UNWA Workshop

 

Stress Management Workshop

On 27 April, some UNWA members attended a stress management workshop led by Ms. Dubravka Suzic-Kofi, UNHCR Sr. Staff Welfare Officer, Geneva, at the home of UNHCR Representative Ms. Machiko Kondo.

Ms. Suzic-Kofi (photo at right) has had experience in providing counselling in emergency situations and during evacuations. She mentioned that stress is a cumulative disease, the more you ignore the symptoms, the worse they become. Psychologically, people who are stressed may have loss of concentration, make poor judgments, and have inappropriate emotional outbursts.

Healing takes place in the community and we have to tap into available resources like the strength of our Association as a support group.

The following was collected from the workshop and the material that Ms. Suzic-Kofi brought.

Women today have been conditioned to believe that we have to do it all. We are more overscheduled today than ever before, and with so much at our disposal, we feel guilty if we want to do nothing.

Technology not only enables us to work more hours from more locations, but it also allows us to do many things at once; so we think because it’s possible, it’s preferable - “we should do more because we can”.

Women today face unprecedented expectations in their careers, but the pressure to be on top at home, cooking dinner, raising children, hasn’t let up.

The world won’t come to a halt if you slack off for a day; your health and happiness depend on it.
One of the ways in managing stress is to practice taking deep breaths throughout the day that will trigger your body’s natural relaxation response. We breathe about 24,000 breaths a day, you have lots of opportunities to practice.

Some additional steps for stress:
• Firstly, take that lunch break, when you do don’t talk business!
• Don’t answer the phone on the first ring, take a deep breath, then answer on second ring.
• Talk; make sure you have someone you can share your emotions with: a friend, therapist or support group.
• Delegate; the more you can delegate those responsibilities that don’t require your direct input, the better. Learn to say NO, you don’t have to do everything.
• Watch out for symptoms of burnouT: diminished sense of humor, skipping rest or food breaks, increasing overtime and no vacation, increased physical complaints, changed job performance, self-medication and pessimism.
• Practice a stress management technique: deep breathing, meditation, yoga, progressive relaxation, or some other related technique.
• Practice stress hardiness; view stress as a challenge and an opportunity for personal growth. learned optimism: consciously focus on the positive, even when negative events occur. Reframing: ask yourself what you can learn from the negative event.