Managing Stress and Emotional Burnouts

At present, stress can be regarded as one of the biggest killers. It either directly or indirectly causes more deaths than anything else. The most important cause of disease and ill health is not the bacteria or virus
that invades our bodies, but our lowered resistance and compromised immune systems due to chronic stress. No one is entirely immune to stress. In South Africa heart attacks claim more lives than cancer or AIDS.

Stress is not a new phenomenon. Primitive man experienced it when confronted suddenly by a predator. In such a situation, he also experienced the well-known symptoms of stress, i.e. a rapid heartbeat, sweating, rapid and irregular breathing. The cave dweller had two choices: He could run, or he could fight the predator.

Today, the situation is a lot more complicated. In our highly sophisticated society, man is expected to manage his emotions and the demands of modern life. He cannot solve his problems by a simple fight/flight reaction. The well-known author and philosopher, Alvin Toffler, alleges that modern man suffers from “future shock”. The rate at which change occurs is so phenomenal that an ordinary person has neither the time nor the ability to adjust to changing circumstances. Due to technological change, the “information explosion”, a change in value systems or beliefs and an accelerated rate of living, man is exposed to ever-greater demands.

Without a certain level of stress to motivate and challenge us, life would be boring and unrewarding. However, when stress builds to extreme levels and we are unable to cope; our physical and mental capacity to enjoy life to the full can be significantly reduced.
Stress can be defined in the following ways:
·Stress is the physical, mental, and emotional reaction to demands made on us as individuals.
·Stress is any demand that requires some kind of physical or emotional adjustment.
· Stress is just what happens to motivation when there is a bad
match between the person, what they are being asked to do, and the way they are being asked to do it. Stress is motivation gone bad.

The following workshop was designed to provide students/delegates with the much needed coping mechanisms to maintain healthier lifestyles and improve their productivity. It works on the basic assumption that self-awareness is the starting point for self- management.

At the end of the training programme, individuals will have an understanding of:

Their current stress level.

The main sources of stress in their lives understand and
recognise the physical and psychological symptoms of stress and
burnout.

Basic strategies for effective stress management.

The value and the importance of diet and exercise, time management and behavioural changes to adopt a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.