Stress at Work
By Polly Devaney
“Stress is when you wake up in the middle of the night screaming and then realise that you haven’t fallen asleep yet.” Anon.
From being virtually unheard of less than a hundred years ago, stress has become one of the most commonly used and accepted words in the English language today. According to the UK’s Health & Safety Executive, over half a million people believe they are suffering from work-related stress at a level that is making them ill.
The causes of stress vary significantly from person to person but career consultant Sherridan Hughes believes there are three main causes of stress at work, “A bullying boss with poor people management skills is a very common cause of stress, as people are left feeling tense and nervous and that they can never do anything right.
The second key cause is self-inflicted - people being such perfectionists that they are unable to delegate - they are convinced that nothing is ever good enough unless they do it themselves. Thirdly, being in the wrong job or industry can cause a significant stress reaction, when people’s own personal values do not match the company values or culture.”
What are the signs of stress?
Whilst stress is a serious condition, many people bemoan the fact that they are ‘totally stressed out’ by their job, when in fact they are simply disorganised, irritated or in need of a good night’s sleep. As Sherridan Hughes points out, “It is unrealistic to expect your employer to take all the ‘stress’ factors away from you, as no working environment is pressure free.” So how can you tell if you are genuinely suffering from stress, or if you are just under pressure and need to re-prioritise? Stress indicators can be divided into four categories:
Physical
- Muscle tension
- Nail biting
- Sweating
- Hair loss
Mental
- Lack of concentration
- Indecision
- Forgetfulness
- Negative thinking
- Loss of confidence
- Feeling out of control
- Blaming others
Emotional
- Fear
- Anger
- Tearfulness
- Irritability
- Panic
- Anxiety and worry
Behavioural
- Errors and inefficiency
- Increased smoking/drinking
- Loss of appetite or bingeing
- Insomnia or sleepiness
- Accident proneness
- Loss of sense of humour
- Hand wringing/finger drumming
- Withdrawal
- Self-neglect
What can you do about stress?
Seek medical advice. Firstly you need to be able to recognise the symptoms as listed above. If you are suffering from several of them at once, you could certainly be experiencing stress. Book an appointment with your GP and talk through your concerns and symptoms.
Get moving. It is important to stay active, or get active if you aren’t already. People often let their hobbies and leisure activities slip when they are getting into a stressed state and feel over-loaded with work, but all this does is contribute to worsening the problem. Physical activity uses up the hormones that have been released when your body is in a stressed state.
Get the right job for the real you. Living closer to your true values can really help alleviate stress. If you feel you may have lost sight of what really makes you tick and what is most important to you, think about whether your career has become mismatched to your values. Changing level, role or type of organisation could really help if this is the case.
Be positive. Looking at things from a different perspective can help alleviate stress. For example, one employee might see the introduction of new technology as a worrying and foreboding sign that there will be redundancies on the way, whereas another person may see it as a good opportunity to learn a new, CV-enhancing skill.
Prevention is better than cure
The consensus amongst experts is that the best solution is to prevent stress happening in the first place, often by working on your ability to adapt to change. They advise undertaking longer-term stress prevention measures. These can include:
- Mental skills - changing your perspective and practising positive self-talk
- Behavioural - practising assertiveness and conflict management
- Organisational - better time management, delegation and a more balanced workload
- Physical / lifestyle - relaxation and fitness, better diet and minimal alcohol
Executive life coach Alan Frost, backs up this view, “One of the key stress factors I see in clients, many of whom are in senior industry roles, is a feeling that they are not in control of their own destiny at work. Yet it is not the unexpected workplace events that cause the stress, it is their reaction to them. Taking some preventative steps can help you remain calm and effective in high pressure situations and therefore avoid the problems of long term stress.”
