Every New Year comes with its challenges at work. 2017 shall be no exemption. One major challenge that keeps recurring at the workplace every year is the stress associated with work. It is often said that the best solution to a problem is the identification of the problem in itself. Therefore, we need to understand the meaning of stress so as to know the strategies to adopt in coping with it because it is an inevitable aspect of the workplace.
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. This can either be good or bad depending on which angle one considers it. One may ask, how can stress be good? The answer is simple: the positive effect of stress is: it motivates people to accomplish more. Research has proven that increased stress results in increased productivity. But up to a point, after which things go rapidly downhill– this causes the negative effect of the stress that every individual experiences at the workplace.
Everyone who has ever held a job or in it has, at some point, felt the pressure of work-related stress. Any job can have stressful elements, even if you love what you do. In the short-term, you may experience pressure to meet a deadline or to fulfill a challenging obligation. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming— and harmful to both physical and emotional health.
Unfortunately such long-term stress is all too common in our daily lives at the workplace. In 2012, a research was conducted and showed that 65 percent of the working group cited work-related stress as the top source of stress, according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual Stress in America Survey. But the question begs asking: how many of them are able to manage or cope with the stress? Obviously few! From the research, only 37 percent of working group surveyed said they were doing an excellent or very good job managing stress.
In 2013, another survey by APA’s Center for Organizational Excellence also found that job-related stress is a serious issue. More than one-third of the working group reported experiencing chronic work stress and just 36 percent said their organizations provide sufficient resources to help them manage that stress.
You can’t always avoid the tensions that occur on the job. Yet you can take steps to manage them.
Common Sources of Work Stress
Certain factors tend to go hand-in-hand with work-related stress. Some common workplace stressors are:
- Low
- Excessive
- Few opportunities for growth or
advancement.
- Work that isn’t engaging or
- Lack of social
- Not having enough control over job-related decisions.
- Conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations.
Effects of Uncontrolled Stress
Unfortunately, work-related stress doesn’t just disappear when you head home for the day. When stress persists, it can take a toll on your health and well-being and even affect your interpersonal relationship with others.
In the short term, a stressful work environment can contribute to problems such as headache, stomachache, sleep disturbances, short temper and difficulty concentrating. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. It can also contribute to health conditions such as depression, obesity and heart disease. Compounding the problem, people who experience excessive stress often deal with it in unhealthy ways such as overeating, eating unhealthy foods, smoking cigarettes or abusing drugs and alcohol.
How to Manage Stress Effectively
Track your stressor
Keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them. Record your thoughts, feelings and information about the environment, including the people and circumstances involved, the physical setting and how you reacted. Did you raise your voice? Get a snack from the vending machine? Go for a walk? Taking notes can help you find patterns among your stressors and your reactions to them.
Develop healthy responses
Instead of attempting to fight stress with fast food or alcohol, do your best to make healthy choices when you feel the tension rise. Exercise is a great stress-buster. Yoga can be an excellent choice, but any form of physical activity is beneficial. Also make time for hobbies and favorite activities. Whether it’s reading a novel, going to concerts or playing games with your family, make sure to set aside time for the things that bring you pleasure. Getting enough good-quality sleep is also important for effective stress management. Build healthy sleep habits by limiting your caffeine intake late in the day and minimizing stimulating activities, such as computer and television use, at night.
Establish boundaries
In today’s digital world, it’s easy to feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day. Establish some work-life boundaries for yourself. That might mean making a rule not to check email from home in the evening, or not answering the phone during dinner. Although people have different preferences when it comes to how much they blend their work and home life, creating some clear boundaries between these realms can reduce the potential for work-life conflict and the stress that goes with it.
Take time to recharge
To avoid the negative effects of chronic stress and burnout, we need time to replenish and return to our pre-stress level of functioning. This recovery process requires “switching off ” from work by having periods of time when you are neither engaging in work-related activities, nor thinking about work. That’s why it’s critical that you disconnect from time to time, in a way that fits your needs and preferences. Don’t let your vacation days go to waste. When possible, take time off to relax and unwind, so you come back to work feeling reinvigorated and ready to perform at your best. When you’re not able to take time off, get a quick boost by turning off your smartphone and focusing your attention on non-work activities for a while.
Learn how to relax
Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness (a state in which you actively observe present experiences and thoughts without judging them) can help melt away stress. Start by taking a few minutes each day to focus on a simple activity like breathing, walking or enjoying a meal. The skill of being able to focus purposefully on a single activity without distraction will get stronger with practice and you’ll find that you can apply it to many different aspects of your life.
Talk to your supervisor
Healthy employees are typically more productive, so your boss has an incentive to create a work environment that promotes employee well-being. Start by having an open conversation with your supervisor. The purpose of this isn’t to lay out a list of complaints, but rather to come up with an effective plan for managing the stressors you’ve identified, so you can perform at your best on the job. While some parts of the plan may be designed to help you improve your skills in areas such as time management, other elements might include identifying employer- sponsored wellness resources you can tap into, clarifying what’s expected of you, getting necessary resources or support from colleagues, enriching your job to include more challenging or meaningful tasks, or making changes to your physical workspace to make it more comfortable and reduce strain.
Get some support
Accepting help from trusted friends and family members can improve your ability to manage stress. Your employer may also have stress management resources available through an employee assistance program (EAP), including online information, available counseling and referral to mental health professionals, if needed. If you continue to feel overwhelmed by work stress, you may want to talk to a psychologist, who can help you better manage stress and change unhealthy behavior