Stress at Workplace

Common Sources of Stress

1.     Low salaries - When the salary you get is lower than you deserve or less in comparison with the work you put in, it becomes a source of stress. More so if the salary is not enough to meet the needs of your family.

2.     Excessive workloads - If the load of work allotted to you is so much that, in spite of your best efforts, you are unable to cope with it, it becomes a source of stress. You are always worried about the pending work.

3.     Few opportunities for growth - If the your job does not offer bright future prospects and does not allow you to grow professionally, you begin to feel that you are stagnating. and so, you begin to feel frustrated.

4.     Work is not engaging or interesting or challenging - If the work given is not to your liking or if it is too boring and monotonous, you begin to feel dissatisfied which in turn leads to stress. There are some people who like to face challenge. To them, the easy and simple nature of the duties assigned to them can become a cause of stress.

5.     Not having enough control over work related decisions - If you do not have the authority to make decisions related to you work and always have to follow the decisions made by your superiors, you sometimes begin to feel stressed. You may, on certain occasions, feel that the decision is wrong but you have to execute it even against your wish. The situation then leads to stress because your mind is burdened with the feeling of guilt.

6.     Lack of social support - There may arise situations during the course of work when you need the help and cooperation of the people around you to deal with a critical situation. On such occasions, if the required support is not coming forth and you are left to depend entirely on your own resources, you begin to feel lonely and isolated which leads to stress.

7.     Conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations - Sometimes, different people occupying seats of authority make demands on you which are opposed to each other. You are then caught in a cleft stick and are unable to decide what to do. Such indecision becomes a big source of stress. You are worried. It is not possible to please two masters if their expectations are in conflict with each other. Whatever you do, one of them is bound to get annoyed.

Effects

1. Anxiety - Stress. even if slight can make you feel anxious and worried which makes you feel confused and puzzled.

2. Headache - Acute stress can lead to a severe headache.

3. Stomach-ache - I some people, stress can cause stomachache and even loose motions.

4. Loss of sleep - If the stress is very high, it can result in the loss of sleep. You are unable to have proper sleep till the source of stress is removed.          5. Ill / short temper - Continued stress over a period of time can make you ill tempered or short tempered. You begin to get angry over trifles and are always quarreling with somebody or the other. 

6. Inability to concentrate - Sometimes, as a result of the stress you are carrying, you lose the ability to lose focus and are unable to concentrate on your work, which can lead to serious errors on your part, which, in turn, become a source of more stress and you are thus caught in a vicious circle.

7. Depression - Continued acute stress over a long period of time can lead to depression in some people. They lose all hope and become psychos.

8. Insomnia: Another condition that continued stress can lead is insomnia. You may lose sleep permanently and may be forced to depend on sleeping pills.

9. High blood pressure - Constant begins to affect your body too. It can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) or hypo=tension (low blood pressure), both of which are harmful for your health and can have serious physical consequences. They can cause you to faint and may even lead to brain haemmourage resulting in paralysis or even death.

10. Weakened immune system - Continued high stress weakens your immune system and reduce you ability to fight disease. You begin to fall an easy prey to all sorts of diseases and infections.

11. Heart disease - Stress can also lead to cardiac problems. It can increase the chances of heart attacks which may result in suddenly losing your life or becoming crippled.

12. Obesity - In a few cases, stress can also lead to obesity, which then brings many other problems with it.

Managing Stress

1.     Track the sources of stress

Observe and keep note of the situations, factors, persons, environment and your response /reaction. A pattern will emerge which will make it easier to deal with it.

2.     Develop healthy responses

Exercise, Yoga, Deep Breathing, Recitation of scriptures, Hobbies, Entertainment, set aside time for things which bring you pleasure, Healthy sleep habits

3.     Establish boundaries

Do not carry the tension of work with you all the twenty four hours. Fix some parts of the day when you will not think about work i.e. not checking email in the evening, not attending phone calls while taking meals.

4.     Take time to recharge

Find time to refresh yourself by dedicating some time to your favourite activity or by having a holiday.

5.     Learn how to relax

Learn some technique to relax. Yoga, meditation, deep breathing etc.

Learn to focus totally on the activity and think of nothing else.

6.     Speak to your supervisor

After identifying the sources of stress, you can talk to your supervisor.

He can help you by guiding you,  by improving time management techniques, getting help from the colleagues, assigning you the type of work you like, telling you about some employer sponsored employee wellness schemes,

7.     Get some support

Get help from friends or family members by sharing your feelings with them. Just sharing may lighten your mind. They can also guide you. There may be some employee assistant programmes in your organisation like providing counselling, by an expert. In extreme cases, consulting a psychiatrist may help.