Overview

This course explores the basic concepts of stress – mental, emotional and physical – and its possible consequences if not dealt with promptly and effectively. It also covers ways of taking responsibility for and dealing with stress as and when it arises, from daily hassles to larger issues, and for avoiding creating unnecessary stress. These ideas will be put together during the workshop to create a ‘Calm’ action plan that the participants can begin to implement immediately.

Training objectives

This course will help participants understand:

• What stress is and isn’t, when it’s useful and when it’s not
• How we can use our in-built relaxation response to minimise and relieve stress and create calm
• The layers of our mental, physical and emotional life and where we can intervene
• The three main factors that affect our stress levels, why they do and what we can do about them
• The three stages of stress and their signs and symptoms
• The six main approaches to dealing with stress – their usefulness and risks
• How ‘daily hassles’ left unresolved can affect our ability to cope with ‘big things’
• Strategies for avoiding creating stressful situations and remaining calm
• Strategies for taking responsibility and control and creating calm

Audience

The workshop is suitable for staff at all levels. It may be especially suitable for those who find work-life balance a little more difficult, those taking on more responsibility or experiencing some change in working conditions, those in a faster-paced environment or where issues and problems are less predictable and need rapid resolution.

Format

The course is a positively focused one-day workshop. There will be a balanced mixture of high-quality presentation, exercises, personal reflection, and Q&A with the trainer. It is designed to be highly participative in nature, with plenty of opportunity for discussion and sharing experience. This will ensure that the participant’s varied learning preferences are met in full, and that they can take relevant and effective action in their own work environment and circumstances.

Special features

The participants will be provided with some brief pre-work as well as a course booklet containing the relevant presentation materials used by the trainer on the day. This will also include additional detailed information and space for their personal reflections and notes.

The expert trainer

To be announced.’

Course outline

1 Introduction and course objectives

• Personal and course objectives
• Ground-rules for session, including willingness to listen to other opinions and experiences even if radically different from our own
• Discussion of the varying ideas and beliefs about stress

2 What stress IS and ISN’T

• Stress as a biological response mechanism for adapting, growing, learning and changing
• Ancient v modern life in relation to stress
• Useful v dangerous stress – ‘Stretched v Stressed’
• The biological mechanisms triggered under stress and relaxation and their effects

3 The layers of life

• A basic introduction to the ‘Logical Levels’ model
• Discussion of a ‘Constrained’ v ‘Empowered’ approach to our inner and outer life

4 The THREE FACTORS that affect stress

• How and why stressful situations are created and maintained at work
• Introduction to the DEMAND – SUPPORT – CONTROL model of stress
• Group discussion of how the three factors contribute in real-life example situations
• Open discussion of how different people / personality types respond to stress in different ways
• Discussion of strategies for re-balancing the three factors to minimise stress levels, and how to apply this to minimise future stresses – managing the risk of stress for yourself and others
• Time for personal reflection on what’s been covered so far

5 The THREE STAGES of stress

• Introduction to Hans Selye’s Alarm – Resistance – Exhaustion three-stage model of stress
• Discussion of the signs of each stage

6 SIX Responses to initial Stress

• Introduction to Fight, Flight, Freeze, Flock, Fade, Frolic – all seen in the animal kingdom and in humans alike
• Discussion of what each response is designed to do – its usefulness and risks
• Introduce the concept of personal control to fire the relaxation response
• Discussion of ‘Caretaking’ v ‘Skill-based’ approaches to managing stress and the three key life ingredients that can help create calm – diet, sleep and exercise
• Reinforcement of the fundamental truth that stress requires action to minimise or it will escalate

7 Putting it all together

• Discussion of ‘daily hassles’ v ‘big things’ and our limited capacity to cope with unresolved matters
• Personal reflection / small group discussion on ‘Stretched v Stressed – where’s the line..?’
• Development of group’s own ‘Top Ten Positive Tips’ for managing and/or avoiding stress
• Personal Action Planning – participants to write a list of their key learning points and prioritise the top three actions they will implement within the next week
• Summary and close