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Human Resources Services

Strategies to Manage your Stress and Well-Being

Posted on June 1, 2020

Stress is a common feeling that arises when demands are placed on us. It’s part of the “fight or flight” response that prepares us to act quickly when faced with danger. Not all challenges today involve real danger, but our stress response can kick in when we face a variety of other life challenges.

Stress becomes a problem when we experience it for a prolonged amount of time, or when we can’t recover from stress. Our bodies and brains were not designed to experience stress all the time. When our stress systems get overworked, our risk increases for experiencing various physical, emotional and mental health problems.

Some stress-related symptoms may include:

  • feeling depressed, irritable, angry, anxious or overwhelmed
  • fatigue
  • lack of interest or motivation
  • difficulty concentrating
  • tension in the back and shoulders
  • trouble sleeping

If you are experiencing some of the above symptoms, it may be a sign that stress is becoming a problem in your life. Stress Strategies offers the following action strategies for coping with stress.

  1. Change the way you think: Emotion-focused coping strategies are used when you have little ability to control a situation and need to change the way you diffuse some of the stress. These can include:
  2. Reach out for support: People who feel like they have the social support they need tend to have lower stress levels. The benefits of social support can be felt by those providing the support, too!  No matter what is going on in your life, there are people who can help.
    • Emotional support – someone you can contact when you just need to talk or share your thoughts and feelings. It’s important to know that you aren’t dealing with everything on your own.
    • Knowledgeable advice – someone you talk to when you need more information, like how to access a service.
    • New perspective – someone you call when you need to look at a problem from a different point of view. Having multiple perspectives can be a powerful tool when approaching a solution to a problem.
    • Practical help – someone you can call for help with small tasks or chores when things feel overwhelming. For example: childcare, meal delivery, and/or workload.
  3. Learn new healthy coping strategies: Effective stress management helps to break the hold stress has on your life in order for you to be happier, healthier, and more productive.
    • Stress Strategies, developed by the Psychology Foundation of Canada, offers a free problem-solving tool for stress management.
    • Homewood Health Stress Solutions, is a NEW free telephone service for McMaster employees and their family members which provides coaching for one-on-one stress management, lifestyle, priority management and tools such as meditation and relaxation techniques.Call 1-800-663-1142 to get started.
    • Participate in the Stress Busters employee well-being session to explore further strategies for coping with stress.
  4. Make lifestyle changes:A healthy lifestyle helps us maintain a level of physical and mental health that maximizes our ability to tolerate and recover from stress. Some examples include:
  5. Seek professional help:If stress is overwhelming or interfering with the ability to solve small problems, it may be helpful to seek professional help.

References: https://www.stressstrategies.ca and https://cmha.ca/

COVID-19, Things to Know, Workplace Wellness

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