Up until now you have had a terribly stressful job, you have not been able to cope with the stress associated, with shuffles etc. You are now in the process of looking for a new and better job. This time, you have decided to take care of your wellbeing and you want to eliminate or learn how to deal with stressful factors. Your task is to create and keep a stress journal, which, by getting to know yourself, will allow you to monitor your stress levels and eliminate as many stress factors as possible from your private and professional life. So get to work!

Step nr 1 - Defining stress and it's impact. 

Stress manifests itself in different ways, and is a very individual issue. The first step to reduce stress in our lives is to understand what it is and how it affects us.  

Your first task is to search the internet for at least 3 definitions of stress, and from this knowledge, describe your own personalised definition of what stress is for you, and how you feel about it. 

Stress Definitions: 

• 1 -  

Source: [Place the link to the source of the definition] 

• 2 -  

Source: [Place the link to the source of the definition] 

• 3 - 

Source: [Place the link to the source of the definition] 

Great! Now that you have learnt a few different formal definitions of stress, it is time to reflect on what it means to us and how we experience it. As you already know, stress affects everyone in our lives, sometimes more and sometimes less, and we cope with it in different ways - once better, once worse. In order to cope with stress and its negative effects on our health, it is very important to be able to properly identify and determine that stress. Just face it. That is why it is time for you to describe below, in your own words, what stress means to you, and how you experience it. 

My definition of stress, and how I feel it: 

Here are some links that may help you understand the concept of stress and it’s different symptoms: 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress 

https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-symptoms-effects_of-stress-on-the-body  

Step 2 -  Identifying my stress factors 

Teraz, jak już rozumiesz czym jest stres oraz jak go odczuwasz w swoim życiu – pora na zidentyfikowanie naszych stresorów.  

Stresor to zwyczajnie mówiąc wewnętrzne lub zewnętrzne zdarzenie lub bodziec, który wywołuje stres. 

Zatem świadomość naszych stresorów jest koniecznym, naturalnym krokiem w zwalczaniu stresu i budowaniu umiejętności radzenia sobie z nim. Jako, że w tym WebQueście skupiamy się również na życiu profesjonalnym i radzeniu sobie ze stresem w nowej pracy oraz przy jej poszukiwaniach, to w tym kroku należy zidentyfikować na podstawie własnych doświadczeń nasze stresory w życiu prywatnym i profesjonalnym. 

The links below will help you to better understand what stressors are and provide some examples: 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/stress/causes-of-stress/  

https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/causes-of-stress  

Step 3 – Analyzing different stress management techniques 

Now that you know what stress is, how you feel it, and with a little reflection, you can identify the stress factors you are experiencing, it is time to learn about the different techniques of stress management and stress relief, and try to choose the technique that works best for you. As we already know, stress is a very individual issue. So is the effectiveness of particular techniques. There is no single golden advice on how to cope with stress or how to reduce it, but with the knowledge of oneself and one's preferences, it is worth trying different ones to check their effectiveness. Only then can we discover the one that works best for us. 

Here are five popular and in many cases effective stress management techniques that you should familiarise yourself with and try out to try and combat your stress factors: 

• 1. Creating your own space  

One such basic method to help us reduce stress is simply to create our own space. We focus on ultimately having a place at home/work where we can feel comfortable, safe and ourselves. While at work the conditions are different, at home it is very important to have a place where we can spend time with ourselves and where we will not be disturbed. 

• 2.  Mindfulness  

"Mindfulness means a special kind of attention - mindful, directed at the present moment and non-judgmental. Such attention develops great awareness, clarity and acceptance of the current situation. It awakens us to the fact that life unfolds only in individual moments" Jon Kabat-Zinn 

Here is one of the basic mindfulness techniques: 

Close your eyes, take a deep breath in and then slowly let the air out. Concentrate on the movement of your chest and try not to think about anything else. If you have a flurry of thoughts in your head, acknowledge them but don't concentrate on them, let them go by focusing on your breath. 

• 3. Deep breathing 

Deep breathing allows us to calm down and slow down our heart rate when under severe stress. You can find many deep breathing techniques, but one of them is to follow the steps below: 

1.Sit comfortably, straighten your shoulders and relax your arms. Place your tongue just behind your teeth on the palate. Close your eyes and focus solely on your breath. 

1. Start by exhaling forcefully through your mouth. On the count of 4, take a deep breath in through your nose.
2. Hold your breath while counting to 7 - this distributes the oxygen efficiently throughout your bloodstream.
3. Exhale slowly through tight lips and count to 8.

After 3 cycles your body should have become accustomed to this breathing pattern. Repeat this until you feel your body relax and your heartbeat slow down. 

• 4. Progressive muscle relaxation 

This method involves relaxing specific parts of the body according to two simple steps: 

1. You tension certain muscle groups in your body, such as your neck and shoulders.  

1. Then you relax your muscles and note how they feel when they are relaxed.  

This technique can help you relax when you are nervous and reduce your overall tension and stress levels. 

• 5. Acknowledging your achievements 

This last method is very important especially when dealing with stress related to studies or work. People tend to focus on future upcoming responsibilities or failures, completely forgetting to stop and reward themselves for achievements or successfully completed tasks. 

One example of using this method is by following these steps: 

After each day's work, take 10 minutes to sit down and reflect on what we managed to do and achieve today. Even if we didn't manage to complete the whole task, we include completing part of it. We sit until we have written down our achievements. For this purpose, all we need is a piece of paper and a pen.  

The aim of this method is to appreciate our work and our sacrifices, which in turn gives us more self-confidence and allows us to reduce stress related to, for example, future tasks. 

Sources: 

https://www.betterup.com/blog/stress-management-techniques  

https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-management.html  

https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/tips-to-control-stress  

Do you know any of these techniques? Or have you tried any of them? If so, describe your impressions below: 

Your task is to try to use each of these methods in a stressful situation. Which do you think will be most effective for you in your personal life and at work and why? 

Next, it is time for you to do some online research and list two different methods of stress management or stress relief that appeal to you and - based on your own preferences, behaviour and character – you think would be most effective for you. Try to find techniques that you can practise when you are stressed at work, before job interviews and on the run. It is important that they are practical in everyday situations and when searching for a job. Describe these techniques below: 

• 1.  

Name of the technique:

Description:

How does it help you cope with stress? 

Step 4 – Keeping a stress journal  

Now that you have an understanding of the basics of stress, and have considered the various techniques for yourself - it is time to take the final step in this stress relieving journey, which is designed to help you cope with stress in everyday life, when looking for a job, and when acclimatising to a new job and new responsibilities. 

Keeping a stress diary is an effective way of finding what causes us stress and discovering the level of stress that is beneficial to us. 

In our stress journal we will be tasked with recording our stress levels and how we feel during our day. In particular, we record stressful events.  

Below you will find a template with the information you need to fill in our stress journal during the day.  

Your task is to fill in this template as it stands today and, if possible, to keep this journal in the future. 

MY STRESS JOURNAL 

Day/date: 
 

…………………. 

Time (We can write at different hourly intervals) 
 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

The amount of stress we experience (e.g. on a scale from 1 to 10) 

1        2        3       4       5       6       7       8       9       10 

How/what do we feel? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

How effective is our work 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

What stressful situation has occurred? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

When and where did it occur? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

What factors caused this event? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

How stressful was it? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

How did we cope with the event? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

What method did we use to try to reduce the stress? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

Did it work? If so, how? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

Great! If you would like to learn more about keeping a stress journal, and its other methods, visit the links below: 

https://psychcentral.com/stress/how-to-begin-journaling-for-stress-relief 

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_01.htm  

 Congratulations! By keeping up with the steps given, you have managed to increase your knowledge of stress, analyse your own stressors in both your personal and professional life and explore multiple techniques to support stress relief. By applying these techniques and keeping your stress journal diligently, you will be able to better navigate your job search journey as well as cope in your everyday life. This is a very important skill that will make your life much more enjoyable! In the meantime remember after a very important thing that Albert Einstein once said - “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”