• Step#1: Having a change in attitude;
• Step#2: Defining and setting realistic goals;
• Step#3: Prioritizing goals and related activities;
• Step#4: Planning and scheduling activities; and
• Step#5: Taking action.

Step#1: Having a change in attitude
One of the reasons why many people find it difficult applying the skills of good time management is that these skills run counter to their personal habit patterns, which for many people, are hard to break. How we think, or the attitudes we have, are a major influence on the habits we maintain. This being the case, to be more successful in managing our time, we have to first of all, change how we think – or simply, our attitudes. Going back to the issue of self-management, which was mentioned before, it means, therefore, that getting more control of our time means accepting the fact that we are usually the problem, not someone else.

Once we realize this, we have to work on realizing two fundamental rules: Rule#1: You should not be our worse enemy Rule#2: You don’t have to be your worse enemy Many people spend their days in a flurry of activity, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on and/or doing the right things. Some of the main outcomes of having a change in attitude that would allow for greater use of your time are: being able to say “NO” to unacceptable demands; accepting the importance of setting, planning, prioritizing and acting on goals and related activities. Another important outcome of having an attitude change has to do with the Pareto Principle or, simply, the 80/20 Rule. This rule states that 80 percent of unfocused effort generates only 20 percent of results, and the remaining 80 percent of results are achieved with only 20 percent of the effort. Therefore, by changing your attitude to incorporate greater planning, you can increase your use of time by concentrating your efforts on the high payoff tasks, i.e., achieved by the 20 percent of your efforts.

Step#2: Defining and setting realistic goals
By defining and setting realistic goals, you are determining the “directional map” for your life and the ability to tolerate as few detours and time-consuming distractions. It is important to remember that “goals are essentially dreams with deadlines.” Goals also help you to schedule your time more appropriately. Try identifying the activities you value the most, along with your main goals in life, including those involving home and work. Then, try breaking down your goals into: smaller and more manageable tasks, short-term and long-term, and group them regarding their levels of importance and urgency. Therefore, by knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know what you have to focus on and improve, and what activities are time-wasting distractions. Goals-setting benefits include the following: improving your performance, increasing your motivation to achieve, increasing your pride and satisfaction in your achievements, and increasing your self-confidence.

Step#3: Prioritizing goals and related activities
It is very important that you rank-order, or prioritize, your goals and related activities. By asking yourself how important and urgent a goal and related activity are, you place some high[I] on the list (example, being both important and urgent, and others low[II] (example, being unimportant and non-urgent) on the list. When these goals and related activities are prioritized, less time is wasted pursuing goals that are not important and urgent for you.
Your prioritized activities should always be clearly written down on paper so that you can see them. These activities should be in a “ranked” manner on a ”to-do-list,” which is a laundry list of the activities you want accomplished each day. To make it simple, your prioritized “to-do-list” should be further ranked in three categories:
A= the things you must do,
B= the things you should do, and
C= the things that are nice to do.

Based on this ranking, your efforts should be spent focusing on activities first in A, then in B and lastly, in C.
Step#4: Planning and scheduling activities Have you heard the expression that ”Failing to plan is planning to fail”? Have you also heard the expression that ”a person without a plan is like a ship without a rudder.” By carefully planning and scheduling activities that are consistent with your prioritized goals will, again, provide you with a map on which you can accomplish your objectives in a timely manner. With such planning in place, you can save a great deal of time by sticking with your predefined objectives and not being easily distracted by time-wasting and other demands, interruptions and activities of friends, co-workers and family members. To offset procrastinating, set realistic deadlines for each day and then try your best to keep them. Additionally, a daily to-do-list can give a sense of achievement once tasks have been satisfactorily accomplished.

A very important part of your planning activities should definitely include plans for maintenance of self. That is, you should make provisions for your maintenance needs of exercise, sleep, relaxation, adequate nutrition and quality time with family, friends and co-workers. In a related manner, you should also plan scheduled time to take periodic breaks and reward yourself when you accomplish your goals and activities in a timely fashion.
Because scheduling is a very important part in achieving what you have planned to do, four factors should be considered:

• If possible, schedule one thing at a time. It may be less stressful for you, and you may save time, by finishing one task before starting another.
• Know your “prime time.” Identify when you function the best (e.g., in the mornings or in the evenings) and schedule that time for your most demanding tasks.
• Allocate undemanding tasks (e.g., tasks that fall into category C, or things that are “nice to do”) when your energy level may be low.
• Allow for slack time. Never overfill your timetable. Always allow for some slack or extra time, such as at least 3/4 hour between appointments. This way you know that your time is not stretched and, if there are any unexpected emergencies and/or interruptions, you will feel less stressed because you did not lose a great deal of time.
• Keeping a balance. Scheduling time for work, rest and play, will, in the long run, help maintain your health and enthusiasm and allow you to keep a balanced perspective. With this balance, you will feel more motivated to accomplish your goals in a timely fashion.

Step#5: Taking action
One of the main reasons why people fail to achieve their goals and objectives in a timely manner is that they did not have a plan to act on to energize their self-management objectives. This very important step consists of three sub-areas:

• utilizing time management tools,
• monitoring and analyzing your actions, and
• correcting any needed actions.

Utilizing time management tools. To successfully manage your activities in relation to time it is helpful if you use various tools. These tools can consist of certain actions and skills. Some of these, e.g., having prioritized “to-do-lists,” saying “NO,” and delegating responsibilities, have already been mentioned. Others include action plans, activity logs and time estimates. Let me say a little about each of these tools.

An action plan is basically a brief list of tasks that you have to carry out to achieve your objectives. It should not be confused with a “to-do-list,” because it focuses on the achievement of a goal, rather than focusing on goals to be achieved in a period of time (which is what a to-do-list does). Whenever you want to achieve an objective, drawing up an action plan allows you to concentrate on the stages of that achievement, and monitor your progress towards that achievement.

An activity log is a very effective way of monitoring the manner in which you spend your time. If you are trying to assess how you spend your day, by keeping an activity log for a few days you may be surprised to see how much of your day may be wasted. Without modifying your behavior, you should record the following activities in your activity log. For example,
i) note the things you do (e.g., open mail, talk to friends, make coffee, etc.);
ii) when you do certain activities, i.e., the time of the day;
iii) how long you engage in each activity; and
iv) if need be, your mental state and energy level when engaging in these activities.

In short, the activity log charts your activities and tells you if you are doing the things that you should be doing, and how effective you were given your enthusiasm and level of energy at the time.

While time estimates of tasks or activities can, at times, be difficult, it is very important that some reasonable estimate be made of the approximate length of time a task will take. This is part of the planning and scheduling process. It is very important how you engage in activities that maximize usage of your available time. Depending on what tasks you are working on, the possible unexpected occurrence of the following factors should be taken into consideration when estimating the timely completion of tasks:

• urgency tasks with high priority;
• meetings;
• accidents and emergencies;
• break downs in equipment;
• interruptions;
• delays in supplies from third-party suppliers; and
• holidays and sickness associated with essential staff.

Monitoring and analyzing your actions. Perhaps one of the common reasons various time management plans fail is that they did not have an evaluation component to them.

Expressions across cultures and societies:

- “Think of many things. Do one.” (Portuguese saying)

- “Sleep faster. We need the pillows.” (Yiddish saying)

- “Haste has no blessing.” (Swahili saying)

- “There is no hand to catch time.” (Bengali saying)

- “Today can=t catch tomorrow.” (Jamaican saying)

Vivid evidence of the hurrying and time-oriented nature of our society is evidenced by the following factors:

-Increasing use of and travel by airplanes;

- The rushing at airports;

- Increasing traffic jams, traffic speed and road rage; and

- The increasing use of convenient modern-day structures as jiffy lube stations- to service our cars quicker; ATM Bank machines so that we can access our funds quicker and more conveniently, and pharmacy drive thru windows so that we can drop-off and pick-up medications quicker, to only give examples of a few.

What is Time Management?

In its basic form, time management means making the best use of the time you have available. How many times have you heard it said that Atime is money – and there is never enough of it.@ Time is a fixed asset. There is only so much of it regardless of what we do. Because time is such a valuable commodity, and when there doesn’t seem to be enough of it, many people can experience stress. Therefore, since we cannot change the various boundaries associated with time, we must learn to work within them. Because there are only 24 hours in each day, you have to plan to structure your activities wisely. In many cases, the stress associated with having too many tasks has less to do with a lack of time as it has to do more with the poor use of time.

Undoubtedly, you have heard people making the statement made that AI just didn’t have enough time.@ The truth of the matter is that they did! They had all the time that there is and will ever be within a defined period of time. The fact of the matter is that they had the same 24 hours, the same 1,440 minutes that everyone else did. But the fact is that they did not have the SKILLS to manage the time that was available to them.

While I will later point out that time management is a misnomer, time management can basically be defined as self-management. That is, managing yourself with respect to your prioritized and planned activities in the context of a moving and irreversible phenomenon called time. Another way is to see time as a forward-going continuum, from the past, thru present on to the future, on which we engage in selected activities based on their predefined priority, which is usually defined in terms of the urgency and importance of these activities.

While the term Atime management@ has been in existence for more than 100 years, for many people the term “time management” creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Others even argue that the very notion of time management is a misnomer. Why? Because we cannot manage time. We can only manage ourselves in relation to time. We cannot control how much time we have; we can only control how we use it. We cannot choose whether to spend it, but only how. Once we have wasted time, it is gone — and it cannot be replaced. Therefore, because we can only manage ourselves and use of our time, it is best to view time management as basically self management. It is interesting that the skills we need to manage others are the same skills we need to manage ourselves: the ability to plan, delegate, organize, direct and control. Time management training will help increase workers= effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and health. By accomplishing these outcomes, workers are able to have greater control over daily activities and, at the same time, overcome work and non-work stressors.

Why Is there Never Sufficient Time For Daily Activities?

Although various answers can be offered for this question, one very important answer has to do with having inadequate time management skills or, better still, “self-management@ skills. The fact of the matter is that, whereas many people have been successfully trained in their areas of work expertise, they have not been exposed or balanced, for that matter in, the ABCs of self-management.

Source of the Problem

Why do people feel they never have enough time? Why do they feel both overworked and unproductive? The answer is quite simple. Although most of us have been formally educated to work in our respective professions, few of us have been taught to work efficiently and effectively. Too many professional and other workers are at a loss as to how to organize themselves and how to best process their work. Whereas these professional workers may know how to read maps, draw architectural plans, negotiate deals, paint buildings, they find it very difficult to effectively organize their week, delegate responsibilities and/or cope well with interruptions and unexpected opportunities.

How Do We Cope?

Because most of us are clever people, we cope, at least initially, by getting a quick fix or education on the problem at hand. For example, we may see a colleague with some sort of calendar or organizer, so we enquire about it and later purchase one. In essence, however, most people learn simply by trial and error. Because these skills and materials we acquire were not fully taught to us, we sometimes fail to know to modify them to accommodate changing circumstances and environments, e.g., when there are job changes.

Are You Your Worst Enemy?

Given that time management is really self management, it means that we play a very important role in how we relate to and use time. This being the case, we have to be aware of how we view ourselves, our resources and capabilities.

Main Time Wasters For Most People

Although people are as varied as the things they do to waste time, many authors have identified at least five factors that seem to be somewhat consistently found among various people across several cultures. The five factors are listed below:

• Attempting too much at once
• Procrastinating
• Doing too many things by themselves (i.e., not delegating)
• Not saying NO
• Personal disorganization (e.g., cluttered desk)

Why People Do Not Manage Their Time?

Although the answers to this question can be varied, the following reasons are usually offered:

• They were never trained to do so;
• They do not know how to plan;
• They enjoy the surge of excitement or adrenaline of meeting close deadlines; and
• They enjoy crisis management.

In the case of the last two answers, while progress is seemingly being made, a host of other problems are likely to be experienced. For example, both crisis management and rushing to meet tight deadlines, can both lead to excessive feelings of stress, tiredness and, in some cases, unsuccessful work-related assignments or projects.

The Benefits Of Time Management?

The answer to this question is clear “yes,” especially when it is based on the following achievements:

• Controlling the distractions that waste your time and break your flow of activities;
• Determining which of the things you do are important, and which ones can be eliminated;
• Increasing your effectiveness and reducing your stress;
• Allowing yourself to accomplish a great deal more of your prioritized daily tasks;
• Being more in control of your activities;
• Being more focused of your activities;
• Being more in organized in your work and related activities;
• Using your time in the most effective way possible;
• Enjoying what you do;
• Increasing the time that you can work; and
• Allowing yourself more quality time to relax and enjoy the beauty of things around you.

Time Management and Workers

Learning to manage your time is fundamental in succeeding in any job. Everything that is done is governed by time. limitations and organizational demands. Demands on an employee=s time can come from a multitude of directions, e.g., from managers, colleagues, subordinates, etc. It can also come from family, society, etc. Undue stress can lead to workers= inability to control, organize and coordinate their activities in relation to time. In a related manner, understanding how to achieve organizational goals, as well as personal and professional goals is directly related to the manner in which workers manage their time.

Results of Poor Time Utilization

• Weak job performance
• Organizational inefficiency
• Limited upward mobility
• Strained manager-staff relations

Tyranny of the Urgent

Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day? Surely this extra time would relieve the tremendous pressure under which we live. Our lives leave a trail of unfinished tasks. Unanswered letters, unvisited friends, unwritten articles, and unread books haunt quiet moments when we stop to evaluate.

But would a thirty-hour day really solve the problem? Wouldn’t we soon be just as frustrated as we are now with our twenty-four allotment? A mother’s work is never finished, and neither is that of any manager, student, teacher, or anyone else we know.

When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. Hard work does not hurt us. We know what it is to go full speed for long hours, and the resulting weariness is matched by a sense of achievement. Not hard work, but doubt and misgiving produce anxiety as we review a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks. Demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration. We confess, quite apart from our sins, Awe have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”

We live in constant tension between the urgent and the important. The problem is that the important task rarely must be done today, or even this week. The urgent task calls for instant action – endless demands, pressure, every hour of the day.

Even a home is no longer a castle; no longer a place away from urgent tasks because the telephone breaches the walls with imperious demands. The momentary appeal of new distractions seems irresistible and important, and they devour our energy. But in the light of time’s perspective their deceptive prominence fades; and with a sense of loss we recall important tasks we have pushed aside. We realize we’ve become slaves to the “tyranny of the urgent.”

Edited from Tyranny of the Urgent, by Dr. Charles E. Hummell (Downers, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967).

Misconceptions About Time Management

• Time management is nothing but common sense. I am doing well at my job, so I must be managing my time just fine.
• I work better under pressure: time management would take away that edge.
• I use an appointment calendar and a to-do-list. Is that not enough?
• People take time management too seriously: it takes the fun out of life.
• Time management takes away your freedom – and I am a spontaneous sort of person.
• Time management might be good for some kinds of work, but my job is very creative. I can=t be tied to a routine.
• The stuff they teach you in time management is a lot of work. I don’t have time to do all that.

Our Hurry Sickness Society: Implications For Health

Hurry sickness is a term first introduced from the work of Dr. Larry Dossey. In his book, Space, Time & Medicine, he writes the following:

“Hurry sickness is basically a metaphor for all those illnesses brought on or exacerbated by stress, rush, and constant pressure. Tension headaches, ulcers, and some form of arthritis can be linked to the flood of adrenaline that results from interpreting life as over-lapping crises that demand a heroic response from us without rest or joy. In short, hurry sickness is habitual, unnecessary, or compulsive rushing that leads to the speeding up of our natural body functions, ultimately damaging our health. For many of us, we are caught in an epidemic of rushing as an end in itself and, no longer aware of other options, so we cannot escape.”

Apart from Americans who show important signs of hurry sickness, the Japanese society is literally bending under the reality of this phenomenon. It has been reported that a new legal battle is moving to the front of Japan’s national concerns. Widows are bringing lawsuits against their husband=s employers for karoshi, a term meaning death from overwork. Simply put, while the Japanese have spent many years improving their economy, the price that the population, especially managers and other white collar workers, is hurry sickness and a variety of health-related problems. It is clear that how workers manage their goals, objectives and priorities with respect to available time, is a very important contributing factor to the emerging and real problem of hurry sickness. On the next pages a specific look is taken on what hurry sickness looks like and some tips to improve the condition.

Common Time Wasters

Everyone wastes time. It is part of being human. Some wasted time can be constructive, because it helps you to relax or otherwise reduce tension. Other wasted time, however, can be frustrating. This is especially true when time is wasted because you are doing something less important or less fun than what you might otherwise be doing.

The key question is, What might you be doing that is of a higher personal priority? Taking a break, communicating with associates, talking on the telephone and reading are not time wasters unless they keep you from higher priority activities.

Why People Procrastinate

People procrastinate for lots of reasons. Psychologists often say it=s because of frustration, insecurity, or fear of failure. But those are just a few of the things that can bring on delays and postponements. Sometimes a subconscious fear keeps people from taking action. Especially when they know they should be doing something, but are unable to do it and can=t figure out why.

Many people think procrastination is no big deal. Accordingly, they don=t worry about what causes it. They think they can break the habit whenever they want. However, any reason should be considered serious if it keeps people from reaching their dreams of success.

If you’re like most procrastinators, you’re actively concerned about the things you do. And you’d like to do better than you=re doing right now. You recognize and understand some of the major causes of your procrastination, but there are others that you just can’t put your figure on. T includes the most common causes, not necessarily the prizewinners.

Setting Priorities

When opportunities exceed resources, decisions must be made. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the use of time. Since time cannot be manufactured, you must decide what to do and what not to do.

Setting priorities in the use of time is a two-step process:

1) Listing things that need to be done and

2) Prioritizing items on the list.

Use the ABC Method to determine your priorities by placing each item on your list into one of the following categories:

Priority A – “Must do:” These are the critical items. Some may fall into this category because of management directives, important customer requirements, significant deadlines or opportunities for success or advancement.

Priority B – “Should do:” These are items of medium value. Items in this category may contribute to improved performance but are not essential or do not have critical deadlines.

Priority C – “Nice to do:” This is the lowest- value category. While interesting or fun, they could be eliminated, postponed or scheduled for slack periods.

Your As, Bs and Cs are flexible, depending on the date your list is prepared. Priorities change over time. Today’s B may become tomorrow’s A as an important deadline approaches. Likewise, today’s A may become tomorrow’s C if it does not get accomplished in time or circumstances change.

Obviously, it is not worthwhile to spend considerable time on a task of modest value. On the other hand, a project of high value is worth the time invested. Only good planning will allow you to reap the benefits of time wisely invested.

I. INTRODUCTION
Stress affects everyone, yet few people understand what causes it, how it develops, how it affects their bodies, and how they can be more effective in managing their stress. Basically, stress is the body’s way of coping with emotional and physical change and a very necessary part of our modern-day survival response. Numerous stress-related illnesses and diseases, as well as personal behaviors (e.g., the frequent use of tranquilizing drugs like Valium), underscore the need for the seminar. While many people know of stress, few fully understand its nature. As a positive force, stress gives us the push we need to achieve our most coveted goals. However, when stress is unrelenting and out of control, it is a villain that causes unhappiness, sickness, and even death. Nowhere is stress the greatest than in law enforcement. In fact, some have referred to law enforcement as possibly one of the most stressful of all occupations. Wherever police officers are found they usually suffer from similar stressors (e.g., bureaucratic “red tape;” negative interactions with superiors; shift work; mutilated and dead bodies; etc.) and stress-related outcomes (e.g., suicide; family-life problems, as divorce; depression; substance abuse, feelings of excessive anger; etc). Because of these realities, stress management information, like what is presented in this seminar, has become a very needed factor in allowing police officers to know more about stress and how to cope with it more successfully.

Description
This seminar is designed to help police officers, and those close by them, learn how to handle the tension and anxiety that come from the demands of multiple priorities of their personal and professional lives. Because stress occurs both on-the-job, as well as off-the job, the seminar presents information about stress management in general, as well as stress management in the specific organizational lives of police officer (e.g., critical incident stress and post-traumatic stress disorders). By way of an easy-to-follow, multimedia presentation (involving slides, audio and video tapes), interactive discussions, and question and answer period, the seminar provides valuable and current information on stress, as well as proven tools to effectively cope with stress and gain insight into how stress in one area of life (e.g., home) impacts other areas (e.g., work). Essentially, participants will learn techniques to help in managing priorities and methods to effectively reduce everyday stress, thereby improving their health, interpersonal relationships and productivity and health.

Objectives
This seminar teaches police officers and other participants to personally identify causes (both internal and external) of stress, myths about stress, personal reactions to stress, and how to effectively manage stress using a variety of strategies involving “change,” as well as the application of selected “skills” (e.g., awareness, acceptance, coping and coping).

Benefits
Overall, learn about stress management from current and state-of-the-art equipment and materials (e.g., biodots, etc.) Identify common sources of police stress. Identify common personal signs and symptoms of stress. Know what stress is and what stress is not. Identify four proven strategy areas and “tools” to use in successfully managing stress.

Who Should Attend
Participation is recommended for police officers and related personnel (e.g., police staff, family members) who experience work or non-work related stress and who feel a need for developing more effective and lasting means of controlling stress at work, at home and in other related environments.

Format of the Seminar
This lively and dynamic four-hour seminar involves a combination of : a) interactive discussions; b) current and state-of-the-art multimedia presentation; and c) an additional question and answer period. The multimedia presentation is presented under three modules patterned after Dr. Livingston’s simplified I-R-M Approach (see modules) to Stress Management (mentioned in his books).

Registration (On-site – 8:30am – 9:00am. Prior registration highly recommended)

I. Introduction (9:00am – 9:15am)
II. Administration of Stress Survey (9:15am – 9:30am)
III. Multimedia/Audiovisual Presentation (3 Modules)
Module #1 ( 9:300am – 10:15am)
Break: 10:15 – 10:30
Module # (10:30am – 11:15am)
Module #3 (11:15am 12:00 noon)

IV. Additional Question and Answer Period (also during the presentation (12:00 noon – 12:15pm)

V. Wrap-Up and Evaluation (12:15pm-12:30pm)

I.  INTRODUCTION

II. ADMINISTRATION OF STRESS SURVEY

III. MULTIMEDIA/AUDIOVISUAL PRESENTATION

Module III: Managing Stress Using Selected “Changing” Strategies – focusing on the individual and/or combined use of a variety of proven short-term and long-term changes for reducing and controlling stress. The need to be “proactive” versus “reactive” in managing stress. This allows for greater protection or inoculation against stress.

Four Strategies Involving Change For Managing Stress

Behavioral Changes (which involve changes brought about by behaviors, actions and/or responses).

Lifestyle Choice Changes (which involve changes that are associated with the choices made in how you live your life).

Psychological Changes (which involve changes that you need to make as they relate to you how think and feel about yourself, as well as others).

Situational Changes (which involve changes that you need to make as they relate to situations, events, structures and/or people you come in contact with on a daily basis).

The Importance of Having a Personal Plan of Action or PPOA (which ensures more effective stress management, increased productivity and increased health and wellness).

IV. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD

V. WRAP-UP AND EVALUATION

I. INTRODUCTION
Stress affects everyone, yet few people understand it. Stress is the body’s way of coping with emotional and physical change and a very necessary part of our modern-day survival response. Numerous stress-related illnesses and diseases, as well as personal behaviors (e.g., the frequent use of tranquilizing drugs like Valium), underscore the need for the seminar. While many people know of stress, few fully understand its nature. As a positive force, stress gives us the push we need to achieve our most coveted goals. However, when stress is unrelenting and out of control, it is a villain that causes unhappiness, sickness, and even death. Stress affects work and productivity. Recent surveys indicate that one in three workers thought about quitting work because of stress. Businesses spend more than $300 billion annually on stress-related conditions, such as: absenteeism, burnout, accidents, violence, alcohol and drug abuse.

Format of the Seminar
Involves an interactive discussion, self-assessments on stress and a multimedia presentation broken down into three modules based on Dr. Livingston’s simplified I-R-M Approach to Stress Management (mentioned in his books, e.g., “The ABC’s of Stress Management – Taking Control of Your Life” & “Understanding Stress Using Pointed Illustrations”).

The seminar is divided into the following areas:

I. Introduction
II. Administration of Stress Survey [Workshop Only]
III. Multimedia/Audiovisual Presentation (3 Modules)

Module I: Identifying Your Stressors – Focusing on the Nature and Background of Stress and Stressors.
Background Information About Stress and its “Epidemic” Nature in Police Work. Common Misconceptions About Stress. What is Stress? What is the Relationship Between Stress, Health and Productivity? What is the Relationship Between Stress and Burnout? The Stressor-Stress Relationship. Different Types of Stress. How Does the Stress Process Begin? What Are the Divisions of the Stress Process? The Classification of Stressors [External: physical, social, organizational (extra and intra)l, life events, daily hassles], Internal [lifestyle choices, negative self-talk, mind traps, personality traits].

Module II: Recognizing When You are Experiencing Stress – Focusing on Signs and Symptoms of the Body’s Reaction to Stress.

Biological Aspects of Stress (e.g., The General Adaptation Syndrome) Possible Responses to Stressors (Fight the stressor, Flee from the stressor, Accept the stressor, Ignore the stressor, Flow with the stressor and Cope with the stressor) How Do You Respond to Stressors? Common Signs of Stress You Need To Know [Behavioral Signs, Emotional (Feeling) Signs, Mental (Thinking) Signs, Physiological Signs] How Do You Respond to Stress? The Burnout-Stress Relationship Some Signs of Work-Related Stress For Police Officers Specific Sources of Stress For Police Officers Selected Stress-Health Outcomes.

Module III: Managing Stress Using Selected “Changing” Strategies – focusing on the individual and/or combined use of a variety of proven short-term and long-term changes for reducing and controlling stress. The need to be “proactive” versus “reactive” in managing stress. This allows for greater protection or inoculation against stress.

IV. STRESS-RELATED EXERCISES/ACTIVITIES [Workshop only]

V. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD

VI. WRAP-UP AND SEMINAR EVALUATION

Please Note:
The length and detailed nature of the seminar are mainly determined by the duration of the seminar. The format of the seminar can be modified to conform with the needs of a workshop. Please see notations to this effect that are included in this overview.

For more information relating to the seminar (or Workshop), contact us.

This slideshow on a DVD consists of 150 slides with stunning and relaxing pictures on various flowers. Various effects, as well as a specially selected audio composition, contribute to this slideshow’s tranquil and relaxing experience. The show lasts approximately 15 minutes.

                

The Stress Epidemic is Now!                         

Stress has emerged as perhaps one of the most destructive forces in modern-day societies. It is important to note that this stress epidemic is just not confined to singular countries, but is worldwide. This global epidemic view of stress can be seen in the deteriorating lifestyle and death, especially of  poor people around the world. And, while stress can make us sick, at its extreme it can contribute to or cause death! While stress does not cause all human sufferings and health-related problems, it certainly, especially over time, contributes a great deal to their realities. There is documented evidence that stress is related, either directly or indirectly, to a variety of health-related problems including: cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and the progression of HIV/AIDS. People all over the world are exposed to and experiencing this stress epidemic.

Shocking Statistics

Over 19 million Americans are currently suffering from stress and anxiety related disorders. Up to 75% of people in employment are dissatisfied or unhappy with their jobs. Stress related accidents are increasing year on year. Stress levels have increased substantially in children, teenagers and the elderly. The majority of people that are suffering from such stress disorders refuse to seek medical help. Stress is now considered to be a key factor in health complaints such as stomach disorders, certain cancers and heart condition. The stress epidemic is an extremely costly one. The medical costs alone have been estimated in the United States at well over 1 Billion dollars per year. Stress costs industry approximately 150 billion dollars per year in increased health insurance outlays, burnout, absenteeism, reduced productivity, costly mistakes in the office and on the shop floor, poor morale, high employee turnover, as well as family, alcohol and drug related problems. http://www.stressfree.com/stress.html

Stress is not simply a problem, or even an epidemic; sadly it has now actually become a way of life for the majority of people!  Why are we becoming more stressed? As the statistics above demonstrate, the biggest group affected by ‘stress’ appears to be those in employment. This doesn’t suggest we would be better off not working, merely that working conditions are felt to have become more demanding in recent years. In addition to those in the workplace, children and teenagers are also becoming more prone to anxiety, perhaps due to ‘peer pressure’. The aged too are increasingly becoming concerned, they are living longer, may have financial worries and many fear for their safety.

Stress in the Workplace

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions, from November 2004, showed that, of the number claiming incapacity benefit, 1,025,000 cited mental and behavioural problems such as stress and depression. That is nearly double the 592,000 who were claiming for similar reasons in 1995. Around 560,000 blamed musculoskeletal conditions such as lower back pain for their absence. A survey by company bosses ordered by the Health and Safety Executive found that around half a million people in Britain experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill. The “risk-assessment” study last year found that up to five million feel “very” or “extremely” stressed by their work.Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, said one of the major reasons for the increase in stress-related problems was the “Americanization” of the British workforce. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-345564/The-stress-epidemic.html#ixzz1D2ITMhP8

What triggers the stress process is, in essence, our perception of a variety of stressors, some of which are both internal (e.g., the high expectations we have of ourselves) and external (e.g., the pressures placed on us by others to purchase gifts). What causes stress is basically a perceived disparity between the demands placed on us by the stressors and the available resources (e.g., financial) that we possess. Nevertheless, because the Christmas contains certain generally held expectations, experiences and outcomes, many people have an increase likelihood of experiencing stress around this “joyous” period of the year.

Some Pitfalls to Avoid
Although there are many things that can contribute to our stress around the holiday season, the main source, believe it or not, is ourselves. When most people speak about preparing for the Christmas season they really mean getting their homes ready for entertaining, shopping for gifts, sending out postcards and visiting. Few people ever take the time out to prepare themselves “mentally” (i.e., how they think and feel), “socially” (i.e., how they interact with family, friends and co-workers) and “financially” (i.e., the monetary resources they need to expend) for perhaps one of the most taxing, yet supposedly enjoyable, experiences they are about to undergo.

Generally speaking, then, the stress that we ultimately experience, which is initiated through our individual perceptions of various stressors, can cover a very large number of factors. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to the following increased demands: parties, reunions and guests in the home; over-commercialization by the media and people in general; the inability to be with loved ones and friends; the financial burdens of gift-buying for a variety of people, especially in order to continue tradition; and the sometimes unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves.

Article, which is written by Dr. Livingston, is taken in part from the “Stress-Health Link Informer,” or SHLI. SHLI is the official newsletter published by the StressHealth Institute International. This article is taken from an earlier edition of the newsletter where twenty-three tips were discussed as possible ways of dealing with Holiday (Christmas) Stress.

Introduction

Stress is inherent in our lives from the day we are born to the day we die. Nowhere is stress more important than in the life of college students. As stress in an integral part of our lives, there is no way of escaping it. In essence, then, complete freedom from stress is death. The important paradox, however, is that stress plays a “key” role in our daily lives, influencing, if not governing, happiness, productivity and health.

It has been said that stress is a major contributing cause in 75% of all human illnesses. It is estimated that 20 million Americans have severe chronic stress-induced physical illnesses. Economically speaking, it is estimated that production loss from stress-induced physical illnesses have been put at a minimum of $60 billion annually.

Eustress
A positive response to stressors in college students’ environment results in eustress. As mentioned before, Eustress is a result of successfully coping with a stressor and it is made possible when college students’ coping skills are well developed and functional for their tasks at hand. As seen in the diagram, eustress can be: productive; useful; and/or strengthening. Useful and productive examples of eustress include in the theater where stress helps performers to give their best by stimulating them to perform at optimal levels; and in sports, where stress in some cases helps athletes to be successful.

Distress feelings of being unable to cope with a stressor. In short, students’ coping skills prove to be inadequate in me

Sources Of Stress For College Students

College students are likely to experience stress in many ways. These potential sources of stress are referred
to as:

• Personality stressors
• Private life stressors
• Psychosocial stressors
• Academic stressors
• Organizational stressors
• Environmental stressors

Recognizing Your Stress Signals

After identifying potential stressor areas in your life, the next step is to listen to your body. Why? Perhaps one of the most important steps in managing stress is to recognize its presence before it can do you harm. When a car engine overheats or the oil or gas are low, an indicator light comes on signaling a malfunction. In the case of human beings, however, when they feel the early signals of stress, the majority are usually unaware of what is happening to them. Although these signals may vary somewhat from individual to individual, the following represent frequently experienced stress signals:

• Light headiness
• Dilated Pupils
• Muscle Tension in Neck and Shoulders
• Inability to sleep or waking up too early
• Fast and Shallow Breathing
• Heart Palpitations
• Queasy Stomach
• Clammy Cold Hands
• Weak Knees
• Excessive Sweating
• Some Digestive Problems
• Eating too Much
• Drinking too Much

In addition to these signals, prolonged exposure to stress can result in feelings of anxiety and depression. These may be evidenced as restlessness, boredom, edginess and the inability to concentrate. If these and others signals or symptoms persist, you should seek the services of a qualified care-giver (e.g., a school counselor). For a more detailed listing and categorization of stressors, see The Basics of Stress.

Some Stress Management Tips

College students can select from a variety of strategies as to which technique or combination of techniques will work the best for managing their stress. In many cases, it involves trying various approaches and techniques until one or a combinations of ones work the best. What follows are some such techniques students can choose from. For more information on stress management strategies, See The Basics of Stress.

• Eat well balanced diets, preferably from the five food groups
• Develop assertive behaviors
• Get an annual physical examination
• Avoid unnecessary competition
• Get a hobby
• Select your classes wisely
• Know your own reactions to stress
• Know what is stressful for you
• Find a quiet place to study
• Exercise regularly
• Sleep regularly
• Relax and have some fun
• Laugh whenever you can
• Loosen up and don’t take everything too seriously
• Manage your finances carefully
• Set realistic goals for yourself
• Set priorities for yourself
• Find someone you can talk to when times get a little rough
• Make weekly schedules and try staying with it as much as you can
• Plan ahead
• Learn to use your time wisely
• Avoid procrastination
• Give yourself ample time to study for exams
• When things don’t seem to be working out, take a relaxing walk
• Find a relaxation strategy or strategies that work best for you
• Breath in slowly and exhale slowly
• Outline chapters and make notes before and during classes
• Have a dialogue with your professors, especially when your grades are falling
• Have confidence in yourself

See our posters on Stress Management Tips for College Students.

Other Resources

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Stress is experienced by college students at different educational levels, but colleges can help reduce its destructive forms. There are explanations of why students perform badly under stress, such as  ED284514 1985-00-00 .

Introduction

Stress affects everyone, yet few people understand what causes it, how it develops, how it affects their bodies, and how they can be more effective in managing their stress. Basically, stress is the body’s way of coping with emotional and physical change and a very necessary part of our modern-day survival response. Numerous stress-related illnesses and diseases, as well as personal behaviors (e.g., the frequent use of tranquilizing drugs like Valium), underscore the need to manage stress more effectively. While many people know of stress, few fully understand its nature. As a positive force, stress gives us the push we need to achieve our most coveted goals. However, when stress is unrelenting and out of control, it is a villain that causes unhappiness, sickness, and even death. Nowhere is stress the greatest than in the helping professions, e.g., nursing. In fact, some have referred to the helping professions, such as nursing, as possibly one of the most increasingly stressful occupations or professions.

Many people view stress as toxic, especially in the workplace. The following was stated:

“.. it [stress] is an environmental ‘pollutant’ that can result in emotional, mental and physical illness from depression to heart attack. For most people, the epicenter of the stress epidemic is the workplace.”

In a 1995 survey of state nurses associations, which was conducted by the American Nurses Association, it was reported that of all occupational hazards, the one of most concern to nurses was work-related stress. This being the case, as mentioned before, nursing is regarded as a very potentially stressful occupation.

The Problem and Some Trends

While great progress has been made over the years in the study and treatment of  nurses’ stress, there is still room for great  improvements, both at the institutional/organizational and individual levels. It might also be said that nursing as a profession has increased in its complexity and this has placed nurses at greater risk to experience stress and ill-health. For example, today’s hospitals are experiencing severe  nursing shortages, hospital administrations are working under the umbrella or “yolk” of smaller budgets, lower reimbursements and institutional “cost containment measures.” There are also physical environmental factors including: location, layout, lighting, noise, odor, hazards (e.g., biological, chemical, radiation), that are also potentially stressful. Patients and their families have become increasingly demanding in terms of the care received and, along with the threat of law suits brought against nurses and the hospital for allegedly negligent care, all contribute to the potential stresses nurses face. All these conditions are in addition to the long-standing other potential stressors nurses face, including low pay, insufficient recognition, shift work rotation, conflicts with physicians and other personnel, and location (e.g., ICU, ER, infectious disease, oncology) in the hospital where nurses work.

Categorizing Stressors for Nurses

Direct Patient Care:

• Unnecessary prolongation of life
• Critically ill and unstable patients
• Dealing with difficult patients
• Death and dying of special patients
• Emergency and/or “codes” that occur
• Inability meeting patient’s or patient’s family’s needs

Physical Work Environment:

• Inadequate work space
• Inadequate lightening
• Inadequate training on unity computers and other related technologies
• Ventilation problems
• Odor problems
• Lack of needed supplies
• Malfunctioning of important equipment

Interpersonal Conflict:

• Communication problems with doctors and nurses
• Lack of availability of physicians
• Conflicts between and among staff
• Disagreements over treatment protocol
• Lack of respect from physicians
• Lack of teamwork
• Lack of needed cooperation
• Conflicts with personnel in administration

Management and Administration Issues:

• Inadequate staffing
• Scheduling of shifts
• Lack of advancement opportunities
• Inadequate pay incentives, benefits
• “Floating” in other unfamiliar units
• Lack of needed time
• No continuity in patient assignments
• Breaking in new and/or agency nurses

Inadequate Knowledge and Skills:

• Unfamiliar situations and surroundings
• Lack of experience and requisite skills
• Skills needed to deal with cooperative patients
• Inadequate in-service training and continuing education
• Unfamiliar situations
• General lack of knowledge, especially as technology improves and gets newer

Stress-Related Reactions and Outcomes

While many outcomes are manifested by nurses when they are experiencing stress, the following are some of the conditions that are usually reported:

• Marital problems
• Drug and/or alcohol abuse
• High blood pressure
• heart disease
• Ulcers
• Chronic back pains
• Poor appetites
• Insomnia
• Feeling tense and anxious
• Burnout

See The Basics of Stress for more example of stress-related outcomes

Stress and Burnout

Both stress and burnout are interrelated. In most cases, it has been said that stress contributes to burnout. However, left unchecked, burnout can also further exasperate the stress individuals are experiencing. Basically, burnout involves the long-term changes in motivation for work and in attitudes toward patients/clients.

Like stress, burnout is a difficult term to define in a precise manner. Most people agree that burnout is a reaction to a stressful work situation/condition. Although its outcomes may go above and beyond work,  burnout begins on the job. It is usually more prevalent in the helping professions, for example professions, such as nursing. Experts in the field (e.g., Maslach and Associates), who have studied burnout a great deal,  have focused their definitions of burnout on certain changes in attitudes and behaviors that occur as a result of excessive job stress. To these experts, burnout includes the following:

“… the loss of concern for the people with whom one is working… characterized by an emotional exhaustion    in which the professional no longer has any positive feelings, sympathy, or respect for clients or patients. A very cynical and dehumanized perception of these people often develops, in which they are labeled in derogatory ways and treated accordingly.”

Although burnout begins with stress at work, its outcomes are beyond the real space of the workplace. For example, burnout correlates positively with mental illness, alcoholism, marital conflict, insomnia, etc. It must also be said, that burnout is not exclusive to nurses, or even to the helping, health care and service professions. Burnout can affect lawyers, secretaries, sales personnel, teachers, to only mention a few other professional groups.

Signs and Symptoms of Burnout:

• Stereotyping
• Feeling tired and exhausted daily
• Rigidity in thinking and resistance to change
• Sleep disorders
• High rates of absenteeism
• Frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
• Feelings of failure
• Guilt and/or blame
• Isolation and withdrawal
• High resistance to going to work each day
• Postponing patient care/client contact
• Suspicion and paranoia
• Excessive use of drugs
• Negativism
• Frequent clock-watching
• Avoiding discussion of work with colleagues at work

Stress Management Strategies

Any serious attempt to reduce or control the stress of police officers will have to take into consideration both the organizational and individual factors, both of which are inextricably linked to each other. In the case of organizational factors, which are usually the most difficult to address, it requires serious effort on the administrators and other high ranking officials to make the workplace more conducive for nurses to work. In short, both the structure and the functioning of the work and work-related environments will have to be changed and/or modified in ways that will reduce the stress nurses currently experience.

Some examples of organizational changes include:

• Enhancing the hospital’s image;
• Better allocation of financial and other resources
• A written plan for administrators to identify and reduce organizational stress
• Instituting or upgrading nurse’s programs
• Upgrading and providing Critical Incident Counseling
• Commanding important follow-up and sustained support after critical incidents matching nurses’ capabilities with the needs of their jobs by conducting “person-job-fit-analyses”

Some examples of individual changes include:

In the case of individual factors, which in some respects are more easily changed and/or modifiable, police officers will have to be educated about stress, what to expect, what to do when they are experiencing stress and their resources (e.g., Employment Assistance Programs or EAP, counseling office, etc.) provided by the police administration. It is very important that these “resources” be both sensitive to the needs of the affected police officers and, at the same time, all contacts must be held confidentially. From an individual’s perspective it has been said that stress-related problems can be prevented in basically two ways: a) by eliminating the source(s) of the stress and (2) by learning how to deal with stressful conditions before they lead to problems (e.g., depression, anger, marital problems, suicide, etc.).

The most fundamental component of any stress management training, whether it be directed by EAP or any other legitimate source, is the general awareness officers have about stress. This is in keeping with Dr. Livingston’s basic I.R.M. Approach to Stress Management. Simply put, I refers to identifying the sources of stress or stressors; R refers to recognizing when you are experiencing stress (i.e., its signals); and M refers to managing stress using selected strategies.

When individuals are unaware of the nature of threats to their well-being, they are less able to escape, avoid, or directly confront them. Thus, in order to successfully cope with stress on an individual or organizational level, nurses need to be made aware of the nature of job stress and its consequences.”

Some Selected Stress Management Strategies to Practice:

• Try to achieve good personal physical health
• Try to achieve good personal mental health
• Become aware of the stress myths you are following
• Try communicating any pain and/or emotional suffering to a “supportive” other
• Become aware of what are your stressors
• Become aware of how you are reacting to stress
• Try monitoring yourself as to how you are reacting to stressors and stress
• Adjust your expectancies to yourself and to others so that they are practical and real
• Try to objectively evaluate your attitudes
• Seek professional help when needed Seek temporary or permanent changes of shift or assignment
• Use your time off wisely
• Make time to laugh and have some fun with those you like Dream when you can
• Try visualizing places that are relaxing for you
• Try being cooperative versus confrontive
• Try increasing your physical activity
• Make a list and prioritize items on the list
• Say “NO” to extra demands placed on you
• Learn to control your anger Learn to relax
• Get organized Talk rationally to yourself
• Try to have a social life where your are stimulated by interacting with friends
• Manage your time effectively and efficiently
• Reduce the time urgency associated with things as bets as you can
• Watch and reduce your destructive habits (e.g., poor eating, exercising, sleeping, etc.)
• Try finding quite each day so that you can reflect and relax
• Try to achieve good personal physical health
• Try to achieve good personal mental health Become aware of the stress myths you are following
• Try communicating any pain and/or emotional suffering to a “supportive” other
• Become aware of what are your stressors
• Become aware of how you are reacting to stress
• Try monitoring yourself as to how you are reacting to stressors and stress
• Adjust your expectancies to yourself and to others so that they are practical and real
• Try to objectively evaluate your attitudes

Seek professional help when needed. See The Basics of Stress for more examples of stress management strategies.