We all know what stress feels like. But how many of you can define what STRESS is?
Well, stress is the body's response to overwhelming demand or threat. When we sense danger, real or imaginary, the body's defense mechanism drives us to a "fight-or-flight" mechanism, or "stress response." Now let's understand work stress.
Understanding Workplace Stress
We all have felt stressed out at work at some point. Can you recall the feeling? That feeling when you feel "nothing is going right" or "you just do 't want to deal with it anymore" or "what am I doing to my life, and why" or maybe "I'm so sick and tired of everything, I need a break." Yes, these are some things that we feel when stressed out. Workplace stress is a mismatch between the job requirements and your capabilities or available resources, leading to unsustainable pressure. Work stress is a major risk factor for depression and anxiety. Most jobs have some stress beyond our control.
At the job, most of the time, we can't set our personal goals, targets, deadlines, or for that matter, the culture and people around us. Finding a positive way to work-life balance, and personal adaptations and strategies can help us combat work stress. For taking care of mental health, you also need physical well-being. Regular exercise, restful sleep, healthy habits, proper meal times and balanced diets, all lead to physical well-being, thus keeping you mentally well.
What can cause Work Stress?
- • Working overtime, long work hours, working without breaks, taking work home, and working on weekends
- • Unrealistic goals and targets, hard-to-match turn-around time, and working at rush to meet deadlines
- • Unmatched skillset or training, making it difficult to understand the work
- • Monotonous, dull and boring work
- • Under-utilization or over-utilization of skill set and manpower
- • Unjustified salary according to work pressure
- • Lack of motivation, rewards, recognition, and/or appreciation
- • Unhealthy atmosphere at workplace
- • Improper ergonomics at work leading to health concerns (read our blog on ergonomics)
- • Improper infrastructure and workplace planning
- • Job insecurity
- • Conflict with colleagues or management
- • Lack of support and guidance
- • Lack of new opportunities, roles, and promotions
- • Workplace discrimination
The list is longer than it looks. The smallest discomfort at your workplace may lead to a great amount of stress, depending upon its implications. This may further lead to anxiety and depression, a major health concern. How to know "When you are at Stress" The signs of stress can be physical and/or mental.
Physical Signs
- • Chest pain or pounding heart
- • Headaches
- • Fatigue and feeling of tiredness all the time
- • Decrease in libido (reduced urge of sex)
- • Muscle tension and pains
- • Susceptibility to frequent colds
- • Nausea, constipation or diarrhea
- • Restlessness and breathing distress
- • Excessive sweating
- • Hypertension
- • Restlessness
- • Sleeping problems
- •Loss or change of appetite
Non-Physical Signs
- • Irritability
- • Negative thinking
- • Feeling frustrated or overwhelmed
- • Feeling unhappy and/or angry
- • Lack of confidence and indecisiveness
- • Worrisome behavior
- • Racing thoughts
- • Memory problems
How Work Stress may affect your Life
Work Stress is usually a normal response to job demands. If it is an occasional burst of stress, it can do you good by motivating you to keep up the pace and perform better. However, prolonged or excessive work stress may not positively impact your mental well-being. It can trigger or aggravate underlying anxiety and depression in some people. The repercussions of stress may cause permanent damage to your mental well-being. Health and work stress can also even take a toll on your relationships outside of work and life as a whole. It can increase the risk of several other health problems, injury, fatigue, and burnout.
What to do to get out of Stress
With life on the run these days, it is very usual to become so busy with work that you stop finding time for your personal life out of work. The trick is to balance things to have a happier life with your loved ones and have a successful career. Some of the things that can help you achieve this balance are:
- • Learn to relax Set aside some time in routine for recreational activities, things you enjoy doing. Find some time for your family.
- • Postpone major life changes if you are already feeling stressed. Do not add up to the cause of your stress with big decisions.
- • Talking to someone and sharing your thoughts and feelings can be of great help. It can be your spouse, family member, a close friend, counselor, or even a psychologist.
- • Whenever your stress level surges up, take a break from work. Take your entitled leaves on time.
- • Get out of the workplace for lunch with friends you love spending your time with.
- • Take short walks out of your workplace during lunch; you will feel refreshed and more productive.
- • Manage your work and do not overlap with your break timings.
- • Schedule meetings only during work hours and not your time.
- • Leave the office on time every day. Avoid doing overtime.
- • Try not to carry work home
- • Spend your weekends away from phone and laptops
- • Speak-up and discuss with the supervisor if goals and targets are unreasonable.
- • Exercising regularly is a very effective way of dealing with stress, and keeps you happy, energetic, and fit the whole day.
If you, your family, friends, or colleagues notice any major behavior change, speak to your health care provider for early help.
Helpful resources:
- • beyondblue Taking care of your mental health in the workplacebooklet
- • Track your moods and build resilience with the Black Dog Institute's myCompass tool
- • Stay well at work with advice from SuperFriend
