Stress, for many of us, is a commonplace aspect of our lives. And in small doses it’s not such a bad thing, since it can get you through those ridiculous deadlines and help you perform under pressure (a thing too close for comfort for us here at TOAD). But what happens when running on emergency mode becomes your daily norm?
Spearhead Training run a plethora of personal development courses, and stress management is one of them. They are mainly business focused, which means the services they provide are aimed to boost company performance through developing a company’s people. However, they have also trained individuals, ranging from housewives to independent entrepreneurs, booking themselves onto courses for their personal development. We got to speak to Louella Walker, who is the senior management consultant at Spearhead.
Are your services more like life coaching or psychiatric help?
Our Stress Management Course is designed to assist professional business people in understanding what causes stress, and to know how to deal with it. There is a good balance of theory and practice. The theory covers key stressors at work and in life, as well as ways to enhance a person’s understanding of what stress is (including the amazing fact that stress can be positive and garnered to heighten performance). The practical part of the course includes techniques that are explained, practised and which may be included in an individual’s tool box to cope with everyday stress. In summary, it contains a mixed bag of ‘quick fixes’ and more concentrated, helpful suggestions.
Where can unmanaged stress lead eventually?
Each person’s situation is different, and people deal with stress in various ways, some more effectively than others. It is better to understand the root causes of the stress and deal with them, rather than leave it unmanaged. Left unmanaged, the stress levels become compounded and may ultimately result in needing medical support.
Do you think people today are less able to deal intelligently with stress than they were in the past? Or is it simply that life is more demanding and stressful?
Unknown to many, stress has existed since the Stone Age! The ‘fight or flight’ mechanism is the natural instinctive response that primitive man displayed when faced with stress. Advancements in technology and the entire behaviours of man, to what is known as a more ‘rapid hectic and demanding schedule’ has heightened stress in one’s life. What we drive home in our course is that this is a phenomenon that is manageable.
Can you tell us more about the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism?
This is the instinctive response to stress that emerged from research by Walter Canon (1932). His work showed that when an organism experiences a shock or perceives a threat, it quickly releases hormones that help it to survive. In humans, these hormones help us to run faster and fight harder. They increase heart rate and blood pressure, delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to power the muscles. Increased sweating, helps to cool the same muscles to keep them efficient. The hormones released also focus our attention on the threat, to the exclusion of everything else. All of this significantly improves our ability to survive life-threatening events. We experience this same reaction almost any time we come across something we perceive as unexpected or something that frustrates our goals.
Can you provide some simple tips that we can use when dealing with stress in day to day life?
There are a wide range of tips, but for everyday stress, we recommend relaxation breathing, progressive muscular relaxation, and using imagination therapy. Creating a relaxing ambience in one’s surroundings is so important, and we do simulate this in our training room. The use of candles, aromatic oils, relaxation aids such as massages, eyeshades, herbal pillows are all good suggestions. Keeping a simple stress diary/log is the first step to recognise stress, its sources and frequency of occurrence in one’s life. This will then assist in selecting the right path and technique for coping with the stress.
Spearhead Management Abu Dhabi are open Sunday -Thursday 8.30am – 6pm, Najda St, Bank of Oman Building (02 631 5338).
