How Can I Manage My Own Stress?
Being moderately stressed at times can help us thrive in challenging situations.
However, this can lead to heightened glucose levels, narrowed and hardened arteries, high blood pressure, digestive issues and increased inflammation
#1 Problem- Focused Coping
Each problem has its specific dimensions that require usage of problem-solving skills. We can deal with demands of stress by maintaining our health and energy through a healthy diet, ample sleep and rest, exercising, and practising time management so we have ample time to manage our tasks.
*Specific time management tips – don’t over-commit to tasks, prioritise tasks according to importance, break tasks into small steps.
#2 Emotion-Focus Coping
Curate media experience and social media to decrease anxiety, expressing your emotions to somebody close or to a counsellor/therapist, meditation, writing out emotions (e.g. journaling), cognitive reappraisal (i.e. reframing the issue, recontextualising, managing your expectations of outcomes), relax and engage in enjoyable activity or hobby.
*Useful acronym – 4 A’s – avoid unnecessary stress, alter the stressor/situation, adapt to the stressor, accept the things you cannot change.
#3 Meaning-Focus Coping
Finding purpose in solving a challenging, prolonged problem that leads to stress, and re-appraising one’s beliefs and values. This motivates and sustains the wellbeing of one's self.
Note: Problem-focused coping works better in the long run while emotion-focused coping is useful in the short term, or when the problem is perceived to be unchangeable.
Personality Traits Associated With Better Stress Management
Developing these traits have more to do with emotion-focused coping and cognitive reappraisal in how we view our world:
Optimism
Optimistic self-talk to counter self-critical perspectives, empathy, & self-compassion. Focus on positive aspects of stressful or challenging situations & practise gratitude
Resilience
Seek social support, take care of your body, use meaning- focused coping, & accept that life is subjected to changes while maintaining a hopeful outlook.
Hardiness
Generate genuine interest and curiosity in surroundings, have a sense of meaning and purpose, & perceiving events in life as within one’s control.
How To NOT Manage Stress?
Substance Abuse
Rumination
Escape and Avoidance
Procrastination
Emotional Numbing
Maladaptive Thinking
If you or someone you know is in need of counselling services, here are some counselling and therapy resources: Singapore Counselling Centre, AWARE, Singapore Association for Mental Health & Samaritans of Singapore
How Can I Help My Community Manage Stress Effectively?
According to the stress-buffering hypothesis, it is perceived that the availability of social support reduces the effect of perceived stress on health and quality of life.
5 Types Of Social Support
Emotional Support
By showing empathy and care
Information Support
By providing knowledge on problem solving
Tangible Support
Using physical resources required to solve problem
Esteem Support
By encouragement
Companionate Support
With the sense of belongingness and togetherness
However, offering unsolicited advice could also backfire.
In those cases where advice is not solicited, it is better to lend a listening ear and offer emotional support. Do avoid offering or receiving maladaptive forms of social support, such as smoking or alcohol use in peer groups to relieve stress. This can actually increase the effects of stress itself.
Helping Our Friends and Family Cope With Stress
Help them identify and recognise symptoms of stress that they themselves might not be able to recognise, a third party can observe these more easily.
Elderly face increased stress and loneliness due to lifestyle changes, financial status, lack of independence, physical deterioration, & worries about having to depend on others.
If possible, pay more attention to the needs of elderly in your family. Adjust their routines and home environments, and encourage them to pick up a new skill, participate in their communities, and make their own decisions.
Offering Social Support Within Our Community
Social support can be offered and received outside of family and close partnerships, such as in religious communities and other social community groups.
Volunteering
Fitness Groups
Hobby Groups
Religious Communities
Helping Colleagues Cope With Stress
Managing stress in the workplace can help prevent stress contagion within the office, increasing overall stress levels which can interfere with productivity
Reduce colleague’s sense of isolation by offering to listen to their concerns
Help to identify sources of stress, e.g. too much workload, not knowing how to complete a task, interpersonal conflict with other colleagues
Help colleague relax, reframe problem, take small steps and actions
If workplace has mental health or counselling resources, encourage them to approach the counsellor
Tips for Managers
Spot signs of stress such as decreased productivity and frequent mistakes, reschedule or reassign tasks. Set clear time boundaries (no contact after certain hours), encourage employees to utilise mental health resources & recognise employees’ contributions.
Effective VS Ineffective Communication
Effective Communication
Helps foster workplace relationships and increase productivity, reducing stress and increasing confidence. Practise patience, clarification skills, listen, understand, and engage with others, be open-minded
Ineffective Communication
Creates short-term and long-term hostilities in the workplace and decreases work productivity. Includes lack of enthusiasm, interrupting other people, being indirect or passive-aggressive, single-minded, complaining.
How Can We Increase Public Awareness On Stress & It's Effects?
Acute stressors include financial problems, work problems, personal relationships, divorce, getting married, or illness and injury.
However, chronic stress can occur if stressors and their effects persist for a long time and are unresolved. Low socioeconomic status and perceived discrimination also lead to negative health outcomes through persistent stress.
In Singapore....
7 in 10 Singaporeans found 2021 to be most stressful year ever, with 58% more struggling with mental health in the workplace.
92% of working Singaporeans are stressed, view work as primary source of stress.
33% struggling financially, 29% lack career motivation, 26% suffering from declining mental health; proportion of persons who felt little to no control over their lives doubled since the start of the pandemic.
Lets Increase Awareness By:
Starting A Conversation
Encourage others to share their experiences so that they know they are not isolate.
Share coping tips and brainstorm ways to resolve stress-related issues.
Volunteer With Mental Health Oragnisations
This helps provide social support. You can also volunteer with other social organisations in order to provide assistance such as donation of items and food.
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