STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR HIGH STRESS WORK

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Stress Management

For Your High Stress Work

I imagine if you are reading this you do Ultra High Stress Work or you have a loved one that does.

Most of us experience a high level of stress on a consistent basis, which can be very difficult to manage.

Those of you in an Ultra High Stress Job can experience an exponential amount of stress!

It is very important for all of us to learn Stress Management skills – it is even more important for those of you in a High Stress Job.

I believe I can help!

With my extensive experience in helping people in Ultra High Stress Jobs learn Stress Management, along with my own experience of managing high levels of stress.

Plus, with all my knowledge about best practices when it comes to helping people learn Stress Management in Ultra High Stress Work, including the way I’m able to connect with people that are experiencing increased stress.

All this adds up to me being able to provide effective and quality help for you to learn Ultra High Stress Management and achieve Optimized Living.

Are You Feeling Stressed The F*ck Out?

Are you sick and tired of all the BS at your job?
Feeling detached or distant from your loved ones or yourself?

Experiencing overwhelm by the amount of work you have to do?
Do you feel like your life is falling apart?
Having problems falling asleep or staying asleep?

Are you always preoccupied with work?
Has your fuse gotten shorter and shorter while your anger has become quicker and quicker?
How about drinking too much?
Have you thought about killing yourself?

If you are answering yes to any of these questions, please contact me now.

What is Ultra High Stress Work?

Good question. If your work has any of the following characteristics, then you are in an Ultra High Stress Job:

  • You are in a high level of stress day in and day out
  • May be responsible for people’s lives
  • Making high impact decisions daily
  • Your life may be at risk. It’s the job where one mistake can be disastrous.
  • High public visibility
  • You have strict, rigid, and regular deadlines
  • High level of competition
  • Deal with very difficult people everyday

Ultra High Stress Work

These are some of the most stressful jobs over the past few years according to studies done by Careercast.com

  • Enlisted Military Personnel
  • Firefighter
  • Airline Pilot
  • Police Officer
  • Senior Corporate Executive
  • Emergency Medical Technician
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Health Personnel
  • Correctional Officer
  • Broadcaster
  • Public Relations Executive
  • Event Coordinator

 

WHAT IS STRESS?

This isn’t as easy to answer as you might think.

Stress is a very subjective experience. What may be stressful for one person may be invigorating to another or may not affect them at all.

We’re all experiencing pretty high levels of stress nowadays, but the problem is, when it’s chronic high levels of stress, this will negatively affect everyone of us.

Stress is any physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes physical or mental tension.

The causes of stress, also known as stressors, can be external or internal.

External stressors are those things that happen to you.

Some examples are:

  • Workplace stress – dangerous work environment – difficult coworkers – unmanageable workloads – asshole boss
  • Major life events – marriage – divorce – death of loved one – birth of child – buying/selling house
  • Environmental input – noise – extreme temperatures – crowds – weather
  • Social – meeting new people – first dates – family
  • Unpredictable events – laid off from job – natural disaster – house burning down – car accident

Internal stressors are coming from within your body or mind.

Some examples are:

  • Physical illness
  • Whether you’re tired or hungry
  • Emotional state – depressed – angry – irritated – anxious
  • Thoughts you’re having – preoccupied with negative thoughts – worrying about the future – being predominantly pessimistic
  • Fears you have – fear of failing – fear of public speaking – fear of being judged

Any one of these stressors, or any combination, can lead to the triggering of the stress response.

The stress response is when the brain goes into the “flight, fight, freeze” mode.

This is the brain’s self-defense mechanism. We all have this innate survival instinct, which is awesome, because it has kept our species alive for a longtime.

When the stress response is triggered, the brain goes into action.

  • When the amygdala perceives danger, it instantly sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus
  • The hypothalamus is like the command center of the brain. It communicates with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system
  • The hypothalamus then activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals to the adrenal glands
  • The adrenal glands release the hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol
  • These hormones bring on the physiological changes we experience during the stress response
    • The heart beats faster – pushing blood to the muscles and other vital places in the body
    • Breathing becomes accelerated – allowing for more oxygen throughout the body
    • Our senses become sharper
    • Nutrients flood into the bloodstream – supplying energy to all parts of the body

This response enables us to react quickly to life threatening situations – without even needing to think about it.

It actually happens before we are even able to fully process what is going on.

We get amped up with all this energy to fight the danger – fight response

We get amped up with enough energy to run away from the danger – flight response

We can also react by “playing dead” when faced with a danger – freeze response

This works great when there’s an actual life threatening danger present, but we can also experience this stress response when the stressor isn’t life threatening.

There may not be something we can fight, run away from, or freeze in front of.

What do we do then?

When you experience the stress response to a non-life threatening stressor, you still have the innate drive to “fight, flight, freeze,” but this isn’t often possible, at least not without suffering some pretty significant negative consequences.

It’s probably not a good idea to respond with fight when you’re dealing with a difficult person; or with flight when you are feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do; or with freeze when you are about to perform a surgery.

As stated before, we are all under high levels of stress these days, so this stress response is triggering way too often.

This repeated triggering of the stress response causes a lot of physical and psychological damage to us.

Now think about your High Stress Work

Think about the incredibly high levels of stress you experience on a daily basis.

You’re experiencing the negative consequences of these repeated stress responses even more often than the average person due to your chosen career.

This makes it even more imperative that you learn Ultra Stress Management so you can live your Optimized Life.

Man is angry and stressed due to being in a high stress job

AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Contact Me Now

There can be many problems related to doing Ultra High Stress Work.

You can experience many symptoms of stress which can be placed into four categories: physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms, emotional symptoms, and behavioral symptoms.

There are three types of stress: acute stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress.

You can also experience a multitude of psychical health problems related to being in an Ultra High Stress Job, some of which can be deadly.

If you’re in an Ultra High Stress Job, you may have an increased chance of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Although there can be many problems related to having an Ultra High Stress Career, there is help, and I believe I can be that help and get you to your Optimized Life.

Man drinking alcohol alone at bar due to high stress work

Just one more drink and maybe I’ll feel better.

Symptoms of Stress

Physical Symptoms of Stress can Include:

  • Rapid heart rate – chest pain – tightness in your chest
  • Muscles are more tense- aches and pain throughout your body – headaches
  • Low energy – feel exhausted – feeling listless
  • Insomnia – you’re not able to fall asleep – not able to stay asleep – disrupted sleep – nightmares
  • Upset stomach – nausea – diarrhea – constipation – stomach cramps – stomach pain
  • Getting sick more often – getting lots of colds – getting more  infections – takes longer for infections to go away
  • Losing interest in sex – low libido – experiencing sexual dysfunction
  • Clenching your jaw – jaw pain – grinding your teeth
  • Dry mouth – difficulty swallowing
  • Feeling shaky – having tremors – feel tingling in your limbs

Cognitive symptoms of stress Can include:

  • Having racing thoughts – can’t shut-off your mind – difficulty concentrating
  • More forgetful – easily confused – disorganized thinking
  • Having difficulty making decisions – can’t even decide where to eat
  • Difficulty learning new things – difficulty understanding – poor comprehension
  • Your judgement is off – you don’t trust your choices
  • Worry all the time – think of all the things that could go wrong – what if…
  • More pessimistic than usual – you only see the negative – glass is “half empty”

Emotional symptoms of stress can include:

  • Feeling overwhelmed – there’s too much to do – feel out of control
  • Feeling depressed – sad – worthless – you’re self-esteem has decreased – you think bad things about yourself
  • Feeling anxious – feeling nervous around others – feel others don’t like you
  • Easily agitated – frustrated – feeling on-edge
  • Crying a lot – tearful – can’t control emotions – emotional outbursts
  • Feeling angry – feeling hostility towards others
  • Having mood swings – feeling guilty

Behavioral symptoms of stress can include:

  • Eating too much – not eating enough – weight gain – weight loss
  • Nervous habits – biting fingernails – feet tapping – twirling your hair – pacing
  • Not performing at work – not completing tasks – lack of production
  • Calling in sick to work – missing more work than usual – late to work
  • Lying to cover up about things you did not do or things you did do
  • Not talking as much – lack of communication – difficulty expressing yourself
  • Drinking too much – smoking more cigarettes – using other drugs
  • Procrastinating more often – avoiding responsibility
  • Isolating – avoiding people – social withdrawal
  • Gambling more – buying more things – spending more money – impulse buying
  • Abusing prescriptions – abusing over-the-counter medications – taking family members medications

It sure scares the shit out of me when I see how many symptoms there are when it comes to Ultra High Stress Careers.

It can be very difficult to manage the physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of stress.

The good news is I specialize in ways of helping you learn Ultra High Stress Management Skills to better manage these symptoms.

I can help you learn relaxation techniques.

How to be more aware of your thoughts – how to interact with them differently.

How to use mindfulness to create a sense of calm.

To manage emotions more effectively.

Learn a new way to interact with your emotions.

Better manage the negative behavioral symptoms you are going through.

And many other ways of helping you achieve your Optimized Life.

The Three Types of Stress:

Acute Stress

  • This is the most common type of stress
  • This is a short-term stress caused by day-to-day stressors such as a traffic jam, an argument, a deadline, etc
  • Luckily, we are designed to recover quickly from short-term stress
  • This is known as resiliency – the ability to bounce back
  • Since acute stress is short term, it doesn’t typically have enough time to do extensive damage
  • We can still experience many of the symptoms of stress during acute stress, but these symptoms do not last very long

Episodic acute stress

  • This is when acute stress is experienced too frequently
  • A perfectionist often experiences this type of stress
  • It often occurs when you take on too much, don’t say “no” to things, or have poor organizational skills
  • People with episodic acute stress often tend to be short-tempered, irritable, over aroused, anxious, and tense
  • They often describe themselves as being full of “nervous energy”
  • People with “Type A” personality often fall into the category of episodic acute stress
  • People that are “black-and-white” in their thinking experience this type of stress, because they do not know how to cope with all the “gray” in the world
  • People that worry a lot experience episodic acute stress
  • If you’re a “worry wart,” always think the worst is going to happen, want to be ready for anything that might happen – just in case – you have episodic acute stress
  • These people often don’t think anything is wrong with their behavior – they often blame other people or external events
  • The symptoms of episodic acute stress are related to the extended over arousal of the person such as persistent tension headaches, migraines, hypertension, chest pain, and heart disease

Chronic Stress

  • This is the type of stress that does not go away
  • Chronic stress is when acute stress is constant and persists over an extended period of time
  • This is the stress that grinds on you, wears you away day after day and year after year
  • Chronic stress is dangerous and unhealthy – it could kill you!
  • Unfortunately, many people get used to this type of stress and do not do anything to make changes
  • They don’t see anyway out of their chronically stressful situations
  • Many things in life can lead to chronic stress – your job, relationships, finances, illnesses, poverty, etc
  • It can become overwhelming and debilitating
  • If chronic stress is left untreated, it can lead to self-harm, suicide, or violence towards others
  • Increased risk of alcohol abuse/drug abuse is common in people with chronic stress
  • It can affect both our physical and psychological well-being
Man stressed out due to his high stress work with hand to forehead

This career is getting to me.

There are many different ways of coping with each type of stress.

Typically, acute stress will subside with the use of a few simple techniques such as: breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, a quick meditation, or cognitive reframing.

When it comes to episodic acute stress, the same techniques can be useful, but they need to be used on a more consistent basis.

Ideally, you would use the coping skills you use for acute stress, but instead of only using them when you feel the stress, you would use these coping skills on a more consistent basis – making them into a routine of self-care.

Plus, it’s important to add some other ways of managing episodic acute stress such as exercise, nutrition, and increased social support.

Chronic stress is the most damaging to our bodies and our minds.

This makes it even more important to learn how to better manage chronic stress by utilizing a combination of short-term and long-term coping skills.

Short-term coping skills include the same ones used for acute stress, but it is important you use them more often.

Long-term coping skills are habits that are formed that help manage overall stress.

Examples of these long-term coping skills are:

Having a regular exercise program

Getting into a routine of doing daily meditation

Improve your nutrition

Try to get at least 6-7 hours of quality sleep – that’s a difficult one

Increase your social support network if needed

Make sure you are socially engaged with people you care about in life

Take time off from work

Start or restart a hobby

Increase the amount of laughter you have in your life

These are just a few examples of ways of managing chronic stress, there are many more where these came from.

If you’re having difficulty coping with stress, going through a stressful period in life, or if you’re experiencing chronic stress, I can help you better manage these stressors with Ultra High Stress Management Skills and help you reach for your Optimized Life.

Man with high stress work grabbing chest worried he is having heart attack

What’s wrong with me?

Health Problems Related to Chronic Stress:

  • Your cardiovascular system can be affected – have an increased chance of getting high blood pressure – increased odds of heart disease – stroke – heart attacks – abnormal heart rhythms – hypertension – atherosclerosis
  • More likely to become obese – have increased cortisol levels – more likely to develop an eating disorders
  • Increased problems with your mental health – anxiety – depression – personality disorders
  • Experience sexual dysfunction – could become impotent – you could have problems with premature ejaculation – both men and women can have lack of a sex drive – may have impaired testosterone levels
  • Reproductive problems – infertility – decreased sperm production – may develop irregular menstrual cycles – recurrent vaginal infections
  • Acid reflux – heartburn – nausea – vomiting – diarrhea – constipation – ulcerative colitis
  • Have an increased chance of hyperventilation – fainting – asthma attacks
  • Most likely experience back pain – neck pain – shoulder pain
  • Skin problems – acne – psoriasis – eczema
  • At risk for permanent hair loss – damaged hair
  • Get tension headaches – migraines – could develop temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
  • Your immune system may be compromised – have an increased chance of getting infections – may have a longer recovery period
  • Increased pain from – arthritis – multiple sclerosis – increased pain from other preexisting health conditions
  • It could aggravate fibromyalgia – herniated disks – repetitive strain injuries
  • An increased chance of developing Type II Diabetes
  • Increased chance of developing Crohn’s disease
  • If you have cancer, it can influence the course of it – the spread of it

The health problems associated with high stress can be overwhelming, but don’t give up just yet.

There are many ways of improving your health by managing the stress more effectively.

We will learn similar types of coping skills that help manage all the different types of stress, but at the same time, we will focus on the health benefits of these stress relief techniques and monitor your improved health.

If you are experiencing any of these health problems due to stress and want to get back to feeling better – I can help you better manage these problems with Ultra High Stress Management Skills so you can live your Optimized Life.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that can occur when a person experiences, witnesses, or learns about an extremely traumatic, disastrous, shocking, or terrifying event.

It’s perfectly natural for a person to experience a wide range of emotions and reactions following a trauma, but most people tend to recover from these initial symptoms without prolonged problems.

If you have experienced trauma in the past, but the problems are not going away, you may be suffering from PTSD.

Signs and Symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms typically begin within three months of the traumatic event, but sometimes it can take years for these symptoms to appear.

Symptoms must last more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with work, relationships, or day to day living in order to be diagnosed with PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD are typically grouped into four types:

Intrusive thoughts or memories

  • Nightmares
  • Recurrent, unwanted upsetting memories of the event
  • Flashbacks – reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening to you again
  • Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event

Avoidance

  • Stay away from places, events, or things that remind you of the trauma
  • Avoid emotions or thoughts related to the traumatic event

Negative changes in your mood or the way you think that began or worsened after the trauma experience

  • Difficulty or inability to recall important features of the trauma
  • Excessive blaming of yourself or someone else for causing the event
  • Increasingly negative thoughts about yourself and/or the world
  • Feeling isolated, detached, or alone
  • You no longer enjoy the activities you used to like

Changes in your arousal and reactivity

  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Easily startled
  • Feel “on edge,” increased hypervigilance
  • Problems concentrating
  • Increasingly irritable or aggressive

Risk Factors that Make you More Likely to Develop PTSD

  • If you have a career that increases your exposure to traumatic events, like first responders or military
  • Experienced childhood trauma
  • A history of mental health problems or substance use problems
  • Have experienced being physically or sexually assaulted
  • If you lack a good social support network

Resilience Factors that Make you Less Likely to Develop PTSD

  • Seek out your support network like your family and friends
  • Have an active coping style where you are able to manage your emotions and problem-solve
  • Regular exercise program or engage in physical activity
  • You have a positive outlook on life, you’re able to see the humor in things
  • See adversity in life as temporary
  • Believe that you have the ability to cope no matter what happens to you
  • You’re able to find the good in extremely difficult situations
  • Cognitive flexibility, you’re able to change the way you think to fit the situation
Woman stressed out from PTSD hands to her head yelling

I just can’t handle this anymore!

If you have experienced a traumatic event and are experiencing some of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean it has to continue.

We can work together to decrease or eliminate these symptoms and problems in your life, and help you better manage living with post-traumatic stress.

You can get your life back, or stop PTSD from taking your life away, by learning to better manage your life and all it encompasses.

As I’ve stated, I am not problem focused like many other counselors, I am life focused.

If we focus on just the problem you have right now and resolve it, great, but there are always going to be other problems in life.

That is why I focus on your entire life and ways of improving how you manage your life. After all, it’s your life!

When it comes to coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, I can provide you with the help you need now to get to Optimized Living.

Jamie M. Przybylski

Jamie M. Przybylski

Licensed Therapist

  • If you or a loved one work in a high stress job…

  • The stress symptoms are not getting any better…

  • You want to learn how to better manage symptoms of a high stress job or life…

  • You do not have to continue to struggle with the physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral symptoms of high stress any longer.

  • Click on the link below to contact me and we can talk about what you are experiencing.

Are you ready to start your optimized life? Let’s do Online Stress Management now!

If you feel I might be the right fit for you, please contact me so we can get started.

Call 402-999-7640 to schedule an appointment or a free 15 minute consultation.

 

Contact Me Now