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___.....~-------------· --- . • Stress is a feeling of emotional phys ical
Introduction tension
est of rimes, it was the worst of • Stress is the physical or mental tension caused
"Ir wast I1e b h by either excess of efforts or by conflicting
,, h I D1·ckens wrote of I 8t century
. s C ares
nme, . ';1 Tale O,fr.1 wo
c ztzes
· · ,,. situations
.n his masterpiece
France I b ·d for you today's college • Stress is a person's experience of emotions that
CotJd che 'N
same e sa1 '
before have college students een
b
rudent' ever hc d are painful.
s d :ch such vast opportunities, sue iree om • Stress is an individual's response to pressure.
face ~1 d ch an array of information. Yet
of choICe, an su . d h. • Stress is anything that causes a change in your
ese o orcunities, these many choices, an t is
~c p~ n overload can be the factors that leave life.
imormano
c . erwhelmed and stressed . w·111 t h.is • Stress is a downward spiral that can seriously
you 1ee1mg ov . c ?
damage your physical and mental well-being
be the best of times or the worst of nmes wr you.
A lot of research has been conducted At one level stress may be a positive aid to
into stress over the last hundred years. Some
of the theories behind it are now settled and
performance
accepted; others are still being researched and In fact some people deliberately search out
debated. Views have been passionately held and stress to make life more exciting. But too much of
aggressively defended. it will prove to be harmful. When your capacities
Stress is the word that many people use for handling stress are strong and healthy, the
when they are describing how the demands of outcome is positive.
their life seems to be becoming too great for them Researches show that to a certain point, a
to cope with. This ability to cope with stress varies specific amount of stress is healthy, useful, and
from individual to individual. But the fact is that even beneficial. This usefulness can be translated
work and stress go hand in hand. Every one in not only to performance but also to one's health
every job experiences stress. and well-being.
Since stress is defined as a feeling of
As stress levels increase, so does performance.
emotional or physical tension when faced with
However, this relationship b etween increased
difficult situation, different people consider
stress and in creased p erformance does n ot
different situations as stressful.
continue indefinitely.
With the right attitude skills and knowledge,
you will be in control of your destiny. Positive stress brings thrill to life
Meaning Positive stress is also called Eustress. This
excitement is felt by people when they are
~tress is the wear and tear your body
confronted by a demanding situation, which
exp~nences as you adjust to your changing
they think they can handle. This fills them with
enhv1_ron~ent. Stress is the emotional,
Pb ys1olog1eal
. and psych O1og1ca . l effects caused thrill and excitement. Like runners on the track,
y an internal or external mental pressure taking a ride on the roller coaster, taking up a
"S . challenging project at workplace.
er dtress is a scientific concept which has
suuere from th . d bl . Positive stress gives you the energy to throw
well k e m1xe essmg of being too
nown and too little understood." yourself into something where you want to make
"Stress is · in· d eed a proxy k ·11
some contribution. Approaching exams enhances

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most o''th .
,,w ,{ , 1/,,
'J
.
+~f~~.-.~m,0:,,,>,
1 er
e time it goes unnoticed"
,,,,.,_,.,
as

__ ___.a st udent's concentration and learning capability.

......,.
• Positive stress is essential for bringing zest
to the life. Life without any kind of stress will
be very distressing indeed.
 I 244 Soft ~ills
symptoms of ex tend ed ove r-arousal in cl udin g
persisre nr re nsi o n, h eada c h es, mi g rain es ,
digesti ve probl ems , hype rt ension , chest pain ,
and hea rt disease.
Chrome stress
C hro nic stress is lon ~-tcrrn stress res11l1i11 g
from t hose nagg ing prnl~lc111., th :11 jusl don't
seem w go ,lw:ty. · I his is th e gri 11d i ng stress tha i-
c.rn we.t r ,·o u down cb y afrcr day, year after year.
C hronic ~rrc.s.s can resulr from lon g-term h ealth
pro blcms,cmotio m!Iy draining relationships, or
from staying in an unfulfilling, energy-drain ing
job.
C hronic stress results from the unrelenting
demands and pressures that go on for interminable
periods of time. The danger of chronic stress is
that some people just get used to it, lose hope,
and give up searching for solutions. Physical and
mental resources are depleted. Chronic stress
kills through suicide, heart attack, and violence.
Sources of stress
1. Significant life adjustments
Any critical life changes, both pleasant
an d unpleasant taking place in one's life can
ca use stress.
2. Daily routines
Da ily routin es such as fighting the rush
hour traffi c or m ee ting th e deadline on an
important project zap your energy. You become
accusto med ro your daily activiti es and easi ly
overl ook their cu mulative cffecr on you .
3. Unrealistic self-expectation s
Whil e positive selfex pec ration s mo1ivare
you to realize your go;ils, unrealistic expectations
can lead to setti ng yo urself up for f; •1
a, urea d
lowering of self-es teem . n a
4. Interp ersonal re lation ships
Bnd1 perso,d and professional reIat1.onsh·
require a signifi cant ;1mounr of effo rt t . ips
. . . o main ta.i
Poor commun1 c 111ona ncl1n ahi)i .,h,to work Wah _n.
oth ers lead to co nHi cts that c...an e~c l .
. . - a ate into
111creased fru stration and open hosc i] iry, · h
. t us
leadrng to stress .
There ~re different sources of stress like the
above ment10ned ones. But the m ai n source of
stress as mentioned in the case study below is
"YOU" because stress is an individual's response
topressure. You will always be the source of your
own stress.
Few other common sources of stress
Psychological
Unfulfilled desires and expectations, guilt
feelings, and reactions to your failures cause
stress in a person.
Spiritual
The relationship with God, the way you
have understood the purpose of life, inability
to forgive and forget cause lot of tough rimes
to individuals.
Sociological
Caste, Religion, Marriage Failures does lead
to stressful moments.
Organizational
Work Situations, Repetitive Work, Tight
Deadlines, Poor Welfare facilities also cause
stress.
People
Management , staff, customers, colleagues
and immediate boss with whom you work fo r
over a period of rim e cause stress in a person.
Case study
Your boss asks you to meet in Room No. 8
in half an hour. ff your response is ro srarr to
rhink .
I •' I, ' I . - I . . I
I 248 Soft Skills
Spotting stress in you
• ;>
• Do you lie awake worrymg.
kin
• Do you feel guilrywhen you are not wor g.;>
• Do you get frustrated easily?
• Do you get a dry mouth / sweaty hands /
nausea?
• Do you grit or grind your teeth?
• Do you flare up easily at other people?
• Do you regularly eat in a hurry?
• Do you smoke or drink to unwind?
• Do you drop or break things frequen tly?
• Do you have signs like irritability / fearful ness
I moodiness?
Interpretation
If your answer is "Yes" to most of th e
questions you are experiencing stress.
Stress management tips
Stress is a fact oflife , but being stressed out
is not. You don't always have control over what
happens to you, and yet, that doesn't mean you
have to react to a difficult, challenging situation
by becoming frazzled or feeling overwhelmed
or distraught. Being overly anxious is not just
a mental hazard; it's a physical one too. The
more stressed out we are the more vulnerable
we are to colds, flu, and a host of chronic or
life-threatening illnesses. And the less open we
are to the beauty and pleasure of life.
Stress is a pare of life and can not be
avoided. Fortunately, there are some co ntrol
measures developed by experts. Here are some
practical ways to take control of stress.
For your emotional and bodily benefit,
the experts have come up with 37 easy, natural
alternatives to counter stress.
1. Breathe easily
Shallow chest breathing, can cause your
heart to beat faster and your muscles to tense
up, ~eelings of stress. To breathe deeply, begin by
puttmg your hand on your abdomen just below
the navel. Inhale slowly through your nose and
watch your hand move out as your belly expands
Hold the breath for a few seconds, and the~
exhale slowly. Repeat several times.
2. Visualize calm
Study has found that visualizing calm
in one's body and mind is highly effective in
reducing suess.
3. Make time for a mini self-massage
Researchers recommend that simply
massaging the palm of one hand by making a
circu lar motion with the thumb of the other
helps a lot in red ucing stress.
4. Try a tonic
Now that the re are medic in es available
to reduce stress you try one or two with due
consultation from you r fami ly docto r.
5. Say cheese
Smiling is a rwo-way mechanism . \Y/c do ir
when we're relaxed and happy. bur doi ng it can
also make us feel rela..xed and happy.
6. Do some mathematics
You could pick up a mag;w ne or a newspaper
and try to do the puz:1Jes given there. You could
also try some mathemat.ictl puuJes give n. Doing
some additions and subtractions, mulrip lication
and division will do .t world of good .
7. Stop gritting your teeth
Stress tends ro settl e in certain parts of
our bodies, the jaw bei ng one of them . When
th ings get hectic, try th is tip. Place your index
fingertips on your jaw joints, just in front of your
ears; clench your teeth and inhale deeply. Hold
the breath for a moment, and as you exhale say,
"ah-h-h-h," then unclench your teeth. Repeat a
few times.
8. Compose a mantra
Devise an affirmation - a short, clear,
positive statement that focuses on your coping
abil'Itles.
· "'Affirmations are a good way to silence
the self-critical voice we all carry with us that
only adds to our stress."
 Stress Managemen t 2
49

14. Just say no cket

do ever yt h in g is a one-way ti
i Trying to and
9, Ch ecl< your ch a ear ab ou t your limits,
(p ro n o u n ce d cb ee-go ng) is ro serious stress . Be cl
the time.
Qigon g
s~gned to ase everyon e all
ea r- ol d ch in es e pracric~ de e force sto p trying to ple
,000 -y rbe viral lif
5 rh e flow of chi,
promo re rbe body, regula
ting 15. Tal<e a whiff t
rhat flo w s th ro ug ho ut
rse lee, vial an d brea the in th e scen
. Q ig on g master ching- Op en the lease.
irs fu n ct io ns tand with ne ed a quick stress re
m m en ds ch is ca lming exercise: S wh en ever yo u
reco parallel. Bend
sh ou ld er -width apart and
yo ur fe et
sq ua t position (abo~t
45 16 . Warm up til
your knees to a qu ar te r-
h t. ge th er vigorously un
ur upper body straig Rub yo u r h an ds to
degrees) whi le ke ep in g yo
ea ths. p th em over yo ur clo sed
ur br ea th in g for a couple of br they feel warm . T he n cu
deep ly.
Observe yo
arms slowly up in fr
ont o f
r fiv e seco n ds wh ile you breathe
d br in g yo ur eyes fo
Inhale an slightly
wirh your el bows ressure
17. Say yes to p
sh ou ld er he ig ht
you to ly and
be nd your elbows slight points as
bent. In ha le ag ai n,
ur thumb s ur e stim ulat es th e same
do w n slowly unti l yo A cu p ress needles.
drop yo ur ar m s
e one more r w ith fing ers in stea d of
rh e si de s o f your legs. Exhal acup u n ct ur e, bu
ee n th e
touc h
straigh t. h e T h ir d E ye , lo ca ted bet w
rime, rhen stand up T e bridge
in th e in d en tation wh ere th
eyebrow s,
IO. Be a fighter of th e nose mee
ts the forehead .
ar f the ne ck
e fir st sign o f stress, you often he y P illar, on the back o
''Ar th ?"' he H ea ve nl
pl ai n, 'w ha t di d i do ro deserve this T
se o f the skull, abo
ut h al f an
people com eases be lo w th e ba
a vi ctim only incr slightly ine.
The troubl e is , feel in g lik e r right o f the sp
d he lplessness. Instea
d, fo cus inch to the left o , st ead y
feelings of stre ss an
celed, p ly an d ap p ly firm
If yo ur Right gets can B re at he d ee
min utes .
on bein g pr oa ctiv e.
one. p o in t for two to three
se lf-pi ty. Find anoth er pressure on ea ch
ac h in g
don'r w allo w in
u re sh o u ld ca u se a m il d
T h e ~re ss
11. Put it on pap
er o t pain .
n sensanon , but n
pa pe r into two parts . O ry time
18. Schedule wor
Divide a pi ec e o f
s you may be able
to
re ss or te
rhe lefr side, lisr rhe sr
can't d e m a n d im m e d ia
rh e righ t, lisr rhe ones you S o m e st re ss o rs
n
change, an d on over 1 -grad e st resso rs ca
ha r yo u ca n, an d srop worrying m
atten tion · But an y ow it's more
Change w at a la ter time , when
be deal t w it h
whar you can'r. em away in a li ttle
m ental
nt. "F il e th
conven ie al with
12. Count to 10 en r, o r m ak e a n o te," "the n de
co m p an m them
sa y or do something
yo u'll
th e ti m e is ri gh t. Don 't let
B ef ore yo u
collect them when
sr ep aw ay from rhe srressor and control you ."
regret ,
also look away rror a momenr
yourself You can . 19. Shake it up
or pur rhe cade ller on hold . Use your tlme-o ut us cl es
to take a few
e br
s, stretch, or reci
te an
ui ck ex ercise he lps lo osen th e m
p eath . Thi s q or sit
.
p er back, says stand
affi rmanon. m your ne ck an d up
.des and shake
'
fj yo ur si
ea stretch yo ur arms o u t ro m
13 . Avo id coff ee/t
s.
go rou sl y fo r abo ut 10 second
cons id . . you r ~and s vi d eathing an d
You should. alkso er switch mg from Co m bm e thi s W I'th a 1·It t1e eep br
regular soft d rm s to caffein e-firee on es o r , good .
u 11 do yo ur self twice as m u ch
yo
sparkling mineral water.
 I 250 Soft Skills 27. Listen to music
20. Munch some snacf<S /\ num ber ofrccen t stud i es have show n that
. , I . rh in c 1rboli ydr :11cs c· dcJ everythi n g from slow hea rt rate
to
Foo ds rhar :lit . 11 g . (-ccl .. .
. goo JI·H,1111 mus.·i c. .i 11
l srimub rc rhe rclc:1sc of scro ro11111. . - . in crease end orp hin s.
chemica ls rhar help indu ce calm. 28. fa ll for puppy love
21. Boost your vitamin intal<e In a stud y con duc ted the rese arch ers foun
d
·r ,kc dail y mulri vita min and min eral
:1
that thos e who own ed a dog had low
er blood
100 % and
for mul.i rh:ir con rain s betw een pressure than those who did n't. Pett ing an
animal
100<\) of d1e reco mmended dietary allo
wances ve stress,
, for just a cou ple of min utes help s relie
~)f vita min B, as well as the minerals calcium
· opp e1·, 1·ron ' man gan ese , researchers hav e fou nd.
mag nes ium , c
molybdenum, selenium and zinc. 29. Practice mindfulness
by
22.Admit it Hei ghte n you r awareness of the mom ent
pencil's
focusing inte ntly on an obje ct. Not ice a
Each of us has uniquely individual stress
llow shape, colour, wei ght and feel.
signals - nec k or sho uld er pain , sha
ss,
breathing, stammering, teeth gritting, queasine 30. Dial a friend
loss of temper. Learn to identify yours, then say Sha ring you r trou ble s can giv e you
crop
out loud, "i'm feeiing stressed," whe n they perspective, help you feel care d for and
relieves
helps
up. Recognizing your personal stress signals
you r burd en.
slow the buildup of negativity and anxiety.
31. Stretch
23. Space out
the
Muscles tigh ten dur ing the cou rse of
Look out of the window and find something process
ice day, and whe n you feel stre ssed out , the
natural that captures your imagination. Not and
. acce lera tes. Stre tchi ng loo sen s mus cles
the clouds rolling by or the wind in the trees , kneel,
encourages dee p brea thin g. On a mat
24. Try tea ard and
sit back on you r heels, then lean forw
Like the chinese, have a tea spo on and r arms
put you r forehead on the floo r and you
n. It one co
empty your tea cup using the tea spoo alongside you r legs, palm s up. Hol d for
also
not only increases your concentration but three min utes .
reduces your stress.
32. Say a little prayer
25. Take a walk
e
St udies sho w tha t com par ed wit h thos
. It forces you to breathe more deeply and who prof ess no fait h, reli giou s and spir
itua l
if
improves circulation. Step outside if you can·, proved
k ' same people are calm er and hea lthie r. It is also
t t s not possible, you can gain many of the er.
or that prayer prov ed to be a sou rce of pow
benefi ts simply by walking to the bathroom
water cool er, or by pacing back and forth. 33. Mal<e plans
26. Soak it up _"Looking fotw ard to som ethi ng provides
calm111g per sp ect1•ve. ,, B uy con cer t tick ets,
~ en_ you have the time, nothing is more .
stress rel1evmg for you th an a bat!1 - But. w en
h schedule a weel<en d. geta way, go fcor a magic show
you don't have time, th e ncx t-'L-) e<
.,
. to
·t tl11·ng 1s or make an app oint men t for a massage .
arms
w:15h your face or even just your hands and 34. Goof off
wuh water.
c
· oves you rrom
It tempora' rily rem potent1·a11y
.
stressful situ at'ions. Pl aym
6 h· g it pro mot es deep
reat ing.
35. Straighten up
W he n pe op le are un de r stress, th ey slu mp
over as if the y have th e we igh t of th e wo rld on
cheir shoulders. "S lu mp in g restri cts brea th in g
an d red uc es bl oo d an d ox yg en flo w to th e
brain, ad din g to mu sc le ten sio n an d m ag nif yi ng
feelings of pa ni c an d helplessn ess."
St ra ig ht en in g yo ur sp in e ha s ju st th e
opposite effect. It pr om ot es cir cu lat ion , inc rea se s
oxygen levels in yo ur bl oo d an d he lp s les se n
muscle tension, all ofwh ich pr om ot e re lax ati on .