The workplace could be stressful, and it should not be ignored. Understanding and reducing the level of stress with various methods and procedures is Stress Management. With the pressure of getting a stable job to achieve a target at the job, there could be dozens of reasons for stress, and it should be checked within time to avoid severe health consequences.
Stress Management is one of the most discussed and researched topics in the medical fraternity. Numerous models and techniques explain stress management, stress, and more vulnerable groups of people from stress. In general terms, Stress Management is a set of procedures applied by psychotherapists and medical practitioners to control a person’s stress and improve regular normal behavior.
Models for Stress Management
There are several models developed in order to cure a person with a high-stress disorder. Some of the generalized models of stress management are:
Flight-or-fight response/The Emergency Response
Walter Bradford Cannon developed this model of Stress Management. He used animal reference to explain this condition, also known as the acute stress response. It is a physiological response to incoming attack, harmful incident, or even threat to life.
The emergency response is considered as the first level of the general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress management invertebrates and other organisms
General Adaptation Syndrome
It refers to stress that results from environmental factors; it could be biological, psychological or physiological. It is a standard reaction to any perceived threat to survival, attacks etc.
Stress Model
This model was developed by J.P Henry and P.M. Stephens and focused on social anxiety and environmental factors.
Transactional Stress Model
Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman developed this cognitive stress management model. They observed and analyzed stress-causing factors in employees at the workplace and have given several causes of stress at the workplace.
As per their research and hypothesis, stress causes because of an “imbalance between demands and resources” and excessive pressure, more than one could cope with. Their research is based on the thought that stress does not happen because of stressor but one’s response towards situations, expectations and ability to take responsibility.
To understand what is stress management for the workplace, the causes of stress in employees need to be clarified.
Prominent causes of stress among employees
- Employer treatment towards employees
- Worry about job security
- Changes in company policies
- Problems and conflicts within the company. It could be due to financial loss, the director’s conflict of interest and anything that seems a threat
- Improper or broken communication
- Tight schedule, deadlines and non-participation from fellow employees
- Too much pressure on targets and assignments
- Low salary and improper HR response
Conservation of Resources Theory
Dr Steven E. Hobfoll developed this theory as a motivation to conserve available resources and desire for new resources. He further explained, stress to procure more resources happen in three conditions:
- For the perceived threat of loss of available resources
- For actual loss of resources happen
- Resource loss and unable to procure new resources
This type of psychological stress is caused due to extreme attachment with property, objects, and conditions.
There are several other models and explanations for stress management. Several psychologists have further elaborated on the mentioned models and developed their version.
Conclusion
To know what is stress management, It is essential to know how and why stress happens. These models, as mentioned above, are developed after years of research, analysis, and observation. Companies organize stress management sessions from time to time for their employees. Employees themselves should be aware of stress indicators and do the consultation if found any stress indicating features.
