Stress Index

http://www.cmha.ca/BINS/content_page.asp?cid=4-42-216

My score is a 5. I am unsure what it is out of though. According to the test, there are few hasseles in my life. A problem I may have is that I may try top hard to avoid problems and challanges.

My life is not that stressful. My family allows me the comfort of a non stressful life. I know alot of people who live on their own in addition to work and school. I look at these people and feel as if I am lucky. I go to the gym everyday and eat healthy. Physically I am not stressed. I feel that my yoga practice also reduces my stress level as well.

My stress level may elevate as I grow. Soon I will have to make significant changes in my life. To try to maintain low stress, I will try to continue working out, eating right, and weekly practice of yoga. But most of all, just be happy. If you are happy, you can not be too stressed.

Stress Index

Although the stress test put a number or range in my head of where I stand exactly, I already knew that I was operating at maximum capacity. It seems like each year I add one more thing to my plate, without ever stopping to take something off. I took the stress index at the following site:
http://webapp.dpor.state.va.us/articles/stress_index.htm
At this site- they assign a certain number value to situations that could/are occurring in your life. The site says that the average person handles around 100 stress points without much difficulties. My number came in at 148. It says it's time to relax.. and if your stressors can not be changed to take a little time off. Great advice- if only it were that easy.
The two biggest stressors in my life- personal situation and my work- are both unchangeable at the moment. My work would be much more manageable if only I could have a little more time off. Our time off is granted by numbers of years worked at the company- and it seems to be fairly consistent with other companies policies. The problem is we work much more than the average company- the only day of the year we close is Christmas Day. We work every federal holiday, weekend, late hours with rotating shifts that never let you settle into a sleep cycle. So while my friend gets 2 weeks off a year; she also gets thanksgiving plus a day or two, Christmas eve and Christmas plus a day or two, new years day, and a couple other days off. So it would seem a change of employment would be the best solution but financially is not feasible at this time. I will probably have to stay here until I finish school- which hopefully is only one more year.
So my plan of action is this- 1. take one day at a time. This works especially well when hit with a large school load on top of workload. 2. Keep my goal in front of me- to graduate college to get a better job- which will allow me to reach my potential and ultimately give me more of a work/life balance 3. Remember what I've accomplished so far.- i went from working 30 hours a week to working 50+ AND took on the responsibility of school AND have completed 3 full marathons and 5 half marathons 4. Take a little time every day to pay myself first- usually this involves running but could also be my in style magazine- even 30 minutes really makes a difference
So far my plan is carrying me through- I think there are times in your life where you test yourself and stretch yourself because in the end the rewards could be great.

Change Management

A corporation is no more important than the people that run it so therefore it evidently would adapt to the enviornment as it changes over time. Change management is the need to change the direction the people in the company are presenting the company to better assymilate the organization into society. The strongest form of change management would have to be training programs or inhouse speakers brought to the Corporation to train and exemplify the direction your employees should be moving towards.

The faceless internet and conflict

When looking at conflict management online- there are several tools out there for a world that is increasingly global. There are plenty of online studies and quizzes one can take to assess their management style, to answer real to life scenes about conflict and other easy fixes to conflict. For the corporation going global, these are a huge help I'm sure. Some of the website I saw, I wanted to explore further to develop my own skills. I think these small workshops help in the global world because the conflict is never as heated as when you work with someone face to face day to day.
However, if you are in a business with constant interaction among team members and upper management, it is safe to say some things can not be dealt with strictly online. From personal experience, most conflict is never really addressed through email or other similar correspondence. Most conflict, when it really comes to a head, must be dealt with in person. It is only in person that you can really listen and therefore communicate. You can actively listen to words, as well as body language, voice tone, and other signals you miss via the Internet. Online management is effective for corresponding with large groups of people instantly, but when problems really need to be solved nothing can substitute personal interaction.

Conflict Management

Handling conflicts online is simply not a good idea. Like text messages, this method of communication allows individuals to avoid conflict in real life, and if they never get to experience that part of life, they will not get the experience needed to help others.

The positive side is that for a large organization with offices in different locations, being able to handle things remotely can save time and money on other expenses.

If they must use technology, then video conferencing would be the best way to handle it.

Change Mgt and Conflict Mgt ONlLINE

I dont think that there will be an effective way to propose conflict management online. I believe that conflicts are mostly with people and until you realize and understand how to deal with people, you will not be successful at managing conflicts. You may be able to do workshops online to teach people steps to avoidance, but the fact of the matter is that conflicts can not be solved without the presence of people. (REAL LIVE PEOPLE)

Digital Bridges

Conflict often arises out of limited resources. One resource that is limited mostly by virtue of how hard it may be to access is information. Technology has bridged many information gaps. Many conflicts arise out of information or misunderstandings simply because people do not know all the pertinent information, both about the issue and the people they are dealing with. Access to information through technology has created 'digital bridges' to fill in these gaps. Most information is probably accessible the only problem is taking the time to educate oneself. In any case there still must be an attitude that cooperative problem solving is possible, or there is no motivation to actually seek out the information available. 

On a smaller more direct scale technology can serve as a forum for questions, discrepancies, issues, and general problems to be looked at, analyzed and answered. This is both a way to help employees with problems and see small problems before they blow up into difficult conflicts.