Stress Training Pack

8/2/2019 Stress Training Pack

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Training Pack

Harness Your Stress-Energy

Author

Sohailuddin ALAVIInternational Training Adviser, AIBF

(International Expert in Capacity Building and Institutional Development)


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Authors Profile

ALAVI, Sohailuddin

He is a capacity building and institutional development expert. He brings learning through workinginternationally for more than 28 years. Through the years he has unleashed skills in document writing,

proposal development, critical thinking and creativity. His career spans over 28 years of learning

In his initial career he has worked in a Pakistani bank as trainer, coordinator and training manager for

management development programs for almost 15 years. Later he established his own institutional

management and training consultancy. As consultant he has had conducted numerous management

training workshops both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Besides, he has had worked on many institutional

development projects in the corporate, development sector and the Govt. departments, as consultant.

He has taught for more than ten years in the undergraduate and post graduate programs of Shaheed

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management Sciences and Karachi

University Business School, Pakistan. He has written extensively in management, leadership, organization-behavior; business ethics, and entrepreneurial development for professional magazines, authored books

and training manuals.

Personal Contact Details:

Email: [email protected]

Public Profile:http://pk.linkedin.com/pub/alavi-sohailuddin/44/ab4/997

Cell No. 00 92 (0) 333 213 87 42

Karachi, Pakistan
http://pk.linkedin.com/pub/alavi-sohailuddin/44/ab4/997http://pk.linkedin.com/pub/alavi-sohailuddin/44/ab4/997http://pk.linkedin.com/pub/alavi-sohailuddin/44/ab4/997http://pk.linkedin.com/pub/alavi-sohailuddin/44/ab4/997


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1 Afghanistan Institute of Banking and Finance (Author Sohailuddin ALAVI) March 2012

Harnessing Your Stress-Energy

Table of Contents

Preface 01

Know thy stress 02

Stress-Performance Framework 05

Tips on Harnessing Stress 09

Self-Assessment 11


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Preface

Stress can be your friend or foe! Fortunately, it is up to theindividuals how they deal with their stress. The title of this trainingpack refers to the underlying theme of this booklet: Stress is anenergy that needs to be harnessed for maximum advantage.

Stress releases energy that we all need to move. For instance,urgency for satisfying a need or accomplishing a goal effectivelycauses stress which in turn provides us energy to respond. Whilestress will always cause energy, however, if for one reason or the

other we fail to channelize the energy productively it causes moredamage than advantage. Similarly, every individual has a threshold tobear stress just like a business has a threshold to bear risks. Whilethe threshold tends to increase over time and by experience, it alsolimits the level of stress that you can bear at a given point in time.This follows that the keys to dealing with stress are to know yourstress-threshold and to keep raising it over time; and to harness yourstress-energy into productive behaviors.

This training pack will guide you how to deal with your stress. Youwill be able to:

Take cognizance of your stress rather rationally,

To discover the factors and processes that often lead to a higher

stress level,

Improve upon your capacity to harness your stress and be able to

raise your stress threshold.

I would like to dedicate this booklet to my Parents, Family members,the Afghanistan Institute of Banking and Finance (AIBF) and theUniversities and other institutions where I studied and taught.

Sohailuddin Alavi

March 2012


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Know thy Stress!

Stress is a neutral syndrome

Stress is a psychological

phenomenon

Stress is a by-product of our

physiological change

Stress is generally ignited by ourpermeable environment


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Know thy Stress!

Situation perceived

Affective energy released

Behavioural Response

Stress Stress

Harnessed Overload

Action Anxiety

Or


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Know thy Stress!

Stress could be your best ally, ifyou choose to deal with it

rationally!

But stress could be your worst

foe too, if you choose torespond to it passively!

Choice is all yours


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Stress-Performance Framework

A simplistic model suggests that stress is

largely embedded in the personality type

of individuals. Some individuals have

higher threshold while other have lower

threshold for taking stress. While the

immediate work environment triggers the

stress. This follows that persons with

different personality type and variedthresholds for stress, are expected to

experience different levels of work stress while facing the similar work environment. For

instance, the above grid presents four hypothetical combinations of personality type and

immediate work environment. Accordingly, in stable environment persons with low

threshold demonstrate chances to sustain moderate stress levels without disrupting their

performance. Likewise persons with higher threshold demonstrate ability to deal with

stress much constructively towards enhancing their performance. On the other side, in a

highly challenging environment persons with low threshold are generally constrained to

perform and experience anxiety. Persons with higher threshold, however, are generally

capable of coping with higher stress usually associated with the challenging environment

in a more constructive manner.

This analysis is much simplistic hence does not provide insight into the process of stress

nor lead to any institutional intervention. It, however, is useful to predict how a person

with his or her unique stress threshold is likely to perform in different work environments.Thus provides a basis to manage stress exposure on individual levels for managing their

optimum performance.

Now let us analyze rather a complex stress / performance framework. The purpose of

this analysis is surely to understanding the underlying processes thereby innovating

ways to more sustainable interventions that are aimed at redressing the risk in the

environment as well as elevating stress threshold of individuals.

StableEnv

ChallengingEnv

It likely that stress

leads to anxiety and

mal-performance

It is likely that stress

leads to constructive

actions

Chances to sustain

stress without dis-

rupting performance

Chances to dealing

with stress much

constructively

Low Threshold High Threshold


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Stress / Performance Framework:

The above framework analyzes stress at three levels, namely; i) root variables, ii)

affective perspective, and iii) performance. Root variables have two clusters, namely

personality type and immediate work environment. Personality consists of assumptions

and beliefs, values and principles, motivation and habits. Observation suggests that

while much of the personality cues are developed through life time experience of

individuals hence these are generally frozen. However, through behavior modification

and change techniques these can be altered temporarily or permanently, respectively.

For instance, individuals can be encouraged to take a rational view on their assumptions

thus challenge it. Likewise, through strong organizational culture individual values and

Typical Root

Variables

PersonalityType

Assumptionsand Beliefs

Values andPrinciples

Motivation

Habits

ImmediateEnvironment

Uncertainty

Task(s) at hand

Business targets

Competitiveculture

Affective Perspective

(Energy)

RationalityDisciplineSelf-control

Attention to detailsRealistic attitudeHarnessed motivation

High Performance

Profile:

Inner satisfactionEnhanced confidenceHigher accomplishmentsImproved stressthresholdSustainable performance

CompromisedPerformance Profile:

AnxietyPhysical / psychologicalexertionLoss of confidence

Lower achievementsReduced stress thresholdUncertain performance

Affective Perspective(Anxiety)

Urgency

Lack of disciplineControlled by situationSkid thruUnrealistic attitudeHyper motivation

Direct InterventionSupervisory styleWork relationshipsEmployee Counseling


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principles can be put under subordination, at least. Through effective motivation

techniques, ones motivational orientation can be altered. Thus in short, individuals

personality can be altered through systematic organizational interventions. Immediatework environment is generally characterized by the work culture, business goals, tasks

that individuals need to perform, and last but not the least, level of uncertainty.

Interestingly all the variables in the immediate work environment can be altered. For

instance, internally competitive culture can be transformed into teamwork culture of

cooperation and joint ownership. Extent of multi-tasking can be made realistic and

achievable. Business targets can be made even more realistic and harmonized.

Uncertainty can be dealt with by putting in standard procedures and policy guidelines.

Now we know that alteration in the root variables can affect change in perspective, as

portrayed in the framework, for good or for worse. For instance, anxiety dominant

perspective can be transformed into energy dominant perspective thus improving the

chances of performance. However, this indirect approach entails long sustained influence.

To get a quicker result, the alternate is direct intervention. Though such interventions

fail to sustain their effect for longer period, however, these are very much efficient in the

short run. Of the most important amongst these interventions is immediate supervisorsstyle. For instance, a dogmatic and excessively task orientated supervisory styles are

prone to causing high stress. More benevolent and facilitative styles are however,

effective in harnessing the stress. Another very important element in the direct

interventions is the work relationships. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities of

individuals and their status are important to reduce dysfunctional stress. Employee

counseling is a technical process that helps employees deal with stress when they fail to

do so on their own. However, this must be done by counseling professionals.

Let us now do a comparative analysis of the two perspectives. A perspective that leads

to anxiety is typically characterized by urgency, lack of discipline, actions controlled by

situation, skid thru approach, unrealistic attitude and hyper motivation. Understandably

such a perspective leads to compromised performance. On the contrary a fully energized

perspective typically characterized by rationality, discipline, self-control, attention to


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details, realistic attitude and harnessed motivation. The likely impact of this type of

perspective on behaviors is highly constructive leading to higher performance.

Typical stress management interventions in organizational perspective are summarized

below:

INDIRECTINTERVENTION

SEMI DIRECTINTERVENTION

DIRECTINTERVENTIONS

Description

Here the focus of different

methodologies remains oncritically evaluating andmodifying the variables,such as Personalitymakeup, Personalparadigm, Environment,etc.

These methodologies dealwith the root causes inredressing the stresssyndrome. Theeffectiveness is expected tobe more sustainable.

Broadly two methodologiescan be identified here,which are fine-tuned to suitindividual preferences andsituational necessities.

Personal Development Organization

Development

Description

Direct methodologies are

different in a way thatthese focus on directlychanging the behaviorinstead of modifying thevariables.

These methodologies in factattempt to directly redressthe stress symptoms. As anobvious outcome, theeffectiveness is short lived.

Broadly four methodologiescan be identified here,which are fine-tuned to suitindividual preferences andsituational necessities.

Meditation. Medication. Physical activity. Balancing through

better planning.

Description

Direct methodologies are

different in a way thatthese focus on directlychanging the behaviorinstead of modifying thevariables.

These methodologies in factattempt to directly redressthe stress symptoms. As anobvious outcome, theeffectiveness is short lived.

Broadly four methodologiescan be identified here,which are fine-tuned to suitindividual preferences andsituational necessities.

Meditation. Medication. Physical activity. Balancing through

more planning.


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Tips on Harness Stress

Now that you are more informed about the processes and pre-dispositions

leading to STRESS SYNDROME, you stand good chances of managing stress to

your optimum advantage.

Goal: Managing stress does not mean avoiding stress. But it is about taking more

control over your stress and making best use of it towards optimizing upon your

productive performance and minimizing upon your unproductive performance.

Process:

Step 1. Identify each behavior either as a correlate to your productive

performance or unproductive performance.

Step 2. List together all behaviors having positive correlation with

productive performance. Repeat and list all behaviors having

positive correlation with unproductive performance. At the end of

this, you should end-up with two sets of behaviors; namely, Value-

creating and Value-destroying.

Step 4. Determine the relationship of Value-creating behaviors with your

personality characteristics. Repeat this for determining the

relationship of Value-destroying behaviors. At the end, you should

end-up with two groups of personality characteristics; namely,

Value-creating characteristics and Value-destroying characteristics.

Step 5 Determine the relationship of Value-creating behaviors with the

elements in your immediate environment. Repeat this for

determining the relationship of Value-destroying behaviors. At the


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end, you should end-up with two groups of elements in your

immediate environment; namely, Value creating elements and

Value-destroying elements

Step 6 Develop your personalized Stress Management Action Plans: -

- How will you further strengthen your Value-creating

characteristics?

- How will you redress your Value-destroying characteristics into

Value-creating characteristics?

- How will you take optimum advantage of Value-creating

variables in the external system?

- How will you reduce the influence of Value-destroying variables

in the external system?


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Self-Assessment

The advantage of this assessment is that it will help you understand "HowSTRESS may affect your performance, both positively as well as negatively?"

INSTRUCTIONS: You are asked to make a real good portrait of yours thendescribe yourself by the portrait. Repeat this activity on the next page (please donot move on to the next page until you are through with the first part).

Picture yourself when you have anxietyand stressed out:

Enlist your activates that you are likelyto do in stressed out situation:

Picture yourself when you areenergized but calm:

Enlist your activates that you are likelyto do when you are energized and

calm:


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Documents

Stress Training Pack