Stress Management an HSE Specialist Viewpoints

Stress Management an HSE Specialist Viewpoints

What is Stress: With respect to Health, Safety and Environmental Management, Stress is any physical, chemical or emotional factor that can cause bodily or mental unrest. This definition might be different from those put forward by other disciplines.

Types of Stress

Stress comes in different ways:

Physical stress, when your body is physically drained, fatigued or injured. Those busy executives may not readily observe this until final physical or psychological breakdown.

Emotional stress which leads to eating too much which in turn leads to reproducing stress hormone.

Job related (executive) stress when pressure of work life does not remain in the office.

Other types of stress include family related, environmental, sociological, psychological etc.

Common symptoms of Stress

Headache, Tiredness, Fatigue, Irritation, Aggression, Sweating: if you observe any of these, please seek proper medical attention immediately.

Stress can lead to Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure according to medical scientists.

At serious stage we can expect bad mood, indecision, lack of concentration, anger and depression, amongst others.

80% of headaches are direct results of stress and that is when the muscles around the neck and shoulders contract. Sometimes you treat the symptoms rather than the cause by taking analgesics?

Sleeplessness (insomnia) is a strong sign of stress.

Loss of appetite is another sign; stomach cramps as well as constipation are results too.

Am sure your doctor must have told you all these if you ever present yourself to him/her with these symptoms?

Causes of Stress

Lack of control, lack of support from people around you, lack of meaning in what you are doing. Trying to bite more that you can chew – going the extra mile when it is actually beyond your capability at the time.  Because Jack got a new car and move to middle class apartment does not mean you must do the same. That you started the job same day with John and he is now ahead of you does not mean you must rise by all means. Executive stress arises when you take work home, thoughts of amassment is another cause.

Demands from the family can also lead to stress when you try to satisfy everybody’s need.

Advises

Listen to your body, control your anxiety.

Practice relaxation, do something different, give yourself some fun, live a healthy live, observe your thought, use to word “no”, plan and prioritize, laugh most of the time(sense of humour), make more friends, change your attitude, have your own time, plan time for rest and recreation, solve your conflicts timely. realize that sedentary posture is not very healthy

Refer to a doctor when you are not sure of your body system.

Put your self in a relaxed mood always. Learn to be patient.

Don’t react to everything you hear, exercise regularly, change behaviour, change lifestyle, change thinking

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine before bed, eat at least two hours before bed and eat natural

Take more of fruits, multivitamin supplements and garlic.

Take food rich in vitamin A like carrots.

Please make it a stress free day by putting safety in the forefront of your entire endeavour.