TIME AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVES:
1. Define stress and time
2. Identify the kinds of stress
3. Identify the causes of stress and common time wasters
4. Identify the symptoms of stress
5. Define stress management and time management
6. Identify the importance of stress and time management in the workplace
7. Identify strategies on how to manage time and stress
I. DEFINITIONS
A. Stress
We intuitively feel that we know what stress is because it is something we have all
experienced.
The term stress, as it is currently used was coined by Hans Selye in 1936, who
defined it as non-specific response of the body to any demand for change.
Stress is a condition or a feeling experienced when a person perceives that
demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize Richard Lazaruz (1922).
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or
very demanding circumstances.
Stress is not a disease, but excessive and continuous stress can lead to certain
illness.
STRESS STATISTIC IN THE PHILIPPINES 2014

JOB CATEGORY
Business Planning
Banking
Food/Hospitality/Tourism/Catering
Marketing
Customer Service and Call Center
Oil/Gas/Energy/Mining
Sales Retail and Wholesale
Construction/ Building/ Installation
Executive and Management
Quality Control and Compliance
Factory and Manufacturing
Advertising/ Graphic Design/ Event Management
Human Resources
Accounting and Finance
Legal
Teaching / Education
Insurance
Administration/ Reception/ Secretarial
Architecture
Information Technology
Courier/ Delivery / Transport/Drivers
Engineering
Health and Medical
Purchasing and Inventory
Telecommunication
B. Time

RATING
2.10
2.11
2.15
2.16
2.16
2.20
2.21
2.30
2.31
2.31
2.33
2.36
2.40
2.45
2.50
2.50
2.50
2.53
2.54
2.60
2.60
2.60
2.75
2.78
2.88

According to Meriam-Webster Dictionary, time is the thing that is measured as

seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, etc.
Time is a dimension in which events can be ordered from the past through the
present into the future and also the measure of events with intervals between them.
Time is the ongoing sequence of events taking place. The past, present and future.
We measure time using seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Clocks
measure time.
II. KINDS OF STRESS
Not all stress are bad. Some stress are essential to life.
The following are the two (2) kinds of Stress:
1. Positive Stress (Eustress)

It is the excitement felt by people when they are confronted by a

demanding situation, which they think they can handle.

enables concentration

increases performance

encourages you to act

2. Negative Stress (Distress)
the reaction to a situation or event that puts you under great pressure
experienced when people doubt their capability and dont believe they can
meet the challenge and thrive
reduces work effectiveness
causes physical, behavioral, cognitive and emotional problems.
Stress is an inevitable consequence of an event. It depends a lot on peoples
perceptions of a situation and their ability to cope with it.
Stress is not necessarily something bad, it all depends on how we take or manage
it Selye
III. CAUSES OF STRESS AND COMMON TIME WASTERS
A. Stressors are stimulus that causes stress
1. External Stressors physical conditions such as heat or cold, stressful
psychological environment such as working conditions and abusive
relationship.
2. Internal Stressors physical elements such as infection or inflammation, or
psychological problems such as worrying about something.

COMMON CAUSES OF EXCESSIVE

WORKPLACE STRESS
Fear of being laid off
More overtime due to staff outbacks
Pressure to perform to meet rising expectations
but with no increase in job satisfaction
Pressure to work at optimum levels all the time!

B. Common Time Wasters time-wasters are things that cause you to spend a lot of
time doing that is unnecessary or does not produce any benefit. According to the survey
conducted on 2013 by time doctor group, these are the 3 most common time-wasters at
work:
1. Non-work related internet surfing
- 64% of the respondents claimed that they visit non-work related websites
everyday during working hours.
- The survey also revealed that socializing on facebook keeps employees
most off-task.
2. Useless meetings
- 37% of the respondents felt at least 1 half on the time in meetings was
wasteful of their time
3. Chatting with co-workers
- 14% of the respondents claimed that they chat with co-workers during
working hours with non-work related topics.
IV. SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
- When you feel overwhelmed at work, you lose confidence and may become irritable or
withdrawn. This can make you less productive and less effective in your job, and make the work
seem less rewarding. If you ignore the symptoms of stress, they can lead to bigger problems. The
following are the common symptoms of stress:
A. Physical Symptoms
- Aches and pains, Diarrhea or constipation, Nausea and dizziness
B. Behavioral Symptoms
- Eating more or less, sleeping too much, Isolation, Neglect responsibilities,
Drinking alcohol, Using cigarettes, Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting)
C. Cognitive Symptoms
- Memory problems, Inability to concentrate, Poor judgment, Seeing only the
negative
D. Emotional Symptoms
- Moodiness, Irritability or short temper, Inability to relax, Sense of loneliness,
Depression or unhappiness.
Time and Stress Management learning how to manage your time, activities, and
commitments can be hard. But doing so can make your life easier, less stressful, and
more meaningful.
V. IMPORTANCE OF STRESS AND TIME MANAGEMENT
A. Stress Management
1. Motivates Employees
The effects of stress on morale and workplace culture can be devastating.
Employees can become unfocused, distant, distraught and even short fused.
Teamwork may also breakdown. Stressed employees are unmotivated and will
make it difficult to set employee motivation strategies in motion. Keep in mind
that motivation in the workplace is a powerful technique to build teamwork and
sustain employee morale.
2. Increases Productivity
Managing stress at work will keep productivity levels at acceptable levels.
With Stress level control, there will be less of chance of a decrease in
productivity. Keep in mind that there are other factors beyond stress that can
damage productivity. Some of these factors are ethics, lack of communication,
performance and poor time management skills. Managing stress will improve
your chance of achieving a sustainable productivity levels.

3. Decreases chances of unethical issues

Unethical issues often rear its ugly head in times of high stress. There have
been times when unethical practices are used for shortcut purposes. Usually the
outcome here is more stress than before. The blame game starts he said, she said
or finger pointing. The next thing that will happen will involve human resources
and its investigation. Whenever HR gets involved it ends up being another
situation that you dont need.
Stress management in the workplace can be a solution to ethical issues.
Many ethics courses have discussed that stress plays a vital role in ethical issues.
You may never be able to stop the employee whom chooses to be unethical for
reasons that are not stress related. But you can provide ethics and stress seminars
to limit chances of unethical issues.
4. Reduces possibilities of workplace conflicts
Workplace conflicts are common and happen more than you think. Many
conflicts occur due to differences in opinions, personalities and some time stress.
Conflicts that deal with stress usually build out over time then explode. Learning
how to manage conflicts in the workplace will help. But by managing stress and
being aware of a possible issues will makes everyones life easier. Workplace
conflicts end up creating chaos and a big distraction you dont need.
5. Strengthens communication process
When stress levels are high, there is a corresponding strong negative effect
on communication. The negative actions are less communicating about the job
between individuals. Instead employees will talk to others about company issues.
Attitudes also tend to shift towards angry, bitter, and judgmental.
The process of communication in the workplace is a key element to
success. When the process fails, it creates a chain reaction.
B. Time Management
1. Time is limited
Everyone gets the same amount of time each day, and its limited,
therefore it is important to make the most of your time if you ever want to be
more than average at the workplace.
2. Accomplish more with less effort
By taking control of your time, youre able to stay focused on the task on
hand. This leads to higher efficiency since you never lose momentum. Imagine
running a mile where you stop every 5 seconds, this would cause you to become
exhausted very quickly and take much longer to complete the run.
3. Make better decisions
There are many choices in life and often-times we are focused with many
choices to choose from at the same time. When you practice good time
management, you have more time to breathe; this allows you to determine which
choices are the best to make.
When you feel pressed for time and have to make a decision, you are more
likely to jump to conclusions and not fully consider the different options; this
leads to poor decision making.
4. Be more successful
Time management is the key to success; it allows you to take control of
your life rather than follow the flow of others. You accomplish more, you make
better decisions, and you work more efficiently, this leads to a more successful
life.
5. Learn more
When you control your time and work more efficiently, you are able to
learn more and increase your experience faster. Theres a reason some students
graduate earlier than others, so imagine implementing time management

throughout your entire career. You will not only stand out from the rest, but you
will gain experience must faster and be able to move up in life a lot sooner.
6. Reduce Stress
One of the main causes of stress is due to people feeling rushed. The
phrase I have so much to do and so little time to do it is generally spoken with
frustration which leads to stress. With good time management, you know how
much time you have, how long it will take to get your tasks done, you accomplish
more, and have more free time. This gives you more breathing room, which
reduces the feeling of being rushed, which in turn leads to les frustration and
stress.
7. Higher quality work
We all need some free time to relax and unwind but, unfortunately, many
of us dont get much free time because we are too busy trying to keep up with our
daily activities and work load. By implementing time management skills, you are
able to get more done in a shorter period of time leading to more free time.
8. Creates discipline
When you practice good time management in your life, you are less likely
to procrastinate. Time management leads to higher productivity and leads to
disciplined life.
VII. STRATEGIES ON STRESS AND TIME MANAGEMENT
A. Stress Management
A persons emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of
their interactions to others. The better a person is managing their own stress, the more
positively a person can affect those around them and the less other peoples stress will
negatively affect them.
Nurses are short-handed, understaffed, and overworked. We are only an
accidental needle-stick or body fluid splash injury away from exposure to deadly
diseases. We get aches and pains from lifting and tugging on people bigger than we are.
We watch people die. We see families grieve. Often we work double shifts to meet the
needs when staffing is overstretched. We are tired. Yet we love nursing most days. But
we need support and help to cope (Turley, 2005)
There are a variety of steps you can take to manage stress in the workplace. Here
are some of those:
1. Remove
Remove yourself from the situation. Give yourself a break if only for a
few moments daily.
Slip away once in a while for some private time. These quiet moments
may give you a fresh perspective on your problems.
Develop new habits which regularly remove you and distract you from
stressors and stressful situations.
When you remove yourself from the stressors, you will be able to think
more clearly and get in touch with your feelings. Then you can decide
what to do to lift the pressure
2. Change
Set boundaries, learn to say no, and look for ways to trim back your
schedule
Spend time with people whose company you enjoy and, as much as you
can, limit the time and energy you spend on people who stress you out.
Change your Environment: do errands online, change your commute, take
a break time, set some time alone.
Express your feelings assertively and respectfully and be prepared to
negotiate and compromise with others in order to improve the situation. If
you dont voice out your feelings, resentment will build and the situation
will likely remain the same or may even get worst.

3. Accept
Some sources of stress are unavoidable and unchangeable. You cant
prevent or change stressors eventually in your daily routine. In such cases,
the best way to deal with it is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may
be difficult, but in the long run, its easier than railing against a situation
you cant change.
Accepting does not mean giving up. By accepting the situation and finding
ways you can cope with what cannot be changed, stress can be drastically
reduced.
Dont try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our
control, particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out
over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose
to react to problems.
Look for the upside of things. As the saying goes What doesnt kill us
makes us stronger. When facing major challenges, try to look at them as
opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choice contributed to
a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
Share your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend face to face or make an
appointment with a therapist. The simple act of expressing what youre
going through can be very cathartic, even if theres nothing you can do to
alter the stressful situation. Opening up is not a sign of weakness and it
wont make you a burden to others. In fact, most friends will be flattered
that you trusted them enough to confide in them, and it will only
strengthen your bond.
Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world that
people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentment and free yourself
from all the negatives.
B. Time Management
Nurses typically have an extremely busy and complex job with multiple,
competing demands and many patients for whom to care. They must be able to manage
their time if they are to be effective. No day is ever the same in the field of nursing, and
nurses must be prepared to handle emergencies and contingencies as they arise. Having a
clear idea of the responsibilities and tasks ahead of them each day will help nurses
immensely in successfully completing them. Time management in nursing is vital to
getting all required tasked completed, managing patient caseloads and feeling less
stressed.
There are numerous tasked that nurses must complete in a typical shift, including
checking several times on each of their patients, managing medication for patients,
answering calls from patients, completing required paperwork and updating patient
charts. The safety, health and security of patients depend on nurses being able to manage
the numerous tasks assigned to them. Nurses might do well to find the time management
tools that work best for them as individuals.
1. Recording to write something down so that it can be used or seen again in
the future.
Set specific and definable goal
Plan every day in advance
Make a to do list
2. Analyze- to study (something) closely and carefully: to learn the nature and
relationship of the parts of (something) by a close and careful examination
Break all tasks into small bits
One work at a time
Proper use of waiting time
3. Changing- to make a different in some particular.
Learn to say NO
Identify bad habits