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Stress in the workplace is one of the top topics when it comes tostress-management because oddly enough most stress occurs in theworkplace environment. To understand that we first have to understand...
The Primal Roots Of StressThe animal in us humans has a basic paranoia build in. Have you evertried to pet an unknown cat and it ran away? It's basic self-protectingparanoia. And as evolved we humans want to see ourselves, we still runon the same basic "operating system".
Stress is the basic fight or flight reaction that gets triggered when we see ourselves in danger.
This is key!
Different Kinds Of StressYou have surely heard of the concept of different kinds of stressbefore. We generally differentiate between: constructive stress(eustress) and destructive stress (distress). Constructive stress isvery healthy in the workplace since it gives you a drive towardssuccess, keeps you excited, and can lead to a creative state of flow.
The primal reaction reaction to danger is what is referred to asdistress. The human biology doesn't care anymore about getting any kindof work done, it just wants to fight or flight.
That's when you keep thinking about what a prick your co-worker/boss is and can't concentrate on your work anymore.
Out Of The Stress-ConsciousnessI honestly don't want to give you the same advice that you geteverywhere else concerning stress-management: Take a vacation, spendtime with your family, work out, volunteer for charity work, gettogether with your friend and eat healthy.
Poof, all your problems will be gone. Next client please. (...as if ...)
Sure, that advice has its place and you will feel much better after agood workout, for example. But let's not kid ourselves, the next day itwill be the same old story and the same stress appears again.
Fact is: You will never get out of being stressed by other people orcircumstances in your workplace as long as you percieve them as being adanger.
Even if this is unconscious.
The perception of danger is the turning point of eustress (productivity) crossing over into distress.
Making The Unconscious ConsciousNow is the time for some good self-honesty.
1. Remember the last time you got into some seriously uncomfortable stress in the workplace
2. Do what you would do naturally and review the major troubles you have in that situation
3. Now let's shift your focus from the situation or person (well, wheredid I know from that it was outside of yourself ...) to yourself. Whichof your beliefs play into this trouble?
4. What are you afraid of? If you don't know, just guess. What couldyou maybe afraid of? Make a list of possibilities without judging. It'snot necessary. When the situation occurs next time you will be able topoint more and more in the direction of which of your guesses was themost accurate.
5. Really picture in your mind what the worst possible outcome of the situation may be.
6. What would you do given the circumstance that the worst casescenario really happened? Could you deal with that in any way?
7. What is the most probable outcome of the situation?
Our goal is to get more and more of our common sense into ouranimalistic fear-reactions. For example, when the stress arises frommeeting a deadline or you will loose your job, this can be a very scarysituation to be in.
The only way to get out of being paralyzed by the stress ahead is infact to get less outcome-dependent. This seems to be one of the bigironies of life, since independence from the outcome usually producesbetter outcomes.
Don't just skim the above steps and go "Yeah, yeah. Done that". Takeyour time and really do this analysis. It will get you further in thelong run than any vacation-workout-volunteering-quickfix.
To combine productivity and relaxation, simply avoid destructive stressin the workplace -- which might prove to be a much harder task than itsounds. Eustress is the flow you are looking for to happily beproductive at work.
With the rapid advancement of technology, the stresses facedat work have also increased. Many people dread going to work, hence the term“Monday Blues". What is the reason for this? There is partly the fear frombeing retrenched in bad times, leading to greater job insecurity on the part ofthose who remain. Undoubtedly, occupational stress is one of the most commonlycited stressors faced by people all over the world.
Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to ourenvironment which results in psychological and physical reactions. Whilst somestress is good for motivation and increasing efficiency, too much stress canresult in negative impacts such as reduced effectiveness and efficiency. Moreand more people are feeling isolated and disrespected at work, and this has ledto greater occupational stress. Many companies have taken to consulting expertsand professionals on ways to increase connectedness and motivation of theiremployees.
Some companies organize parties and make their employeesfeel valued at work. These are measures to motivate employees and help them tofeel secure at their jobs, translating into greater productivity. However, notall companies have such measures in place, and some have not gotten it quiteright. Hence, it is up to you to make sure that you can cope with stress atyour workplace, and use it to help you work better. Here are 3 simple steps tohelp you with coping with stress in the workplace.
Step #1: Raising Awareness
Help yourself to identify when you are facing rising levelsof stress, tipping the scales from positive to negative. This is important, asbeing able to identify signs of being stressed can help you to take steps to ensurethat your overall quality of life does not drop. If left unacknowledged, theproblem will only snowball, leading to disastrous consequences to your healthand overall wellbeing.
You can identify if you are feeling stressed by checking ifyou have any physical or psychological reactions, such as excessive sweating orheart palpitations, or the onset of headaches, irritability or the need toescape. If you experience any of these reactions, identify if you are feelingany overwhelming negative emotions, and if you are constantly worried.
Step #2: Identify the Cause
You need to be able to analyze the situation and identifywhat is causing the rise in stress. These stressors can be external andinternal. External stressors refer to things beyond your control, such as theenvironment or your colleagues at work. Internal stressors refer to your ownthinking and attitude. Often, we only start reacting to stress when acombination of stressors working together exceeds our ability to cope.
Keep a diary or a list of events that have caused you tofeel strong negative emotions, or those that are likely stressors. This willhelp you to identify the causes of your stress. Whilst it is not alwayspossible to eradicate them, we can change the way that we cope with it.
Step #3: Coping with Stress
In order to deal with the situation that is causing youstress, you need to calm your mind and body so as to stave off the reactionsand cope with it in a positive way. This can be through different methods, suchas taking time off. If a situation is triggering your stress and you are unableto calm down, remove yourself from it. Go outside and take a walk to calm down.Alternatively, you can try implementing relaxation techniques such as deepbreathing. If it is an internal stressor, stop your thought process until youare able to deal with it logically.
The key to making these 3 steps work for you is to practicethem. These are not instantaneous solutions, and you need to condition yourmind and practice them so that you can implement it when you are feelingstressed.