How to Deal with Stress at Work

With the fast-paced environment, greater ambition, and pressure to perform in all aspects of life, we make it more difficult for ourselves to promote a healthy and successful life. Stress becomes a threat to most of us, especially if we are wanting to focus on building our careers. A lot of people prefer to ignore stress, but when it strikes, they find it hard to know how to deal with it.

The society we are in today produces much more stress as compared before. Although modern technologies have helped us to be provided with better communication and interaction, there are also downsides to it. People become busier and often neglect the things that should be more important to them. Long before they know they are stuck with stressful situations, they can be a victim of anxiety and other more significant issues. Stress can affect anyone and can bring adverse effects on different levels.

What Is Stress?

Stress can be defined as the inability to cope with a situation that is real and imaginable. This can be felt in cases wherein you experience annoyance, consequences of overstretched, time-pressured lifestyles or unforeseen events such as loss of a family member or threat of illness.

Stress is a physical response; our body always feels that we are under attack. The body can handle stress when it’s still moderate. However, when it becomes chronic and has a massive impact, this can lead to mental and physical issues. 

Stress may vary from different types of people, and it has a significant impact on health. It can affect the susceptibility of the disease and can change the progression of one's recovery from a disease. It has been linked to common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and many other illnesses. There are also factors on how a person perceives stress; it can be the way the person recognizes a particular situation or and the person's general state of health.

Stress should be taken as a serious matter. But it will be more helpful if we can learn how to avoid it. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Make sure to find out the underlying causes of stress, so effective solutions can be implemented.

Symptoms of Stress at Work

The workplace should be a place for productivity, creativity, and efficiency. Employees should be given opportunities to share their insights and ideas. They should be working comfortably and conveniently. Stress should not hamper each employee’s progress. However, stress can be sometimes unavoided. Below are some of the symptoms of stress to be observed in the workplace:

Physical Fatigue. A person might feel exhausted upon waking up in the morning and lazy to prepare himself in time for work. There are various reasons why people can experience fatigue. Insomnia or lack of sleep can be one of its causes. Too much work or overwhelming tasks can be another reason.

Emotional state and lack of Ineffectiveness. When an individual becomes less productive and feels like he can no longer finish what he has started on a project, it can also be a sign of stress. A person experiencing stress can have an emotional breakdown and a lack of self-esteem. 

The above symptoms must be observed rightly. Employers and supervisors must talk to the employees as soon as the symptoms are observed, so problems due to stress will be solved promptly.

Ways to Manage Stress at Work

Identify your stressor. Since we are dealing with our work stress, we need to identify workplace stressors. One of the factors could be high job demand vs low job control, repeated or extreme exertions. Once you have defined your stressor, it is essential to identify which causes you more stress and how you respond to the situation. Take time to analyze and record your thoughts and feelings on this. It is essential to know how you react to these situations so that you can be aware of how you can respond the next time it happens. Be sure that your subsequent reaction based on last time experience won't lead to misunderstanding but rather rectify the situation.

Talk to your superior. Have open communication with your boss and let them know your thoughts; this way you can inform them of your stressor. Explain that your agenda is not to relay all the complaints that you have in mind but instead come up with a resolution that can benefit you and the team. Your superiors are responsible for creating a work environment that promotes the welfare and well-being of an employee.

Take time to relax. Learn how to use your break time. Taking breaks to relax, whether through walking or taking a nap reduces stress. Take a minute to stretch like a brisk walk or visit the cubicle of your co-workers. It is an excellent way to release tension and take a pause from your daily work. This will also help clear your mind from the job you are doing. Spending your break taking a 20-minute nap sometimes is more energizing than sleeping an extra 20 minutes in the morning. This reduces stress and gives both your mind and body a boost, which can lead to fewer work-related errors. Breaking from focus mode helps our brains integrate the information we are working, which in turn can make us retain more information for later use.

Manage your work environment. Creating a positive environment, whether through a personal relationship with your co-workers or making your workplace conducive for work, is essential. This is to know what is causing stress in your workplace. This might lead to a bigger problem if not resolve immediately.

Positive environment. Open communication, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing a clear expectation. These are just one of the factors wherein a positive environment can be achieved. This can also eliminate decreased productivity and employee turnover.

Have the right furniture. Some of us might think that this is to make the office look suitable for clients. However, this is much more than that. Comfortability for the employees and the health benefits it brings are significant factors. Did you know that it also increases morale, productivity, and creates a happier environment?

A beautiful piece of furniture can help in lessening burnouts. It’s like art that people appreciate while looking at it. There is also other ergonomic equipment that can be included in the workplace. One of them is the Programmable Single Motor Electric Standing Desk from AnthroDesk. The benefit of this desk is it can switch positions from sitting to standing comfortably. One study found that merely standing can lower feelings of stress and fatigue while improving your mood and energy levels.