CASE STUDIES ON DOCUMENTARY CREDITS AND UCP600

 CASE STUDIES ON DOCUMENTARY CREDITS AND UCP600

CASE STUDY 1
Banks have a practice of calling for the original LC at the time of presentation of documents and
endorse any drawings on its reverse.
LC's may be made available by Acceptance / Defferred Payment / Negotiation and to be freely
available with any bank.
Is it mandatory to endorse the original LC on its reverse?
Analysis
Most LCs contain a clause indicating such a requirement.
The practice is required by SWIFT standards cat.7, for freely negotiable credits, available with any
bank.
Conclusion
What is the problem?
CASE STUDY 2
If a nominated bank does not incur a deffered payment undertaking on presentation of complying
documents and forwards them to the Issuing Bank.
Subsequently can it a purchases a deferred payment undertaking from the issuing bank and seek
protection under UCP600?
Articles 7c. UCP600
CASE STUDY 3
If a LC is confirmed and is available with the Confirming Bank and the beneficiary chooses to
present the document directly to the Issuing Bank and the Issuing Bank wrongfully dishonors.
Should the confirming bank honor the presentation given that the LC has meanwhile expired?
Article 8a. UCP600
CASE STUDY 4
A documentary credit requires all documents must to be issued in English language.
The presentation includes a Certificate of Origin bearing a Stamp / Legalisation done in another
language
Is this a discrepancy?
Issued in?
CASE STUDY 5
As per Article 38 of UCP 600, A LC can be transferred to more than one second beneficiary. This
can be done preferably when the Partial Shipments are allowed under the LC.
If the first Beneficiary is certain that he would be able to comply with article 31(b) of UCP600 (re
partial shipments – submission of multiple BLs on the same voyage), can a LC be transferred to
more than one second beneficiary even if the LC states Partial Shipment is prohibited provided
Article 38.d. UCP600
CASE STUDY 6
If the nominated bank does not accept a bill of exchange drawn on them by the beneficiary, can the
same bill of exchange be presented to the issuing bank or should they present a fresh bill of
exchange drawn on the Issuing Bank
UCP Article 7a (iv)
CASE STUDY 7
Under the documents required a LC calls for a Bill of Lading.
Bill of Lading submitted with the documents is signed by a forwarder as carrier.
Is it a discrepancy?
Article 20 UCP600
CASE STUDY 8
L/C requirement: invoices in 3 fold and Legalized by Chamber of Commerce.
Beneficiary submits invoices with only one legalized and others without being legalized.
Is it a discrepancy?
Article 17e. UCP600
CASE STUDY 9
LC calls for a Beneficiary's certificate stating the expiry date (of the product).
The certificate presented states only the month and the year of expiry.
Is it a discrepancy?
Bankers are expected to have a certain amount of general knowledge and common sense
CASE STUDY 10
The documents required in a transferable LC calls for an Inspection Certificate issued by the First
Beneficiary.
At the request of the First Beneficiary LC is transferred to a Second Beneficiary without calling for
the Inspection Certificate, which the first beneficiary undertakes to submit along with drafts and
invoices to be presented for substitution.
Has the Transferring Bank acted in aprudent manner.
Sub-article 38g of UCP600
CASE STUDY 11
A LC states the last date for shipment as 09 November 2014 and the expiry as 30 November 2014,
is silent on the period of presentation and also states ‘Stale Bills of Lading Acceptable”.
Documents presented on 01 October 2014 with the Bill of Lading dated 01 June 2014 refused by
the Issuing Bank stating Late Presentation (not presented within 21 days after the BL date as per
article 14.c UCP600)..
The negotiating Bank does not agree with the reason for refusal.
Should the Issuing Bank honour?
Rule A19.b ISBP745
Case Study 12
The documentary credit in question issued subject to UCP600 called for shipment from “ANY
NORTH EUROPEAN PORT” and the transport document required in field 46a was: “FULL SET OF
CLEAN ON BOARD BILL OF LADING”.
The Nominated Bank received a bill of lading evidencing shipment from Antwerp, which we found to
be within the scope of North Europe, since the geographical area of North Europe was not defined
in the Credit.
The Issuing Bank refused the documents arguing that Antwerp is not within the geographical area
or range stated in the Credit.
The Issuing Bank further argued that Belgium is in Western Europe and not in Northern Europe and
quoted an internet website (www.mapsofworld.com) where we could easily recheck.
Is the discrepancy cited by the issuing bank valid?
Analysis
UCP 600 sub-article 14 (a) states that a bank must examine a presentation on the basis of the
documents alone.
It is not a matter for the ICC Banking Commission to define or determine geographical areas or
ranges. The requirement in the credit is vague and clearly ambiguous.
In accordance with ISBP 745 Preliminary Considerations paragraph (v), the applicant bears the risk
of any ambiguity in its instructions to issue or amend a credit.
Furthermore, an issuing bank should ensure that any credit or amendment it issues is not
ambiguous or conflicting in its terms and conditions.
It should not be necessary to refer to external resources in order to determine relevant facts.
Conclusion
The applicant and issuing bank must bear the risk of ambiguity for failing to express specifically how
“Any North European Port‟ is to be defined.
In this case, the document is not discrepant.
Case Study 13
Under a credit issued subject to UCP600 by Bank V in country W available by negotiation and
expiring with Bank A in country N, Bank A added its confirmation. Upon presentation of complying
documents Bank A negotiated and discounted. Documents were refused by Bank V for the following
reason: “Health Certificate to be presented in 1 original and 2 copies but only presented in 1 original
plus 1 copy.”
Bank A stated that all required originals and copies were presented to them within the time limits
foreseen by the credit, but admitted to having made an operational mistake by leaving one copy of
the Health Certificate in their file and by only sending 1 original and 1 copy to Bank V.
Bank A requested Bank V to create a second copy on Bank A‟s account, or to instruct Bank A to
courier the missing copy, but Bank V did not provide agreement. In the absence of any instructions,
and after the expiry date of the credit, Bank A couriered the missing copy document to Bank V,
certifying on their letter that it was presented within the time limits of the credit. Bank V still refused
to honour the presentation.
Has the Issuing Bank the right to refuse the documents on the basis of the missing copy of the
Health Certificate, in spite of the fact that the missing copy was sent to them after the expiry date,
but with the declaration of the negotiating bank that the copy was presented within the time limits
foreseen under the LC?
Analysis
The credit was available for negotiation with the Nominated Bank and expired at their counters.
UCP 600 sub-article 6 (d) (ii) states: “The place of the bank with which the credit is available is the
place for presentation. The place for presentation under a credit available with any bank is that of
any bank. A place for presentation other than that of the issuing bank is in addition to the place of
the issuing bank.”
UCP 600 article 6 (e) states: “Except as provided in sub-article 29 (a), a presentation by or on
behalf of the beneficiary must be made on or before the expiry date.”
In accordance with UCP 600 sub-article 7 (c) an Issuing Bank undertakes to reimburse a nominated
Bank that has honoured or negotiated a complying presentation and forwarded the documents to
the Issuing Bank.
The Issuing Bank did not receive all the required documents and subsequently issued a refusal
notice. The Nominated Bank, after an exchange of correspondence with the Issuing Bank,
forwarded the missing copy document to the issuing bank certifying that it had been presented
within the time limits required by the credit.
Conclusion
The initial cited discrepancy is valid. However, upon receipt by the issuing bank of the missing copy
document, and on the basis that it also received a certification from the negotiating bank that the
document was presented within the time limits required by the credit, the issuing bank must
reimburse the confirming bank.
Cade Study 14
Under a credit issued by Bank V in country V available by negotiation and expiring with Bank A in
country N, Bank A added its confirmation. Upon presentation of complying documents Bank A
negotiated and discounted. Documents were refused by Bank V for the following reason: “Health
Certificate to be presented in 1 original and 2 copies but only presented in 1 original plus 1 copy.”
Bank A stated that all required originals and copies were presented to them within the time limits
foreseen by the credit, but admitted to having made an operational mistake by leaving one copy of
the Health Certificate in their file and by only sending 1 original and 1 copy to Bank V.
Bank A requested Bank V to create a second copy on Bank A‟s account, or to instruct Bank A to
courier the missing copy, but bank V did not provide agreement. In the absence of any instructions,
and after the expiry date of the credit, Bank A couriered the missing copy document to Bank V,
certifying on their letter that it was presented within the time limits of the credit. Bank V still refused
to honour the presentation.
Has the Issuing Bank the right to refuse the documents on the basis of the missing copy of the
Health Certificate, in spite of the fact that the missing copy was sent to them after the expiry date,
but with the declaration of the negotiating bank that the copy was presented within the time limits
foreseen under the LC?
Analysis
Although not indicated in the query, it is assumed that the credit was issued subject to UCP 600.
The credit was available for negotiation with the nominated bank and expired at their counters.
UCP 600 sub-article 6 (d) (ii) states: “The place of the bank with which the credit is available is the
place for presentation. The place for presentation under a credit available with any bank is that of
any bank. A place for presentation other than that of the issuing bank is in addition to the place of
the Issuing Bank.”
UCP 600 article 6 (e) states: “Except as provided in sub-article 29 (a), a presentation by or on
behalf of the beneficiary must be made on or before the expiry date.”
In accordance with UCP 600 sub-article 7 (c) an issuing bank undertakes to reimburse a nominated
bank that has honoured or negotiated a complying presentation and forwarded the documents to
the issuing bank.
The issuing bank did not receive all the required documents and subsequently issued a refusal
notice. The nominated bank, after an exchange of correspondence with the issuing bank, forwarded
the missing copy document to the issuing bank certifying that it had been presented within the time
limits required by the credit.
Conclusion
The initial cited discrepancy is valid. However, upon receipt by the issuing bank of the missing copy
document, and on the basis that it also received a certification from the negotiating bank that the
document was presented within the time limits required by the credit, the issuing bank must
reimburse the confirming bank.
Cade Study 15
Bank A (Issuing Bank) in country A issued a standby credit subject to UCP 600 which was advised
to the beneficiary in country B by Bank B (Advising Bank).
The beneficiary presented a demand under the credit which arrived at the counters of the Bank A
before the expiry date of the credit.
Bank A issued a notice of refusal on the third day following presentation stating one discrepancy:
“Original Standby LC Not Presented”.
There was no wording in the credit requiring presentation of the original Standby LC.
1) Is the discrepancy stated by the Bank A correct?
2) Can Bank A raise further discrepancies at a later date in respect of the one presentation made by
the beneficiary under the credit?
Analysis
1) The wording of the credit did not require the presentation of the original credit as part of the
claim. Unless the credit was issued by mail or in paper format, it is doubtful how the originality of the
document could be determined. Accordingly, unless otherwise specifically required within the terms
and conditions of a credit, there is no requirement for the original credit to be included in the
presentation.
2) UCP 600 sub-article 16 (c) states that when a bank decides to refuse or negotiate, it must give a
single notice to that effect to the presenter. UCP 600 clearly does not allow for further discrepancies
to be raised that were apparent at the time of the initial presentation, as is referred to within former
ICC Opinions R196, R328, R271 and TA764rev.
Conclusion
1) The discrepancy is not valid.
2) Additional discrepancies are not to be considered, as banks only have one opportunity to raise
discrepancies for each presentation.
Cade Study 16
Under a documentary credit subject to UCP 600 the beneficiary of the L/C presented, amongst
other documents, a charter party bill of lading (CPBL), made out in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the respective L/C, signed and stamped as shown hereafter:
According to UCP 600 sub-article 22 (a) (i), a CPBL must appear to be signed by any of the
following parties:
· the master,
· the owner,
· the charterer, or
· a named agent for any of the above.
The stamp shows, however, that the master is signing “On behalf of Owners”.
As this is a case not contemplated by UCP 600 sub-article 22 (a) (i) like the signing by a carrier or a
named agent for the carrier as indicated in Official Opinion 470/TA.775rev., we would like to know
the opinion of the ICC Banking Commission to this case, i.e. whether this is an acceptable way of
signing or not: If the answer is that it is not acceptable, whether it would be acceptable, if the name
of the owner(s) would be stated.
Analysis
UCP 600 sub-article 22 (a) (i) states that a CPBL must appear to be signed by:
· the master or a named agent for or on behalf of the master, or
· the owner or a named agent for or on behalf of the owner, or
· the charterer or a named agent for or on behalf of the charterer.
Furthermore, it states: “Any signature by the master, owner, charterer or agent must be identified as
that of the master, owner, charterer or agent.”
ISBP 745 paragraph G4 (b) states: “When the master (captain), owner or charterer signs a charter
party bill of lading, the signature of the master (captain), owner or charterer is to be identified as
“master” (“captain”), “owner” or “charterer”.
ICC Opinion 470/TA.775rev does not apply as it relates to a CPBL issued and signed by a carrier or
its agent.
The signature on the CPBL is identified as that of the master (captain). The master is signing for
and on behalf of the owner.
Conclusion
The document is acceptable.
Cade Study 17
The Documentary Credit issued subject to UCP 600 by an Issuing Bank located in country X on
behalf of an applicant also located in country X and confirmed by a Bank located in country Y
required in field 46a “documents required” amongst other the following document:
Quote Bank guarantee from international first class bank payable in country X equivalent to EUR
xxxxx [the guarantee indicates an amount] valid till xx.xx.xxxx [the guarantee indicates a fix date].
Unquote
The bank guarantee presented to the Confirming Bank is issued by a bank located in country Y and
states that it is subject to the laws of country Y. The wording of the presented guarantee shows the
applicant of the Letter of Credit as beneficiary of the guarantee. The amount and expiry date of the
guarantee are in compliance with the requirements stipulated in the Letter of Credit. The payment
undertaking of the guarantee is worded as follows:
QUOTE
We, xxx [the guarantee indicates the guaranteeing bank], hereby irrevocably undertake to
pay you [the guarantee is addressed and directed to the applicant of the Letter of Credit]
without delay on your first written demand for payment an amount up to xxx [the guarantee
indicates an amount] provided your demand for payment is simultaneously supported by (…)
UNQUOTE
The wording of the guarantee does neither contain an express indication that it is “payable in
country X” nor any express reference to country X being the place of payment.
The Confirming Bank accepted the presented guarantee but the Issuing Bank raised the following
discrepancy: “Bank Guarantee from international bank is not payable in country X.”. Please let us
have your official opinion whether and if so why the issuing bank was entitled to raise the
discrepancy by answering the following questions:
1. Is the guarantee only compliant if it either indicates expressly that it is “payable in country X” or
contains an express reference to country X being the place of payment? Or can it be argued that
the guarantee meets the requirement “payable in country X” because it is issued in favour of a
beneficiary located in country X and as it provides that payment thereunder has to be made to this
beneficiary?
2. Would the requirement “payable in country X” be met if the guarantee is made out as described
above but is not issued by a bank located in country Y but in country X?
3. Does the stipulated requirement “payable in country X” require the document checker to
determine whether the presented guarantee‟s place of payment is country X?
4. Could the confirming bank argue validly that the Letter of Credit does not stipulate that the
requirement “payable in country X” must be met by an express reference or wording in the
guarantee document (e.g. 46a: Bank guarantee from international first class bank indicating that it is
“payable in country X” equivalent to (…)”) and that this requirement may therefore be deemed as
non-documentary and not stated and thus be disregarded according to UCP 600 sub-article 14 (h)
5. Could the confirming bank argue validly that the checking of the document falls with respect to
the requirement “payable in country X” under the auspices of UCP 600 sub-article 14 (f) because
this requirement is worded in way that does not amount to a stipulation of the document‟s data
content ?
Analysis
The credit included, in field 46a of the MT700, a requirement for a guarantee to be issued by an
international first class bank payable in country X (the country of the credit issuing bank). Apart from
amount and expiry date, no other requirements were provided. The credit was confirmed by a bank
in country Y (the country of the credit beneficiary).
The actual guarantee that was presented to the confirming bank was issued by a bank in country Y,
stating that it was subject to the laws of country Y.
The guarantee contained a statement from the guarantee issuing bank that they irrevocably
undertook to pay the guarantee beneficiary (the applicant of the credit) without delay on first written
demand for payment. It did not include an explicit statement or reference that the guarantee was
payable in country X.
Whilst the Confirming Bank accepted the guarantee as a compliant document under the credit, the
Issuing Bank refused on the basis that the guarantee was not payable in country X.
In view of the fact that the beneficiary of the credit was located in country Y, it is not unusual that
they would use a bank in their own country to issue the guarantee, as was the case in this query.
The guarantee had been issued directly in favour of the beneficiary (the credit applicant) in country
X, and not via another bank in country X. It included a condition that payment would be made
against first written demand. It does not state a place for presentation. Because the guarantee did
not state a place for presentation, demands must be presented at the issuing bank. The issuing
bank is located in country Y.
Conclusion
1. The guarantee needed to clearly state that it was payable in country X. In order to achieve this, it
would have needed to be payable at the counters of a bank in country X, and not at the counters of
the guarantee issuing bank in country Y. The fact that the guarantee was issued directly in favour of
the beneficiary (credit applicant) in country X and was payable against first written demand, did not
fulfil this requirement.
2. If the guarantee had been issued by a bank in country X, this would have met the requirements of
the credit.
3. The place of payment of the guarantee was to be stated as “in country X‟ or determinable as
being within country X.
4. The requirement for the guarantee clearly related to a requirement for an actual document.
Consequently, UCP 600 sub-article 14 (h) is not applicable.
5. The condition in the credit “payable in country X‟ is a specific requirement that must be clearly
reflected in the guarantee document if it is to fulfil its function. The discrepancy raised by the issuing
bank is valid.
CASE STUDY 18
The relevant LC conditions:
1) (Under documents required): Full set of clean on-board marine bills of lading consigned to order,
blank endorsed, notify applicant and marked “freight payable as per charter party”
2) (Under other conditions): Charter Party BL acceptable
The presented BL shows:
a) “freight payable as per charter party”
b) signed by XXX Logistics Co Ltd as agent for carrier YYY Shipping Lines Ltd
c) the reverse page shows the shipper’s blank endorsement
d) reverse page also shows typical shipping contract terms & conditions (i.e. not the usual Charter
Party BL terms & conditions)
In short, the BL (front and back), other than the freight statement, does not display anything to
suggest that it is subject to a charter party contract.
Issuing Bank paid but deducted a discrepancy fee for the waived discrepancy of “Charter Party BL
signatory’s capacity not as master, owner, charterer or agent for any of the aforesaid”. Issuing
Bank’s position appears to be that, by virtue of the LC‟s BL freight requirement, the LC is actually
calling for a Charter Party BL. And because the BL does show such freight statement, the BL is to
be treated as being subject to a charter party contract, and therefore the BL must be signed in
accordance with Article 22 (a) (i).
Negotiating Bank of course disagreed and countered that the freight phrase was not enough
evidence that the BL was a Charter Party one. It argued that, save for the freight phrase; its terms &
conditions (on reverse page) were those of a conventional BL. If it is a conventional BL, then issuing
bank’s discrepancy is incorrect. It should be instead: “Conventional BL presented but contains an
indication that it is subject to a charter party”..
ANALYSIS
The credit required a marine bill of lading marked “freight payable as per charter party‟. In this
respect, the credit was badly worded. The presented bill of lading was marked “freight payable as
per charter party”.
ISBP 745 paragraph G2 (b) states: “A transport document, however named, indicating expressions
such as “freight payable as per charter party dated (with or without mentioning a date)”, or “freight
payable as per charter party”, will be an indication that it is subject to a charter party.
ISBP 745 paragraph G1 states: “When there is a requirement in a credit for the presentation of a
charter party bill of lading, or when a credit allows presentation of a charter party bill of lading and a
charter party bill of lading is presented, UCP 600 article 22 is to be applied in the examination of
that document.
Where a credit simply allows for or requires the presentation of a CPBL, a CPBL issued and signed
by a carrier or its agent is discrepant under UCP 600 sub-article 22 (a) (i).
CONCLUSION
The discrepancy raised by the issuing bank, “Charter Party BL signatory‟s capacity not as master,
owner, charterer or agent for any of the aforesaid”, is correct.
CASE STUDY 19
L/C available with Advising Bank by payment, however the Advising Bank did not act under our
nomination and has sent documents presented by the beneficiary to the Issuing Bank without
examining them (in accordance with beneficiary's request). No message was received from the
issuing bank, Advising Bank received a MT910 from their correspondent bank informing us of the
credit entry on our account and containing information in field 72: /EUR100 deducted as discr.fee/.
The documentary credit included the following clause: 'discrepancy fee of EUR 100.00 will be
deducted from the proceeds any drawing if documents are presented with discrepancies'
We have contacted issuing bank arguing that since they had not acted in accordance with UCP 600
sub-article 16 (c) (ii), quoting every single discrepancy they should be precluded from deducting
discrepancy fee.
An answer was received that their action has nothing to do with UCP 600 article 16 and that if we
want to find out about discrepancies we will have to ask for it. It seems that they are acting in line
with the conclusion of a/m Opinion. Nevertheless, we cannot agree with it.
In the opinion of the Issuing Bank and according to UCP600 sub-article 16 (a) an issuing bank
determines if a presentation does not comply. By deducting their discrepancy fee they obviously
wanted to indicate that the presented documents did not comply.
As per article UCP 600 sub-article 16 (b) issuing bank may in its sole judgment approach the
applicant for waiver, but that does not extend period of time mentioned in UCP 600 sub-article 14
(b), nor does it (in our opinion) annul the provisions of UCP 600 sub-articles 16 (c), (d), (e) and (f).
Achieving applicant's acceptance of discrepancies does not justify the action of not listing all
discrepancies, even when sending message indicating acceptance (such as in MT752).
Advising Bank is of the opinion that if Issuing Bank determines that presented documents contain
discrepancies, all discrepancies should be quoted either in separate MT734 or in MT752 within 5
working days. Otherwise they are precluded claiming that documents are discrepant (and
accordingly not allowed to deduct discrepancy fee)
ANALYSIS
A presentation of documents had been paid by the issuing bank deducting their discrepancy fee.
Prior to payment no notice of refusal has been sent nor had any information on discrepancies been
provided by the issuing bank.
When an issuing bank finds discrepancies in documents, it has two options available to it under
article 16: to provide a refusal message to the presenter in terms of sub-articles 16 (c) and (d) or, to
approach the applicant for a waiver without first providing a notice of refusal (sub-article 16 (b)).
When the option of approaching the applicant for a waiver is chosen, and such waiver is given and
accepted by the issuing bank, the practice is for the issuing bank to honour, and such honour will be
less any discrepancy fee that was stated in the credit.
When this course of action is taken, the issuing bank should provide the presenter, as part of their
payment message or in a separate communication, details of the discrepancies that were observed.
The presenter can then choose to dispute the discrepancies, therefore questioning the relevance of
the deduction representing the discrepancy fee. If the issuing bank does not provide such an
indication, the presenter may seek, and the issuing bank must provide, such details. The actions of
the issuing bank, as described in situation D, do not represent preclusion under sub-article 16 (f).
Conclusion:
The Issuing Bank is entitled to a discrepancy fee as outlined in the credit, but it should inform the
presenter of the discrepancies that were found, either in the advice of payment or in a separate
communication.
The issuing bank is not required to send a notice of refusal to the presenter if it elects to contact the
applicant for a waiver and to receive a waiver that is acceptable to it. Sub-article 16 (f) does not
apply in these circumstances.
If the covering schedule listed the discrepancies that the presenter had found, the Issuing Bank
should either advise the presenter that the documents were taken up despite the discrepancies that
had been identified by the presenter, or list the discrepancies for which the issuing bank had sought
waiver from the applicant.
It is only when an issuing bank does not indicate the discrepancies that there should be a need for
the presenter to seek such details. The default position is that an issuing bank, in order to justify a
discrepancy fee, should always indicate the discrepancies by one of the methods described above.
When an issuing bank has approached the applicant for a waiver, and received such waiver and
decided to act upon it, it does not need to send a notice of refusal in accordance with UCP 600 subarticle
16 (c) in order to be entitled to deduct a discrepancy fee when it honours a presentation. In
such circumstances, UCP 600 sub-article 16 (f) does not apply.
When a bank deducts a discrepancy fee on the basis of a “discrepancy fee clause‟ in a credit, it is
good banking practice to inform the presenter of any discrepancies that were found in the
documents, either in the advice of payment or in a separate communication. In the event they fail to
do so, this does not preclude them from providing such information subsequently.

Types of Companies

 Types of Companies

Public & Private Company: On the basis of number of members and capital, companies
may be classified into (i) Public Companies & (ii) Private Companies. As per the
Companies Act, 2013 a private company must have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs.
1.00 lakh, minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 200 members. One Person
Company is a private company with only one member. The Companies Act restricts the
rights of members of a private company to transfer its shares and also prohibits an
invitation to the public to subscribe to any shares or the debentures of the company.
A public company means a company, which is not a private company and has a minimum
paid up capital of Rs. 5.00 lacs. A private company which is a subsidiary of a public
company is deemed to be a public company. A public company must have a minimum of
7 members. A public company can issue shares to the general public and the
transferability of shares and related issues etc. are controlled by SEBI. As per the Act,
both the Private as well as Public companies can start its operations only after obtaining
Certificate of Incorporation and Certificate of Commencement of Business.
The Companies Amendment Bill, 2014 (passed by the parliament in 2015) waives the
conditions relating to the minimum amount of capital in respect of both categories of
companies i.e. private as well as public companies.
Government company: A Government company is one in which not less than 51% of
paid up share capital is held by the Government (Central / State). A subsidiary of a
Government company is also a Government company.
Advances to non-corporate clients e.g., partnership firms
It is preferable to finance partnership firms which are registered with the Registrar of
Firms of the local area. The loan account should be opened in the name of the firm and
not in the name of the individual partners irrespective of the fact that one or more of the
partners may be authorized to operate the account. Apart from collateral security, if any,
by way of personal guarantee of a third party, personal guarantee of the partners should
be obtained especially when the firm is not registered as per the Partnership Act.
Whenever changes take place in the constitution of the firm either by death, retirement,
insolvency, expulsion or inclusion of partner, a new partnership is formed. In such cases,
the limits granted to the old firm should be cancelled and credit facilities extended to the
reconstituted partnership firm after examining afresh the creditworthiness of the partners
of the firm and other relevant factors for taking a credit decision. Till the formalities
concerning reconstitution of the partnership of new firm are completed and necessary
loan documents are executed, as interim measure for the sake of continuity of business
activity, operations in the existing Bank account may be permitted only after obtaining a
stamped continuing letter of guarantee signed by all the outgoing partners as well as the
incoming partners. Where personal guarantee of third party has been obtained,
confirmation from the guarantor must also be obtained before allowing operations in the
existing account. It should be ensured that the necessary formalities are completed within
a period of two months.
Where reconstitution takes place in case of a partnership firm, which has created
equitable mortgage of immovable property of the partnership firm in favour of the Bank
for collaterally securing the loans, an agreement on prescribed proforma should be
obtained without disturbing the existing mortgage.
A minor can be a partner of a partnership firm, however he cannot be held liable
personally for any debt of the firm, so this aspect has to be kept in mind while granting
credit facilities to partnership firms.
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
LLP is a new corporate form designed to provide an alternative to the traditional
partnership (with unlimited liability on part of the partners) and the corporate statute
(statute based governance with limited liability on part of the shareholders). The LLP
form of business is a hybrid structure between the two, which provides the benefits of
limited liability but allows the partners the flexibility of organizing their internal structure
as a partnership based on a mutually arrived agreement. The Limited Liability Act, 2008
allows two or more persons associating for carrying on a lawful business ‘with a view to
profit’ to set up an LLP.
Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
An HUF is represented by the head of the family, known as Karta, and the members of
the HUF are known as coparceners. Karta represents the HUF and is authorized to
transact on behalf of the HUF by virtue of age old practice sanctified by law.
With the introduction of Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005, from September 6,
2005, daughters are also given the status of a coparcener.
Karta manages the HUF property on behalf of his family members. However, his powers
are limited and a charge created by him is binding on the family property only when the
loan taken by him is:
• For the purposes of the necessity of the family or,
• For the benefit of the family or,
• For repayment of a lawful antecedent debt due from the family.
Trusts
The Indian Trusts Act, 1882 defines a Trust as an obligation annexed to the ownership of
property and arising out of a confidence reposed in an accepted by the owner, or declared
and accepted by him, for the benefit of another, or of another and the owner
A Trust is formed for the benefit of certain person(s) or purpose. The Trust Deed contains
the aims and objectives of the trust. It lays down the duties and responsibilities of the
Trustees and also the restrictions/ limitations imposed on them.
Operations of Trust accounts have to be very strictly according to provisions of the Trust
deed.
Cooperative Society
While considering credit facility to a co-operative society, it is necessary to examine the
rules or bye-laws of the society, especially the terms on which it can borrow under the
relevant section of the State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002. The lending bank should
obtain a certificate from the society stating that the credit facility sought is within the
overall borrowing limit authorized by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.

Working Capital Ratios

 Working Capital Ratios

1. Net Sales to Total Tangible Assets (times) (NS/TTA):
Indicate the company's ability to generate sales by utilising its Tangible assets. Tangible assets are total assets minus intangible assets.
Rationale: It is very important to understand - whether achievement of sales by the unit is on account of utilising tangible assets or intangible assets. As mostly, Bank finance will be given for creation of tangible assets, performance of the unit is to be gauged based on utilization of tangible assets created out of Bank finance.
2. Operating Cycle- No. of total days: (Inventory / Net Sales) + (Receivables / Gross Sales) (Days):
Operating cycle is number of days required for a unit to put cash into its operations and then getting return in the form of cash i.e., period from cash to cash.
Rationale: It indicates the time required to produce goods, sell the goods and receive cash from customers by sale of goods. Higher the days, higher may be the requirement of WC. This is useful for estimating the amount of working capital that a unit needs in order to run the business.
3. Working Capital Gap:
WC gap = Total Current Assets – Other Current Liabilities (OCL).
If we deduct Bank borrowings out of total current liabilities, we will get OCL.
Rationale: WC gap signifies the amount of current assets getting funded by current liabilities, other than Bank borrowings.
4. Bank Finance (WC Gap – NWC):
Bank Finance = WC Gap – NWC
Rationale: While calculating required amount of short term Bank finance for a unit, we have to deduct available NWC from WC gap.
5. NWC / TCA (%):
It signifies the portion of current assets getting funded by NWC. Though, there is no standard benchmark for this ratio, ideally, this ratio should be more than 25%, minimum.
Higher the ratio, better is the comfort.
6. Sundry Creditors / TCA (%):
It signifies the portion of current assets getting funded by Sundry Creditors. Though, there is no standard benchmark for this ratio, ideally, this ratio should be restricted to maximum 25%.
Lower the ratio, better is the comfort.
7. BF / TCA (%):
It signifies the portion of current assets getting funded by Bank finance (BF). Though, there is no standard benchmark for this ratio, ideally, this ratio be restricted to maximum 50%.
Lower the ratio, better is the comfort.
8. OCL (excluding Sundry Creditors) / TCA %:
It signifies the portion of current assets getting funded by OCL, other than Sundry Creditors. Ideally, this ratio should be low or nil as these liabilities generally are of the nature of Public Deposits (maturing within next 1 year), unallotted Share Application Money, Advance / Deposits from Dealers, Installments of Term Loans (becoming due within next 1 year), Statutory Liabilities, Expenses Payables, Provisions etc which are having little role in creation of current assets.
Lower the ratio, better is the comfort.
9. OCA / TCA (%):
It is the amount of Other current assets out of total current assets. It signifies whether current liabilities are utilized by the unit for creation of core current assets like cash, inventory, receivables or utilised for creation of non core current assets like Advance payments, taxes, prepaid expenses etc.
Lower the ratio, better is the comfort.

Managing Stress

 MANAGING STRESS ::

Adult life seems to be full of fun and unlimited possibilities. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, and never think about consequences. But when you grow up, you understand that there is nothing fun about being an adult. You have thousands of responsibilities, hundreds of daily tasks to accomplish, and the consequences are the only thing you can think about. You may live in the state of permanent stress. You have no right for a mistake. You have no time for having rest. You can’t tell someone that you cannot handle your problems. You need to be strong, you need to work hard, and you need to find a solution to every problem that appears.

Stress in Modern Life

With every year, the level of stress increases. Unfortunately, no one is surprised today when a 30-years old person has a stroke. The situation becomes worse: even children suffer from stress. They have sleep disorders, problems with concentration and nutrition, and they do not even understand that the reason for this lies in the habits of their parents and surrounding society. It seems that for the next generation stress will be the next cancer.

Still, today we can handle the stress. It requires time, attention, and effort, but the results – strong mental and physical health – are totally worth it. There are several approaches to stress management. These approaches can be divided into two large groups: something that you can do to decrease stress level at the current moment and methods that you need to introduce into your life and make them your habits.

Change Your Life to Get Rid of Stress

Of course, you cannot eliminate stress from your life for good. For our bodies, a stressful situation is everything that makes us feel uncomfortable. Your stress management will be more effective if you build stamina and make your

body and mind strong. Thus, you can prevent the negative effects of stress.

Everyone will experience stress in different aspects of their lives; it may be at work, with their family, or with their health. However, whatever might be the cause of your stressful day, it creates the same effect on your body, mood, and even on other people.

Life is full of hassles, demands, and if people don’t meet expectations or deadlines, the tendency is that our mind will be exposed to chaotic thinking and tiredness. This is how stress come out that can generally invade and ruin the enjoyment of your life. For many people, stress is a normal part of life that usually appears in everyday situations. Stress isn’t always bad; however, dealing with stress is usually not good. Mild stress can help you deal with pressure and motivate you to do your best and finish your work before the deadline.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened, upset, and anxious. It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about stress. However, difficulties in dealing with this emotion may result in risk and danger to your health, physically and mentally.

Anyone experiencing stressful situation may be at risk of losing control of their emotions, which sometimes could ruin your ability to make decisions rationally. How to know if the anxiety is too much in dealing with your stress? How important is it to gain a deeper understanding about stress and what are the necessary things to do when dealing with such emotion? Feelings such as worry, and anxiety are just some of the common results of stress. Being stressed is sometimes healthy in order for a person to be alert and act. However, there are certain points in human life, where people cannot manage dealing with their stress.

Stress management effectively starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. At first, it may not be easy as you may tend to overlook your own stressful feelings and behaviour. However, providing a solution to a problem always starts with identifying the problem or cause. The best

remedy for stress is self-examination and taking significant actions that can definitely help you lessen your worries and fears. Examples include taking a break for a few minutes to practice some deep-breathing exercises, relaxation, and entertaining yourself like going for a walk or going shopping. These are just a few examples that can usually help people ease their stressful day. In addition, if you cannot remove the stress, remove yourself. If you are not getting along with your company, it is important to slip away and find a new sanctuary to work in.

There are several negative effects of stress on your health such as an upset stomach, recurring colds, headaches and insomnia. If you are having difficulty dealing with stress, it would also be best to seek professional help from a doctor or therapist.

TIPS FOR REDUCING THE STRESS

Below are a few tips on what we can do to reduce stress in our life.

1. Healthy Nutrition

We are what we eat. If your daily meals consist of fries and other fast food, you have severe problems with nutrition. A person needs to consume not only enough calories (fast food has too many of them, causing obesity) but also enough elements and vitamins. When you consume good food, your body receives enough energy to be productive all day long and build the important connections between your blood, cells, and the nervous system.

2. Regular sports

If you suffer from stress regularly, you need to change your daily activities. The best way to get rid of stress (and prevent it) is regular sports classes. It does not matter what type of class you choose, swimming, gym or yoga, you just need to make your body move. While moving, our endocrine system starts to produce hormones helping to lower the impact of stress. Besides, if you feel stressed right here and now, you

can also use sports as the way to manage stress.

3. Meditation

If you are looking for simple ways to fight stress, then regulating your breathing can help. Our breath is a natural and most important function of life and carries vital life energy. It is a known fact that if we stop breathing for long enough, then we die. Despite this fact, most of us take our breathing for granted and rarely stop to think about it. Find out how breathing properly can help to relieve symptoms of stress and calm and relax your mind.

When we are stressed, our body responds in preparation for "fight or flight" and we suffer various symptoms such as sweating, increased pulse rate, racing heart, and fast, shallow breathing. In earlier times this was necessary for our survival when hunting or protecting ourselves. However today it is usually only our perception of danger or negative thoughts that produce this reaction, so the body has few ways to deal with the effects.

Regular attacks of stress and anxiety start to turn our fast, shallow breathing into a habit. They may decrease our ability to breathe properly and could leave us with breathing difficulties such as asthma. Often in today's society, we do little aerobic exercise and therefore we rarely breathe deeply. Our breathing simply becomes shallower than it needs to be as a matter of habit.

Just as stress and other states of mind affect our breathing, the way that we breathe affects our state of mind. When we breathe, we are taking in oxygen through the lungs to the brain and the cells in the body. Shallow breathing can affect the amount of oxygen circulating in the body. This makes us feel sluggish. The way we breathe also affects the amount of energy in our bodies. When our breathing is irregular and erratic, we are likely to feel lacking in energy.

Of course, it is not just the body that is affected by the way that we breathe but the mind also. For centuries disciplines such as yoga and meditation have involved using the breath as part of their

techniques. Use of the breath is an important part of performing yoga postures. Breathing meditation is common to calm the mind as part of preparative practices for meditation. Breathing meditation consists of watching the breath as we breathe in and out whilst trying to ignore all other distractions to the best of our ability. Concentrating on the breath has long been known to quiet and calm the mind.

In the same way as used in meditation, breathing exercises can be used to fight stress and quiet the mind and body. These are great because they are simple and free, and you can do them anywhere. Simply concentrating on our breathing whilst drawing deeper, slower breaths can help us to relieve stress and relax our minds. Breathe deeply through your nose and feel your diaphragm move. Watch the breath coming in and going out. Try to ignore all other distractions.

When you breathe, allow yourself to enjoy the experience of being a living being. Mostly we forget to do this and move through life very unconsciously. When we can quiet our minds, we can find peace and receive insights and access to our subconscious. Only when we become conscious of how we breathe, can we start to correct this.

So, to fight stress and find more energy, try watching your breath to make sure you are breathing efficiently. Get into the habit of taking deeper breaths. Improve your breathing through breathing exercises and regular aerobic exercise. Breathing properly will help you to cope with stress and improve your well-being.

Ability to calm down your mind and keep your emotions under control is precious. Regular meditations help to find out methods to remain calm and preserve a clear mind in different life situations. Meditation is the habit that will change your life even more dramatically than quitting smoking or drinking alcohol. First of all, it will help you release your hidden potential. You will be able to find answers to the questions that have been bothering you for a long time. You will be able to understand what exactly you want. You will learn how to listen to yourself and how to use this knowledge in your further life.

4. Sleep at Night

Night sleep is a key element of your strategy to prevent negative effects of the stress. At night, our bodies produce the most important hormones that help us beat stress. If you sleep in the daytime, your body cannot sufficiently perform its functions. Besides, you need to sleep at least 6 hours to give yourself time to have a rest and relax.

5. Positive Thinking

Stress ruins our mental health. To prevent that, you need to teach your mind to be strong and believe in the best outcomes. Positive thinking is an easy and effective way to enhance your mental health and make it ready to beat any complication or challenge. If you feel that you can no longer take your emotions under control, give yourself a break. Try to get rid of all negative thoughts and start thinking about positive moments. Imagine that you are sitting on the shore of the ocean, observing the waves and listening to nature. Or remember your childhood when mom’s smile made you the happiest person in the world.

6. Be Pro-Active

Lazy people suffer from stress more frequently than those who have an active life. If you have something to do, you do not have time to make up problems and think about them. Each time you notice that stress level is rising, start doing something that requires effort and concentration from you. For some people, the best solution for stress is to work with their hands. Other people prefer to delve into studying or investigation. Try different methods to understand what works perfectly for you.

Another approach that will help you beat the stress is to learn something new. However, you need to be careful with this approach. First of all, the theme should be interesting, and

secondly, you should not get irritated when you cannot cope with some new tasks

7. Do What You Like

It has been noticed that students who admire writing do not suffer from writing an essay. They do it easily in comparison to the students who do not love what they do. If you notice that everything in your life creates additional stress, change what you do. If you admire writing but work as an accountant (and you actually hate your job), quit it and give a try to writing different types of thesis statements for a magazine. If you cannot quit the job, introduce your hobbies to your life and make them more important than the things you do not like at all. Of course, it is difficult to change your approach to life in a couple of days. But you need to work on it to get rid of the stress and make your life more comfortable.

Stress should not be your friend. It should not guide you through your life and spoil its best moments. You need to take your life under control and make it better. Develop a habit to fight against stress and find the ways to eliminate it from your life. These 7 tactics will help you choose the right way to beat this problem and enhance the quality of your life.

Financial Ratio Analysis ..Very useful to get knowledge

 Financial Ratio Analysis

In credit proposals, Ratio analysis plays a significant role in analysing the financial health of units. Structuring the ratios in a proper manner not only results in gauging the performance of the unit, but also in analysing its exact financial needs.

let us understand various Profitability ratios along with rationales.
1. Operating Profit / Net Sales (%):
This ratio gives clue about the profitability of the unit from its core operations.
Rationale: It is to understand whether profitability reported by the unit is on account of its core operations or from non operating income.
2. Profit Before Tax (PBT) / Net Sales (%):
Indicates Profitability levels. It gives an indication regarding percentage of profit reported by the unit out of total income in a particular financial year
Formula for PBT: Net Sales (-) Operating expenses (-) Interest (+) Non operating income (-) Non operating expenditure.
For example, if PBT is Rs 10/- out of net sales of Rs 100/-, then the unit has a profitability of 10% in its business.
Rationale: PBT is arrived after considering Non operating income and Non operating expenditure. It is to understand whether profitability reported by the unit is on account of its core operations or from non core operations.
3. Operating cost to sales:
Operating cost is sum total of expenditure incurred from the stage of raw materials purchased to selling, General and administration expenses.
Rationale: This ratio is important in understanding the total amount of cost involved out of per unit sale. For example, an Operating cost to sales of 0.75 indicates, that the unit is incurring an amount of Rs 75/- in the form of operating costs while generating a revenue of Rs 100/-
4. Long Term Loans /Earning Before Interest, Depreciation, Taxation and Amortization (EBIDTA):
It indicates the comfortable level of EBIDTA to take care of term loan repayment obligations.
Rationale:Lower the ratio, greater is the comfort. If the ratio is low, it indicates that unit is not excessively indebted and is able to fulfil its debt obligations. Conversely, if the ratio is high, it indicates that company is heavily burdened with debt.
5. Interest Coverage Ratio (ICR) = Profit before Depreciation, Interest and Tax (PBDIT) / Interest):
It determines the cushion available in the hands of the unit out of surplus generated from its operations to pay interest on its outstanding debt. This ratio explains the sufficiency of available funds (PBDIT) in the hands of the unit to take care of interest obligations.
Rationale: This signifies that the unit has to generate sufficient income to meet its interest obligations, even when the business prospects are adverse.
A lower ICR indicates that less operating profits are available to meet interest payments and that the unit is more vulnerable to volatile interest rates. Therefore, a higher interest coverage ratio is desirable which indicates stronger financial health.
6. Return on Equity (ROE) %:
ROE is calculated as a ratio of net profit to the equity. It indicates what is the percentage of return, the equity share holders are deriving from their investment made in the business.
Rationale: ROE represents the capacity of the unit to serve its equity holders. Higher the level, higher is the return derived by share holders.
7. Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR):
‘Debt’ means maturing term obligation within a year viz., instalment repayable during a year under all term loans/deferred payment guarantees and ‘service’ means cash accruals consisting of net profit plus depreciation and non-cash expenses written off.
This ratio has to be calculated for the entire tenor of term loan. While calculating DSCR, existing term loan and its repayment should also be considered along with proposed term loan. Apart from this, any other term loan sanctioned by any other financial institution should also be considered.
Gross DSCR = [PAT + Depreciation and other non cash expenses** + Interest on term loan] / [Annual Principal instalments + Interest on term loan]
Net DSCR = [PAT + Depreciation and other non cash expenses**] / [Annual Principal instalments]
** Amortization, unrealized gains, unrealized losses etc.
Average Gross DSCR: It is calculated by dividing sum total of cash + Interest on term loan for the entire period of term loan with sum total of Annual Principal instalments + Interest on term loan for the entire period of term loan.
Rationale: DSCR is most important, as it indicates the ability of an enterprise to meet the liabilities (by way of instalments of Term Loans and Interest) out of cash accruals generated and forms the basis to fix repayment schedule in respect of the Term Loans sanctioned

TIME MANAGEMENT..Nice Article

 TIME MANAGEMENT

Many of us claim our days are never wasted. "I'm very organised" we say, "I know where I
am going and what I'm going to do". If you truly feel that way then you are in the minority.
Most people become frustrated with a day that is unproductive. We would all like to get more
done in a day.
The idea of time management has been in existence for more than 100 years. Unfortunately
the term "Time management" creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Time
can't be managed, time is uncontrollable we can only manage ourselves and our use of time.
Time management is actually self-management. It’s interesting that the skills we need to
manage others are the same skills we need to manage ourselves: the ability to plan, delegate,
organise, direct and control
There are common time wasters, which need to be identified. In order for a time
management process to work it is important to know what aspects of our personal
management need to be improved. Below you will find some of the most frequent reasons for
reducing effectiveness in the workplace. Tick the ones which are causing to be the major
obstacles to your own time management. These we refer to as your "Time Stealers".
Identifying your time stealers
 Interruptions - telephone
 Interruptions - personal visitors
 Meetings
 Tasks you should have delegated
 Procrastination and indecision
 Acting with incomplete information
 Dealing with team members
 Crisis management (fire fighting)
 Unclear communication
 Inadequate technical knowledge
 Unclear objectives and priorities
 Lack of planning
 Stress and fatigue
 Inability to say "No"
 Desk management and personal disorganisation

Fortunately there are strategies you can use to manage your time, be more in control and
reduce stress, but you can analyse your time and see how you may be both the cause and the
solution to your time challenges.
Below, we examine time management issues in more detail
1. Shifting priorities and crisis management.
Management guru Peter Drucker says that "crisis management is actually the form of
management preferred by most managers" The irony is that actions taken prior to the crisis
could have prevented the fire in the first place.
2. The telephone.
Have you ever had one of those days when you thought your true calling was in
Telemarketing. The telephone-our greatest communication tool can be our biggest enemy to
effectiveness if you don't know how to control its hold over you.
3.Lack of priorities/objectives.
This probably the biggest/ most important time waster. It affects all we do both professionally
and personally. Those who accomplish the most in a day know exactly what they want to
accomplish. Unfortunately too many of us think that goals and objectives are yearly things and
not daily considerations. This results in too much time spent on the minor things and not on
the things, which are important to our work/lives
4. Attempting too much.
Many people today feel that they have to accomplish everything yesterday and don't give
themselves enough time to do things properly. This leads only to half finished projects and no
feeling of achievement.
5. Drop in visitors.
The five deadliest words that rob your time are "Have you got a minute". Everyone's the
culprit-colleagues., the boss, your peers. Knowing how to deal with interruptions is one of the
best skills you can learn .
6. Ineffective delegation.
Good delegation is considered a key skill in both managers and leaders. The best managers
have an ability to delegate work to staff and ensure it is done correctly. This is probably the
best way of building a team’s moral and reducing your workload at the same time. The
general rule is -this; if one of your staff can do it 80% as well as you can, then delegate it.
7. The cluttered desk.
When you have finished reading this article look at your desk. If you can see less than 80% of it
then you are probably suffering from 'desk stress'. The most effective people work from clear
desks.
8.Procrastination.
The biggest thief of time; not decision making but decision avoidance. By reducing the amount
of procrastinating you do you can substantially increase the amount of active time available to
you.
9. The inability to say "no!”
The general rule is; if people can dump their work or problems on to your shoulders they will
do it . Some of the most stressed people around lack the skill to 'just say no' for fear of
upsetting people.
Meetings.
Studies have shown that the average manager spends about 17 hours a week in meetings
and about 6 hours in the planning time and untold hours in the follow up. I recently spoke to
an executive who has had in the last 3 months 250 meetings It is widely acknowledged that
about as much of a third of the time spent in meetings is wasted due to poor meeting
management and lack of planning If you remember your goal is to increase your self
management, these are the best ways to achieve this;
There are many ways we can manage our time. We have listed some strategies you can use
to manage your time.
1. Always define your objectives as clearly as possible.
Do you find you are not doing what you want because your goals have not been set. One of
the factors, which mark out successful people, is their ability to work out what they want to
achieve and have written goals, which they can review them constantly. Your long term goals
should impact on your daily activities and be included on your "to do" list. Without a goal or
objective people tend to just drift personally and professionally
2. Analyse your use of time.
Are you spending enough time on the projects, which although may not be urgent now are
the things you need to do to develop yourself or your career. If you are constantly asking
yourself "What is the most important use of my time, right now?" it will help you to focus on
'important tasks' and stop reacting to tasks which seem urgent (or pleasant to do) but carry
no importance towards your goals.
3. Have a plan.
How can you achieve your goals without a plan. Most people know what they want but have
no plan to achieve it except by sheer hard work. Your yearly plan should be reviewed daily
and reset as your achievements are met. Successful people make lists constantly. It enables
them to stay on top of priorities and enable them to remain flexible to changing priorities. This
should be done for both personal and business goals.
4. Action plan analysis.
Problems will always occur, the value of a good plan is to identify them early and seek out
solutions. Good time management enables you to measure the progress towards your goals
because "What you can measure, you can control". Always try to be proactive.
Time management (or self management) is not a hard subject to understand, but unless you
are committed to build time management techniques into your daily routine you'll only achieve
partial (or no) results and then make comments such as "I tried time management once and it
doesn't work for me". The lesson to learn is that the more time we spend planning our time
and activities the more time we will have for those activities. By setting goals and eliminating
time wasters and doing this everyday you may find you will have extra time in the week to
spend on those people and activities most important to you.




The Eleven Biggest Time Management Lies !!


In the world of Time Management there are things said to us that we Accept as truth and we act
accordingly. The problem is sometimes they Are not truths. They are lies and as we believe
them, they waste our Time.
Those who speak these lies to us are not bad people at all because You and I are among them.
We all speak these untruths to one another from time to time. So let's not wish harm and doom
to the liars. Let's avoid the time traps their lying may cause us.
Here are the eleven biggest lies to shield yourself from.
1. "This will just take a minute." Has anyone grabbed you with that line? Does it ever "just take a
minute"? Rarely. What typically "just takes a minute", generally consumes several minutes and
more. Next time, when someone asks for your time and assures you," This will just take a
minute", tell them, "You're lying. You may not realize you're lying, but you are. I'll give you five
minutes. You may begin now."
2. "I need this as soon as possible." No you don't. That's a lie too. you need it by a certain date
and time because you are going to do something with what I provide for you. And if you're not
going to do anything with what I provide for you, why am I doing it for you in the first place?
Don't lie to me. Tell me when I have to get it to you. Be specific. You and I probably have two
difference dates in mind when we think in terms of "as soon as possible".

3. "I want this now." I doubt it. In this 24/7/365 world, everyone is under a sense of artificial
pressure to get it done "now" or worse," Yesterday". Things are generally not that urgent. Don't
get caught up in someone else's urgent trivialities. Call the liar to task. "I'm not sure I can get
that done now. What if I got it to you one week from today?" Use an outside deadline to give
yourself ample time to prevent getting into crisis management. Oh, and if they reject that
alternative, try three better dates for you. Why? Because, they may keep lying to you.
4. "It's not about the money." When it's not about the money, it's about the money.
5. "This is the best (investment, business opportunity, book, movie, restaurant, boss, job, etc.)
you'll ever find." Not true. There's always something better. The best is yet to come.
6. "I can get this done in an hour." It's a fib. Ever notice how it almost always takes twice as long
to get something done as what you thought it would? That's because few of us have a very
accurate internal clock to estimate the time required to complete most tasks.
7. "He's a' late' person." Most people who are "late" have a consistency about their behavior. My
friend Dwayne is 20 minutes late all the time. If we need to meet for lunch tomorrow, it will take
him 24 hours and twenty minutes to get there. Dwayne is not "late". He's "On-time; 20 minutes
later".
8."No Cost." You don't get "nothing for nothing". Everything has a cost. It may not cost you your
money but more often it will be your time and more of it than what you are getting in return for
"no cost".
9. "I'll prove you're wrong if it's the last thing I do." And it may well be. No one wants to be
proven wrong. Everyone likes to be caught doing things "right". Most, however, don't mind being
shown how to do things better.
10. "By the time I show him how to do it I could just as quickly have done it myself." If it's a onetime
proposition this may be true. It doesn't make a lot of sense to spend an hour to show
someone how to do a task that takes only 10 minutes.
But if it's a repetitive task, it's a lie. If that one hour investment will save you 10 minutes every
day, then in about a week you have your investment back and now you have a dividend of 10
extra minutes a day. What if you do that six different times? You get an extra hour in your day
and 365 hours over the next year.
11. "This is going to be really hard." Not true. Going through whatever you have to go through is
almost never as difficult as you imagined It to be. My high school principal, taught me that 95%
of what we fear coming at us will never hit us. It will ditch itself before it ever reaches us. And as
to the remaining 5%, tap your inner strengths to deal with it.

Do’s of Time Management


1) Draw out clear KPAs, time bound objectives and detailed plans for your job.
2) Plan your day ahead. List out the most important things to be done the next day in order
of importance.
3) Do delegate matters which you do not have to decide yourself. Insist on exercise of
delegated authority.
4) Be predictable. Know your staff and let your staff know your mind.
5) Record occasionally for some stretch of time how you spend your time and analyse
critically your time management.
6) Do accept that whatever your superior wants is urgent and important (till you are able to
convince him that it is not really so). But as a superior, decide priorities with reference to
organisational needs.
7) Do set aside fixed hours in a day when your staff can meet you or you will call them,
other than in any emergency.
8) Do set aside some time a week for innovative thinking and long range planning
regarding your area of responsibility, so as to anticipate problems and heighten your
contribution to the organisation.
9) Set aside some time, preferably towards the end of the day for trivial administrative
details.
10) Insist on completed staff work.
11) Finish the task you have taken up before getting to another.
12) Develop the habit of single handling i.e., making a decision or disposing of a paper at the
first opportunity itself.
13) Manage your time as you manage your money.
14) Do find time to relax, to draw back and look at what you are / have been doing (Review
time)
The trouble with service delivery is that it can’t be checked in advance, like a piece of crystal, or
a luxury car. We can’t sample it, package it, systemize it or automate service. It’s only produced
at the moment of consumption, our win-or-lose moment. That service delivery is often
performed by the most junior of our employees, often least motivated.
-- John Sharpe

Distress to De-Stress

 WHAT IS STRESS  ?

STRESS

 Is a reaction / Response to any kind of change

 Is physical and emotional responses to situations which are perceived as novel, frightening, confusing, exciting, or tiring.

 Gets precipitated by external demands

 Can also be generated from with in by our fears, hopes, expectations and beliefs

 Acts like a signal for body and mind to get ready to rise to an occasion.  It is an alarming reaction.

 Can’t be avoided.  It is every day fact of life.

 Creeps in stealthily and has potential to either make or mar us.

 Affects our mood and behaviour.

 Produces tension and pressure on bodily systems.

 Accelerates aging process.

 Reduces immunity to illness.

 Final effect may be serious illness of body or mind or even death.


So what? Is all the stress bad?

Good verses bad stress

 No, all stress is  not  Bad.

 It can be positive or Negative.

 Positive situations like, promotion, a new job, marriage prove to be stressful but these increase our resistance to stress on account of positive feelings like pleasure, confidence, and happiness generated by them.

 Negative situations like illness, interpersonal problems, financial losses, death of family members having been associated with negative feelings, like sadness, conflict, dissatisfaction lower our resistance to stress and make us more vulnerable to diseases.

 A certain amount of stress is essential for health, and to stimulate us to do simple day to day tasks.  Absence of stress in life makes our lives monotonous and dull.

 More and more negative situations, in quick succession and negative perceptions about our existing conditions make it difficult to adjust or adapt.  Then we feel anxiety, tension, worry and uneasiness.  At this state good effects of ‘positive stress’ in our lives are over powered, by effects of negative stress.  We start imaging all bad things that are likely to happen in our lives.  We drive our elves to illness.

 So, let us develop our capabilities to utilize good stress to our advantage and to prevent bad stress from spoiling our lives.

ROLE OF PERSONALITY FACTORS AND BEHAVIOURAL PATTERNS:

Every one responds differently to a potentially stressful situation.  It is not only the outside stressor alone that causes stress, but also our response to that stressor.  Let us note here that ‘what happens to us is not important, but how er react to what happens to us that is important.

Some PERSONALITIES SUSCEPTIBLE TO STRESS are
a) Suspicious :
Hyper vigilant, guarded, cold and unemotional by nature, uneasy in social interactions.  He causes stress to himself and also to those who deal with him.

b) Asocial  : Eccentric, isolated, lonely , aloof and uninvolved, lacks concern for others, engages excessively in day dreaming, lack of expression of appropriate anger, Introvert.  For him performing day to day functions is of too much burden.  It is difficult to handle such person at work and in house.

c) Volatile : Excitable, emotional, extrovert maintains deep long lasting attachments.  Highly demanding in inter personal relations, irrational behaviour, angry out bursts under stress.  Uncontrolled emotionality is stressful to him and those around him.

d) Antisocial : In conflict with acceptable social norms, rules, regulations, constant marital tensions, repeated physical fights, wife or child abuse, very unpopular, repeated lieing, drunk driving offenses appears stressful and hardy, underlying stress and frustration takes form of aggressive and antisocial behaviour.

e) Hypersensitive : Extreme sensitivity to rejection, socially withdrawn, low self esteem lack of self confidence, seeks jobs on the side lines, shy and eager to please others, creates stress in interpersonal relations.  These are handle with care variety.

f) Inadequate : Loves to sit back and enjoy life, passive.  Pessimistic, fearful about expressing fearful and aggressive feelings, avoids positions of responsibility, anxious and stressful to face responsibility.  Indecisive cause great stress to other family members.

g) Obsessive : Stubborn, insists on things being done in ways and suggested by them, preoccupied with order and detail, serious, formal, highly stressful to others.

h) Passive : Procrastinate, justifying their unreasonable behaviour , lacks assertiveness, critical of those on whom they depend on, don’t directly state needs, confused are mostly under stress.


Thus, personality determines how we perceive life events, how we behave in responsive to stress encounters and how quickly and how easily we handle stress.

STRESS PERSONALITY – ILLNESS

Understanding personality types help us to modify our behaviour patterns in order to relieve stress symptoms and thereby prevent related illness.

Type A:  Ambitious, impatient, competitive, always struggle to achieve, irritable and annoyed if any thing gets in their way.

Those who don’t show above characters are type ‘B’.

None of the above two types is type ‘B’

Type A is more prone to heart attack and other heart related problems / disorders.  In case of loss of control over SITUATIONS ‘A’ type falls into state of collapse.

Cancer Prone : Severe emotional disturbances before 15 years as children felt sense of loss, loneliness, anxiety, rejection, try to please people to win their affection.


Migraine prone : Feels sense of unworthiness, accepts greater burden than they can cope, easily given to frustration, sudden outbursts of anger, poor judgment.


Other uncertain, qualities : concerned above neatness, morality, conformity, can’t express anger / hostility.  Therefore, facts are given not to threaten readers, but to encourage them to take positive preventive action to deal with stress.

Not only personality facts, but also a host of other factors also determine stress to individual.  We may not be able to change stress situations or our genetic inherent characters but, we can change our reactions to stress and how we perceive it.


STRESSORS

Life events cause stress.  No. of life events in particular period of time can lead to increased ill health.


These are birth, death, marriage, divorce, job, retirement, moving house  But what is important is how often we experience them.  All of them need social readjustment to a new change.


Greater the amount of readjustment required, greater the likelihood of developing illness.  Loss events like death or loss of job cause more stress induced illness than gain events like birth or new job.  In addition to daily events our beliefs and attitudes, unrealistic expectations and negative self-talk lead us to stress.


The stressors can be classified as Domestic, occupational and social


Domestic : Marriage, children divorce
Occupational : Physical environment, job structure, Interpersonal relations, Burnout unemployment, Role o f working  women.


Socio-economic : Tax problems communal tension, over population, strikes etc come under political stress.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE STRESS


The body has its own ways of signaling that it is in discomfort.  Whenever it is subjected to prolonged stress.  Presence of symptoms is suggestive of the fact that some thing has gone wrong some where in body.

But, some people are so externally oriented that they are not aware of their own feelings.  Until and unless we recognize our sysmptoms of stress, we can’t prevent/minimize them.  Let us try to recognize “BAD STRESS SYMPTOMS” are:

Mental :  Increased irritability and angry out bursts.  Lack of concentration, Indecisiveness, Forget fullness.

Emotional : Becoming fussy, suspicious, touchy or weepy, feeling anxious, hopelessness, guilty, insecure, increased moodiness.

Physical : Tense muscles, irregular breathing sweaty palms, cold fingers dryness of mouth, palpitations, Diarrhea.  More urination, Restlessness, shaky hands / legs.

Behavioural : Increased smoking, drinking, increased/decreased eating, sleep, nail biting, hair pulling, not mixing with others, neglecting looks, tapping fingers, lipsmacks, mannerisms, non stop talking, workholism/absenteeism.



Recognizing these symptoms and having appropriate timely intervention can prevent us from falling prey to severe stress related disorders/illness.

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS

Reaction to stress occurs in four ways

Normal : Alertness followed by action of defense
Neurotic : Alert/anxiety is so great, that defense becomes ineffective.
Psychotic : Alert is mis-interpreted or ignored.

Psychosomatic : Defense by mind fails, alert is transmitted to bodily system causing changes in body tissues and leading to several health problem as shown here under:

Prolonged alertness / tension / stress can produce physiological  disorders, which includes, tension headache,back ache, migraine and triggers off asthma, eczema, arthristis, palpitations indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, disturbed sleep.


 It can also increase our succeptability to High Bold Pressure, Heart disease, Diabetes or Cancer.  Even though, certain level of stress is needed in the life, but prolonged pervasiveness and high level of stress can ruin our physical as well mental Health.



So, recognize early signs symptoms and timely intervention can prevent future health hazards.


How to prevent / overcome?

COPING WITH STRESS

Stress is inescapable.  So, it should be maintained in manageable levels.  For this, every one develop his own strategies… coping is nothing but think strategies to handle stress.  Coping with stress means the ways and means to be adopted to keep stress in manageable levels.  For managing the stress, we shall bring CHANGE in 3 areas of ourlife.  Self, others environment.

Some people try to choose to cope with stress NEGATIVELY.  It is not good in long run.  In negative coping one tries to manage or control stress by using methods, which on surface appear to be worthwhile efforts, but in reality only further add to increase stress levels in imperceptible ways.  Negative coping strategies are smoking, Drinking too much coffee, alcohol, tranquilizers, eating too much, too little food.  These habits rob away the resources from the body, which has already been stressed much.  Managing stress is more than coping it is learning to cope adaptively, effectively.

POSITIVE COPING STRATEGIES includes

Nutrition : Healthy habits and supplementing body with vitamins/foods rich in vitamins like B complex, C and E protect body from stress.
Relationship : Developing meaningful relationship with others reduces stress.
Diversion : Theater, T.V.  Amusement parks, provide a source of joy and entertainment and help us to tackle our problems in positive frame of mind.  But diversion is a temporary escape from stress.

Removal : Temporarily getting away from stress situation resorts/beaches, gurus, Religious organizations.  They  give needed Relaxation, sleep and re-change body to meet stress situation again.  But it fades away again after sometime of our facing stress situation.  But his can’t give any direct solution.
Selecting a few of the techniques, which are most suitable to us land practicing them daily can give us direct solution to our stress.


WHAT ARE OTHER TECHNIQUES
Mental techniques

Breathing : There is direct relationship between mind and breathing.  Out of the chest breathing and abdominal breathing, the later one is most efficient type as it enhances greater expansion and ventilation of lungs.  Increases circulation and increases mental and physical relaxation.
The abdominal breathing also called as Diaphromatic breathing diaphragm is a sheet of muscle separating chest from abdomen.  In abdominal breathing while we breath, Diaphragm contracts and pushes downward.  This relaxes abdominal muscles.  When we breath out, abdominal muscles contract, Diaphragm relaxes.This helps to reduce anxiety, depression, irritability, Tension, fatigue, Reduces shallow breathing.  It can be learned in a few minutes.  Do it five minutes at a time, twice a day.
PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION   : Reduces muscular Tension, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, irritable bowls, muscle spasm, neck and back pain, high B.P. Mild phobias, stuttering.
Sit in a chair in a relaxed and comfortable way.. select a part of your body.  Tighten the muscles of that part.. as tight as is possible.  Relax muscles.  Do it thrice.  Then select another part.  Tighten and Relax muscles.  Like this do it in all the parts including face, scalp etc abdomen, back etc.
After the exercise is over raise slowly, to allow body to readjust.
Do it twice a day
Autogenic Training, Self Hypnotism, Visualizing (Guided Imagining), Positive thinking Meditation, Yoga are some other methods available.  Learning them from some one who is eminent in them and practicing them regularly will help us not only from reducing stress in our lives but also prevent the health hazards we are likely to face.  French pharmacist, emil coue commands his patients  to repeat following phrase.

“EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER”.

This positive statement had cured many diseases under his guidance.  So, why not say it to yourself everyday atleast 20 times immediately after getting up from bed.


BEHAVIOURAL TECHNIQUES TO COMBAT STRESS


Bio-feed back : Is use of instrumentation to observe bodily processes which are otherwise not visible or audible and to bring them under voluntary control.  Information about your body is fed to you by means of a visual audio display.  So that you are actually able to observe how your heart, breathing etc.  behaves when you are stressed.  Biofeed back machines serves as a an ‘inner eye’ offering.  This is helpful in reducing Tension headache, Migraine, Hypertension, Insomnea, Muscle Spasm, Epilepsy, anxiety, Phobia, asthma and stuttering.

Thought stopping : Useful for getting rid of obsessive and phobic behaviour.  Obsessive though are irrational, repetitive thoughts that worry a person leading to constant self doubt and severe anxiety, phobias are extreme fear reactions leading to avoidance of specific objectives or situations.


Thought stopping involves stopping a specific though chain.  Concentrate on unwanted thought for a brief period and suddenly stop of empty your mind.  A verbal command ‘stop’ or a loud sound are useful to interrupt unpleasant thoughts.

This is highly useful in treating obsessive thoughts of failures, accidents, death, sexual inadequacy, obsessive memorises etc. also useful in treating phobias like fear of snake, driving in the dark, lifts, fear of going mad, fear of diseases.


An aid to improve effectiveness of thought stopping is wearing a Rubber Band around your wrist.  When ever you say ‘stop’ stretch the rubber band and leave it, so that it inflicts a small degree of pain.  This sort of little self punishment will stop the ongoing thoughts.  The main idea is to stifle the each difficult thought as soon as it comes.  Such thoughts will slowly decrease in frequency and eventually go away altogether.


STRESS INOCULATION/COPING SKILLS


Preparation for a battle is half the battle won.  Similarly, awareness of what causes stress in preparation to combat its effects boldly.  Our body responds to mental images we create within us.  By relax the mind.  We can prepare ourselves mentally and physically to face an anticipated stressful event.  This is a rehearsal in imagination for real life event that are threatening or distressing.   This is useful in situation like… appearing an interview, presentation of paper before audience, arrival of new boss at work, first day in college, giving important speech.

Steps involved in this are as under:

01. Imagine forth coming event
02. prepare adequately
03. Rehearse before event
04. Give a break to yourself with pleasurable activities
05. Prepare for the worst.
06. Relax before the event
07. Expect some stress
08. Take time to recover
09. Reward yourself
10. Tell yourself in the middle of stressful situations, anxiety conquering statements like… ‘stay calm’ ‘don’t loose your cool’.  You have handled this before, Relax now, you cn surely do this, he can’t really hurt me’.  More you concentrate on these coping statements, quicken the relief from stress.

Assertiveness training

Being assertive means being able to standup for your rights, needs and feelings without violating rights or sensitivities of others, without showing aggression.  It is learning to communicate effectively in a polite firm honest and open manner.  It is the only way in which you can have your opinion heard, feelings appreciated and rights honoured.. assertiveness involves communicating effectively both verbally and non-verbally.  It is also a state of mind.  It is having choice and exercising that choice.

First find out to which style of behaviour you belong to among aggressive, passive or Assertive.  One should learn to behave in Assertive style.

In this process of learning we shall learn assertive body language, listening skills, getting compromise and being persistent.


Body language : Maintain eye cantact, erect body posture, speak clearly audibly, firmly.  Don’t use apologetic tone., use gestures and facial expression of emphasis
Listening : Be ready, beware of your own needs and feelings give undivided attention to other person.  Look at his point of view, let other person know that you are listening to him.
Compromise : Meet halfway, part of what I want with part of what you want etc.
Persistence  : Don’t get put off by people who say things to anger you or distressed you.  Don’t give up till you get satisfactory answer.
Avoid manipulation : learn to avoid being manipulated by others.  When some one refuses to take ‘no’ as answer, use a carefully, chosen sentences to use it as a ‘broken record’ and say it over and over agin.


Learn can ‘Defuse’ anger of other one by putting of discussion when some body in salts or criticizes you, give appearance of agreeing without promising change.  This is ‘clouding’.  Assertive inquiry, Assertive delay will help us in calming down our critic.

Assertive behaviour reduces distress and induces a positive state of mind and general good health.


JOB STRESS MANAGEMENT

Overload of work, time pressures, deadlines, conflicting demands, job uncertainty, under utilization of skills, unsympathetic Boss, and work monotony are some of common sources of job stress.
The individual, organization and environment in which organization functions determine one’s vulnerability to job-stress.  Management of this job stress is essential for healthy functioning of individuals and Institution.
Job Stress Management helps us to improve our ability to cope, gives sense of control at work, decreases feelings of guilt anxiety and low self esteem, improves relationships at work, increases problem solving abilities, reduces Psychosomatic symptoms, such as fatigue, insomnia Backaches, Ulcer etc.

How to Manage Job Stress:
01. Identify your symptoms of Job stress

02. Identify your sources of your job stress like lack of control, information gap, conflicts, over load under load, conflict in values etc.

03. Identify how you are responding to your job stressors

04. Set goals to change the ways of dealing with above job stress.

05. Change your thinking.  Make realistic appraisal of situation, Repetition of coping statements (I can handle it)  don’t blame yourself or anyone else.

06. Deal with your relationships at work.

07. Learning skills of negotiation in dealing with trouble some people / situations artfully.
These steps followed with thorough consideration will enable us to reduce our Job stress.

STEPS TO PREVENT JOB STRESS:
01.. Having Rational belief and attitude towards job, yourself and job performance.
02. Develop skills to develop behaviours need to do job effectively.
03. Develop support system at work.
04. Learn to Relax and use leisure time constructively.

LIFE STYLE CHANGES

NUTRITION: Adopting healthy habits and taking proper Nutrition increases resistance to stress.  Eat variety of foods, eat slowly, eat regularly, Don’t eat when feeling bored, or in angry or tired or anxious, eat smaller portions, Don’t see T.V. or Read News Paper when eating.

Avoid fats, particularly animal fate, avoid sugars, eat more lightly steamed fruits, whole grains cereals, avoid salt, alcohol, coffee, maintain vegetarianism, eat frequent small needs.

SLEEP:A sound sleep is one of the most important preprequisite for a healthy body and a healthy mind. So,

1. Go to bed only when sleepy
2. Have regular selling hours
3. Take warm milk before sleep
4. Don’t try hard to fall asleep
5. Stop worrying about not being able to sleep
6. Exercise during day
7. Engage in quite pleasant activities before sleep
8. Get massage for neck and shouders

EXERCISE:Jogging and waling are best exercises.  Do this for 20 to 40 minutes daily.  Indoor exercise equipment, yoga exercises, warmup exercises all help us in reducing stress.

TIME MANAGEMENT: Helps us in reducing Dead line anxiety.  Symptoms of poor time management are avoidance anxiety and job fatigue.  Constant rushing, Vacillating between unpleasant choices, missing deadlines.  Not having breaks in between to Relax, sense of being overwhelmed by work demands.

Strategies For Time Management

Establish priorities, create time by eliminating low priority tasks, learn to make basic decisions, plan in terms of time rather than tasks don’t start number of tasks at a time.  Complete a task before going to next task.  Group similar tasks,  allow some time for family, some time for yourself, you must have time to feel a sense of accomplishment and contentment.

OTHER STRATEGIES


LAUGHTER:

Improves breathing, lowers B.P. Releases healing harmones.  When you smile whole body becomes calm-humor, which eliminates gloom and worry, improves the bodies natural resources.  Laughter, the best medicine, can keep us healthy.  So try to spend time with cheerful people.  Try not to be too serious always, go through books, comedy videos/films.

ANGER:

 Is acid which can do more harm to vessel in which it is poured, than to thing on which it is poured.  It is normal human reaction.
We should learn to.  Reduce it in a healthy way.  Recognize the anger you feel, decide what makes you angry.  Give the provoker the benefit of doubt, practice mental relaxation, listen, learn the art of forgiving…. Use anger creatively.  Accept anger and handle it effectively.

MASSAGE:

Relaxes tensions from aching Muscles.  Stimulates blood flow, eases stress helps fluid drainages, generates sense of whole someness and peace.  Stroking, kneading, preasure and friction are four basic Manage movements.

SELF MASSAGE:

 Can be done while watching T.V. or taking Bath.  If necessary pleasant smelling oil can be used to lubricate.  It’s helpful in relieving pains and aches. Start from face, to scalp , neck, shoulders, back, hands and arms, legs and thighs, feet, Massage helps to rediscover healing power.  Get your mind of thoughts and concentrate on task of massaging.

Where to seek help?

PROFESSIONAL HELP
Some time it may not be possible to cope with stress despite using several strategies mentioned earlier.  It such case we could seek the help of our doctor, Psychiartist or Psychologist or Trained Counceler.They would listen to you objectively, analyse problem situation more clearly classify your thinking and offer a course of action that is tailored to suit your individual needs.

MEDICINES:
Play a role in acute intense stress related symptoms to be used only as a last resort and for a short term.

SOCIAL SUPPORT
This plays an important role.

1. Emotional support providing sympathy care and concern, love, trust.
2. Instrumental support provides to needs, like money, looking after children.
3. Informational support provides information helpful in coping with stress
4. Appraisal support provides indirect support by approving and recognizing persons actions.

Social support reduces stress, impact of stress, improves resistance to illness, workplace friends, family members, clubs religious groups can provide social support.

HELPING OTHERS TO HELP YOUR SELF:
Regular voluntary service actually increases life expectancy.   It is good for one’s mind and nervous system.  Ultimately when going gets really tough, One should into shy away from seeking professional help or mobilizing social support in dealing with stressful time.

REMEMBER
TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST
BUT
TOUGH PEOPLE DO