First Aid for Stress
Presented by:
Julie Finn, Relationship Manager
First Marblehead
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Content Developed by HRDQ
Disclaimer
The purpose of this presentation is to provide
some suggestions for how to cope with
everyday workplace stress. The information
contained herein represents the opinion of its
author and should not be relied upon to
diagnose or treat any stress-related illness or
mental health condition. If you have concerns
about your health, or would like more
information about how to deal with stress,
please contact your physician.
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Objectives
 Determine your stress level
 Debunk stress myths
 Understand stress triggers
 Learn how to proactively manage your
stress
 And more!
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Stress Check
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Acknowledging the Concept of Stress
✚ Working in financial aid is stressful
✚ Stress can affect our quality of life
✚ Stress can reduce productivity
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Debunking Stress Myths
✚ Myth 1
 Stress does not exist
✚ Myth 2
 Stress is not a problem in this office
✚ Myth 3
 All stress is bad
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
What is Stress?
✚ Personal Perceptions of Stress
✚ Stress Indicators
✚ Psychological
✚ Physiological
✚ Behavioral
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Summary
✚ We must accept that stress in the workplace exists and
work to understand what it means.
✚ Stress definitions range from the simple to the complex
and comprehensive.
✚ Stress can be defined as being a stimulus, a response,
or a relationship between a person and his or her
environment.
✚ Stress can usefully be defined as an “umbrella” term
under which a wide range of issues and aspects of
human function and performance at work can be
understood and managed.
✚ Our definitions of stress guide our understanding and
stress management interventions at work.
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Understanding the Causes of Stress
✚ Understimulation and Overstimulation
✚ The Problem of Understimulation
✚ Overstimulation: A Threat to Quality Work
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Common Causes of Stress
✚ Sleep deprivation
✚ Noise
✚ Stress and sickness, absence
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Cultivating the Quality Workplace
✚ Acknowledge and value each other
✚ Make sure everyone feels they belong
✚ Be kind to each other
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Causes of Stress Summary
✚ The balance between understimulation and
overstimulation in the workplace
✚ The need for organizations to become more
responsible and more proactive in their
approaches to preventing and alleviating
stress at work
✚ The part played by work demands and
information flow on the quality of employee
performance
✚ Stress and sickness absence
✚ The need to create and maintain a quality
workplace as much as a performance-driven
one
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Activity:
Job Stress/Satisfaction
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress
Final Thoughts
✚ Stress is present during the whole of the
human life span.
✚ We simply cannot assume that every single
time stress is experienced it is a bad thing for
employees. Stress can be a motivator as
long as it does not exceed our ability to cope.
✚ What we can say is that stress only becomes a
problem for workers if and when the
significant demands they face in their working
lives exceed their social, psychological,
biological, and somatic resources and abilities
to cope.
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© 2008, 2013 HRDQ
First Aid for Stress