Presented by:

Junaid Naseem
 Lets ask some Questions

What do you think about stress?

Have you ever experienced it?

 Evaluate Yourself through SSR Scale
• Check for each of those events that have happened to you during the last Six
months:

___ Death of a close family member - 70 points

____ Under debt or financial liability - 65 points
____ Severe personal illness or injury - 55 points
____ Social or interpersonal problems - 45 points
____ Financial difficulties - 40 points
____ Death of a close friend - 40 points
____ Arguments with family or friends - 40 points
____ Domestic Violence - 90 points
____ Major change in personal habits - 30 points
____ Change in living environment or posting - 35 points
____ Failure in some course or task - 25 points
____ Upcoming promotion - 70 points
____ Change in your job pattern - 30 points
____ Change in your sleeping habits - 65 points
____ Couldn’t go Vacations - 35 points
____ Change in eating habits - 25 points
____ Family disputes - 65 points
____ An accident or unexpected situation - 55 points
____ Low performance at work - 45 points
 
 
Total Your Score: _________________
 Interpret Your Score

 Less than 250 Points Low Stress Level;

Need Evaluation

 250 - 500 Points Alarm Stage;

Need Advisory

 More than 500 Points Resistance Stage;

Rush to Expert
 DEFINITION

S=P>
Stress occurs when the pressure is greater than the
resource

R
“Stress is the reaction people have toward excessive
pressures or other types of demand placed upon them. It
arises when they worry that they can’t cope.”

Our body’s physical and emotional reaction to

circumstances or events that frighten, irritate, confuse,
endanger, or excite us.
 EXERCISE

What is your level of Stress?

9
Are these SITUATIONS
familiar to you?

10
• Sudden & unannounced checking by a senior ?

• A long, out station assignment ?

• Rushing to a scene of protest/crime?

• Being given a deadline for enquiries, with very

little time for thorough investigation ?
• Posting/transfer of self/competent staff ?
11
• Inefficient output given by staff, where you
become answerable ?
• Misplacing a file needed for a Court hearing ?

• Working on Eid, and other official holidays ?

• Fear of Suspension due to circumstances

beyond your control?
• Fear for life and safety of family

• Low scale of recognition and rewards?

12
RESPONSE TO STRESS?

13
 Psychologists’ views: A theoretical
perspective
• Selye’s view in 1956
– stress is not necessarily something bad – it all
depends on how you take it.
– biochemical effects of stress would be
experienced irrespective of whether the situation
was positive or negative.

14
 Stressors

Situations,activities, and relationships that

cause ‘trauma’ to one’s physical,
emotional, or psychological self
 Physical Stressors

 Sleep debt Excess cold

 Excess/to little exercise Illness
Poor diet Smoking
Drug misuse Hypoglycaemia
Alcohol misuse Lack of relaxation
 Excess heat Surgery
 Excess caffeine Chronic pain
 Chronic hyperventilation

16
 Work Stressors

Commuting  Low pay

 Time pressures  Role ambiguity
 Job insecurity Delegation problems
 Excess working hours Lack of work recognition
Politics Poor support/supervision
Lack of merit Workaholism
Exhaustion Insecurity
 Conflicts with
colleagues
17
 Psychological Stressors
• Excess anger • Unemployment • Negative self talk
• Unrealistic beliefs • Financial • Personality
• Excess problems • Rigid thinking
pessimism • Perfectionism style
• Health worries • Loneliness • Excessive self
• Unrealistic • Low self esteem criticism
expectations • Low levels of • Exams
• Excessive assertion • Giving talks/
worrying • People pleasing presentations
• Unhappy • Boredom
childhood
18
 Family Stressors
• Caring for a chronically ill relative
• Partner with health problems
• Partner with alcohol/drug problems
• Relationship difficulties

19
 Social Stressors
• Poverty
• Low social support
• Bureaucracy/red tape
• Rude, aggressive, unhelpful people
• Victimisation
• Harrassment
• Problematic neighbours
• Social Status
  20
 Environmental Stressors
• Pollution
• Excess noise
• Poor housing
• Damp conditions
• Traffic jams
• weather, noise, crowding, pollution,
traffic, unsafe and substandard
housing, and crime 21
 Workplace Stress
• Job design, work systems, the way we
manage them
• Excessive unmanageable demands,
unsatisfactory work conditions
• Insufficient support, lack of control over
work
• Excessive demands/pressures not
matched by workers knowledge, abilities,
little authority to exercise choice/control
22
• Job content
– Monotonous, understimulating,
meaningless tasks
– Unpleasant tasks
– Aversive tasks
• Workload & Workplace
– Having too much or too little to do
– Working under time pressures
23
• Working Hours
– Strict & Inflexible working schedules
– Long & Unsocial hours

– Unpredictable working hours

– Badly designed shift systems

• Participation & Control

– Lack of participation in decisionmaking
– Lack of control over pace of work,environment
24
• Career Development-Status-Pay
– Lack of promotion prospects
– Job insecurity
– Underpromotion
– Work of low social value
– Low pay
– Unclear/unfair performance evaluation
system
– Being overskilled or underskilled for the
job 25
• Role in the Organisation
– Unclear/conflicting roles
– Continually dealing with conflict
• Interpersonal Relationships
– Unsupportive/inconsiderate leadership
– Poor relationship with co-workers
– Bullying, harassment, violence
– Isolated/solitary work
– No agreed procedures for dealing with
problems/complaints
26
• Organisational Culture
– Lack of clarity about organisational objectives
– Poor communication
– Poor Leadership
• Home Work Interface
– Conflicting demands of work and home
– Lack of support for domestic problems at work
– Lack of support for work problems at home

27
Stages of Stress
 Alarm Stage
As you begin to experience
a stressful event or perceive
something to be stressful,
psychological changes
occur in your body

It disrupts your body’s normal balance and your body begins to

respond to the stressor(s) as effectively as possible
Alarm Stage; Signs & Symptoms

Heart rate Increases

Respiration Increases

Skin Temperature Falls

Bad Stomach &/or Headache

Resistance Stage
Your body tries to adapt
to the stressors by
beginning a process of
repairing any damage the
stressors have caused
Resistance Stage; Signs & Symptoms
Lack of enthusiasm for
family, job or life in
general

Change in eating habits,

insomnia, hypersomnia,
panic, anger & fatigue
 Exhaustion Stage

• Your body can no longer keep up with the demands

placed on it.
• Your physical and emotional resources are depleted.

• Exhaustion occurs only if a stressor continues for a

long time—usually weeks, months, or even years.
Exhaustion Stage; Signs &
Symptoms
 Management

• Good news: Most stress can be managed

• management plans will include learning to
do some old tasks differently

40
• Know personal limitations;
• Manage time well;

• Be assertive, but not aggressive;

• Accept challenges;

• Get enough sleep;

41
• Breathing, muscle relaxation and meditation
skills;
• Self-talk techniques: self-motivation;
• Drawing upon spiritual, moral or ethical
resources;
• Distancing and reassessment;
42
• Constructive ventilation of emotions.
– Peer-sharing and feedback;
– Building social networks and unit cohesion;
• Encouragement and use of humour;
• Anger control and negotiation skills
(role-playing scenarios)
• Meaningful physical activities and
recreation.
43
• Rest or conserve strength;
• Eat regularly;
• Control intake of alcohol, tobacco, etc.;
• Develop satisfying friendships and
relationships;

44
• Take personal responsibility for stress, only
you can accurately identify the areas of
stress in your life and do what is necessary
to change it, or your reaction to it;
• Accept what cannot be changed - not every
stressful situation can be changed;
• Understand the dynamics of a situation
(particularly, as a police officer)

45
• Avoid overwork; learn to delegate tasks
and to leave some things undone until later;
• Be realistic about goals - one can only
accomplish so much within a limited time-
frame;
• Take care of yourself so you can effectively
take care of others;
• Exercise self-discipline in out-of-control
situations, etc

46
Q&A
THANKS