If asked if your job is stressful, chances are you would answer with an emphatic "Boy is it ever!" Work is by far the leading source of stress in our lives. Nine out of 10 people say they experience high levels of stress several times a week. And one out of four of us have high stress levels every day.
What you may not know is that your stress from work may in fact be affecting your health. Stress affects the body in many different ways. Some kinds of stress are beneficial. Others can cause serious health problems.
We hear a lot about stress, but what is it? Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines stress as "the result produced when a structure, system or organism is acted upon by forces that disrupt equilibrium or produce strain."
In simpler terms, stress is the result of any emotional, physical, social, economic or other factors that require a response or change.
It is generally believed that some stress is okay (sometimes referred to as "challenge" or "positive stress"), but when stress occurs in amounts that you cannot handle, both mental and physical changes may occur.
Workplace Stress
"Workplace stress" is the harmful physical and emotional responses that can happen when there is a conflict between job demands on the employee and the amount of control an employee has over meeting these demands.
Stress in the workplace can have many origins or come from one single event. It can impact both employees and employers alike. As universally stated by health authorities, this includes:
- Fear of job redundancy
- Layoffs due to an uncertain economy
- Increased demands for overtime due to staff cutbacks
Employees who start to feel the "pressure to perform" can get caught in a downward spiral of increasing effort to meet rising expectations with no increase in job satisfaction.
Gone are the days of working 40 hours a week. The average person now works 60 hours a week which means more hours of prolonged stress and less time to relax.
Job stress even invades our vacation time. According to Anderson Consulting, 80 percent of people who took vacations in 2000 stayed in touch with the office by taking their laptop or cell phone with them.
It is important to identify the factors at work that may be causing your stress. Examine the responsibilities of your job -- high-responsibility jobs can be a source of great stress. Your work environment can also cause stress if it is noisy or crowded. If you have interpersonal problems at work, this can be one of the greatest sources of work-related stress.
The Implications
Chronic stress weakens the body's physiological systems and leads to innumerable health problems. In fact, 70 to 80 percent of all disease and illness is stress related.
In the short-term, workplace stress can lead to absenteeism, illness, alcoholism, "petty internal politics," bad or snap decisions, indifference and apathy, lack of motivation or creativity.
In the long-term, the relentless requirement to work at optimum performance takes its toll in job dissatisfaction, employee turnover, reduced efficiency, illness and even death. Major stress-related health problems include coronary heart disease, cancer, the common cold, migraine headaches, warts, some cases of female infertility, ulcers, insomnia and hypertension.
Millions of dollars a year are spent on stress-related diseases. Even more frightening is that job stress is at an all-time high and continues to rise.
Reducing Workplace Stress
There are several indicators you can use to determine if you suffer from chronic workplace stress. Warning signs include headaches, teeth-grinding, back pain (especially in the shoulders or neck), anxiety and insomnia.
If you suffer from chronic stress, there are a lot of things you can do to reduce that stress. Some of the most effective stress management techniques you can do at home include relaxation exercises, meditation or getting extra sleep.
If you are at work and need to reduce stress, try deep (abdominal) breathing, take a short break, or talk to a friend or co-worker.
Ultimately, virtually every job is somewhat stressful. But by identifying and effectively managing your stress, you can reduce its negative effects and enjoy a healthier life.
Source: New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by Yellowbrix.
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