{"id":3875,"date":"2019-04-08T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T09:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/?p=3875"},"modified":"2023-12-31T01:54:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-31T01:54:12","slug":"boost-productivity-reduce-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/boost-productivity-reduce-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Boost productivity and reduce stress with \u2018coping networks\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coping with stress<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Stress defined? \u2018When the demands placed upon us at work exceed our resources, and we feel we can no longer cope\u2019<\/a>. You\u2019ve had a stressful day<\/a> \u2013 there\u2019s too much work, deadlines are tight and you\u2019re worrying constantly about the consequences of not getting it done. Perhaps your manager (also stressed) is shouting at you? It\u2019s the end of another working day and you feel exhausted, irritable and on edge. What is going on?<\/p>\n

\"Stress<\/p>\n

If you are stressed, you spend your day in a state of constant anxiety. Basically, you\u2019re stuck in fight or flight<\/strong> mode, that powerful survival instinct designed to assist us whenever we feel threatened or in danger. You perceive a threat, fight or flight is switched on, and adrenaline and cortisol is released into your bloodstream. There are physical effects such as increased heart rate, raised body temperature, sweaty palms and butterflies in your stomach).<\/p>\n

However, the main problem is the amount of nervous energy<\/strong> it gives you, which is designed to keep you alive, to fight back or take flight! But you\u2019re in the office, not about to engage a sabre-toothed tiger in mortal combat!<\/p>\n

Once you have dealt with the threat, the fight or flight mechanism is supposed to switch off. It\u2019s only meant to be used in temporary, short-term bursts. The problem is that stressed out people see threats around them all the time, so they go into fight or flight mode and get stuck there. The nervous energy within them builds up throughout the day, and at some point it will have to be released!<\/p>\n

What can you do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s talk about coping networks<\/strong>; finding an appropriate outlet<\/strong> for the pent up nervous energy, emotion and frustration generated during a stressful working day. These networks are very important, because if we can\u2019t find a suitable way of releasing our nervous energy, it will come out in other ways. This could be an outburst \u2013 we\u2019ve had a hard day, and someone says something we don\u2019t like. Before we know it, we\u2019re raging at this unfortunate victim!<\/p>\n

Here are some popular coping networks<\/a>:<\/p>\n