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Apr 2012EMRC, Brussels Associates with SME WORLD as its New Media Partner
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Health & Wellness
Integrated Yoga Based Stress Management Program for Workholics
Pradhyumna T. Venkat
May 2010
May 2010
Health and well-being can be influenced by work, both positively and negatively. Work can provide a goal and meaning in life. It can give structure and content to our day, week, year and life. It may offer us identity, self-respect, social support and material rewards.
This is likely to happen when work demands are optimal (and not maximal),when workers are allowed to exercise a reasonable degree of autonomy, and when the 'climate ' of the work organisation is friendly and supportive and if the work can provide job satisfaction and is congruent with ones personal goals and aspirations. If this is so, work can be one of the most important health-promoting (salutogenic) factors in life. If, however, work conditions are characterised by the opposite attributes, or if they do not meet ones personal goals and aspirations they are — at least in the long run — likely to cause stress, ill health, accelerate its course or trigger its symptoms.
This is likely to happen when work demands are optimal (and not maximal),when workers are allowed to exercise a reasonable degree of autonomy, and when the 'climate ' of the work organisation is friendly and supportive and if the work can provide job satisfaction and is congruent with ones personal goals and aspirations. If this is so, work can be one of the most important health-promoting (salutogenic) factors in life. If, however, work conditions are characterised by the opposite attributes, or if they do not meet ones personal goals and aspirations they are — at least in the long run — likely to cause stress, ill health, accelerate its course or trigger its symptoms.
Work-related stress is conditioned by, and contributes to, major environmental,economic and health problems. It affects at least 40 million workers in western countries with tremendous annual financial burden. Apart from contributing to a host of human suffering, disease and death, it also causes very considerable disturbances in terms of productivity and competitiveness. Much of all this is highly likely to be preventable.
Work related stress:
Stress is caused by a bad fit between us and our work, by conflicts between our roles at work and outside it, and by not having a reasonable degree of control over our own work and our own life. Stress at work can be caused by a multitude of stressors which have to do with interpersonal relationships, job satisfaction, motivation, work demands, social support etc. Work-related stress can be defined as a pattern of emotional, cognitive, behavioural and physiological reactions to adverse and noxious aspects of work content, work organisation and work environment. It is a state characterised by high levels of arousal and distress and often by feelings of not coping.
Stress is both a “malady and a boon”. It can be potentially disease-provoking when occupational demands are high and the worker's influence over his or her conditions of work is low, when there is insufficient social support from management or fellow workers, when one perceives that rewards/ remuneration offered does not match his/her effort, esteem or status control and when such conditions are intensive, chronic and/or often repeated common end results include a wide range of physical and mental morbidity. If we feel this to be part of our everyday work, it affects the rate at which processes of wear and tear in our body takes place and stress can be “the kiss of death”.
However when we feel in control, stress becomes “the spice of life”, a challenge instead of a threat. When we lack this crucial sense of control, stress can spell crisis — bad news for us, our health and our enterprise.
Solution- A YOGA Perspective:
So the solution lies in developing a internal sense of control and change the way we perceive and appraise situations as stressful. Individuals in workplace always tend to lay the blame on their work environment and others for stress related illness or inefficiency. They always expect to work in well-defined roles and work in environment to their likings.
The fact is that these likings and wants constantly change from day to day and individual to individual. So looking for a “shoe to fit in their foot” will not be a permanent solution but “adjusting their foot to fit the shoe” by changing their perception, beliefs and appraisal of situations, letting go of their self interests and prejudices in the larger interests of the organization, developing a good social support system with strong and harmonious interpersonal relationships is the need of the hour.
The fact is that these likings and wants constantly change from day to day and individual to individual. So looking for a “shoe to fit in their foot” will not be a permanent solution but “adjusting their foot to fit the shoe” by changing their perception, beliefs and appraisal of situations, letting go of their self interests and prejudices in the larger interests of the organization, developing a good social support system with strong and harmonious interpersonal relationships is the need of the hour.
This can be facilitated by an Integrated Yoga Program designed not just to offer much needed relaxation at the work place but also to mould ones personalities, inculcate healthy attitudes and perceptions and cope with stress with equanimity. Our program includes simple and easy to practice postures or asanas with awareness, slow and regulated nostril breathing (pranayama) and various types of relaxation and meditation using body and breath awareness. These practices have already been time tested on varied populations and has received wide acclaim.
The Goals of integrated Yoga Program would be:
- Education and awareness of work related stress and health problems in work place.
- Understanding stress, stress appraisal and coping behaviours.
- Managing work related stress and health problems in a holistic way.
- Learning to develop effective coping strategies, behaviours and internal locus of control.
- Bring about better organizational coherence and improving performance.
Dr. Vadiraj is Lecturer & Seniour Research Associate at Swami VivekanandaYoga Research Foundation, Bangalore.
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