Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340 Volume 6, Number 6 (2019), 1-9
© Arya PG College, Panipat & Business Press India Publication, Delhi
www.aryapgcollege.com

Paradigm Shift in Lifestyle and Coping Strategies to Manage Stress in Working Women

Dr. Anjali Dewan
Retd. Associate Professor and Head
Department of Home Science, St. Bede’s College, Shimla
(Himachal Pradesh), India
Email: dewananjali2014@gmail.com

Abstract

Stress is an all-pervading phenomenon in life. It is the product of dynamic interaction of the individual with the environment and is ‘triggered’ by the perception of threat or challenge. It is necessary and useful for personality growth when in optimum level. When this level is exceeded, the costs are experienced in the form of health problems and illnesses. Various environmental factors interact with individual make-up like disease, diet, drugs, occupation, family and social situation, physical and mental fitness, emotional stability and the ability to relax. The stress of combining full-time employment with homemaking is not easy and balancing, these two roles may be more difficult for some employed women than for others. Women make a mistake believing that stressful life events are no-big deal but many of these emotionally painful experiences are important and are not subject to rapid healing. They also engage in the form of self-condemnation and make ruthless attack on their worth as a human beings. The present study is an attempt to provide a practical and a positive approach for supporting women belonging to different professions experiencing stress at work and at home. It has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness of targeting individual lifestyle and adaptive coping strategies to reduce work stress and improve health. The interventions would empower the women professionals to adopt coping patterns to combat stress. To manage it all, stress-free is not possible at all times, but some efforts on a regular basis can help the working mother be happier at work and efficient at managing family demands. Appropriate stress management techniques, coping patterns and a positive attitude can go a long way in helping the professional women deal with stress in an effective manner.

Keywords: Attitude, Coping Strategies, Stress, Stress Management, Support, Working Women.

Introduction

Stress is the psychological and physical state that results when the resources of the individual are not sufficient to cope with the demands and pressures of the situation. Thus, stress is more likely in some situations than others and in some individuals than others. Stress can undermine the achievement of goals, both for individuals and for organizations. In the modern society, stress is an important component of present day competitive life. Stress and strain are inescapable and inevitable facets of life of professional women of today. Stress has been defined as an event which puts demands upon the organism and sets in motion a non-specific bodily response which leads to a variety of temporary or permanent physiological, psychological and structural changes. However, too much stress affects the health and well-being, job performance and behaviour adversely. Employment outside the home has not relieved women of responsibilities of childcare and housework. The number of mothers who work outside the home has increased steadily. Since the working women have to perform the dual roles-domestic and occupational, it becomes necessary for them to know how to handle them to their best abilities.
Stress has become significant due to dynamic social factors and changing needs of life styles. It is human being’s adaptive reaction to an outward situation which would lead to physical, mental and behavioural changes. Even though stress kills brain cells, not all stresses are destructive in nature. Stress can make a person productive and constructive, when it is identified and well managed. The present study is an attempt to provide a practical and a positive approach for supporting women belonging to different professions experiencing stress at work and at home. It has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness of targeting individual lifestyle and adaptive coping strategies to reduce work stress and improve health. The interventions would empower the working women to adopt coping patterns to combat stress. In today‘s world, the degree of stress has increased owing to urbanization, globalization that results into cut-throat competition.
The stress of combining full-time employment with homemaking is not easy and balancing, these two roles may be more difficult for some employed women than for others. Women make a mistake believing that stressful life events are no-big deal but many of these emotionally painful experiences are important and are not subject to rapid healing. They also engage in the form of self-condemnation and make ruthless attack on their worth as a human beings. The way to deal with stress also depends on meeting several human emotional needs like the need to be loved by others, the need to love oneself, the need for safety and the need to hold stress and stimulation at an optimal level. The truth is that not all stresses are destructive in nature. Appropriate amount of stress can actually trigger the passion for work, tap the latent abilities and even ignite inspirations. Common stress reactions include tension, irritability, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat. When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy and strength. But this can also be harmful, if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength.
Interactions between Work and Home Stress
The demands on the working women at the workplace reach out into the homes and their social lives. Long, uncertain or unsocial hours, working away from home, taking work home, high levels of responsibility, job insecurity and job relocation all may adversely affect family responsibilities and leisure activities. This is likely to undermine a good and relaxing quality of life outside work, which is an important buffer against the stress caused by work. In addition, domestic pressures such as childcare responsibilities, financial worries, bereavement and housing problems may affect a person's robustness at work. Thus, a vicious cycle is set up in which the stress caused in either area of one's life, work or home, spills over and makes coping with the other more difficult. Women are especially likely to experience these sources of stress, since they still carry more of the burden of childcare and domestic responsibilities than men. In addition, women are concentrated in lower paid, lower status jobs, may often work in shifts in order to accommodate domestic responsibilities and may suffer discrimination and harassment.
Workplace Factors Causing Stress
The workplace is an important source of both demands and pressures causing stress and structural and social resources to counteract stress. The workplace factors that have been found to be associated with stress and health risks can be categorized as those to do with the content of work and those to do with the social and organizational context of work. Those that are intrinsic to the job include long hours, work overload, time pressure, difficult or complex tasks, lack of breaks, lack of variety and poor physical work conditions like space, temperature and light. The possibilities for job development are important buffers against current stress, with under promotion, lack of training and job insecurity being stressful.
The key factors causing stress are long hours of work, work overload and pressure which show:
• The effects on their personal lives
• Lack of control over work and lack of participation in decision making
• Poor social support
• Unclear management and work role and poor management style.
A successful strategy for preventing stress within the workplace will ensure that the job fits the person, rather than trying to make people fit jobs that they are not well suited to.
Coping Strategies to Deal with Stress
Coping is defined as an attempt to respond to a feeling of discomfort with the aim of removing it. It includes both an attempt to master the perceived causes of stress as well as reduce the effects of stress. Medical studies show that adults with common chronic conditions who participate in comprehensive lifestyle modification programs experience rapid, significant, clinically meaningful and sustainable improvements in biometric, laboratory and psychosocial outcomes. Long term stress could lower the body's resistance to disease and make them vulnerable to illness. Anxiety and tension are essential functions of living, just as hunger and thirst. They are our self-protective reactions when we are confronted by threats to our safety, well-being, happiness or self-esteem. So, while an occasional bout of anxiety and tension may be unpleasant, it is quite normal. The time to become watchful is when emotional upsets come frequently, shake us severely and fail to wear off after a while.
Here are certain simple practical, positive actions, which can help one cope with stress in an effective manner:
Talk it Out
One can confide one’s worry to some level-headed person she can trust. Talking things out helps to relieve strain and to see the worry in a clearer light and see what one can do about it.
Escape for a While
Sometimes, it helps to escape from a painful problem for a while like to lose oneself in a movie or a book or a game. Making oneself ‘stand and suffer’ is a form of punishment, not a way to solve a problem. But one has to be prepared to come back and deal with one’s difficulty when the person is more composed, in a better condition emotionally and intellectually.
Work off Anger
If a person finds himself using anger as a general pattern of behavior, he must remember that anger will generally make him feel foolish and sorry in the end. Throwing the anger out of his system will leave him feeling much better and making him mentally prepared to handle his problem intelligently.
Give in Occasionally
One must stand on his ground on what he believes is right, but do it calmly and make allowance for the fact that he could turn out to be wrong. Do give in once in a while. If he does this, he will usually find that others will yield, too. The result will be relief from tension, the achievement of a practical solution, together with a feeling of satisfaction.
Something for Others
If we worry about ourselves all the time, we should try doing something for others. This will take the steam out of our worries and give us a warm feeling of having done well.
Shun the Superman Urge
Some people get into a state of anxiety because they think they are not achieving as much as they should. They try for perfection in everything. This ideal is an invitation to failure. We must decide which things we do well and then put our major effort into them. There are likely to be things that will give us most satisfaction.
Go Easy with Criticism
Some of us expect too much from others, then feel let down, disappointed, frustrated when another person does not measure up. Instead of being critical of another person’s behaviour, search out his/her good points and help in their development.
Schedule Recreation
Many of us find it hard to take time out. It is desirable for almost everyone to have a hobby that absorbs them in off hours, into which we could throw ourselves completely and with pleasure forgetting all about our work. We must take holidays once in a while.
See the Doctor
If the stress in our life has become intolerable or is causing physical symptoms or depression, counseling by a doctor may help by making life less stressful.
There are a number of relaxation techniques, which help to a great extent in dealing with stress in an effective manner as follows:
Yoga
It is a potent tool not only to tackle today's stress and strain but is also helpful in making and keeping already fit and healthy individuals more fit and healthy. Yoga training for thirty minutes enhances the endomorphin level of the brain, leading to an increase in endurance and general vigour of the person, thereby causing an improvement in skill execution. Practice of asanas improves physical and motor fitness.
Physical Exercise
It has been found to be the best anti-dote for stress. It not only helps in keeping the body physically and mentally fit but also provides recreation and mental relaxation. It eases out the nervous tension by providing an outlet for pent up feelings of aggression and hostility. The main exercises recommended are:
Aerobic Exercises: These increase cardio-vascular activity, tone up the muscles.
Walking and Jogging: Perhaps the most effective exercise in countering stress, walking has been found to be an anti-dote to heart diseases, diabetes etc.
Practicing Good Management
At the work place, poor self management, misplaced priorities and poor vision of thin objectives bog down many people. So one should understand and utilize time-management techniques to help to cope with demanding and stressful situations. Some of the basic principles of time management are:
• To prepare the daily list of activities/tasks to be performed.
• To prioritize activities/tasks as per relative importance and time frame.
• To have the knowledge of one's daily tasks and scheduling the most demanding tasks during that part of the day, when one is most productive and alert.
• To keep some time for visualizing plans for implementation of the present system and to lessen the impact of such irritants which create work impediments.
Increasing Socializing
It is a well-known fact that sharing with near and dear ones in whom we can confide and share helps in reducing stress. Expanding one's social support network such as friends, family members and colleagues and a conscious effort to increase sharing with them helps in reducing excess stress.
Dietary Recommendations
A balanced diet consisting of all the required nutrients in right proportionate amounts can go a long way in dealing with stress in one’s life.
Energy
Current trends among young adults include decreased energy intakes, decreased physical activity and increased body fat defined by Body Mass Index (BMI). The relevance of BMI and associated risks should be given importance. A diet providing about 1900 Kcals will be sufficient to carry on with day to day activities. But this will vary depending on the activity of a person.
Fats
Diets high in saturated fats and cholesterol are associated with increased incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. High fat diets contribute to the development of obesity and increase the risk of cancer. One has to limit ones fats by using lean meat, poultry without skin, fish, low fat or non-fat dairy products. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils and margarine, fewer fried foods could be used.
Complex Carbohydrates
One should consume complex carbohydrates as they boost up energy and calm the mind. They are found in vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes. Plant foods rich in complex carbohydrates and fibre reduce chronic disease risk. We should consume fruits and vegetables in plenty as they are good sources of potassium, which seems to play a role in moderating blood pressure levels and thereby may reduce the risk of stroke. Carotenoids present in dark green and deep yellow vegetables and fruits offer some protection against particular forms of cancer. The insoluble fibre component of plant foods assists in maintaining proper functioning of the large intestine and decreases the risk of colon cancer.
Proteins
A mixed diet solely based on plant proteins could meet protein requirement of the working women provided they consumed enough of the food to meet energy needs.
Minerals
Calcium, iron, zinc should be taken in right proportionate amounts. Zinc helps in enhancing the immunity of the individuals, fights stress and aids in the healing of wounds. It is found in liver, eggs, dairy products, whole grain cereals and seafood.
Vitamins
B-complex vitamins help to deal with stress as these maintain a healthy nervous system, These are found in green vegetables, potatoes, fresh fruits, whole grain cereals, eggs, dairy products, seafood, lean meat, liver, kidney, poultry, pulses (Peas, beans, lentils), nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Vitamin C helps the body to resist infection and helps in healing of the wounds. It is found in fresh fruits especially in citrus fruits, black currants, fruit juices and fresh vegetables.
Foods to be Taken in Plenty
• Green vegetables, fresh fruits with skin
• Salads without rich dressings
• At least 10-12 glasses of water
• Skimmed milk and its products
• Sprouts
• Whole grain cereals, beans, lentils.
Foods to be Avoided
• Nuts, processed cheese, biscuits
• Whole milk, butter, ghee, rich puddings , fried snacks
• Excess fat, salt, sugar
• Carbonated drinks, caffeine rich beverages like too much consumption of coffee and food additives
To help reduce stress in one’s life, it is important to stick to a fresh, whole food diet that is high in complex carbohydrates, moderate in proteins and low in fats. Less than 2 per cent of the diet should consist of simple sugars and those should come from fruit and not from fruit juice. One can sprout grains and pulses, it increases the amount of B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C manifold times, iron is made available in the free form. All these nutrients help fight stress. We should try to make our family’s meals more interesting and nutritious and break the monotony of serving the same kind of dishes every passing day.
How to Stand up Under Stress
All our disturbed feelings like anger, hostility, fear, anxiety, and insecurity are caused by our own responses, not by any external stimuli. If we learn to control these responses, we will be building our own 'psychic screen'. But sometimes, that is not possible and one starts to cry. In fact, it is good to have a cry once in a while. Crying depressurizes us emotionally and thus relieves stress that may affect even our bodies. Civilized living requires that on many occasions, we exercise strong control on ourselves. We are expected to deal with our children, neighbours and business associates with a show of calm assurance to meet crisis. Social support has been the most frequently studied psychosocial resource. Managing stress is about making a plan to be able to cope effectively with daily pressures. The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between life, work, relationships, relaxation and fun. By doing this, we are able to deal with daily stress triggers and meet these challenges head on.
Social support and self-esteem have a positive effect on the well-being of every individual. Recent studies have shown that among the chemical changes triggered by relaxation, there is an increase in the body's manufacture of certain mood altering chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which provide calmness to the body. There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in passivity. We have to think for ourselves and be ourselves. Power comes from within.
Role of Meditation in Coping with Stress
Meditation works by emptying the conscious mind. One directs one's thoughts away from oneself and problems, far from one's work, family, environment and relationships. Meditation relies on the close links between body and mind. When one meditates successfully, production of the alpha brain waves show that one has reached the most balanced, relaxed and harmonious state, which the body is able to attain. This freedom from physical tension and mental strain allows the body to switch to the 'relaxation' response'. Regular meditation has helped people overcome addiction to tranquillizers and has reduced hypertension, insomnia, migraine, depression, anxiety and other psychosomatic diseases. It also improves creativity, concentration, mental alertness and memory.
Stress Management for Working Women
Working women have to manage more stress – be it meeting deadlines at work when you have a sick child at home, managing kids vacation time when they have none of their own or just day to day juggle in being a better performer at work, maintaining healthy relationship with spouse and managing household chores.
Need for Paradigm Shift in Thinking
The working women have to understand that hard work over long periods leads to tension and tiredness which in turn limits their ability to relax and enjoy leisure. This results in various lifestyle diseases. Exercising, meditating, listening to music, reading, cooking, socializing are some activities which can create a balance with a demanding work schedule. A happy home and family environment should offer the most harmonious contrast to working life and to the stresses of travelling to and fro from work. But the family can be demanding which may prove stressful. Time to oneself gives space and quietness to relax, to sort out thoughts and to gain perspective on issues both at work and at home. Variable work hours allow greatest freedom to divide up working and leisure time. Learning skills of active coping and relaxation, developing a life style that creates a buffer against stress and its related diseases can help one maximize chances of early success and boost their self-confidence and a motivation to continue. If they work out a compromise between idealistic desires and practical duties of life, then this will lead to effective stress management. To manage it, all stress-free is not possible at all times, but some efforts on a regular basis can help the working women be happier at work and efficient at managing family demands.
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