Nature of stress

            
             It is important for employees to know that there are many techniques available to reduce stress symptoms once these are present. Organizational Behavior researchers identify five major techniques that help in the copying of occupational stress, these are: muscle relaxation, biofeedback, meditation, cognitive restructuring, and holistic wellness. (Kreitner and Kinicki 701).
             Muscle relaxation involves the use of slow and deep breathing and systematic muscle tension reduction (Kreitner and Kinicki 702). This technique is easy and inexpensive to implement. It may involve slow movements of the neck, shoulders, legs, and back while breathing deeply. The accumulation of energy that needs to be dissipated because of the stress is then relieved through these movements.
             Biofeedback involves the use of a machine in order to train people to detect muscular tension in order to later use muscle relaxation to alleviate this symptom of stress (Kreitner and Kinicki 702). Because this involves the use of equipment it can be expensive but it may also be used to evaluate the extent of effectiveness of other techniques for stress management. .
             Cognitive restructuring entails identifying irrational thoughts in order to replace them with those that are rational or logical (Kreitner and Kinicki 702). This method may be quite expensive because it requires the use of a trained psychologist or counselor.
             The previously mentioned techniques are forms of copying with occupational stress, however, researchers believe that companies should use a technique that eliminates the stressors themselves rather than relieve them. These researches favor the holistic wellness approach that advocates personal responsibility for healthy living. It promotes "a harmonious and productive balance of physical, mental, and social well-being brought by the acceptance of one's personal responsibility for developing and adhering to a health promotion program" (Kreitner and Kinicki 701).