Globalization and stress
ABSTRACT
Mental health of majority of population is deteriorating day by day in other words people are living under immense stress. By stress we mean a condition or circumstance, which can disturb the normal physiological and psychological functioning of an individual. The meaning of the word globalization is the Integration of capital, Technology and Information across national boundaries to create a single ‘global’ market. The causes of stress level increasing like rapid technological change and widened access to technology a powerful force for globalization. The global such consumption is unequal and unsustainable. Consumption is driven by advertisement -“the engine of greed”. There has been loss of individual and kinship cultural identities. Growing income inequality is increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Rising health inequities continuing wide spread poverty and fluctuating status of peace, conflict and violence within and between countries. Inadequate mental health services countries in South Asia spend less than 1% of their health budgets on mental health. Changing patterns of mental morbidity has made way for increasing prevalence of common mental disorders, adjustment disorders and sub threshold disorders, with moderate to high disability rapid increase in alcohol use related disorders increasing rates of suicides and attempted suicides. Poor and marginalized people are at greater risk of suffering from various types of mental disorders. Children living in poverty are three times more likely to suffer mental disorders than children from wealthy families. These factors have ultimately leaded to the mental stress of humans.
Globalization in new era
'The Era of Globalization' is fast becoming the preferred term for describing the current times. Just as the Depression, the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20's are used to describe particular periods of history; Globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today. Globalization is a process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of political ideas through communication, transportation and trade.
Stems of globalization: -
1. Market
2. Cultural and Social values
3. Financial
4. Education
5. Technology
6. Job sector
Market: -
Indian- In the 1990s, the government initiated the open market and economic liberalization plans that leads to huge improvement in the market scenario of the country which significantly changed from the state controlled market to the consumer market. Today, the country shows significant growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to top increase in exports. Due to globalization, India has turned into a vast consumer market with high demands.
Foreign- Due to globalization, more and more foreign companies and global giants have started entering the Indian market to cater to the high customer base and high demand. This has led to the growth of foreign investment in the country. Today, the amount of foreign institutional investments (FIIs) has gone up to around US$ 10 billion which is very good as from Indian view.
Cultural and social values: - The social dimension of globalization refers to the impact of globalization on the life and work of people, on their families, and their societies. Concerns and issues are often raised about the impact of globalization on employment, working conditions, income and social protection. Beyond the world of work, the social dimension encompasses security, culture and identity, inclusion or exclusion and the cohesiveness of families and communities. Cultural globalization is the rapid traversing of ideas, attitudes and values across national borders. Integration of people from different background is increasingly exposing people to different ways of thinking, cultural values and new forms of family life. Women are getting out of the family home. Reduction of cultural barriers increased the global village effect. Cultural globalization points to the benefits the exchange of knowledge and information can bring.
Financial: - Information and technology have made it easier to collect and process the information that needs to measure, monitor, and manage financial risk. Price and Trade are the complex financial instruments that need to be managed. More number of national and inter-national banks opened throughout the country. Easy availability of loans and lower interest rates .Increase in ATM’s (Automated Teller Machines) leads to faster transaction .Online banking increases the flow of liquidity in individual’s hand. Declining barriers in financial services leads to the investment of World Banks, IMFs etc whenever necessary.
Education: - Education prepares the individual to connect - and live in harmony - with
the environment around him/her. Globalization has changed the size, nature and quality of that environment. The challenge for higher education, therefore, is to reform, create and develop systems that prepare the individual to work in a borderless economy and live in a global society. In other words, our educational institutions need to produce global citizen. Global education extend students’ awareness of the world in which they live by opening them to the diverse heritage of human thought, action, and creativity. Global education places particular emphasis on the changes in communication and relationships among people throughout the world, highlighting such issues as human conflict, economic systems, human rights and social justice, human commonality and diversity, literatures and cultures, and the impact of the technological revolution.
Technology: - Making the world a smaller and better place .Easier and less expensive for people to talk with family, friends, and business associates, and to do so while on the move, from great distances by the use of mobile phones. Increased flow of communications allows vital information to be shared between individuals and corporations around the world. Computer with its social networking site and video sharing connect people of different countries is a boon of globalization.
Job sector: - Globalization of trade in goods and services helps narrow the gap in the wage levels. Recruitment of the students from the college campus. Recruiters are using job portals. Salary hikes. Many countries have lowered barriers to international trade, and cross-border flows in goods and services have increased significantly. Globalization transfers the skilled labors more developing to developed nations. The impact of the demand shift of people has been on employment rather than on income in some countries. Exports and imports of goods from one country to another country due to globalization have increased the jobs in many sectors.
Stress
A condition or circumstance (not always adverse), which can disturb the normal physiological and psychological functioning of an individual. Stress, is a synonymous with negative conditions. Today, with the rapid diversification of human activity, we come face to face with numerous causes of stress and the symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the words of Thomas Jefferson "Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances."
The Dynamics of Stress
In a challenging situation the brain prepares the body for defensive action—the fight or flight response by releasing stress hormones. These hormones raise the blood pressure and the body prepares to react to the situation. With a concrete defensive action (fight response) the stress hormones in the blood get used up, entailing reduced stress effects and symptoms of anxiety. Stress can cause headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorder, allergies, insomnia, backaches, frequent cold and fatigue to diseases such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes, heart ailments and even cancer. In fact, Sanjay Chugh, a leading Indian psychologist, says that 70 per cent to 90 per cent of adults visit primary care physicians for stress-related problems. Just about everybody men, women and children suffer from stress. Relationship demands, chronic health problems, pressure at workplaces and meeting deadlines, growing-up tensions or a sudden bearish trend in the bourse can trigger stress conditions. People react to it in their own ways. In some people, stress-induced adverse feelings and anxieties tend to persist and intensify.
Stress Can Be Positive
The words `positive` and `stress` may not often go together. But, there are innumerable instances of athletes rising to the challenge of stress and achieving the unachievable, scientists stressing themselves out over a point to bring into light the most unthinkable secrets of the phenomenal world, and likewise a painter, a composer or a writer producing the best paintings, the most lilting of tunes or the most appealing piece of writing by pushing themselves to the limit.
Experts tell us that stress, in moderate doses, are necessary in our life. Stress responses are one of our body`s best defense systems against outer and inner dangers. The choice is between becoming a slave to the stressful situations of life or using them to our advantage.
Stress folds in the society: -
· Job and work stress
· Health stress
· Techno stress
· Burnout
· Student stress
Job and work stress: -
Job stress is a chronic disease caused by conditions in the workplace that negatively affect an individual`s performance and/or overall well-being of his body and mind. One or more of a host of physical and mental illnesses manifests job stress.
Stress at work is a relatively new phenomenon of modern lifestyles. The nature of work has gone through drastic changes over the last century and it is still changing at whirlwind speed. They have touched almost all professions, starting from an artist to a surgeon, or a commercial pilot to a sales executive. With change comes stress, inevitably. Professional stress or job stress poses a threat to physical health. Work related stress in the life of organized workers, consequently, affects the health of organizations.
Health stress: - Stress and health are closely linked. It is well known that stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders such as dizzy spells, anxiety, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps can all result in chronic health problems. The effects of stress do not only put your head in a vice, chronic stress places all kinds of burdens on your body, even your brain. Research shows that in certain individuals stress does contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other cardiac risk factors such as addictions and obesity. Research has found that the risk factors for health caused by chronic stress causes as much as 60 to 90% of all illnesses. Physical symptoms include damage to the cardiovascular system, and even affect the immune system.
Burnout: - When under severe stress, an individual fails to take clear-cut decisions, reevaluate and reassess the priorities and lifestyles and ultimately tend to fall into unproductive distractions. This can be described as a classic case of burnout. The burnouts often engage in reckless or risk-taking behaviors. Starting from glamour and sport celebrities to common men burnouts are found everywhere. Burnout takes place where people get mentally and physically exhausted from their workload. The symptom is often described as "there is simply too much work to do, and no one else can do it but me". Typically it will occur in hard working and hard driven people. Who become emotionally, psychologically or physically exhausted.
Student stress: - It is commonly known that student life can be very stressful. We have to accept this fact and think of it as a preparation for future life when student will start with a grown up life full of responsibilities and everyday stressful situations. Stress is both a necessary and an unnecessary part of every student’s life. There are inside and outside factors that could easily cause stress and it depends on each individual how these stressors would affect his life.
Stress from school workload and the student’s inability to manage all this work in his allotted time could all lead to stressful student life. Even financial difficulties and family problems could get in the way of positive thinking.
Stress from school workload and the student’s inability to manage all this work in his allotted time could all lead to stressful student life. Even financial difficulties and family problems could get in the way of positive thinking.
Causes of Stress:-
Job Insecurity:-organized workplaces are going through metamorphic changes under intense economic transformations and consequent pressures. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizing and other changes have become major stressors for employees, as companies try to live up to the competition to survive. These reformations have put demand on everyone, from a CEO to a mere executive.
High Demand for Performance:-Unrealistic expectations, especially in the time of corporate reorganizations which sometimes puts unhealthy and unreasonable pressures on the employee, can be a tremendous source of stress and suffering. Increased workload, extremely long work hours and intense pressure to perform at peak levels all the time for the same pay can actually leave an employee’s physically and emotionally drained. Excessive travel and too much time away from family also contribute to an employee`s stressors.
Technology:-The expansion of technology computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels. Workers working with heavy machinery are under constant stress to remain alert. In this case both the worker and their family members live under constant mental stress. There is also the constant pressure to keep up with technological breakthroughs and improvisations forcing employees to learn new software all the times.
Workplace Culture:-Adjusting to the workplace culture whether in a new company or not, can be intensely stressful. Making one adapt to the various aspects of workplace culture such as communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace and most importantly working and behavioral patterns of the boss as well as the co-workers can be a lesson of life. Maladjustment to workplace cultures may lead to subtle conflicts with colleagues or even with superiors. In many cases office politics or gossips can be major stress inducers.
Technology:-The expansion of technology computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels. Workers working with heavy machinery are under constant stress to remain alert. In this case both the worker and their family members live under constant mental stress. There is also the constant pressure to keep up with technological breakthroughs and improvisations forcing employees to learn new software all the times.
Workplace Culture:-Adjusting to the workplace culture whether in a new company or not, can be intensely stressful. Making one adapt to the various aspects of workplace culture such as communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace and most importantly working and behavioral patterns of the boss as well as the co-workers can be a lesson of life. Maladjustment to workplace cultures may lead to subtle conflicts with colleagues or even with superiors. In many cases office politics or gossips can be major stress inducers.
Personal or Family Problems: - Employees going through personal or family problems tend to carry their worries and anxieties to the workplace. When one is in a depressed mood, his unfocused attention or lack of motivation affects his ability to carry out job responsibilities.
Job Stress and Women: -Women may suffer from mental and physical harassment at workplaces apart from the common job stress. Sexual harassment in workplace has been a major source of worry for women, since long. Women may suffer from tremendous stress such as `hostile work environment harassment`, which is defined in legal terms as `offensive or intimidating behavior in the workplace`. This can consist of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct. These can be a constant source of tension for women in job sectors. Also, subtle discriminations at workplaces, family pressure and societal demands add to these stress factors.
Stress related hazards: -There are eight categories of stress related hazards.
Job content: -monotonous work and meaningless task, lack of variety, unpleasant task and aversive task.
Workload and work place: - having too much or too little to do, working under time pressure.
Working hours: -strict and inflexible working schedule, long and unsocial hours, unpredictable working hours, badly defined shift system.
Participation and control: -lack of participation in decision making, lack of control (over work, work place, work environment)
Career development, status and pay: -job insecurity, lack of promotion prospect, work of low social values, piece rate payment schemes, being over skilled or under skilled for the job.
Role in the organization: -unclear role, conflicting roles within the same job, continuously dealing with other people and their problems.
Interpersonal relationship: -Inadequate, inconsiderate or unsupportive supervision. Poor relationship with the co-workers. Bullying, harassment and violence. Isolated or solitary work.
Organizational culture: -poor communication, poor leadership, lack of clarity about organizational objectives and structure.
Stress on students:-
Academics: - The causes of stress on students are academic pressure. Simply tackling more difficult assignments can demand stress management techniques.
Environment: - The school or college environment itself can be a cause of stress on students. Students are being challenged with leaving home and establishing a new life in a new setting. Both can cause stress on students. In college, extracurricular activities cause stress on students, since their presence on a job application is also an asset.
Workload: - High school workloads, and later college workloads, are heavy for many students. So is the number of subjects. As a result, students may overload their schedules. Workloads at either level are causes of stress on students.
Time Management: - A lack of time management also causes stress on students. Balancing
Academics, peer activities, and home life can be difficult.
Parental Pressure: - Parents want their children to succeed in school. They want to see good grades, but they also want to see success in life’s other areas. In their attempts to guide their children, parents can become one of the major causes of stress on students.
Effect of stress: -
1 Consequence for the Individual: -The impact of distress on individuals has subjective, cognitive, physiological, behavioral, and health facets to it. The cognitive effects include poor concentration, short attention span, mental blocks, and inability to make decisions. The physiological effects can be seen in increased heart and pulse rate, high blood pressure, dryness of throat, and excessive sweating. The behavioral consequences are manifest in such things as accident proneness, drinking, excessive eating, smoking, nervous laughter, impulsive behaviors, depressions, and withdrawal behaviors. The manifest health effects could be stomach disorders, asthma, eczema, and other psychosomatic disorders.
2. Consequence for the Family: -Distress, which is handled by individuals in dysfunctional ways, such as resorting to drinking or withdrawal behaviors, will have an adverse effect on their home life. Spouse abuse, child abuse, alienation from family members, and even divorce could result from dysfunctional coping mechanisms.
3. Consequences to the Organization: -The organizational effects of employee stress are many. The adverse consequences include: low performance and productivity, high rates of absenteeism and turnover, lost customers because of poor worker attitudes, increased alienation of the worker from the job, and even destructive and aggressive behaviors resulting in strikes and sabotage.
4. Consequences to health: -It is evident that people who live in chronically stressed-out conditions are more likely to take up smoking, alcohol and substance abuse (drugs, prescribed or illegal), fall into eating disorders (unhealthy food habits) and inertia. High blood pressure, immune related disorders (diabetes), asthma, ulcers and digestive disorder, headaches, backaches and Cancer are some of the consequences
of stress on health.
The Survival Sutras of stress: -
Healthy lifestyle: -
Diet Food: -This means there should be a change in dietary habits. Stressed out people should eat healthy food such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. They should stay away from food rich in sugar and fat. Many people drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. They think that these are good stress remedies. The truth is that alcohol and smoking takes away the body's nutrients, thus worsening stress. Expert suggests taking Siberian ginseng or lemon balm, these herbs soothe the nervous system and decrease stress levels.
Full Sleep: -Stress is the number one reason for the occasional bouts of sleeplessness we all suffer once in awhile. If one is experiencing sleeplessness, he may want to avoid taking naps during the day. Taking a short nap in the morning or after lunch affects your body clock and makes it harder to sleep at night. We must make sure bedroom is a great place to sleep as well. Invest in a good mattress, comfortable pillows and sheets. High quality cotton sheets are a good investment because cotton allows air to pass through and enables to get more restful sleep.
Exercise: -It is a natural stress remedy. Mentally, exercise provides an outlet for negative emotions such as frustration, anger and irritability, promoting a more positive mood and outlook. Exercise improves mood by producing positive biochemical changes in the body and brain. Different forms of exercise have different benefits, there is no one best exercise for stress relief. It all depends on your individual skills and interests. Exercise is a great way to ease your tension, release anxieties, clear your mind and keep your systems functioning properly.
Remedies of work stress: - A combination of organizational change and stress management is often the most useful approach for preventing stress at work. Some of the effective remedial steps are as follows-
§ Ensure that the workload is in line with workers capabilities and resources.
§ Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their skills.
§ Clearly define workers roles and responsibilities.
§ Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.
§ Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects.
§ Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.
§ Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job.
§ Combat workplace discrimination (based on race, gender, national origin, religion or language).
§ Bringing in an objective outsider such as a consultant to suggest a fresh approach to persistent problems.
§ Introducing a participative leadership style to involve as many subordinates as possible to resolve stress-producing problems.
Karmic yoga: -It is known to be a remedy that connects the mind to different parts of the body including the soul. This helps to enhance the quality of one’s life. Practicing yoga daily can help to improve memory, reduce stress. Yoga helps to focus on your positive energies and reduce the negativity from life. Through meditation and guided breathing one will be able to control emotions and prevent negativity. Yoga practice regularly makes people happier about their own appearance. The techniques used in this practice help to burn calories faster and make more conscious about own image. Practicing yoga for a few minutes daily will help to reduce your stress levels and fatigue; it also leaves you more energized by getting rid of joints pain and other minor health issues.
Remedies to student stress: -
· Student should not study taking burden of studies. Studies should be done in a delightful manner.
· Student should not lose this strength or potentials after losing once. He should boost up his mind and try again and again. In other words he should learn from his mistakes and try to correct them in the next attempt.
· Student should do daily studies in order to reduce the burden of doing it all in a month or a few days.
· In the case of parental pressure student must make their parents understand that studies cannot be done under pressure.
· Parents should understand their child and encourage their child.
· Proper support from teachers should be provided to the students in schools and college by the faculty members.
Remedies to techno stress: -
· Taking proper eye precaution is necessary to reduce techno stress during the working hours.
· Taking break time in job the job hours helps in reducing techno stress. As continuous working with techno gadget leads to immense stress.
· Easy learning process must be implemented as learning new and newer technology frequently leads to techno stress. Easy learning process will enhance the knowledge of the worker as well as without stress.
· Definite working hours timing should be maintained as for e.g. working on computer foe more than 8 hours leads to techno stress.
Remedies to burnout: -
· Thorough analysis of the data before the decision is to be done.
· The person on the top most position of the organization should seek advices from other colleague before making any decision.
Conclusion
Changing our self perception takes time, but there are things you can do now to create an environment where such changes may organically grow. Being creative is an inner way to reduce the burden of stress over oneself. Simply find a craft or activity in which you can be creative - maybe pottery, dancing, music, pastels, writing, or singing. When we start expressing ourselves creatively, without expectations about the results, we can begin o discover a new relationship with ourselves. It’s a very liberating thing, and a great way to balance the hemispheres in our brains, which has a positive flow on effect in the rest of our lives. Another way is to appreciate oneself. Instead of looking in the mirror every morning and seeing things one should like to change about oneself should say 'thank you' to his body. Thank you for providing the means with which to do the things one enjoys, like going swimming, hanging out with friends, enjoying a meal at a nice restaurant, going to the movies, or a local cafe. Thank you for housing his soul and allowing him to feel the sunlight on his skin, the softness of cat's fur, the smile of a loved one. We are all enough just as we are, in the bodies we inhabit. No matter how stressed one is, he should try his best to maintain a good working relationship with his office mates. Most of the time, we will need the help and advices of the people who understand our situation in order to deal with stress better. It is wise for parents and others who work with students to take time to recognize the stresses students face. If they then provide stress management techniques, they will do much to relieve and encourage their students.
Bibliography:-
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AUTHORS:-
Balprit Singh & Ajay Singh
NSHMCollege of Management & Technology
ArrahShivtala, Durgapur 713212
Mobile No. 9732372022, 9547845329
e-mail ID: balprit08@gmail.com, ajays4054@gmail.com
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