How To Overcome Stress And Pressure At Workplace
How To Overcome Stress And Pressure At Workplace: Stress and Pressure have become a common experience for any able person of working age. This is because all working environments have standards to maintain, goals to achieve, and targets to meet. These phenomena are most eminent in all private sectors that are purpose derived and in an attempt to maximize profits.
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Everyone expresses stress from time to time. Anything from everyday responsibilities like work and family to serious life events such as a new diagnosis, war, or the death of a loved one can trigger stress. Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D., CRNP
Psychologically, “Stress is defined as a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing and exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her wellbeing (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984: p. From International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition), 2015”
Finally, Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined stress as a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in life or work e.t.c, stress is a physical force or pressure.
Stress is the body’s physical response to a real or perceived threat, demand, or danger.
Stress can bring about job dissatisfaction, and more increased absenteeism, employee’s unwillingness to work, reduced quantity and quality of work, poor communication, and increased conflict if not controlled and overcome
Stress can be caused by uncontrolled emotions, and emotion is a person’s subjective feelings and mood. Depression, Anger, and Embarrassment are the results of the emotional stress
Pressure has to do with the demand that is being exerted upon someone, therefore, we experience stress when the demand of the environment we find ourselves in outweigh our ability to respond to them
Being able to deal with stress and pressure in the workplace is a skill that many lookouts for to have, pressure and stress is not easy to be fully overcome, but there are some ways it can be controlled and handled that an organization won’t be affected, but soaring high and outstanding
Types of Stress
There are several types of stress, these include: Acute Stress, Episodic acute stress, and Chronic stress
- Acute stress: this is the most common type of stress; acute stress can be helpful in short doses. It is the body’s response to a recent or anticipated challenge or unexpected event. The common symptoms of acute stress include: (i) emotional distress (ii) muscle tension (iii) headache (iv)stomach upset ((vi) raised blood pressure
- Episodic Acute stress: This is when a person experiences acute stress frequently. If you have episodic acute stress, you may feel like you are always under pressure, this can be exhausting both physically and mentally. Symptoms include. (i) irritability (ii) unintended hostility (iii) relationship problem
- Chronic stress: is ongoing stress resulting from long–term emotional pressure. For example, a stressful job, unhappy family situation, or money problem. Symptoms of chronic stress include. (i) Irritability (ii) Anxiety (iii) Depressions (iv) headache (v) Insomnia
Why Stress or pressure?
Symptoms of work-related stress
The signs and symptoms of work-related stress can be physical, psychological, and behavioral.
Physical symptoms include: (i) Fatigue (ii) Muscular tension (iii) Headaches (iv) Heart palpitations (iv) Sleeping difficulties, such as insomnia (v) Gastrointestinal upsets, such as diarrhea or constipation (vi) Dermatological disorders
Psychological symptoms include: (i) Depression (ii) Anxiety (iii) Discouragement (iv) irritability (v)Pessimism (vi)Feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to cope (vii) Cognitive difficulties, such as a reduced ability to concentrate or make decisions
Behavioral symptoms include: (i) An increase in sick days or absenteeism (ii) Aggression (iii) Diminished creativity and initiative (iv) A drop in work performance (v) Problems with interpersonal relationships (vi) Mood swings and irritability (vii) Lower tolerance of frustration and impatience (viii) Disinterest (ix) Isolation
What are the main work-related stressors?
All the following issues have been identified as potential stressors at workplaces. A risk management approach will identify which ones exist in your workplace and what causes them, they include: (i) Organization Culture (ii) Bad management practice (iii) Job content and demands (iv) Physical work environment (v) Relationships at work (vi) Change management (vii) Lack of support (viii) Trauma
Causes of work-related stress
Some of the factors that commonly cause work-related stress include: (i) Long hours (ii) Heavy workload (iii) Changes within the organization (iv) Tight deadlines (v) Changes of duties (vi) Job insecurity (vii) Lack of autonomy (viii0 Boring work (ix) Insufficient skills for the job (x) Over – supervision (xi) Inadequate working environment (xii) Lack of proper resources (xiii) Poor relationships with colleagues or bosses (xiv) Crisis incidents, such as an armed hold – up or workplace death
Self-help for the individual
A person suffering from work-related stress can help themselves in several ways, including:
(i) Think about the changes you need to make at work to reduce your stress levels and then take action. Some changes you can manage yourself, while others will need the cooperation of others
(ii) Talk over your concerns with your employer or human resources manager
(iii) Make sure you are well organized. List your tasks in order of priority. Schedule the most difficult tasks each day for times when you are fresh, such as first thing in the morning
(iv) Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly
(v) Consider the benefits of regular relaxation. You could try meditation or yoga
(vi) Make sure you have enough free time to yourself every week
(vii) Do not take out your stress on loved ones. Instead, tell them about your work problem and ask for their support and suggestions
(viii) Drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco, won’t help
(ix) If work-related stress continues to be a problem, despite your efforts, you may need to consider another job or a career change. Seek advice from a career counselor or psychologist
BENEFITS OF PREVENTING STRESS IN THE WORK-PLACE
- Reduced symptoms of poor mental and physical health
- Fewer injuries, less illness, and loss of time
- Reduced sick leave usage, absence, and staff turnover
- Greater job satisfaction
- Increased work engagement
- Reduced costs to the employment
- Improved employee health and community wellbeing
WORK-RELATED STRESS IS A MANAGEMENT ISSUE
Employers need to recognize work-related stress as a significant health and safety issue. A company can and should take steps to ensure that employees are not subjected to unnecessary stress, including:
(i) Ensure a safe working environment
(ii) Make sure that everyone is properly trained for their job
(iii) De-stigmatize work-related stress by openly recognizing it as a genuine problem
(iv) Discuss issues and grievances with employees, and take appropriate actions when possible
(v) Devise a stress management policy in consultation with the employees.
(vi) Encourage an environment where employees have more say over their duties, promotional prospects, and safety
(vii) Organize to have a human resources manager
(viii) Cut down on the need for overtime by re-organizing duties or employing extra staff
(ix) Take into account the personal lives of employees and recognize that the demands of the home will sometimes clash with the demands of work
(x) Seek advice from health professionals, if necessary
WHERE TO GET HELP
(i) Your doctor
(ii) Psychologist
Remaining Calm Always
One needs to maintain a calm personality no matter what happened, and it takes more practice.
Staying calm shows that one can take things in stride and always a complete task, even in the face of difficult circumstances and challenges
Staying focused on What Need to Be Accomplished
Even though the day might be stressful, keep your mind strongly focused on completing your regular responsibilities
Helping Others to Get Through Their Tasking Day
When you notice your co-worker struggling with their task, help them finish and become the leader, you know you are
Staying Positive AT all Times
Refuse to engage in arguments or other disagreements with your colleagues, keep busy to enable your thoughts to remain positive and focused.
We all get sucked into the drama from time to time at work, but if you are working wound up, stop and think what you feel the final resolution
should be stop, breath, take a step back, and then proceed with a clear mind
Get Help If You Need It
Part of the job of an employee is to protect the employer, noticing there is something out of line. Help should be gotten immediately. Assessing a situation and taking care of issues, right away shows one think clearly under pressure
Stay Clear of Too Much Caffeine
Caffeine is a good stimulant of stress, limiting the intake of caffeine and chocolate or chocolate snacks can go a long way not to be stress into our body
Take Your Breaks
Taking a short break helps to release pent-up stress, it strengthens and actually enable one to be more productive, so taking a walk to the restroom or just getting up to move about the office space, can help someone overcome pressure and stress at work
Join In With Big Project
From time to time, the company may need help with a large or complex project. Take on the responsibility willingly. Showing the ability to be flexible demonstrates, one’s willingness to step out of the comfort zone, openness to learning new things as well as ability to handle the added pressure
Avoid Letting Stress Show On You
Carrying on with your responsibility no matter what is going on, consciously bringing the mind back to the current action in completing an important task, help in letting go of worries and other stress
Staying positive and focusing on your work regardless of the circumstances, shows tremendous ability to handle and overcome pressure at work. An employer looks for this trait when they hire a new employee and when they consider which employee to promote