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HR Update; December 8, 2006

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UC Retirement Plan and UC Retirement Savings Education Programs

Please tell your colleagues, circulate invitations, post the actual schedules, or otherwise re-broadcast these weekly reminders about our valuable (FREE) education programs for faculty and staff. 

Usually there can be at least one (or more) workshop(s) per week scheduled at various UCSF locations around town. For more details and listings for upcoming scheduled presentations, please refer to our Workshops and Presentations Schedules menus found at our local UCSF HR/Benefits website.

Abstract:  Looking for ways to reduce stress and tension? Try these ten helpful hints provided by Dr. David B. Posen to manage your stress level and keep your self healthy this holiday season. 

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‘Tis the Season for Self Rejuvenation

The winter season is the perfect time of year to give yourself the gift of self care.  And since it’s also a season for gifts, share these ideas with you family, co-workers, patients and clients to help everyone stay healthy throughout the year.  Here are some tips to keeping your spirits up and your stress level down for the holidays and the new year. 

The first step to managing stress is becoming aware of it.  Did you know that stress is the number one underlying cause of poor health in our society?  It leads to an estimated 70% of all primary care doctor appointments.  While stress can imitate nearly any symptom, its main presentations are usually in one of the follow categories:  Physical, mental, emotional and/or behavioral. 

Further, while stress can be created by a variety of factors, its causes can be classified as either external or internal.  External stressors come from our environment.  They can develop from a variety of sources including difficulty at work, loss of a loved one or getting sick.  The majority of stress that we experience, however, is internally generated.  This is good news!  We have little control over external events, but we can control what we ourselves generate. That means that you have more control over your stress level than you might think you do. 

To be effective in reducing your stress level, you will need to make some changes in your life; learn to do some things differently.  You might change your behavior, your thoughts, your life style and/or your current situation.  As you become more aware of what’s contributing to your stress, you’ll be more able to make adjustments to eliminating and prevent it.  Doctor David B. Posen offers 10 practical suggestions to help you improve your health by lowering your stress. 

1~ Exercise Regularly.  You’ve probably heard this tip before.  Nothing is better at releasing stress than aerobic exercise.  Stress is a physiological reaction in which the body produces adrenaline and other hormones that increase the heart rate and blood pressure, breathing rate, muscle tension and blood sugar, among other things.  Stress is how your body arouses itself in preparation for a fight or flight response to either internal or external stimulants.  Since there is seldom need for either of those two extremes during a regular day, our bodies store stressful energy and can remain in a state of agitation for hours at a time.  Regular exercise is an ideal way to dissipate this excess energy, while giving the added benefit of releasing endorphins that help uplift our mood. 

2~ Relax or Meditate.  Just as our bodies are able to sustain an agitated state for long periods of time, we can teach them to maintain a state of relaxation for extended periods.  In such a state all of the physiological responses to stress are reversed: the pulse and heart rate are slow, blood pressure falls, breath rate reduces and muscles relax.  While stress reactions are automatic, relaxed states need to be intentionally produced.  They can be achieved by a variety of methods including sitting quietly, engaging in restful activities and learning other relaxation skills.  Some states of deep relaxation, achieved through hypnosis or mediation, have been shown to be even more psychologically restful for the body than sleep! 

3~ Sleep.  Almost all those who suffer from chronic stress, also suffer from fatigue.  When we are tired, we don’t cope well with stress.  And being stressed makes us more tired.  This creates a destructive cycle.  Do you know how much sleep you need to wake up feeling rested?  For most people it is somewhere between 5-10 hours a night.  Surprisingly, most people know how much sleep they need, but they don’t arrange to get it.  When you are getting enough sleep, you will notice that you awake refreshed, have good daytime energy and that you awaken naturally before an alarm.  Catching up by sleeping in can help, but sleeping too long in the morning can through off the bodies natural rhythms the next day.  It’s preferable to go to bed early. 

4~ Decrease or Eliminate Caffeine.  You might already be aware that caffeine is a strong stimulant.  When taken, it generates a stress response in the body.  Lessening or eliminating caffeine can help your body better mediate stress.  Why not try this experiment: Stop using caffeine for 3 weeks, enough time to eliminate it from your system.  Then evaluate what changes you notice.  Once off caffeine entirely, many people report feeling more relaxed, being less jittery or nervous, sleeping better and having more energy!  Be careful, however, to wean yourself gradually from caffeine, to avoid with drawl headaches. 

5~ Time-Outs and Leisure.  It’s not surprising that working all day with no breaks would wear you out.  It is surprising that so many of us try to do it anyway.  A certain amount of stress allows us to stay sharp and focused and to function more effectively.  But when stress becomes to intense, lasts too long or occurs too often, it hinders our productivity.  The keys to a healthy work day are pacing and balance.  Pacing comes from monitoring your stress and energy levels, and working according to what your body is telling you it needs; use your self awareness to know when to stretch and when to back off.  To pace yourself well you need to respond to the messages your body is giving you, instead of ignoring them. 

Life seems to progress ever faster, and it become more and more difficult to find time for leisure activities.  We all need time to rejuvenate, take care of our own needs and practice good self care to balance the energy we spend working.  It is important to give ourselves permission to make time for enjoyable activities as well as work. 

6~ Realistic Expectations.  We cause ourselves a great deal of stress by holding on to unrealistic expectations.  Frequently people become upset at something, not because it is an innately stressful event, but because it didn’t happen how they expected or hoped it would.  When expectations are realistic, life feels more predictable and we feel like we have more control, and are, therefore, less stressed.  Evaluate your expectations of yourself and others to be sure they allow for achievable results. 

7~ Reframing.  Framing refers to the perspective we choose to take on an event.  We change our perspective regularly based on our expanding knowledge of a situation and how we are influenced by our experiences and current state of emotions.  For example if a car flew past us on the free way and cut us off, we might be angry.  However, if we thought that the driver was late to his only daughter’s wedding, our change in perspective would defuse our emotional reaction.  Suddenly, his inconsiderate driving seems more forgivable, even though the actually event didn’t change.  The key to reframing is realizing that each situation has multiple interpretations. It is unlikely that we will have a total and complete understating of the circumstances leading to a particular event.  Even if we did, each event could still be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on our viewpoint.  So, we might as well choose the least distressing, most agreeable interpretation. 

8~ Belief System.  Stress can result from our beliefs.  We maintain an astounding amount of premises and assumptions about all kinds of situations, events and people.  We hold on to our beliefs about how things are and how they ought to be and place value judgments on the people and situations around us based on our beliefs about them.  Most of this happens unconsciously, which gives our beliefs even more power to manage our emotions for us, instead of us taking control of how we choose to think and feel. 

Stress can come from our belief systems in two ways. First, the actions we take based on our belief system can cause stress.  If, for example, we believe that ‘work comes before pleasure,’ we are likely to spend more energy working long hours and not dedicate enough time to self care.  Too much work and not enough leisure leads to increased stress. Secondly, our beliefs can cause stress when they are in conflict with the beliefs of those around us.  If you believe that focusing on work tasks is the best way to meet the department goals and your coworker believes that developing good interpersonal relationships in the office is the most efficient way to meet the goals, you will likely experience some tension or stress until you begin to develop an understanding of one another’s work style or come to a compromise about how to handle office projects.  Articulating your beliefs and labeling them as ‘beliefs’ instead of ‘truths’ will go a long way in reducing your stress, as well as facilitating more comfortable interactions with those around you. 

9~ Humor.  Laughter relieves tension.  You might have noticed that you laugh all the harder when you have been feeling tense or upset.  Look for the humor in any situation.  What’s funny to you might not be funny to someone else, so be considerate of those around you, but don’t hesitate to laugh at yourself. 

10~ Ventilation and Support System.  You may have noticed that talking about things helps.  When we share our stories, cry, admit mistakes or otherwise appropriately express ourselves to an empathetic listener, the act of doing so can release emotional energy that may be causing stress.  Keeping things to yourself can create an unnecessarily heavy burden.  It’s worth the effort to develop a trusted support system on which you can rely when you are upset or worried.  Another way to ventilate troubles is by writing.  Writing in a journal or composing a letter can be very therapeutic, even if no one ever reads what you have written. 

While there are many ways to manage stress, these ten suggestions can be put to use daily to help you and those around you feel more upbeat and relaxed.  The holiday season can be particularly difficult for many people, which makes it ever more important for you to be sure you are being careful and consistent with your self care. 

The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program is here to support you through the holidays and throughout the year.  It provides confidential assessment, counseling, and referral services for the well being of both the individual and the organization. Please contact us at (415) 476-8279 or visit the HR web site at: http://www.ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/assist

References:
www.mentalhelath.com

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