
relate to their work.
Good time management means good task management. If
we have the means, we should aim to work to a stimulating,
not over-burdening, pace; take regular breaks; set
reasonable, not over-ambitious deadlines; change routines
frequently; and find a pace which is neither too slow nor too
fast. It also means letting people have some say and control
over the work which belongs to them.

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MANAGING CHANGE
When change hits us out of the blue or on an
unprecedented scale, it is often perceived as a traumatic
threat to our very existence. This is particularly true when
we face changes in those things on which we believe our
security depends: money, job, career, family, personal
relationships.
And yet, change is an ever-present feature of human life: we
are all capable of growth; all life ebbs and flows in cycles;
new ideas, new ways of working and living are being
discovered all the time.
The secret of coping with change is to manage it:
1. to see change as the normal state of affairs
2. to recognize how we can work with change
3. to look for the opportunities hidden in change
4. to rejoice in learning new ways, new attitudes, new
skills.

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EXERCISE
Most of us lead a sedentary lifestyle. We sit when we are at
home; we sit when travelling; and we sit for much of the
time in our jobs.
Sedentary lifestyles are unnatural and incompatible with
how our bodies were engineered. We need some form of
exercise to stay fit.
In a study by Dr Kenneth Cooper, two groups stayed in bed
flat on their backs for three weeks. One group was able to
exercise on bicycle ergometers while strapped to their beds;
the other group was allowed no exercise. The group that
exercised had normal sleep patterns of seven or eight hours
a night. The group that took no exercise became listless,
slept erratically or not at all and wanted to sleep for longer.

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RELAXATION
Many of us live in semi-permanent states of arousal in which
our bodies are continually on watch for threats. This places
the sympathetic branch of the nervous system with all its
physical symptoms under constant pressure.
Learning to relax breaks this cycle and frees us from tense
bodies and tightened minds. Relaxation reverses the alarm
process, as the sympathetic branch slows down and the
parasympathetic branch takes over.
When relaxed,
1. there is a slow-down of the heart rate, respiratory rate,
digestion and blood flow
2. there is a reduction in muscle tension, blood lactate and
cortisol levels and blood pressure
3. oxygen consumption is reduced
4. carbon dioxide elimination is reduced
5. our internal organs work more efficiently again.

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RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
Even when we sit down and put our feet up, most of us
retain stiffness and tension in many parts of our bodies.
For relaxation to be truly effective, we need to learn a
relaxation technique and practice it regularly.
There are four groups of relaxation techniques:
1. relaxation exercises, such as breathing, centering,
meditating, muscle tensing, Autogenic training,
visualisation and yoga
2. bodywork exercise which promotes suppleness, agility,
balance, co-ordination and strength
3. body therapies such as Yeun Chun, T'ai Chi, Feldenkrais,
Medau, and Pilates
4. massage and acupressure, foot reflexology,
aromatherapy and the Alexander technique.

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THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn