โHow well do you work under pressure?โ is a common question during work interviews. And unless the answer is โI perform well under pressureโ, you have no guarantee of getting the job.
But what comes along with that pressure of managing stress at work is never considered. The most likely thing to tag along with the work pressure is stress.
Each day brings with it new levels of stress. More emails, new tasks, suffocating deadlines, work politics and so much more. Managing stress at work has become a significant cause of mental disorders and physical illness.
Extremely stressed employees are highly vulnerable to mental disorders like depression, insomnia, panic attacks, anxiety, self-doubt, inferiority complex and addictions. This is why managing stress at work is important.
The physical illnesses observed are body aches, headaches, flu, high blood pressure, weak immunity and heart-related problems.
Every employee running the race is experiencing stress which is why managing stress at work is inevitable. Some may debate work stress as necessary to some level. Finding a stress-free job is next to impossible during current times.
Many employees take pride in the fact that they are stressed about their job. They believe it makes them look hardworking and will lead to success. Unfortunately, extreme pressure and managing stress at work can reduce their productivity and will to achieve their targets.
Stress makes the employee perform below their capacity. It makes them reluctant to work in a team, volunteer for new projects or participate in other workplace activities.
What Causes Stress at the Workplace?
1. Exceeding workload
Numerous companies and managers expect their employees or subordinates to complete enormous tasks or multiple tasks within a short period. They set unrealistic expectations of the employee and they spend more time managing stress at work than on tasks.
And naturally, when the employee is unable to meet those unrealistic expectations, they are belittled and made to feel incompetent.
Such incidences, if occurring often, can cause a great deal of stress for the employee. They begin to think that the set expectations are realistic and question their skills.
2. Low pay
The work done by an employee deserves equivalent pay. When the salary does not justify the workload, the employee feels undervalued and this leads to managing stress at work stemming from money worries.
Questions like โAm I not doing enough?โ, โIs my hard work not worth good money?โ arise in the employeeโs mind.
This leads to spending more time managing stress at work and feeling frustrated. The stress of using all the capability to work hard and the frustration of being underpaid.
3. Indefinite work hours
Employees prefer a job with a definite amount of hours. Long working hours hampers their personal, family and social life. Maintaining a work-life balance has become a necessity for all to help in managing stress at work.
Long work hours also hampers the employee’s daily schedule, including meal timings and sleep hours. Additionally, excessive screen time has also been proven to increase employee’s stress levels.
Therefore, if work timings are exceeded, there are chances that the employee is constantly stressed about his work.
3. Major changes
Companies undergo changes over the years. There could be significant changes in policies, management, facilities, etc. There is, of course, nothing wrong with these changes.
But, if the employees are not informed about the change, there can be confusion all over the workplace which requires them to embrace change while managing stress at work. The uncertainty caused by it leads to stress among the employees.
4. Toxic environment
The workplace atmosphere must be pleasant and comfortable enough for an employee to comfortably spend nine hours of their day in the workplace.
If incidents of bullying, intentional discrimination, constant conflicts with colleagues and unclear job roles happen at work, the employee will be preoccupied with dealing with them rather and managing stress at work than working productively.
How one is treated at their workplace determines their commitment and loyalty to their company.
5. Lack of opportunities
Any employee with immense potential will want opportunities to showcase their potential. The employee feels stunted or suffocated if the job does not provide those opportunities and this leads to them having to worry about growth, and managing stress at work.
The lack of opportunities can lead to stress and second thoughts regarding the job.
6. Poor communications
Clear communication in a workplace between colleagues is a must. It ensures clarity regarding tasks, instructions, expectations, deadlines, work delegation and job roles.
Poor communication in those regards can cause confusion, pressure and results in everyone managing stress at work.
7. The fluidity of roles and responsibilities
Uncertainty plays a significant role in causing stress. The human mind requires certainty to be at ease. If not, the survival instincts are constantly on guard.
If the responsibilities and requirements are often changing without any indication beforehand, the mind becomes uncertain about what is precisely required and more time is spent managing stress at work. This uncertainty becomes the root cause of the stress that follows.
How to Identify Signs of Stress at Work?
Have you ever noticed some of the following psychological symptoms?
- Higher irritability
- Lack of motivation
- Reduced productivity
- Low moods
- Increased self-doubt
- Loss of appetite
- Frequent headaches
- Increased physical illness
- Constant worry about work
- Overthinking about career and work-related things
If you ticked most of the above symptoms, your work is causing you significant stress.
You may not want to admit it. You may feel incompetent if you acknowledge the stress but denying it will not make it go away. Maybe identifying and acknowledging the stress can help tackle and reduce it.
How to Reduce Stress at Work?
Once you have taken up the initiative of managing stress at work, the following tips can prove helpful
1. Identify the exact cause
We have established the fact that the stress is work-related. But that in itself is not enough. You have to identify which part of the work is the cause so you can start on managing stress at work.
Is it the working hours, the colleagues, the workload, the lack of facilities or the confusion about your job role?
2. Find a sounding board
Keeping all those thoughts bottled up in your mind is never a good idea. Take into confidence someone you trust. That may be your spouse, friend, counsellor, parent or anyone else.
Voice out your frustrations to them. They may not be able to give you advice, but just venting out to someone you know will listen is enough to relieve some stress.
3. Initiate clarity
If the lack of clarity, poor communication or confusion is the cause of your stress, take the initiative and clear your doubts with your manager or HR. Asking questions will only be beneficial.
4. Deep breathing
One of the most helpful techniques in managing stress at work is deep breathing. You just have to take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds and breathe it out. Repeat it a few times. Make sure to keep your mind free of all stressful thoughts during deep breathing.
This can be done while you are sitting at your office desk, while you are driving or even walking
5. Take the break
The tea or lunch break is not only for sipping hot tea or eating your meal. It is also given for managing stress at work to take your mind off the hours of thinking.
Refresh your mind within those twenty, thirty minutes. Avoid thinking about your pending tasks or what your colleague said earlier.
You have to return to your desk and do just that for the rest of the day. Therefore focus only on your meal during your breaks.
6. Set your focus
Focusing on more than one task at a time has proven to reduce the quality of all the tasks done simultaneously. Try and focus on one task, give it your best and move on to the next task.
If you have many urgent tasks at hand and you try finishing them all at once, you will not only mess up the tasks but also your mental stability
7. Professional help
There will be days when all the techniques will fail in managing stress at work.That does not mean you suffer in silence and continue your work.
Reaching out to a professional counsellor or therapist is necessary to deal with overburdening stress. If ignored, it will lead to neurotic disorders.
Theories of Stress
Stress is a symptom of other disorders and an independent mental health issue. Hence there are various theories addressing stress as a stimulus and a response.
The theory put forth by William James and Carl Lange in 1884-1885 proves that stress is connected to an individual’s emotional behaviour or response.
If the employee gets into a conflict with their colleague, knowing that this could have a negative effect on their job, they begin stressing about the situation.
As soon as they get called in by HR or the manager, they begin overthinking the consequences, which leads to panic. The panic causes excessive sweating. There are emotions of guilt, regret and remorse. All of which add up and cause the employee to apologise for their behaviour.
The theory proposed by Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer backs the theory by James and Lange. The theory adds that the human mind attempts to identify the stressor behind the emotional response. If it fails to do so, it begins looking for environmental cues.
Stress-related Disorders
Stress is often the underlying cause of panic attacks, anxiety and phobias. It makes the nervous system tense. Prolonged stress can lead to major psychological disorders.
Some of those psychological disorders are
- Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
- Bipolar Disorder (BD)
Chronic stress is found to be one of the primary symptoms of the above disorders.
There are certain techniques to reduce stress. But a fixed solution to control stress from leading to disorders is yet to be devised.
Positron emission tomography (PET) helps to observe the activity of the chemicals in the brain during a surge of chronic stress. This has helped plan out a typical treatment for stress-related disorders.
Treatment includes mood stabilisers, psychotherapy and recommended meditation.
Ananda Offers Help
Ananda mental wellness is here to help you deal, control and overcome the stress you are experiencing. We can help in managing stress at work. We offer professional counselling done by trained and certified mental health professionals.
We also have a separate service catering to the methods of dealing with stress.
Read More:
Mental Health Effects of Screen Time: Impact of Excessive Screen Time on Mental Health
Trauma: Types, Causes, Symptoms and Major Disorders of Trauma
One Response
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