External & Internal psychological stressors

External & Internal psychological stressors

External psychological stressors are such things as poor working conditions or
conflicting relationships. External psychological stressors include:

• Physical Environment
• Noise
• Poor Lighting
• Heat
• Confined Spaces
• Social Interaction
• Rudeness
• Bossiness
• Aggressiveness
• Bullying
• Organisational
• Rules
• Regulations
• Deadlines
• Major Life Events
• Birth
• Death
• Transfer
• Promotion
• Marital problems
• Daily Hassles
• Commuting
• Mechanical breakdowns


Internal psychological stress can often be the most harmful because there is frequently
no resolution to the stressful situation. These stressors are anxieties about events that
may or may not happen, and the stress response continues to be active as long as one is
worrying about it. The internal psychological stressors include:

• Lifestyle choices
• Caffeine
• Lack of sleep
• Overloaded schedule
• Negative self – talk
• Pessimistic thinking
• Self criticism
• Over analysing
• Mind traps
• Unrealistic expectations
• Taking things personally
• All or nothing thinking
• Exaggeration
• Rigid thinking
• Personality traits
• Perfectionists
• Workaholics

Stress can affect the overall performance of a person and for some could result in serious
ill health - both mental and physical. Such ailments as hypertension, coronary thrombosis,
migraine and peptic ulcers are only a few of the illnesses recognized as having a stress related
background. In the workplace it has been seen, through on-going research, to
have a very detrimental effect.

Common causes of stress within the workplace include:

• The Drive for Success: Modern society is driven by ‘work’. Personal adequacy
equates with professional success and people crave for status and abhor failure.
The demand for monetary success / professional status is simply overwhelming.
• Working Conditions: Physical and mental health is adversely affected by
unpleasant working conditions, such as high noise levels, lighting, temperature and
unsocial or excessive hours.
• Overwork: Stress may occur through inability to cope with the technical or intellectual
demands of a particular task. Circumstances such as long hours, unrealistic
deadlines and frequent interruptions will compound this.
• Underwork: This may arise from boredom because there is not enough to do, or
because a job is dull and repetitive.
• Uncertainty: About the work - role objectives, responsibilities, and expectations,
and a lack of communication and feedback can result in confusion, helplessness,
and stress.
• Conflict: Stress can arise from work which the individual does not want to do or
that conflicts with their personal, social and family values.
• Responsibility: The greater the level of responsibility the greater the potential level
of stress
• Relationships at work: Good relationships with colleagues are crucial. Open
discussion is essential to encourage positive relationships.
• Changes at work: Changes that alter psychological, physiological and behavioural
routines such as promotion, retirement and redundancy are particularly stressful.

Kinds of Stress

Kinds of Stress

American Physiological Association classifies stress into three categories - acute
stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress — each with its own characteristics,
symptoms, duration, and treatment approaches.

1. Acute Stress

Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It comes from demands and pressures
of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Acute
stress is thrilling and exciting in small doses, but too much is exhausting. A fast run
down a challenging ski slope, for example, is exhilarating early in the day. That same
ski run late in the day is taxing and wearing. Skiing beyond limits can lead to falls and
broken bones. By the same token, overdoing on short-term stress can lead to
psychological distress, tension headaches, upset stomach, and other symptoms.
Because it is short term, acute stress doesn’t have enough time to do the extensive
damage associated with long-term stress. The most common symptoms are:
• emotional distress: some combination of anger or irritability, anxiety, and
depression, the three stress emotions;
• muscular problems including tension, headache, back pain, jaw pain, and the
muscular tensions that lead to pulled muscles and tendon and ligament
problems;
• stomach, gut and bowel problems such as heartburn, acidity, flatulence, diarrhea,
constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome;
• elevation in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, heart palpitations,
dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of breath, and
chest pain.
Acute stress can crop up in anyone’s life, and it is highly treatable and manageable.

2. Episodic Acute Stress

The symptoms of episodic acute stress are the symptoms of extended over arousal:
persistent tension headaches, migraines, hypertension, chest pain, and heart disease.

Treating episodic acute stress requires intervention on a number of levels, generally
requiring professional help, which may take many months.
Often, lifestyle and personality issues are so ingrained and habitual with those suffering
episodic acute stress that they see nothing wrong with the way they conduct their lives.
They blame their woes on other people and external events. Frequently, they see their
lifestyle, their patterns of interacting with others, and their ways of perceiving the world
as part and parcel of who and what they are.
Sufferers can be fiercely resistant to change. Only the promise of relief from pain and
discomfort of their symptoms can keep them in treatment and on track in their recovery
program

3. Chronic Stress

Chronic stress comes when a person never sees a way out of a miserable situation.
It’s the stress of unrelenting demands and pressures for seemingly interminable period.
With no hope, the individual gives up searching for solutions.
Some chronic stresses stem from traumatic, early childhood experiences; get
internalized and remain forever painful and present. Some experiences profoundly
affect personality. A view of the world, or a belief system, is created that causes unending
stress for the individual. When personality or deep-seated convictions and beliefs must
be reformulated, recovery requires active self-examination, often with professional help.
The worst aspect of chronic stress is that people get used to it. They forget it is there.
People are immediately aware of acute stress because it is new; they ignore chronic
stress because it is old, familiar, and sometimes, almost comfortable.
Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke, and, perhaps, even
cancer. People wear down to a final, fatal breakdown. Because physical and mental
resources are depleted through long-term attrition, the symptoms of chronic stress are
difficult to treat and may require extended medical as well as behavioral treatment
and stress management.

Understanding Stress

Understanding Stress

“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.”
- Hans Selye


Stress is defined as the emotional and physical strain caused by a person’s response
to pressure from the outside world. It occurs when there is a mismatch between what
the people aspire to do what they are capable of doing. In other words, stress results
when the pressure to perform a certain task is greater than the resources available to
perform it.

S = P > R
[S - Stress; P-Pressure; R- Resource]

Stress is not altogether a modern phenomenon. Stress has been of concern in the
medical profession since the days of Hippocrates. Walter Cannon, a physiologist at
Harvard, however, formalized the modern notion of stress, at the beginning of the
twentieth century. Cannon described the “flight or fight response”, a heightened arousal
state that prepares an organism to deal with threats. When under threat, one’s body
releases a rush of adrenaline in order to allow a ‘fight or flight’ response (i.e. to give the push one needs to fight the threat or to run away from it).

Medical research suggests that some thirty hormones are released as part of the
body’s automatic and innate “fight or flight” stress response. These hormones provide
quick energy to cope with emergencies and exigencies. Stress hormones often build
and, without release, contribute to wear and tear. Excessive stress can inhibit the body’s
immune system functioning and directly impair the functioning of key body systems.

This is the reason why stress can increase one’s susceptibility to illness, exacerbate
an illness, or protract recovery from an illness.

Unrelieved stress, over time, can take the form of:
• Tense muscles that lead to headache, neck-ache, jaw-ache, back-ache
• Stomach pain, indigestion, bowel upset, ulcers
• Feelings of anxiety, nervousness, tension, helplessness
• Increasing anger or irritability, chest pain
• Depression, exhaustion, lack of concentration, insomnia
• Restlessness, boredom, confusion, the impulse to run and hide

Persons who are stressed may “take out” their frustration on those around them. Others
may keep their feelings to themselves and experience a sullen gloomy feeling or a
sense of isolation.

How can you get an extra hour out of each day?

How can you get an extra hour out of each day?

Here are some tips to help you squeeze those extra minutes out of your day. Of course,

you can adapt these so that they will fit in with your situation.

1. Get up earlier

2. Watch less TV 

3. Avoid allowing others to waste your time

4. If you don’t have to drive to work, use that time to study or plan. If you do

drive to work listen to a motivational tape on the way to work instead of

that mindless dj talk.

5. Organize your work; do it systematically.

6. Make creative use of lunchtime.

7. Delegate authority if, possible.

8. Spend less time on unimportant phone calls.

9. Think first, and then do the task.

10. Do what you dream about doing, instead of just dreaming about it.

11. Work hardest when you’re the most mentally alert

12. Eliminate activities that make the smallest contributions to your life.

13. Always do the toughest jobs first.

14. Before each major act ask, “Is this really necessary?”

15. Choose interesting and constructive literature for spare time reading.

16. Learn how to sleep. Sleep soundly, then work refreshed.

17. Skip desserts.

18. Stop smoking.

19. Write notes or letters while waiting for others.

20. Always carry a book.

21. Combine tasks that are done in the same area.

22. Be prompt for all appointments.

23. Lay out your clothes the night before.

24. Call on specialists to do work that you cannot do efficiently

25. Learn to read more rapidly.

26. Take a nap after lunch. Then take a shower. Begin the evening hours

relaxed and refreshed.

27. Avoid interruptions.

28. Avoid making a big production out of tiny tasks.

29. Search out job shortcuts.

30. Know your limitations.

31. Work to your full capacity. I know it’s tough to break bad habits. However,

it is necessary to make sacrifices so that your business can be successful.

Don’t try to implement all of these ideas at once. Implement them one at a time and

repeat them until they become a part of your daily routine.

Monochronic & Polychronic Views of Time

Monochronic & Polychronic Views of Time 

Just as a person’s overall personality is made up of and represented by his or her
traits, a person’s time personality is made up of a series of time styles – monochronic
or polychronic. It is expected that a person’s awareness of the monochronic/polychronic
side of personal time style affects his or her overall approach to time use, perceptions
of time pressure and the amounts and order of time spent on tasks. This, in turn,
affects his or her personal efficiency.

Monochronic approach to time management is essentially objective and lays emphasis
on promptness, speed, brevity and punctuality. It is a very efficient and focused
way to manage work and life. Monochronic time managers are those who thrive on
detailed planning and organization. They prefer to focus on one task at a time and they
follow a schedule from which they don’t like to deviate. They tend to get upset by distractions
or interruptions and are inclined to put new tasks off until a later date, when
they can be worked into the schedule.

Polychronic approach to time management is subjective and lays emphasis on
inspiration, imagination, flexibility, intuition and dedication. Trust, bonding, pleasure
and quality of life influence more strongly the decisions of a person who ‘ticks’ in
polychronic time. Polychronic time managers prefer to have many projects under way
simultaneously, enjoy changing from activity to activity and are unflustered by
distractions and interruptions. 

Unlike their monochronic counterparts, polychronic managers believe they perform well under pressure Clearly, monochronic approach is better suited for dealing with routine and predictable tasks, while polychronic approach is better suited in dealing with things such as creating a new concept or resolving an argument. Conflict arises when managers apply a monchronic style to a situation that demands polychronic time, or managers prefer polychronic style

while the situation warrants the use of monchronic style.
So how do the people cope with a healthy need for subjective, polychronic, self-imposed
time and at the same time fit in with the monochronic and objective time measures? The
only way managers can figure out which method works best in a given situation is based
on sound reasoning and acumen.

The Eleven Time Thieves in MANAGING TIME

The Eleven Time Thieves in MANAGING TIME 

1. Poor Planning: Failure to see the value of planning and getting impatient to get
something done are the causes of poor planning. Absence of a plan of action is likely to
trigger off a false start, resulting in unproductive time utilization on the critical path of the
task they have undertaken. Consequently, the managers might not find enough time for
completing the task.

2. Crisis Management: Most often, crisis management is an offspring of lack of
prioritization of tasks. As a result of the inability to identify between the urgent, the important
and the unnecessary tasks, unimportant tasks are likely to get done first at the cost of
important tasks. Consequently, the managers are not likely to find enough time to get around
to the important things.

3. Procrastination: It is easy to put off tasks if they are not due right away. The trouble is,
tasks pile up and can force managers to run into a time crunch later. Procrastination is
generally triggered off by the fear of failure / success, perfectionism, wanting to do it all or
incorrect priorities. It is a virtue to want to do a good job. But some people become so
anxious about getting a job done perfectly that they never complete it. Managers should
examine whether their efforts to get the job done perfectly are really improving things or
preventing them from getting the job done.

4. Interruptions: Interruptions and distractions arise due to lack of planning, poor
concentration and lack of control over environment. They are unnecessary thieves of a
manager’s time and come in many forms – drop-in visitors, telephones, e-mails
unscheduled meetings, poor communications and confused chain of authority etc. Managers
should be less willing to automatically give away their time just because they demand it.

They should learn to avoid distractions if they are to get work done. They should work in
areas where they are less likely to be disturbed and tell people when they are busy and
cannot be disturbed.

5. Not Delegating: Wanting-to-do-all by oneself is yet another thief that could let the
managers get time out of control. They feel that employees can never do anything as well
as they can. They fear that something will go wrong if someone else takes over a job. They
lack time for long-range planning because they are bogged down in day-to-day operations.

6. Unnecessary Meetings: If a meeting is held without a specific agenda and nothing
productive comes out of it, clearly that meeting was unnecessary. Obviously, such meetings
are thieves as the time is wasted and things just do not get started.

7. The “shuffling blues”: Managers often waste much time because of disorganization.
Keeping things that they need in a specific place, eliminating clutter, making sure that they
have all the materials or information that they need before starting on the task and following
a day-planner or schedule will help keep the ‘shuffling blues’ away at the work place.

8. Poor Physical Setup: Not having the things that the managers need frequently within
easy reach and having a lot of the things that they seldom require close-by results in wastage
of a lot of time, wearing out the carpet, retrieving what they frequently need. And of course,
as they pass others they will often pull them aside to steal some of their time.

9. Poor Networking: Quality relationships with employees and others can be a substantial
time-saver as they open doors for the managers with all kinds of opportunities. Failing to
develop a good network base will cause them to waste time creating what they might have
had through their network.

10. Bad Attitude: Nothing sinks a day more effectively than having a poor attitude. It
causes the managers to dwell on the problems and not the solutions and makes it possible
to throw the day away. When they are burdening others with their problems and complaints
they are forfeiting their valuable time.

11. Negative People: Being surrounded by negative people could mean the managers
are spending a lot of their time listening to them but getting nothing much or purposeful
from them. Obviously, avoiding such people will help the managers to minimize wasted hours and get some of their productive time back.

Misconceptions about Time

Misconceptions about Time

There are several misconceptions which we all have about time. They affect everyone

including those persons who may be considered quite successful and effective. Here are

some of the misconceptions identified by Dr. Mackenzie:

· Time management is simple - all it requires is common sense. While it is true

that the concept is simple, the self-discipline required to practice effective time

management is not easy.

· Work is best performed under pressure. Psychological studies show this to be

no more than an excuse for procrastination. One does not work well under pressure

- only does the best one can under the circumstances. Pressure and challenge

must not be confused. Lara’s performance when the West Indies Team is in trouble

has more to do with application and determination rather than pressure.

· I use a diary, a to-do list and have a secretary to keep me organized. One

has to keep oneself organized - no one can do it for others. The trouble with the

disorganized person is that he hardly has time to listen to his secretary or look at

his diary.

· I do not have the time. The effective worker or manager often gets more work

done in the first earlier hours of the morning than most laggards get done in the

whole day. He then no longer has to work against tight deadlines and under stress

which contributes to heart problems and not unusually the ultimate reduction of time

on this earth.

· Time management might be good for some kinds of work but my job is

creative. Time management is not about routine: it is about self-discipline. Lack of

discipline prevents one from being great instead of simply good.

Time management takes away the fun and freedom of spontaneity. But is working

under stress, forgetting appointments, making constant excuses and apologies to be fun?

Would it not be much more fun if by better organization one had one or two more hours

every day to spend with the family, to play games, read a good book, plan for tomorrow

and the day and week after or just relax?

Understanding Time

Understanding Time


Every individual on earth has the same amount of time - 60 seconds in a minute; 60
minutes in an hour; 1,440 minutes in a day; and 525,600 minutes in a year. While a
vast majority of people confesses faltering to come to grips with it, extremely few can
claim to have made the most of it. How is it that they have got it all done? It’s because
they have managed a way to figure out how to manage their time effectively.

Time Management is more than just managing time. It is about controlling the use of
the most valuable - and undervalued - resource. It is managing oneself in relation to
time. It is setting priorities and taking charge of the situation and time utilization. It
means changing those habits or activities that cause waste of time. It is being willing
to adopt habits and methods to make maximum use of time.

With good time management skills one is in control of one’s time, stress and energy
levels. One can maintain balance between one’s work and personal life. One finds
enough flexibility to respond to surprises or new opportunities. It is not how much time
one has, but rather the way one uses it. The bottom line is how well one manages time.

Internationally known authority on time management Dr. Alec Mackenzie in his book
The Time Trap argues that the very idea of time management is a misnomer because
one really cannot manage time in the way other resources can be managed: financial
capital, physical capital, human capital, information and time. While each of the first
four can be augmented, reduced, transferred or otherwise controlled, Time cannot be
manipulated. Dr. Mackenzie contends that when it comes to time, one can only manage
oneself in relation to it. One cannot control time as one can control other resources –
one can only control how one uses it. In the world in which we live, time cannot be
replaced or re-created. It is therefore not for us to choose whether we spend or save

time but to choose only how we spend it.