Managing Stress

The Managing Stress Practice Manual, 2nd ed, provides the ideal stress management tool for practitioners across the public sector and professionals at all levels in business and management. The modern world of work is highly pressurised, with stress levels affecting workers' health and little to no understanding of the roots of stress, making workers feel overwhelmed and lacking the confidence to do anything about it. This book takes a holistic look at stress, offering clear and practical guidance on - how to manage pressure, - how to prevent stress, - what to do if stress arises and - how to deal with the aftermath of stress. By taking a deeper look, this book provides the reader with a full understanding, taking the narrow focus away from the individual themselves, and thereby taking away the 'blame the victim' message that can add to stress. This latest edition features new content including: - current pressures caused by Covid-19, - stress related to job insecurity, - financial stress and the cost of living crisis - issues around neurodiversity. It explains complex ideas clearly and accessibly, including practical examples and exercises throughout, with a repertoire of strategies and sources of help that will be invaluable to practitioners and business professionals alike.

Neil Thompson is an independent writer, producer of online learning resources and a visiting professor at the Open University. His approach is based on the three Ps: where there are People, there will be Problems, but there will also be Potential. He has decades of experience of helping individuals and organisations to address the problems and fulfil the potential. He is renowned for his ability to express complex ideas clearly and accessibly without oversimplifying them, and to successfully blend theory and practice. In a long career, he has provided training or consultancy services to over 100 organisations, spoken at conferences and seminars in 13 different countries and has won awards for the quality and impact of his work. He has held full or honorary professorships at five UK universities, but for many years now he has focused on reaching a much wider audience to help make a positive difference. He has earned the trust to be a helpful guide and mentor through his writings and online learning and you will no doubt soon see why when you start reading this book. His Academy website, with his Manifesto for Making a Difference, can be found at www.NeilThompson.info.

Welcome Foreword: Dr Jermaine Ravalier Introduction 1. Why bother? 2. What is stress? 3. What causes stress? 4. How can I cope? 5. Using support 6. Avoiding stress 7. Responding to stress 8. Dealing with the aftermath 9. Avoiding burnout 10. Becoming assertive 11. Handling conflict 12. Time and workload management 13. Supporting each other 14. Investing in the future References Postscript for managers Postscript for self-employed people Postscript for tutors and trainers