The majority of us will experience stress on a relatively regular basis. One of the first things that will spring to many people’s minds when they consider the causes of stress in their own life tends to be their job or their workplace. This is unfortunate, as most of us will spend up to forty hours every single week at work. But seeing as you have to work in order to make money and maintain a good quality of life for yourself (preventing you from having to stress about cash-flow, keeping a roof over your head, or providing yourself and your dependents with sufficient energy and food), many people feel stuck in a rut.
The good news is that we are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impacts that stress can have on our lives and there are consequently more and more means of support and help, as well as regulations and protocol being put in place, to ensure that your experience of the workplace is as positive as possible. Let’s take a moment to look into this whole subject further!
Is Stress Really Negative?
Some people argue that stress as a direct result of work can be a positive thing. They will contend that it can push you to better performance. Of course, stress is a natural, evolutionary response that has developed over hundreds of thousands of years for the sake of our own protection and well-being. When we face difficult or dangerous situations, we experience stress which then triggers our fight or flight instinct. In the past, this helped us to deal as best we could with said situations – we would either assert our dominance physically, or flee and save ourselves physical harm.
But nowadays, this isn’t quite so productive. We don’t face as many physical threats, and most of the time, when we experience stress, we are not in immediate physical danger. Instead, we may simply be facing a crowded morning commute, a verbal conflict in the workplace, an awkward or undesired social interaction, or difficulty meeting a deadline. Instead of helping us, stress is often more detrimental to our overall health and well-being.
The Journal of Aging Research recently published a study that determined stress to have profoundly negative effects on our physical and mental well-being. It was found that people who experience moderate to high levels of stress also tend to experience higher mortality rates than other individuals who experience lower levels of stress. This is supported by another study that was published in the BMJ (or British Medical Journal), which concluded that mild stress experienced on a regular basis can be linked to long term disabilities. Need more proof of stress’ negative impact on our life? Well, research that has been highlighted by Medical News Today also supports these aforementioned claims, detailing the ways in which chronic stress can cause long-term epigenetic changes. The Journal of Neuroscience further argues that stress can quite literally change an individual’s brain function.
The Negative Effects of Stress
So what are some of these negative effects that stress can have on you as an individual? How can it directly affect you? Well, stress, in general, can impact your mood, your behavior, and your physical body.
Effects on your mood:
- Irritability and restlessness
- Sadness
- Anxiety
- Lack of motivation
Effects on your behavior:
- Sudden emotional outbursts
- Dietary problems, such as under eating or overeating
- Withdrawal from social situations
Effects on your body:
- Headaches
- Fatigue and other sleep problems
- Muscle Tension
- Chest Pain
- Stomach Upset
Reducing Work Related Stress
As you can see, stress really isn’t a positive thing to experience and you should do your utmost to ensure that your life is as stress free as possible. As we have already established, one major cause of stress for a huge number of people is work. So, how can you go about ensuring that your workplace is as stress free a place as possible, and that you experience as little stress as possible when operating in the workplace? Here are just a few steps that you can take to achieve a stress free working lifestyle!
Effective Time Management
A major cause of stress in the workplace is not keeping up with deadlines. If it so happens that your employer is simply expecting too much of you and your deadlines and targets are near on impossible to meet, you should talk to them about this and they may lighten your workload. However, if you find that you are falling behind on deadlines because you are procrastinating or not using your time wisely when in the workplace, you are going to have to take matters into your own hands and deal with your own shortcomings independently. You need to start managing your time more effectively. This, of course, can be difficult.
There are all sorts of distractions in the workplace, from colleagues to something interesting that may be happening outside the window. But you need to remain focused. A good way of achieving this is to consider the Benefits Of A Work Schedule App and to download one that you can then incorporate into your routine. This will allow you to micromanage your time. If you ever forget what you are supposed to be doing or what you need to achieve by the end of the working day, you can check your app and make sure that you steer back on course with your schedule.
Resolve Issues with Colleagues
While hopefully, you will not experience conflict with your colleagues while working, this can be a relatively common occurrence if you find that you and a colleague just don’t gel all too well. This can be disheartening – after all, you’re meant to function as a team who work together and support each other. But not to worry. There are ways to work your way around workplace conflict with fellow employees. Sometimes, you may be able to put conflict to rest yourself. If conflict is minor, you should consider sitting down with individuals who are causing trouble and try to resolve whatever grievances you have. I
f they won’t listen and aren’t willing to be civil, you might want to raise the issue with your workplace’s HR department. HR stands for “human relations” and part of the individuals in this departments’ role is to alleviate workplace dramas. It may feel odd getting someone else involved in your own arguments, but they will act as a neutral body and will be able to ensure the right action is taken to make matters better. It is extremely important that you contact this department if another colleague has been prejudiced or aggressive towards you.
As you can see, it’s extremely important that you do your utmost to minimize the amount of stress that you experience as a part of day to day life. If you are experiencing stress in the workplace, hopefully, the above advice will help you to overcome situations that cause stress!
