Susan W________ is founder of H___ Compliance Consulting, a consulting and training company
that utilizes process improvement & standardization, strategic alignment, legal compliance,
and human resource initiatives to increase the bottom line of organizations and improve
employee morale and productivity.

• Self-Assessment
– Are there things that didn’t bother you before but now they do?
– Are there things that bother you more now than they did before?
– When these things happen, does their occurrence ruin your day?
– Do they cause you to take out your frustration on others?
– Do every day inconveniences cause you to lose your temper?
– Do any of these things make you want to seek comfort in alcohol or drugs or food?

• Psychological Effects
– Increased forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating
– Increased mistakes
– Increased worrying
– Distracted or “spacing out”
– Difficulty making decisions
– Difficulty organizing your time
– Decrease in creative thinking  (creative, shmeative….)

Example of a stressful situation: having to terminate a high performing employee due to budgetary reasons…

• Physical Effects
– Decreased immune system
– Frequent sickness
– Indigestion, nausea, constipation or diarrhea, upset stomach
– High blood pressure
– Weight loss or weight gain
– Fatigue or physical exhaustion
– General aches and pains or muscle aches/tension
– Headaches or migraines
– Clenched jaws or grinding of the teeth
– Dizziness, slouched posture
– Trembling
– Ringing in the ears  (wait, was that the phone?  hello?)

• Stress Hardiness
– Personality traits that allow a person to handle the ups and downs of stress
– Know who you are and understand that what you are doing has value and importance
– Goal-oriented and the flexibility to deal with challenges and overcome or positively influence the outcome of their situation
– View the world as a cup that is half full rather than as a toxic rat’s rectum turned inside out and half empty