What are the symptoms of stress? Stress can be work related or may come about as a result of your personal life, but in either case, stress management coaching can help. If you are suffering from any of the following symptoms then you may be suffering from stress:

• General irritability, can be snappy without reason
• Having difficulty managing pressure
• Feeling that you just can't cope
• Making mountains out of molehills
• Never seem to have enough time for work and play
• Don’t have a good work/life balance
• Taking your problems home with you
• Fed up with life
• Beating yourself up over trivial mistakes
• Procrastinating, just can't get on with things
• Suffered from coughs and colds recently
• Generally act in a passive or aggressive manner
• Unable to stay focused on important tasks
• Low confidence, self-esteem, as well as self-worth
• Getting annoyed with yourself over trivial things
• Becoming more forgetful
• Daydreaming instead of living in the here and now
• Easily angered or annoyed
• Feeling tense and frustrated
• Low morale
• High staff turnover

Do you recognise any of the behaviours from the above lists in your own life? If you do, then stress management coaching is for you. It is time for you to work out what is making you stressed, and to work out the changes that need to take place, so that you can begin to relax again.

What exactly is stress?

Stress is a term that means many different things to different people. Stress is actually a symptom; it happens when a person exceeds their pressure limits and is no longer able to cope. This may be at home or in the workplace; sometimes the two can very much overlap. Stress can come about due to external pressures, such as having too many meetings in one day or having a heavy work load. But stress can also be a result of internal pressures, the pressures that we put on ourselves, such as: ‘I must be the best otherwise no one will respect me’. Stress can also be a mixture of the two, as in many jobs there is a tremendous amount of pressure to deliver and succeed. Even non-work-related activities, such as moving home, can lead to a great deal of stress and pressure, especially if you end up in a chain that breaks down. Stress management coaching can help with the many stressful events that happen in people’s lives.

Costs of stress

Stress has now overtaken the common cold as one of the major reasons for absenteeism from work. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has estimated that absenteeism now costs British industry over £10 billion pounds every year. Absenteeism isn't the only problem; 'presentism' is also an issue, with many people going to work but unable to function properly due to their stress levels.

Stress may also impact on a person's health. It has been linked with a variety of ailments, such as:

• Heart attacks/strokes
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression
• Ulcers
• Colds and flu
• High blood pressure

These are just some of the problems that stress may contribute towards. It can have numerous behavioural, psychological, and physiological repercussions on the human organism.

What is the answer to stress?

In time people do begin to build up different strategies to enable them to cope with stressful situations. Some of these strategies may be helpful, and may be adaptive to that person and their surroundings; however, some strategies may be unhelpful, and can lead to maladaptive behaviours. Stress management coaches work with each person as an individual, working through the issues that are making them stressed, whether it is in the home or in the office.

A stress management coach will work with you, working through your stressors, and helping you to develop your very own action plan. This coaching action plan will cover every aspect of your life, looking at ways that it can be enhanced and so help you to restore equilibrium. The plan will cover any psychological blocks in your thinking, going over all of the thoughts that are making you stressed. The behavioural consequences of stress will also be examined, looking at your social support, whether that is at home or at work. Last but not least your physical health will also be explored. A stress management coaching programme will help you maintain your focus, and therefore allow you to focus on your goals.

Hypnotherapy can also be a very useful tool in tackling stress, and can be incorporated into your stress management plan if appropriate.