STRESS MANAGEMENT

1. Stress Management implies the considered conditioning of an individual's environment and responses to those influences, which disturb natural equilibrium of the human being and there by limit the negative effects of the same. Western contemporary management thought looks for externally oriented approaches to management of stress. These approaches include restructuring the external environment, changing the person's level of mental, physical and social skill by supporting him in the use of these skills, or by altering his perceptual and cognitive processes and also through what is called social engineering. To amplify the idea, social engineering may make simple but extreme forms such as spouse or resigning a difficult job. In this approach, it is not uncommon to find that in many cases new problems get created as old ones get solved. The management of stress through a human value approach on the contrary is an inward looking process which focuses on the individual's value based strengths to combat the fallout of stressful management through problem prevention rather than through problem solving.

2. Stress management encompasses various areas of interaction on a personal level as well as on a social level. Ways of managing stress in these areas are different for every individual however there are stress management techniques or solutions in general for every sphere of activity listed below. The more general methods and those which have been researched and found acceptance are being covered under the following heads :-

(a) Work Life.

(b) Inner Self.

(c) Social Life.

(d) At Home.