BACHELOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT

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OUMH1303

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LEARNING CENTRE :
'The Importance of Learning Technique and Skills of Effective Stress Management and
Balancing Work and Life Commitment’

A very good day to all lecturer and fellow Open University Malaysia friends. I humbly thank
you for inviting me to give a speech entitled 'the importance of learning technique and skills
of effective stress management and balancing work and life commitment'. as all of you know,
without proper stress management techniques, the consequences can be devastating. the
consequences of stress can be expressed in 3 ways which are physical symptoms, feelings
and behaviours.

Based on my research stress is simply the body's non-specific response to any demand
made on it. Stress is not by definition synonymous with nervous stress or anxiety. Stress
provides us the means to express talents and energies and pursue happiness; it can also cause
us exhaustion and illness, either physical or psychological; heart attacks and accidents (Kottler
and Chen, 2011). The important thing to remember about stress is that certain forms are
normal and essential. As the body responds to various forms of physical or psychological
stress, certain predictable changes occur. These include changes in our body system such as
increased our heart rate, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and secretions of stimulatory
hormones. These responses to stress will occur whether the stress is positive or negative in
nature. In lay terms, it is known as the "fight or flight" mechanism. Continual exposure
lowers the body's ability to cope with additional forms of psychological or physiological
stress.

As a student we should reducing stress in our everyday life is vital for maintaining our
overall health, as it can improve our mood, boost immune function, promote longevity and
allow us to be more productive (Khurana and Lal, 2010). When we let our stress get the best
of us, we put ourselves at risk of developing a range of illnesses from the common cold to
severe heart disease. Stress has such a powerful impact on our wellbeing because it is a
natural response that is activated in the brain.

There are few technique and skills of effective stress management, first we must
always get active, physical activity boosts endorphin levels, your 'feel good' hormones, and is
a great way to beat study stress (Seaward, 2017). Short bursts of activity between chunks of
study will not only help you feel better, they will help you work longer and concentrate
better. So don't fool yourself into thinking you don't have time; get moving. Do what you like
best: run around the block or stroll down the river, do group sports or work out at the gym.
What you do is up to you; the important thing is to take breaks between periods of mental
exertion. Building activity into your day will also help you sleep better at night, which will
also help you beat study stress.

Secondly to have healthy brain and body we must taking fresh fruit and vegies,
cereals, grains, nuts and proteins are good for our body, brain and blood sugar levels. Eat lots
of them to help us to feel good, and drink plenty of water. Eating and drinking the right things
before we get too hungry or thirsty helps keep our blood sugar and hydration levels in
balance and our stress levels under control. Avoid junk food, alcohol, drugs (except those
prescribed by the doctor), sugary food, and too much strong coffee or chocolate (Huljich and
Polk, 2013). And when we eat, relax: allow yourself time and don't eat and try to work at the
same time.

Next technique we need to consider is study smarter, not harder, by have proper
regular planning will help us to manage study stress (Jex, 2014). Use a semester planner or
calendar to note major deadlines and a daily planner to enter tasks for each day. As a student
we need to be realistic about what we can accomplish: major tasks like writing an essay or
preparing for exams are best broken down into small step-by-step chunks of activity that we
can spread over several days. Schedule in recreational and social activities, and work and
family commitments, and allow for plenty of 'down time.'

After that, as a part time student that need to facing different situation and difficulty,
we need to ask for help when we need it (McKenna, 2017). Remember that old saying: it's the
squeaky wheel that gets all the grease? Well, be that squeaky wheel and get help when you
need it. There's lots of people on university or working area who are there to help us manage
study stress. Lecturers, tutors, supervisors, course coordinators, student faculty advisers, guild
education officers, equity and diversity advisers, doctors, chaplains, counsellors, learning
skills advisers, housing and finance officers, careers advisers, diversity and transition
advisers, and other student services staff are there to assist. Make we use all of them.

As a normal human we need to rest before we get tired. Strange as it may sound, the
best kind of rest to get is the rest we get before we get too tired or run-down (McKenna, 2017).
Allow ourselves plenty of it. If we are having trouble sleeping at night due to stress, try deep
breathing, meditation and positive self-talk, and set ourselves a routine bedtime that is just a
bit earlier than usual, with activities beforehand to help us to unwind by listening to music,
reading (but not study notes or books), massage, a bath, a hobby you enjoy (but not
something that's hard to stop once we get started - such as computer games or surfing the net)
(Sanfilippo, 2019).

The next technique we need to have as a student we need to always keep perspective
or think positive, by set mindset that good grades do not necessarily lead to career success or
to personal happiness; your personal qualities have a much greater impact on your career and
your connection with others on your happiness (Stein, Book and Kanoy, 2013). Grades don't
measure how good or bad you are: you are not your grades. Aim to be a 'good enough'
student rather than a 'perfect' student (there is no such species). And remember that the best
results don't always come from the most amount of effort, and what might seem most urgent
is not always what is most important holding positive thoughts, rather than succumbing to a
negative one can help in maintaining a positive attitude. We must think positively about
ourselves. Surrounding ourselves with positive and inspiring people can help elevate our
mood and talking with someone about intense feelings when distressed can be helpful to
reduce stress. Share feelings with a trusted friend, family member, health care professional or
clergy because, when we share the stress problem, it will help ourselves to lessen the feelings
of distress.

Spending time with family is one of the techniques to manage stress (Kottler and Chen,
2011). By spending time with our beloved family members, we can stay relaxed and avoid
stress as we forget our work and all the problems in life for a while. However, some people
take a shortcut by using alcohol and drugs. This may be a good solution but only for a while
whilst the long-term effect can be devastating. Drugs for example are very dangerous to one's
health. People who use it for the first time will only become addicted to it and they will do
everything they can to get more doses of drugs. This is not only bad for their health, but also
a waste of money and time.

Other than the suggestion I gave above, there are still a lot of technique of managing
stress like searching an interesting hobby that suits you really much, something that you
enjoy doing, something that can make you forget the problems or the world (Seaward, 2017).
Whether it is our passion, or enthusiasm, it is a great way to control our stress. You can go for
a walk nearby your home sweet home or go for a shop at supermarket if you are a girl. By
doing that, you can erupt your stress besides relaxing your mind. This is because, when we
are doing something enjoyable enough for us, we will be able to forget our problems.
Another example is by taking a walk at your house, you may be feel relaxed. Just stretch your
body after hours of tiring and stressful work. This can really help in a great way. When we
take a walk, we can watch the sky and get relaxed. If you do not feel like walking around
your house, or feeling boring of the same scenery, you can take a ride and go to the lakes or
beach.

In a nutshell, people do get stressed up. However, it is just a matter of how we manage stress
and tension. As long as we can manage it properly, we can prevent the consequences of
having too much stress than we can handle. as the saying goes 'It's better to prevent than to
cure'. oh my.. looks like time is not on my side. so, I will end my speech here. Thank you for
lending me your ears. I hope that my speech today will be of use to all of you as part time
student at Open University Malaysia. Thank you.
References

Khurana, A. and Lal, R. (2010). Managing Occupational Stress: A Mantra for Success. SSRN
Electronic Journal.

Seaward, B. (2017). Managing Stress. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Jex, S. (2014). The Important of Prevalence in Occupational Stress Research. Stress and Health,
30(2), pp.89-90.

Huljich, P. and Polk, H. (2013). Stress pandemic. [USA]: Mwella Publishing.

Kottler, J. and Chen, D. (2011). Stress management and prevention. New York, NY: Routledge.

McKenna, P. (2017). Control Stress. Carlsbad: Hay House Publishing.

Sanfilippo, L. (2019). Yoga Therapy for Insomnia and Sleep Recovery. London: Singing
Dragon/Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Stein, S., Book, H. and Kanoy, K. (2013). The student EQ edge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.