Optimizing Your Work/Life Balance: Taking Control of Your Stress

Course details

In 'Occupational Stress,' Stephen Palmer wrote 'Stress is the psychological, physiological and behavioral response by an individual when they perceive a lack of equilibrium between the demands placed upon them and their ability to meet those demands, which, over a period of time, leads to ill-health.' Are you constantly adding items to your to-do list and it seems like your list never shrinks? Are you feeling overwhelmed at work and at home? Are you afraid that stress is starting to negatively impact your health and relationships? Stress is produced by your own feelings and reactions to certain external events, rather than by the events themselves. And while you may not always be able to control the external events that are causing you stress, you can control your reactions to them and how you handle them. This course will explain how the signs and symptoms of stress could be of physiological, behavioral, and psychological nature and where these stresses can come from. This course reviews strategies for coping with stress and avoiding burnout. The course also covers how you can positively change your responses to stress once you are able to recognize how you respond to stressful situations. Relaxation techniques such as breathing and mediation are also covered. Materials designed to support blended learning activities aligned with this course are available from the Resources Page.

• recognize key concepts about how stress manifests itself in your life
• identify the main characteristics and symptoms of burnout
• recognize examples of actions and strategies to cope with stress and prevent full-blown burnout
• use the ABC model to manage your reaction to a stressful situation and challenge irrational thoughts
• sequence examples of the steps of the ABC model used to better manage your reaction to stressful events